Digital Commons Network^™

Using Virtual Learning Labs To (Re)Mediate Exclusionary Discipline Practices For Young Children Of Color With Disabilities, Saili Kulkarni, Sunyoung Kim, Nicola Holdman

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Disabled children of color (ages 3-8) face multiple, intersecting oppressions in schools and are more likely to be excluded and/or harshly punished for minor behavioral issues compared to white and/or non-disabled peers. Approaches that center multiple stakeholders (families, teachers, and administrators) using a formative intervention called a Learning Lab (LL) have worked to reduce discipline disparities among secondary and upper primary students of color with disabilities (Bal, 2016). Knowing that discipline disparities can start as early as preschool (Kulkarni et al., 2021), however, we examined how LL (re)mediates exclusionary and harsh discipline practices for young children of color with disabilities. …

Genie: Enhancing Information Management In The Restaurant Industry Through Ai-Powered Chatbot, Megha Gupta, Venkatasai Dheekonda, Mohammad Masum

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In the dynamic restaurant industry, we introduce "Genie," an AI-powered chatbot, represents an advancement in customer service efficiency through technological innovation. Designed to enhance restaurant operations including order processing, reservations, and FAQs management, Genie leverages advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. By converting input queries into word embeddings and applying a sophisticated tag classification system, Genie precisely interprets customer intents and generates accurate responses, thereby markedly improving the dining experience. Our thorough examination of various word embeddings and classifiers—Word2Vec, Glove, BERT, Gaussian Naive Bayes, XGB, Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), and Recurrent Neural Networks—revealed that the combination of Word2Vec and ANN …

Influence Of Social Media And Information Behaviour Of Postgraduate Students In Federal University Of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria, Philip Chike Aghadiuno Dr., Michael Akan Afukidang, Ebaye Asenath Sylvester

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

This study was carried out on influence of social media and information behaviour of postgraduate students in Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Three research questions and one (1) hypothesis guided the study. Descriptive research design was used, the population of the study consist of 462 postgraduate students of Federal University Lafia. Taro Yamane was used to determine the sample size of 214. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher designed questionnaire. Data generated from the research question was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation while hypothesis was tested using Chi-square. The results …

The Effects Of Internal Training And Job Satisfaction Of Library Staff In Some Selected University Libraries In South-South, Nigeria, Okoh Helen Ewere, Ogonwa Jacinta, Ugbenyo Safiya, Ezeanuna Ginika, Ufuoma Eruvwe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated the effect of Internal trainings and job satisfaction of library staff in some selected university libraries in South-South, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design using questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The population of the study consists of 89 library staff which was randomly picked. A total of 89 questionnaires were distributed only 78 were retrieved. Data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics mean and percentage mean score of 2.5 and above and percentage score of 50% were considered. The revealed that the effects of internal trainings of library staff in some selected university …

The Spanish Translation, Adaptation, And Validation Of A Community-Engaged Research Survey And A Pragmatic Short Version: Encuesta Comunitaria And Fuertes, Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, Juan M. Peña, Carlos Devia, Blake Boursaw, Magdalena Avila, Diana Rudametkin, Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, Margarita Alegria, Lourdes E. Soto De Laurido, Edna Acosta Pérez, Nina Wallerstein

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction: Community-Engaged Research (CEnR) and Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) require validated measures and metrics for evaluating research partnerships and outcomes. There is a need to adapt and translate existing measures for practical use with diverse and non-English-speaking communities. This paper describes the Spanish translation and adaptation of Engage for Equity's Community Engagement Survey (E2 CES), a nationally validated and empirically-supported CEnR evaluation tool, into the full-length Encuesta Comunitaria, and a pragmatic shorter version Fortaleciendo y Uniendo EsfueRzos Transdisciplinarios para Equidad de Salud (FUERTES). Methods: Community and academic partners from the mainland US, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua participated in translating and …

Listen Up! Perspectives Of People Of Color Who Use Augmentative And Alternative Communication In The United States, Shelley Lund, Yoosun Chung, Tracy Rackensperger, Alison Pentland, Adriana Castillo, Gracie Williams, Wendy Quach

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Every individual has a fundamental right to communicate and access equal opportunities to fully participate in society. However, this right may not be fully manifested for individuals with communication access needs especially those from underrepresented groups. This project had two aims, to determine 1) the specific experiences, challenges, and aspirations related to the cultural identities of people of color (POC) who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and 2) how AAC service providers and manufacturers can support POC AAC users in a culturally and linguistically responsive manner. We conducted an online, asynchronous focus group with seven participants over eight weeks. …

Applicative Recursion And Nominal Licensing, Yining Nie

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Languages with applicative morphology vary in whether their applied arguments can stack, or “recurse.” Focusing primarily on Bantu languages, I argue that the availability of applicative recursion in a given language depends on abstract nominal licensing ⎯in particular, on whether the applicative heads responsible for introducing applied arguments are nominal licensers. Applicative recursion therefore provides a novel diagnostic for the presence of abstract nominal licensing, which is argued to be driven not by Case but by ϕ-feature checking. The proposed approach to applicative recursion provides evidence for the role of abstract licensing in Bantu languages and has implications for approaches …

Challenges Facing The Utilization Of Mobile Telephony In Learning In Some Selected Higher Institutions Of Learning In Nigeria, Ogonwa Jacinta, Okoh Helen Ewere, Okoledo Seromo, Ufuoma Eruvwe

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study investigated challenges facing the utilization of mobile telephony in learning in some selected higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey using questionnaire to collect data. The population of the study consist of 355 students which were randomly picked from some selected higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. A total of the 355questionnaires were distributed only 309 were retrieved. Descriptive statistics, (mean and percentage) were used for analysis. A mean score of 2.5 and above and a percentage score of 50% were considered for decision making. The study revealed the following as the prospects …

Mixed Methods Study Protocol: Language Identity, Discrimination, And Mental Health Among Multilingual 1.5 Generation Asian/Asian American Immigrant Young Adults, Chulwoo Park, Mark Edberg, Janet Yougi Bang, Avizia Yim Long

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Language identity, an understudied factor, can influence isolation and discrimination, leading to disparities in well-being and mental health among immigrants. This study aims to investigate the role of language identity on structural racism and discrimination among 1.5 generation Asian/Asian American immigrants in a diverse U.S. state. We developed a three-step sequential approach: Stage 1—qualitative analysis (1A, focus group discussion; 1B, in-depth interviews); Stage 2—quantitative analysis (2A, language identity measurement scale; 2B, cross-sectional online survey; 2C, multivariate multiple linear regression); Stage 3—another round of qualitative analysis (3A, follow-up in-depth chronological interviews). Therefore, this study will contribute to the field by introducing …

Healthy From The Start: Co-Designing Sleep, Nutrition And Physical Activity Resources For Young Shiftworkers—Novel Implementation And Evaluation, Alexandra E. Shriane, Sally A. Ferguson, Gabrielle Rigney, Charlotte C. Gupta, Tracy Kolbe-Alexander, Madeline Sprajcer, Cassie Hilditch, Robert Stanton, Matthew J.W. Thomas, Jessica L. Paterson, Jamie Marino, Grace E. Vincent

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Introduction: The increasing prevalence of shiftwork among young adults poses significant health risks, primarily due to its disruptive effects on sleep, nutrition and physical activity. Addressing these risks necessitates the development of tailored, evidence-based resources to support these key health behaviours. Participatory research approaches, engaging those with relevant lived experience (i.e., co-design) are a novel and effective approach in developing these resources. As such, the aim of the present study was to explore whether sleep, nutrition and physical activity resources for young shiftworkers could be developed using participatory, co-design approaches and how co-designers would rate both the approaches used and …

Innovative Use Of Google-Blogs To Overcome Socioeconomic And Technological Barriers In Pakistan: Link-List Gadgets As Digital Libraries., Zameer Hussain Baladi, Syed Razi Muhammad

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Introduction: Access to educational and a research material has always been a challenge in a socio-economically challenged country like Pakistan, due to lack of financial resources, unavailability of electricity, and slow internet speeds. The use of Google blogs has promoted a new and innovative way, through which users can easily access knowledge content. This research sheds light on the creation and usefulness of digital libraries through the use of Google blogs and their link list gadgets.

Methods: Google is an international technology corporation that provides dozens of services, including Blogger. Blogger provides 25 modules or gadgets that offer …

Spartan Daily, September 5, 2024, San Jose State University, School Of Journalism And Mass Communications

Spartan Daily, 2024

Volume 163, Issue 6

Changes In Psychological Challenges, Positive Experiences, And Coping Strategies Among International Students In The United States Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study, Chulwoo Park, Shannon Shimada, Airi Irene Trisnadi, Patricia Angelica

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

The purpose of this study was to understand how the challenges and coping strategies among international students in the United States changed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a qualitative study through one-on-one in-depth interviews during April–June 2021. A total of 34 international students in the San Francisco Bay Area participated in this study. NVivo was used to analyze the qualitative data. Before COVID-19, the challenges were primarily related to a sense of belonging, such as culture shock, language barriers, and loss of identity. However, some positive experiences from school life and new culture were also found before …

Ethnographic Methods: Training Norms And Practices And The Future Of American Anthropology, Rosalyn Negrón, Amber Wutich, H. Russell Bernard, Alexandra Brewis, Alissa Ruth, Katherine Mayfour, Barbara Piperata, Melissa Beresford, Cindi Sturtzsreetharan, Pardis Mahdavi, Jessica Hardin, Rebecca Zarger, Krista Harper, James Holland Jones, Clarence C. Gravlee, Bryan Brayboy

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

American anthropology is engaged in significant self-reckonings that call for big changes to how anthropology is practiced. These include (1) recognizing and taking seriously the demands to decolonize the ways research is done, (2) addressing precarious employment in academic anthropology, and (3) creating a discipline better positioned to respond to urgent societal needs. A central role for ethnographic methods training is a thread that runs through each of these three reckonings. This article, written by a team of cultural, biocultural, and linguistic anthropologists, outlines key connections between ethnographic methods training and the challenges facing anthropology. We draw on insights from …

Global Metaphors For Wisdom: Philosophy As A Species Of The Genus Hao-Xue, Joshua Mason

Comparative Philosophy

Many philosophers have refused to recognize Chinese traditions as genuinely philosophical. The conceptual foundations of these exclusionary efforts appear in Aristotle’s dividing philosophy from rhetoric, then associating philosophy with truth, and rhetoric with metaphor. The Chinese have frequently been defined as metaphorical thinkers, in contrast with the logical, scientific, or literal pursuits of Occidental traditions. Because metaphor is classed with rhetoric, and Chinese was associated with metaphor, critics had a way to say that the Chinese weren’t participating in philia-sophia as rational inquiry into truth. I draw on two strands of 20^th century philosophy to move us beyond this …

A Realist Daoism: Reading The Zhuang-Zi With Lao Zi's Daoist Realism, Wai Lok Cheung

Comparative Philosophy

A realist Daoism is best illustrated through contrasting with something less robust. Chad Hansen’s Daoism may be understood as a linguistic constructivism and is thus a good candidate. I challenge his interpretation of the Zhuang-Zi and respond with a realist understanding of daos. The resultant realist Daoism is to be understood given a Daoist realism from Lao Zi’s Dao-De-Jing, whose realist flavour is constituted by some dao sometimes, if not always, outrunning us. The present paper thus situates Zhuang Zi better as inheriting Daoism from Lao Zi, contributing to classical Daoism with a relativity …

A Qualitative Evaluation Of Speech Sound Disorder Treatment Apps For Children, Rachel G. Barnett

Master's Theses

This research examined 20 speech sound disorder (SSD) treatment apps’ features and costs as related to the feature matching process within speech-language therapy. Methods included the development of a 67-item SSD checklist and sorted into 9 categories, including linguistic levels, speech models, software customization, cost, game types, image types, technical elements, feedback types, and engagement and manipulation. Two independent reviewers applied the checklist to randomly selected contemporary apps available on both iPhones and iPads. App cost was capped at $25. Results indicated that app cost was not a good predictor of feature quantity and contemporary apps had some relevant feature …

Language Dominance And Connected Speech In Multilingual Spanish-English Adults, Alyson Jimenez

Master's Theses

With a growing prevalence of multilingual, Spanish-English speakers in the United States, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) face limited research to learn about how to evaluate the language skills of this population. Exploring evaluation tools, more specifically, connected speech samples, and their effectiveness in assessing the dynamic nature of multilingualism with adults who speak Spanish and English can assist SLPs in making informed recommendations. This study aimed to investigate relations between language dominance and connected speech with cognitive-healthy multilingual Spanish-English adults. Language dominance was further examined by two perspectives that an SLP may utilize in their evaluation: evaluated and perceived. Correlations between …

Confronting The Myths Of “Classical” Keyboard Improvisation: A Historical Evaluation, Examination, And Re-Incorporation Of Improvisation In Contemporary Piano Education And Performance, Kiefer Taylor

Master's Theses

Improvisation has been a highly valued skill in all periods of Western keyboard music. Many composers were also famous as keyboard improvisers and demonstrate the importance of improvisation as a tradition in “classical” keyboard performance. Strangely, today’s pianists, who perform the canonical eighteenth- and nineteenth-century works of these composers, no longer practice or incorporate improvisation into performance and instead play “only from the score.” Improvisation has also disappeared from the modern education of “classical” piano performers. Since improvisation was central to the performance practice of past keyboard repertoire, why does modern piano education not teach improvisation as a standard part …

Leading With An Intercultural Mindset: Leadership Development Programs For International Students, Keri A. Toma Loehrer

Dissertations

This mixed methods study explored co-curricular student leadership development programs that included intercultural learning and were designed for international students studying at higher education institutions in the United States. The study aimed to better understand: (a) common program characteristics; (b) program administrator perceptions; and (c) the international student experience. Data was collected in a two-phase explanatory sequential design, involving surveys and semi-structured interviews. Six main content areas across all programs were identified: (a) diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); (b) global engagement; (c) intercultural learning; (d) leadership development; (e) personal and professional development; and (f) supporting the international community. Administrators generally …

Teacher And Student Perspectives Of Technology Use In Elementary School Classrooms, Anthony Oskar Alvarado

Dissertations

This study explored student and teacher perspectives of technology use at Franklin Elementary School in South San José, CA, using qualitative, quantitative, and observational methods, including interviews, observations, and surveys. Thirteen teachers responded to a survey on educational technology use. Among this group, eleven provided interviews, and nine invited classroom observations from 1st through 6th grades. Additionally, sixty-nine 3rd to 6th-grade students were surveyed about their views on technology use. The study found that technology use in teaching is widespread and integral, not just an add-on. Observations and teacher interviews showed high engagement and interest in technology tools, primarily supporting …

An Exploration Of Dimensionality Reduction Of Dynamics On Lie Groups Via Structure-Aware Canonical Correlation Analysis, Wooyoung Chung

Master's Theses

Incorporating prior knowledge into a data-driven modeling problem can drastically improve performance, reliability, and generalization outside of the training sample. The stronger the structural properties, the more effective these improvements become. Manifolds are a powerful nonlinear generalization of Euclidean space for modeling finite dimensions. When additionally assuming that the manifold carries (Lie) group structure, this imposes a drastically stricter global constraint. The range of their applications is very wide and includes the important case of robotic tasks. We apply this idea to Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA). In traditional CCA one constructs a hierarchical sequence of maximal correlations of up to …

“It Makes Me Wonder, How I Keep From Goin’ Under:” Deconstructing Cultural Strengths In The Stories Of Black College And University Students, Sikeza C. Fowlks

Master's Theses

To deconstruct conceptualizations of Black cultural resiliency outside of the perception of the current dominant culture, the present study interviewed Black university and college students for their narratives about their perceptions of Black culture and how they navigate systemic oppression. To create a full conceptualization of Black issues and cultural resilience this study explored the current literature around Black experiences of racism and its relationship to Race-Based Trauma. Additionally, the researcher expanded upon current interventions used to mitigate Race-Based Trauma and how Black culture is currently defined within systemic oppression. To answer the study’s research question framework around Black cultural …

Domain Specific Aspect Extraction For Product Design, Divyam Sobti

Master's Theses

As technology advances, computers become increasingly proficient at interpreting and translating human language into machine-understandable text. With the help of algorithms in natural language processing (NLP), machines can now translate textual data. These algorithms help identify and extract specific text components known as aspects. The aspects represent specific attributes or topics within textual data. For instance, an Amazon review states,“ This phone has good battery life but poor camera quality,” and attributes like ‘battery life’ and ‘camera quality’ represent aspects in the text. Aspect extraction is a pivotal process involving identifying and isolating key features or topics within text. This …

Lindholm-Leary, Kathryn J., San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of California, Los Angeles ,Psychology, Ph.D. 1981

University of California, Los Angeles, Psychology, M.A. 1977

University of California, Santa Barbara, Psychology, B.A, 1976

Kumaravadivelu, B., San Jose State University

Emeritus and Retired Faculty Biographies

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Applied Linguistics, 1986 Ph.D.

University of Lancaster, Linguistics for English Language Teaching. 1981 M.A.

University of Madras, India, English Language and Literature, 1972 M.A.

University of Madras, India, English Literature, 1970 B.A.

Students’ Knowledge And Attitude Towards Plagiarism: A Case Of Lusaka Apex Medical University Students, Dalitso Mvula, Treasure Chisakula

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Laws guide societies in the world. These laws are meant to create an environment that ensures citizens’ rights are respected. The same happens in academia. There are guidelines that students follow in the execution of their assignments, examinations and research in higher institutions. These guidelines are meant to ensure that there is no any form of academic dishonesty being perpetuated by the students. This paper investigated Lusaka Apex Medical University students’ knowledge and attitude towards plagiarism. The study sought to assess the knowledge of LAMU students towards plagiarism, examine the attitude of LAMU students towards plagiarism, assess factors that foster …

The Roles Of Library In Digital Language Documentation Of The Ethnic Minorities Of Bangladesh, Md. Aktarul Islam, Md. Habibur Rahman

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

From the dawn of human civilization, language has been considered a significant medium for conveying ideas, information, viewpoints, and feelings between one person and another or among a group of people. In Bangladesh, Bengali has been used as the medium of education and communication by the majority of the populace where the languages of ethnic minorities face different challenges, and a good number of languages are on the verge of extinction due to the lack of proper conservation policies and other issues. This paper focused on the roles of libraries in language documentation for ethnic minorities by applying the scientific …

A Systematic Review Of Academic Writing Services In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Augustine N. Gitonga, Peter M. Gatiti, Prisila Everisty Mlingi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Libraries are the key research and scholarly communication centres of any university. The information literacy skills offered to library users enable scientific communication. As new roles for librarians emerge to meet changing user needs and match fluid technological trends, academic libraries must combine their rich resources with cutting-edge skills to further impact the scientific world. There is a need for a sound, evidence-based appreciation of the factors that influence or hinder the establishment of academic writing centres and academic writing services in Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMIC). This article aims to synthesise qualitative and mixed methods research on academic writing …

Reading Colonial Transitions: Archival Evidence And The Archaeology Of Indigenous Action In Nineteenth-Century California, Lee M. Panich, Gustavo Flores, Michael Wilcox, Monica V. Arellano

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Archaeologists in North America and elsewhere are increasingly examining long-term Indigenous presence across multiple colonial systems, despite lingering conceptual and methodological challenges. We examine this issue in California, where archaeologists and others have traditionally overlooked Native persistence in the years between the official closing of the region’s Franciscan missions in the 1830s and the onset of US settler colonialism in the late 1840s. In particular, we advocate for the judicious use of the documentary record to ask new questions of Indigenous life during this short but critical period, when many Native Californians were freed from the missions and sought new …