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Differences In Syntactic Complexity In The Writing Of El1 And Ell Civil Engineering Students, Santiago Gustin

Dissertations and Theses

Traditional studies in syntactic complexity consider increased clausal complexity to be characteristic of development, proficiency and growth in written language production. However, this stereotypical view ignores two important facts. First, complexity differs by register (i.e. daily speech versus formal writing). Second, as the proficiency of writers increases, their complexity in formal writing changes from clausal complexity to phrasal complexity (i.e. lower-proficiency writers have more subordinate clauses whereas higher-proficiency writers tend to have more noun phrases). Therefore, in this study, I argue for the need to consider not just clausal complexity but also phrasal complexity measures when assessing development and performance …

'Waifs' And 'Strays': An Examination Of Shakespeare’S Author Function In Three Apocryphal Plays, Andreas P. Bassett

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

The Shakespeare Apocrypha is a group of anomalous works that exist on the fringe of the conventional Shakespeare canon. Extant apocryphal plays, notably ones that originate from the Lord Chamberlain’s/King’s Men, complicate and challenge this established canon by seemingly attributing Shakespeare as author to plays that, according to scholars and critics, do not bear his literary mark. The aim of this paper is to examine how the Shakespeare attributions (‘William Shakespeare,’‘W. Shakespeare,’ and ‘W.S.’) on title pages of published apocryphal plays Thomas Lord Cromwell, The London Prodigal, and A Yorkshire Tragedy operate and function to lend authority to inferior texts …

Other-Initiated Other-Repair: Repair Organization While Playing A Place-Based Augmented-Reality Game, Adam C. Okoye

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Building on research on repair (Schegloff et. al. 1977) and repair among groups with varying levels of language proficiency (Brower et. al., 2004; Hosoda 2000, 2001, 2006; Kuhilla 2005; Theodórsdóttir 2018), this paper investigates how small groups organize other-initiated other-repair while playing an augmented reality (AR) game. Typical other-initiated other-repair organization follows a six-step trajectory which includes pauses to allow for self-initiation and self-repair (Schegloff et. al. 1977). The ability for participants to have the opportunity to perform self-initiated self-repair or other-initiated self-repair is important, because other-initiated other-repair is inherently face threatening (Brown & Levinson, 1987; Svennevig, 2008). My data …

"I Don't Want To Be Ashamed, I Want To Learn About My History": Racial Isolation In Portland’S White Schools, Rae R. Stevenson

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Students of color in predominantly white school systems face significant challenges in their path to positive racial identity development due to racial isolation. Their journeys through the education system are impacted by a lack of same-race peers and educators, and the challenges they face are amplified by neighborhoods that are equally devoid of same-race community members. This paper explores the experiences of self-identified members of the African diaspora in predominantly white schools in Portland, Oregon. Their stories were collected through semi-structured qualitative interviews. Analysis is informed by critical, feminist and constructivist perspectives, and utilizes a narrative approach. The experiences shared …

Abstract Pronominal Anaphora In Three Registers Of English, Dominique H. O'Donnell

PSU McNair Scholars Online Journal

Identifying the expressions in a text that refer to the same entity, or coreference resolution, is an important problem in natural language processing. Abstract anaphora are distinct from other types of reference because they refer to abstract entities in discourse such as events, facts, and propositions, and their antecedents can have non-nominal phrase structure. Non-nominal antecedents are an interesting challenge in coreference resolution because the pronoun provides little information about the syntactic structure or semantics of the antecedent. A great deal of work in corpus annotation for coreference and coreference resolution has focused on newspaper text, and the goal …

How Does Wasta Bolster Regimes? The Case Of Tunisia, Issrar Chamekh

Dissertations and Theses

This paper aims to highlight the impact of democratization on wasta by examining the everyday performance of wasta, or the use of connections and informal networks to acquire services. Despite its widespread use, I find that it is understudied as an explanatory variable in the literature on democratization and authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa, with Tunisia as a case study. In this paper, I argue that wasta can potentially have a consolidating effect on regimes. I examine the ways that wasta is encoded in everyday language. Using literature from Pragmatics, specifically Goffman's dramaturgical model, I find that …

Barriers To Learning, Part L, 21cleo Research Team

21CLEO Research Project Blog Posts

This blog post is the first in a two-part series that focuses on barriers to learner participation and persistence in employersupported educational opportunities. In this framing of past research and reports, the 21 CLEO Research team draws on Margaret Patterson's categories of learning and persistence barriers as an analytic lens to situate literature reviewed in our landscape scan.

Misrecognition In A Sustainability Capital: Race, Representation, And Transportation Survey Response Rates In The Portland Metropolitan Area, Raoul S. Liévanos, Amy Lubitow, Julius A. Mcgee

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

US household transportation surveys typically have limited coverage of and responses from people of color (POC), which may lead to inaccurate estimation of POC transportation access and behavior. We recast this technocratic understanding of representativeness as a problem of “racial misrecognition” in which racial group difference is obscured yet foundational for distributive transportation inequities and unsustainability. We linked 2008–2012 population and housing data to an apparent stratified random sample of 6107 household responses to the 2011 Oregon Household Activity Survey (OHAS) in a “sustainability capital”: the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. We detailed how the 2011 OHAS consistently overrepresented White households …

Tragic Ways Of Killing A Lesbian: A Synchronic Analysis, Taylor D. Watt

University Honors Theses

Following an increase in queer characters over the last few decades, representation of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, etc.) community on television has become a particularly rich field of inquiry for interdisciplinary scholars. One area of interest, the death of contemporary lesbian characters, remains fairly underdeveloped. This thesis attempts to identify structural patterns in the deaths of lesbian characters by subjecting their narrative arcs to structural analysis, specifically a method of linguistic analysis developed by the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. I identify structural patterns in the deaths of 6 lesbian characters which took place between the years …

Relationship Between Empathy And Language Proficiency In Adult Language Learners, Mika Sakai

Dissertations and Theses

This study reviews concepts and the mechanism of empathy, and the relationship between empathy and language proficiency, focusing on the aspect of cognitive empathy. It also discusses whether empathy levels could be developed by learning language to a highly proficient level. I compared the empathy levels between high and low proficiency second-language learners to determine if there was correlation between empathy and other factors such as gender, studying abroad, education background, and usage of a second language. I found that there was no relationship between empathy level and language proficiency level; however, there was one between empathy and gender. For …

Self-Disclosure And Physiological Responses Among Adults Who Stutter, Sulema Rodriguez

University Honors Theses

Purposes: (1) To explore self-disclosure, physiological and affective responses in easy and difficult speaking situations, (2) to investigate physiological and affective responses in self-disclosure and no self-disclosure speaking contexts, (3) to examine types of self-disclosure statements used along with physiological responses, (4) and to gain an understanding of reasons why and how adults who stutter choose to self-disclose or not self-disclose about their stuttering.

Method: Four adults who stutter were randomly assigned to self-disclosure and non self-disclosure speaking contexts. Heart rate, skin conductance, and affective responses were measured during the following focus areas: 1) start baseline, 2) anticipation of the …

Early Intervention Referral Outcomes For Children At Increased Risk Of Experiencing Developmental Delays, Kristi Laurine Atkins

Dissertations and Theses

Research has shown that children born low birth weight (i.e., ≤2500 grams) and/or premature (i.e., birth prior to 37 weeks gestation) are at increased risk of experiencing developmental delays, as well as long-standing executive functioning and academic challenges. Despite these well-known risks, children born low birth weight are under-enrolled nationally in Part C Early Intervention (EI) services intended to support developmentally vulnerable children. Little is known regarding why EI enrollment is low in this high risk population, especially given children born LBW are readily identifiable as at increased risk of delays at birth. This study explored EI referral outcomes from …

Engaging In A Rural Deaf Community Of Practice, Kara Gournaris

Dissertations and Theses

The number of students taking American Sign Language (ASL) at the post-secondary level continues to increase as more Deaf-related graduate programs and employment settings require fluent ASL skills. Western Oregon University (WOU) is one of the few existing programs in the United States that offers four years of ASL instruction; however, as a rural university it has limited access to a Deaf community. The problem of practice is that students often have little exposure to rich language models who are fluent in ASL, which impacts their legitimate peripheral participation (LPP) in the local Deaf communities of practice (CoPs) and reduces …

Seasonal Masculinities: Seasonal Labor Migration And Masculinities In Rural Western India, Pronoy Rai

International & Global Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this research article, I study seasonal labor migration in rural western India to understand gender negotiations in the course of labor migration. Based on qualitative research conducted in six villages in rural Maharashtra state in Western India during the early Kharif cropping season in 2014 and during Kharif and Rabi cropping seasons in 2015–16, I examine gendered labor in migrant home communities and at various rural and urban employment destinations, the relationship of labor to the social construction of masculinities, and gender negotiations across space. I show that in their home communities, the politics of resistance of returnee laborers …

The Impact Of Framing On Acceptance Of Cultured Meat, Christopher Bryant, Courtney Dillard

University Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cultured meat can be produced from growing animal cells in-vitro rather than as part of a living animal. This technology has the potential to address several of the major ethical, environmental, and public health concerns associated with conventional meat production. However, research has highlighted some consumer uncertainty regarding the concept. Although several studies have examined the media coverage of this new food technology, research linking different frames to differences in consumer attitudes is lacking. In an experimental study, we expose U.S. adults (n = 480) to one of three different frames on cultured meat: “societal benefits,” “high tech,” and “same …

2019 Commencement Program, Israel Bayer, Doreen Dodgen-Magee, Yasuhisa Iida, Rick Miller, Nanette Reid

Commencement Archives 2010-19

The program for the Portland State University 2019 Commencement ceremonies, held June 14, 15, and 16, 2019.

Doreen Dodgen-Magee gave the commencement address to the Graduate School of Education ceremony on June 14, 2019.

Rick Miller, Yasuhisa "Yaz" Iida, and Nanette Reid delivered keynote addresses to the School of Business ceremonies on June 15, 2019.

Israel Bayer gave the commencement address and received an honorary doctorate during the Professional Schools ceremony on June 16, 2019.

Working Paper No. 34, Rosa Luxemburg And Joan Robinson On The Accumulation Of Capital, Brian Vistica

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that both Rosa Luxemburg and Joan Robinson advanced ideas on the accumulation of capital. Related to their social status in their respective eras, each proposed their distinct ideas on the expansion of production and the accumulation of capital. Both scholars bring into consideration the alarming ways that a seemingly ceaseless expansion in turn calls for an expansion of a marketplace for generating sufficient levels of demand for output. These two authors offer historical examples drawn from around the globe, ranging from the commodification of land on the Indian subcontinent to the Opium Wars in China, …

Rethinking Services With Communities Of Color: Why Culturally Specific Organizations Are The Preferred Service Delivery Model, Ann Curry-Stevens, Gerald Deloney, Matt Morton

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Racial disparities in social, education and health services continue unabated despite efforts to address them. At the margins of the service delivery system are lesser-known and minimally researched programs known as “culturally specific organizations” that have been developed by and with communities of color. These are organizations that have been developed by a specific community of color and continue to serve that same community of color. This article shares the insights of three leaders in racial equity, who have been immersed in Portland-based organizations for many years: two as organizational leaders and one as an academic research partner. The paper …

Making Race Matter: Interrupting Racial Color-Blindness In Education Through The Implementation Of Anti-Racist Curriculum, Kelly Deits Cutler

Dissertations and Theses

The United States continues to be a highly racialized society. As a result, race remains a predictor of educational achievement for students in the PK-12 public education system. Concurrently, racial color-blindness continues to dominate educational institutions, as teachers--particularly White teachers--often feel uncomfortable and ill prepared to talk with students about race. One approach that educators have developed to combat color-blindness in schools is anti-racist curriculum. Such curriculum directly teaches students about race and intentionally interrupts the color-blind ideology.

This research study sought to understanding how teachers attending a series of collaborative professional development sessions experienced the process of designing and …

Identifying With Remida: Early Childhood Educators’ Experiences With Reuse Materials In Reggio Emilia Inspired Identity Studies, Michelle Angela Domingues

Dissertations and Theses

Mainstream approaches to identity studies in early childhood education (ECE) are problematic from both social constructivist and early childhood education for sustainability perspectives. Mainstream approaches are influenced by behaviorist theories of developmental psychology literature which privilege individual identity, whereas emerging discourses in identity theory trend toward discussing the multiplicity of social identities. Alternatively, and in contrast to traditional behaviorist and cognitive learning theories, cultural centers like Reggio Emilia, Italy’s Remida Creative Recycling Center promote reuse material projects that socially construct identities in Reggio’s Municipal Infant/Toddler Centers and Preprimary Schools by giving value to waste materials through offering such materials in …

Dementia-Related Neuropsychological Testing Considerations In Non-Hispanic White And Latino/Hispanic Populations, Shanna L. Burke, Mitra Naseh, Miriam Rodriguez, Aaron Burgess, David Loewenstein

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hispanic individuals are at greater risk for health disparities, less than optimal health care, and are diagnosed at later stages of cognitive impairment than white non-Hispanics. Acculturation and different attitudes toward test-taking may result in decrements in performance, especially on unfamiliar measures that emphasize speed and accuracy. Non-Hispanic individuals often outperform Hispanic individuals on cognitive and neuropsychological measures in community and clinical populations. Current neuropsychological testing may not provide accurate data related to monolingual and bilingual individuals of Hispanic descent. Testing instruments were identified by searching academic databases using combinations of relevant search terms. Neuropsychological instruments were included if they …

Daily Departures: Speed Reading Passages For English Language Learners, Regina D. Weaver

PDXOpen: Open Educational Resources

Daily Departures: Speed Reading Passages for English Language Learners is a collection of twenty 200-225 word reading passages written primarily within the 1,000-word level of the New General Service List and designed to provide fluency support for English language learners at the Waystage level of the Common European Framework Reference.

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Seeking Creative Control: Musical Decisions & Activist Aspirations, Cecelia E. Monroe

University Honors Theses

Classical music academia is built upon a competitive, isolationist and judgmental framework. Despite the progressive attitudes, aspirations and actions of Portland State University, the foundations and structures of white supremacy, misogyny, patriarchy and capitalism are alive and thriving in the walls of classrooms, practice rooms and higher education. These systems oppress individuals, and in my mind, oppress and constrain the art they create. These conversations along with my queer politics, my love for music and my concerns for the future and contemporary state of academic musicianship and pedagogy lead me to develop this event: Seeking Creative Control. I have attempted …

Exo-Genres: Case Study Of Oregon State’S ‘Stage-Gate’ It Review Process, Henry Covey

Technical and Professional Writing Graduate Student Papers

This is a preliminary case study of exogenres, specifically superimposed genre exosystems, i.e., genre frameworks that are prescribed (genre exosystems) which are “laid upon” (superimposed on) writing scenes from outside oversight entity/ies.

This case study gathered and analyzed artifacts, data, and information from a relatively new exosystem in the Oregon state government: the IT project approval process called “Stage Gate,” a mandated regulatory reporting documentation process in effect in Oregon since 2015. The exogenres in Stage Gate were created out of a social action to superimpose IT governance and industry frameworks on state government agencies who build enterprise …

The Image Of The Virgin In Gertrudis Gómez De Avellaneda's Sab (1841) And Carolina Coronado's Poesías (1843) As A Configuration Of Female Literary And Social Independence, Myrna C. Conroy

University Honors Theses

This research will consist of an analysis of the Romantic archetype of the virgin in the works Sab (1841) written by Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda and Poesías (1843) written by Carolina Coronado. These two works of literature will be used in order to assess the use of the virgin archetype as an expression of literary and social independence for women writers during 19^th-Century Spain and Cuba. This analysis will employ the use of The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir for the author's construction of the "other" as a framework for the unique experiences that woman have faced …

The Liberal And The Limits Of Discourse In Waiting For The Barbarians, Matt W. Cardoza

University Honors Theses

Although it has remained a prominent work of literature since its 1980 publication, there has been a considerable resurgence of academic interest in J. M. Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbarians in the wake of 9/11, particularly as the novel's attention to torture, imperialist violence, and the ideological construction of civilization/bararism oppositions became increasingly relevant to the escalating "war on terror." A great deal of that scholarship has taken the form of poststructuralist analyses of the discursive production of barbarian "others" as legitimate targets of violence and domination by the empire within the novel. This paper is largely a critique of …

Designing Katana : Unsheathing The Potential Of Gameplay For Constructing Cultural Memory, Tracy Alan

University Honors Theses

Players take the role of an ambitious samurai in Katana, a tu­rn-based card game designed to evoke the cultural memory of early modern Japanese warriors. Going beyond token use of history as mere fantasy setting, the game synthesizes historical research, communication design methodologies, and interactive design frameworks to create a compelling experience. The design of Katana is influenced by Jason Begy's concept of cultural memory as a broad interdisciplinary approach to formulations of historical content that intentionally go beyond traditional scholarly modalities such as the publication of monographs and journal articles, archaeological surveys, and lectures. The multivalent interactivity of …

Idioms In Chinese Efl Contexts: A Review Of 2004-2018, William Shanahan

University Honors Theses

This paper reviews the discourse of 21 contemporary papers that focus on idioms in Chinese English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. Key topics are identified: comprehension and retention, motivating factors, familiarity, and student perceptions. Common factors between the papers in each topic are analyzed, and some gaps in the literature identified. This paper further finds which common factors between papers are also common between multiple key topics. It seeks primarily to answer a single research question:

• Where is the friction in the discourse between the East and the West, and how does it impact idiom EFL education in Chinese …

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Translation Of Personal Narrative From Russian To English, Miles J. Strang

University Honors Theses

This work is an exercise in basic translation theory. The goal of the work is to explore how translators understand and interpret a text and how they modify it for their audience. The works chosen for this are two short personal narratives from the book The World at First Glance (2012) by Tat’yana Lazareva. These short personal narratives were written by two famous modern Russian personalities: Mikhail Shirvindt, a TV presenter and TV and film producer, and Leonid Parfyonov, a journalist and writer of many documentary TV shows. These are the first translations of these texts in to English. Each …

Language Planning And Policy In Education: The Case Of Senegal, Serena Khader

University Honors Theses

Discourse concerning globalisation, post- or neo-colonialism, and development are central to the proposed argument. The connection between globalisation, post- or neo-colonialism, and development in relation to and language and education policy is dissected in detail (Shin & Kubota, 2008). A number of historical and present actors have contributed to the formation of current language policy and, on a broader scale, the present system of education in Senegal (Faye, 2013). The lack of national languages of instruction in Senegal’s language and education policies are the result of both powerful actors, of social tensions and conflicts, and of technical issues concerning codifying …