Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Using Board Games In Reducing Language Anxiety And Improving Oral Performance, Yi-Chun Cheng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many English as a second language (ESL) learners feel anxiety about speaking English, and their oral performance is affected in this situation. This study aims to determine the effect of using board games on the improvement of ESL students’ oral performance. Task-based instruction and communicative approaches to pedagogy were used for the games. This is a descriptive method of research which intends to determine the correlation between the usage of educational board games and the level of learners’ language anxiety as well as their improvement in oral performance. The pre-test and post-test which were adapted from the Speaking Proficiency English …

Down Under Punks And Dixie Rock: Reflections On Making The Documentary Film Chinese Whispers - Southern Roots In The Australian Swampy Sound, Gretchen Labudde Wood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Predictors Of Sun Protective Behaviors Among Latino Day Laborers, Javier Boyas, Vinayak K. Nahar

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

Speech Language Pathologists And Prosody: Knowledge And Clinical Practices, Sarah Elizabeth Fischer

Honors Theses

Prosody is an important aspect of language as it signals linguistic contrasts, conveys pragmatic distinctions, and expresses emotional affect. However, prosody is impaired in several populations, and such impairments can negatively affect intelligibility and the social perception of the speaker. Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) are the professionals responsible for treating such impairments, yet the knowledge base of SLPs regarding prosody is unknown. The purpose of this study is to evaluate SLPs' knowledge of assessing, treating, and diagnosing prosodic impairments by using a survey (n=269). While a majority of SLPs surveyed agreed that prosody is within their scope of practice, they …

Social Evils + Stigma: A Cumulative Study Of Hiv And The Moral Model Of Disease In Vietnam, Argentina And Mississippi, Sarah Thornby Stroup

Honors Theses

How can studying such diverse contexts as Vietnam, Argentina, and Mississippi—three cases from opposite corners of the world — provide remediation for the global HIV epidemic? By targeting specific populations of high-risk groups (e.g. injection drug users, females sex workers, and men who have sex with men), analysis of my ethnographic fieldwork in Vietnam, Argentina, and Mississippi, revealed a common denominator of stigma, though manifesting in varying ways, which laid the foundation for this thesis. Building from Erving Goffman's (1993) foundational text on stigma in collaboration with Link and Phelan's (2001) expansion thereof, I define stigma as the differentiation and …

Using Their Own Voices: Exploring The Writing Of English Language Learners In A Mississippi Middle School, Gabrielle Lynn Vogt

Honors Theses

In the United States, and particularly Mississippi, the number of K-12 English Language Learners is growing rapidly. Writing scores are on a national decline, and ELLs are struggling to acquire the language and literacy skills to become proficient writers in English. However, there are various instructional approaches that provide ELLs the opportunity to use and expand their writing skills beyond a basic ability. Despite this, little is being done to give ELLs the opportunity to express themselves and their identities while also acquiring stronger writing skills. As a preservice teacher, I developed a mixed methods research study that explored the …

Gender Bias And Sex Trafficking In China, Avery Kennedy

Honors Theses

China's history shows a pattern of preference for sons over daughters. Chinese language and policies show evidence of this bias. This penchant has created a sizable gender disparity within China's population. The implementation of the One-Child Policy only exacerbated the gap between males and females. China's age-old preference for sons has negatively impacted modern-day China. The gender disparity generated a demand for women, which has been answered by sex trafficking women in China to be sold as brides and sex workers.

The Yasuní Itt Initiative And The Creation Of Global Green Sovereignty, Marlarose Gridley

Honors Theses

The Yasuní-ITT Initiative was an international financing scheme in which the Ecuadorian government agreed to forgo drilling in the Yasuní National Park in exchange for foreign compensation in the amount of $3.6 billion USD over 12 years. Embedded in a global framework of revenue redistribution for development, the Yasuní-ITT Initiative established a model of global environmental care based on global North-South difference and historical ecological debt. In doing so, it impacted, through prospective flows of aid, the conceptualization of Ecuadorian sovereignty.

The Israeli Druze: Neither Here Nor There, Sydney Green

Honors Theses

Druze scholar Rabah Halabi describes the Druze standing in Israel as neither here nor there. This thesis asks the question: How do the Druze fit into a society created to house and defend the Jewish people? To answer this question, Druze identity is examined from the Jewish-Israeli and Arab-Israeli perspectives regarding the Druze community based on their service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) through a case study of media reactions to the July 2017 fatal shooting of two on-duty Druze policemen by three Arab-Israeli shooters at Islamic holy site al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City in Jerusalem. Three preliminary …

The Holy Trinity: Religion, Identity, And International Law In Egypt, Henry Owen Stonnington

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the contradiction between Egypt's international legal obligations to protect religious freedom and its state practice. Chapter 1 gives a brief history of the relationship between religious freedom and state authority in the Roman, Islamic, and Holy Roman Empires and the early formations of international legal protections of freedom of religion in the wake of the Thirty Years War and then WWI centuries later. Chapter 2 looks at the formation and content of the current international standards of religious freedom, focusing on the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political …

The Effects Of Hearing Loss On Literacy Skills In Down Syndrome: Assessing Parents' Knowledge, Annalise Claire Valle

Honors Theses

Purpose: Although hearing loss (HL) is prevalent in individuals with Down syndrome (DS), there has been little research investigating the effects of HL on language and literacy skills in this population. The purpose of this study is to document the frequency of HL in DS, as well as language and literacy outcomes, and to determine if there is a difference in language and literacy outcomes for children with DS with HL and those without HL. Parental knowledge of HL and language development was also measured. Method: A five-part survey was distributed to 77 members of DS-Connect, a National Institute of …

Analyzing The Use Of Expressive Writing Among College Students, Grace Ann Wilbanks

Honors Theses

This is among the first studies to investigate the naturalistic use of expressive writing in college students. To do so, 255 undergraduate students from the University of Mississippi anonymously completed an online survey. Participants first answered basic demographic questions followed by questions assessing their sadness or depression, happiness, and overall adjustment in college. Next, participants responded to questions concerning expressive writing and ways in which they handled demands of college. Finally, respondents then completed a well-researched, standardized measure of depression, anxiety, and stress. Independent-samples t tests revealed that students who engaged in expressive writing demonstrated lower mean levels of sadness …

From First Steps To Full Acquisition: Comprehension Of Subjunctive Clauses In Bilectal Children With Down Syndrome And Typical Language Development, Christiana Christodoulou, Kleanthes K. Grohmann

Faculty and Student Publications (Open Access)

No abstract provided.

Improving Literacy Rates For Students With Dyslexia In A Rural School District, Steven W. Havens, Michael Seth Mott

Journal of Contemporary Research in Education

This applied research study aimed to improve literacy rates for students identified as having dyslexic tendencies in the Lynn County School District (LCSD). The need to improve literacy rates of students with dyslexia in the Reaching Reading Success Program was identified through Mississippi K-3 Assessment Support System data. Using the two elements found in the program evaluation, accurate identification of dyslexic students and multisensory interventions the study sought to improve the literacy rates for students with dyslexia in kindergarten. Assessment, survey, and interview data were used in this applied research study to determine success. The findings indicated early identification, multi-sensory …

School Of Applied Sciences Welcomes New Faculty, Sarah Sapp

University of Mississippi News

New faces bring wealth of analytic expertise and diverse cultural backgrounds

Book Reviews, Robert Waren, Sara Snyder

Southern Anthropologist

Book Reviews:

• Historically Black: Imagining Community in a Black Historic District / Mieka Brand Polanco (New York University Press, 2014) by Robert Waren, University of Mississippi
• Cherokee Reference Grammar / Brad Montgomery-Anderson (University of Oklahoma Press, 2015) by Sara Snyder, Western Carolina University

New Faculty, 2017-2018, University Of Mississippi. Provost.

New Faculty

No abstract provided.

Startalk Program Gives High School Students Education In Chinese, Edwin Smith

University of Mississippi News

Classroom instruction, cultural activities create enjoyable summer learning experience

Worldviews Apart: Agricultural Extension And Ethiopian Smallholder Farmers, Logan Cochrane

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

This article presents an inquiry-based learning assessment into why farmers in the highlands of Ethiopia were not adopting a new planting methodology promoted by the government and non-governmental organizations. It offers a process of reflexivity whereby assumptions emerge as the key barriers to misunderstanding, and focuses on the concept of divergent worldviews as an important consideration for understanding (non)adoption. The learning process offers insight for policy, programming, and research, emphasizing learning instead of definitive conclusions.

Modern Languages Department Offers New Doctoral Program, Michael Newsom

University of Mississippi News

Degree will prepare graduates to work in industry or run higher education programs

Six Um Students Awarded Prestigious Language Scholarships, Edwin Smith

University of Mississippi News

Prestigious honors allows undergrads to study abroad, prepare for international careers

Two Honors Students Named Boren Scholars, Edwin Smith

University of Mississippi News

Madeleine Achgill and James DeMarshall selected for prestigious awards

Um Recognizes Three Employees With Frist Service Awards, Edwin Smith

University of Mississippi News

Honorees are modern languages and political science professors and admissions director

Effects Of Second Language Learning On Mental Representations Of Time, Conner S. Clark

Venture: The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal

No abstract provided.

March 9, 2017, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

March 3, 2017, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Latin In 3-D: How Particles And Word Order Offer Linguistic Depth Perception, Patrick Mcfadden

Lecture Series

No abstract provided.

Don Dyer Delivers Lecture At Ohio State Symposium, Edwin Smith

University of Mississippi News

Associate liberal arts dean met with other past Naylor Lecturers

January 26, 2017, The Daily Mississippian

Daily Mississippian (all digitized issues)

No abstract provided.

Machine Learning And Natural Language Methods For Detecting Psychopathy In Textual Data, Andrew Stephen Henning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among the myriad of mental conditions permeating through society, psychopathy is perhaps the most elusive to diagnose and treat. With the advent of natural language processing and machine learning, however, we have ushered in a new age of technology that provides a fresh toolkit for analyzing text and context. Because text remains the medium of choice for most personal and professional interactions, it may be possible to use textual samples from psychopaths as a means for understanding and ultimately classifying similar individuals based on the content of their language usage. This paper aims to investigate natural language processing and supervised …