Digital Commons Network^™

A Text-Based Exploration Of Topics In White Hmong Grammar, Katherine Ann Birnschein

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis traces the historical development of the understanding of White Hmong grammar, comparing, contrasting, and synthesizing the extant analyses. It then responds to these analyses, based exclusively on a corpus of interlinearized texts included as appendices. It proposes new elements in the grammar including an indefinite article, a potential prefix (the perfective aspect marker), and several aspect markers that have grammaticalized from adverbs. It resolves conflicting descriptions of the constituent order of the noun phrase. It clarifies a number of incomplete or inaccurate descriptions including the lexical and structural ambiguity of constructions involving the homophones of tau (a lexical …

Summer Commencement: August 2, 2019, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Summer Commencement program from August 2, 2019.

Improving Student Attitudes Toward Discussion Boards Using A Brief Motivational Intervention, Virginia Clinton, Alison E. Kelly

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Discussion boards are tools to afford student interaction and engagement in online courses, but students often have negative attitudes toward discussion boards. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an intervention informing students of the usefulness of online discussion boards affected their attitudes toward discussion boards. The instructor randomly assigned students (N = 65) to view a video and answer an essay question on either the benefits of discussion boards (treatment) or how discussion boards were graded (control). Students in the treatment condition indicated discussion boards as being more useful than did students in the control condition, p …

Constituent Order And Participant Reference In Napo Quichua Narrative Discourse, Larinda Moffitt

Theses and Dissertations

Napo Quichua is a Quechuan language variety spoken along the Napo River in Northern Peru and Southern Ecuador. This thesis presents a description of the constituent order and participant reference system of oral narrative discourse. The primary data source for this study consists mostly of folk tales told by native speakers, with a few autobiographical accounts.

Napo Quichua is an SOV language with a relatively high degree of variation in constituent order. Constituent order variations are motivated by the guiding principles of information structure, including showing focus, highlighting information, and backgrounding information. Constituent order and participant reference also interact to …

Dialect Transfer For L2 Arabic Learners, Jozeca Lathrop

Theses and Dissertations

With rising numbers of Arabic language learners studying abroad, language programs face two challenges that are unlike many other commonly-studied languages. First, dialects of spoken Arabic vary significantly across the span of North Africa and the Middle East, so in choosing a location to study abroad, learners are also choosing a particular dialect of Arabic on which to focus their attention. Second, Arabic is diglossic, so written and spoken varieties are significantly different from each other. Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) is used for most written material, media, and some formal settings, while Colloquial Arabic (CA) is used for informal spoken …

Using Context To Communicate: Romanian Sign Language Learners And Their Communication Strategies, Rebecca Melville

Theses and Dissertations

This study focuses on the communication strategies used by second language learners of Romanian Sign Language (LSR), including learners of different proficiency levels, and investigates whether the learner’s proficiency level affects the kinds or variety of communication strategies they use. Unlike previous studies of communication strategies by language learners, it focuses on learners of a signed rather than a spoken language.

The study consisted of two tasks—the first being a structured task where the learner was given a list of ten words to communicate to an interlocutor (a Deaf native signer). The second task was less structured and asked the …

Embodied Truths: How Dynamic Gestures And Speech Contribute To Mathematical Proof Practices, Elizabeth L. Pier, Candace Walkington, Virginia Clinton, Rebecca Boncoddo, Caroline Williams-Pierce, Martha W. Alibali, Mitchell J. Nathan

Education, Health & Behavior Studies Faculty Publications

Grounded and embodied theories of cognition suggest that both language and the body play crucial roles in grounding higher-order thought. This paper investigates how particular forms of speech and gesture function together to support abstract thought in mathematical proof construction. We use computerized text analysis software to evaluate how speech patterns support valid proof construction for two different tasks, and we use gesture analysis to investigate how dynamic gestures—those gestures that depict and transform mathematical objects—further support proof practices above and beyond speech patterns. We also evaluate the degree to which speech and gesture convey distinct information about mathematical reasoning …

A Survey On Software Cost Estimation Techniques, Sai Mohan Reddy Chirra, Hassan Reza

Computer Science Faculty Publications

The ability to accurately estimate the cost needed to complete a specific project has been a challenge over the past decades. For a successful software project, accurate prediction of the cost, time and effort is a very much essential task. This paper presents a systematic review of different models used for software cost estimation which includes algorithmic methods, non-algorithmic methods and learning-oriented methods. The models considered in this review include both the traditional and the recent approaches for software cost estimation. The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of software cost estimation models and summarize their …

Comparing Likert Scale Functionality Across Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Groups In Science Education Research: An Illustration Using Qatari Students’ Responses To An Attitude Toward Science Survey, Ryan Summers, Shuai Wang, Fouad Abd-El-Khalick, Ziad Said

Teaching, Leadership & Professional Practice Faculty Publications

Surveying is a common methodology in science education research, including cross-national and cross-cultural comparisons. The literature surrounding students’ attitudes toward science, in particular, illustrates the prevalence of efforts to translate instruments with the eventual goal of comparing groups. This paper utilizes survey data from a nationally representative cross-sectional study of Qatari students in grades 3 through 12 to frame a discussion around the adequacy and extent to which common adaptations allow comparisons to be made among linguistically or culturally different respondents. The analytic sample contained 2,615 students who responded to a previously validated 32-item instrument, 1,704 of whom completed the …

Volume 56, Number 36: April 24, 2019, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Und Today: April 2019, University Of North Dakota

UND Today Archive

No abstract provided.

Childhood Maltreatment And Adult Dispositional Mindfulness, Alan R. King, Amanda J. Auen, Tiffany D. Russell

Psychology Faculty Publications

Dispositional mindfulness has been conceptualized as both a trait and skill set for managing life stress. Levels of dispositional mindfulness appear to provide a meaningful barometer of emotional well-being and behavioral functioning. This chapter reviews selected literature regarding the potential effects of early life experience on the development of this important trait and coping skill. Empirical data regarding the developmental sources of this important psychological attribute has been surprisingly limited. Some prior research has implicated childhood maltreatment as disruptive to the development of this important coping skill. The present study examined the potential impact of six different forms of childhood …

Preventing Internet-Based Juror Misconduct: Investigating The Efficacy Of Prohibitive Jury Instructions, Emily Marie Carstens Namie

Theses and Dissertations

To prevent the biasing influence of information obtained outside of the courtroom courts often issue instructions to jurors that limit or prohibit certain activities and the use of information during the trial and when making verdict decisions. (i.e., prohibitive instructions). However, research indicates that mock jurors tend to ignore such instructions. Additionally, advances in mobile technology give today’s jurors easier access to potentially biasing information obtained through the internet and digital communication (e.g., social media, blogs, email, and texting). This raises the question not yet addressed by extant research, whether jurors access this information during a case, even when judges …

A Wintered Mind, Cody James Deitz

Theses and Dissertations

A Wintered Mind is a collection of poems that explores the space and place of North Dakota through the eyes of an outsider. Having moved to North Dakota from Southern California, the author’s experience is initially one of disorientation and displacement, but through meditative engagement with the landscape and working to understand his place in it, the author finds a place rich in austere beauty. The speaker of these poems turns often to the language of Zen Buddhism, using the North Dakotan landscape as a lens to explore inner geographies. In turn, these inner geographies implicate the reader in their …

Fast Charging Technique For Lithium-Ion Cell, Shabaz Khan

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change is a big concern among the people. Day by day people are trying to increase the use of the sustainable energy in every sector of their life. Like other sectors, transportation sector manufacturers are beginning to shifting from fossil fuels based models to electric models. Manufacturers are trying to introduce electrified models from bicycles to cars. For energy storage, these electrified models are highly dependent on the battery. Lithium-ion cells have a high energy density, no memory effect, long cycle life and low self discharge quality, and are therefor highly used from portable electronics to electric vehicles everywhere. …

Narrative Portraiture Of American Indian Men Who Persist To Completion Of Doctoral Degrees, Shawn F. Holz

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the lived experiences of American Indian men who have completed their doctoral degrees through the positive exploration of portraiture methodology. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with subject-actors being asked to share stories from their earliest childhood memories and educational experiences through high school and through to completion of their doctoral degrees. Using narrative analysis and transculturation theory as the framework, subject-actors stories are examined to identify emergent themes of common experiences and characteristics. These create a composite portrait of a male American Indian student who persists to completion of their doctoral degree.

Effect Of In-Hospital Stroke Alert On Thrombolytic Therapy In Women, Renee Colsch

Theses and Dissertations

Background/Purpose. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the United States. Women who have experienced a stroke have greater disability than men. Thrombolytic agents decrease adverse side effects of stroke by dissolving blood clots. Yet, women have 8% higher odds against being treated with a thrombolytic agent. Also, about 17% of stroke cases occur in-hospital. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects and associated variables of having an in-hospital stroke alert activation on outcomes in women admitted to the hospital for a separate condition.

Methods. Guided by the Model for Nursing Effectiveness Research, a retrospective …

Curators Of Place: Farmers' Narratives Of Sense Of Place And Learning, Matthew Alan Berosik

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation brings forth the idea that our attachment to place and the meanings behind those attachments could be well suited for implementation within formal agricultural education. The focus of this dissertation brings to light multi-generational family farmer’s attachment to the places they grew up and work on, as well as prepare their children and grandchildren to take on the role of ‘curator of place’. Throughout this dissertation, I lay the groundwork for inclusion of sense of place within formalized agricultural education by highlight just what sense of place is and the missing areas within current agricultural education. For this …

Experiencing Foundational Literacy: A Phenomenological Study Of Preservice Teachers' Preparation To Teach Literacy, Allison Izzo

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of nine elementary preservice teachers who took an early foundational literacy course. This qualitative phenomenological study was conducted at a teacher education program at a mid-sized Midwestern university. The results of this study indicate that the long-term impact the foundational literacy course had on preservice teachers’ subsequent literacy methods coursework and student teaching was minimal. Interviews, course reflection papers, and teaching artifacts support the implication that without opportunities for preservice teachers to integrate foundational literacy in their literacy methods courses and to observe teachers explicitly using foundational literacy knowledge …

Winter Commencement: December 13-14, 2018, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Winter Commencement program from December 13-14, 2018.

Understanding The Reminiscence Bump: A Systematic Review, Khadeeja Munawar, Sara K. Kuhn, Shamsul Haque

Librarian Publications

One of the most consistently observed phenomena in autobiographical memory research is the reminiscence bump: a tendency for middle-aged and elderly people to access more personal memories from approximately 10–30 years of age. This systematic review (PROSPERO 2017:CRD42017076695) aimed to synthesize peer-reviewed literature pertaining to the reminiscence bump. The researchers conducted searches in nine databases for studies published between the date of inception of each database and the year 2017. Keywords used included: reminiscence, bump, peak, surge, blip, reminiscence effect, and reminiscence component. Sixty-eight quantitative studies, out of 523, met the inclusion criteria. The researchers implemented a thematic analytic technique …

Book Review: Michael Weber And Kevin Vallier, Eds., Political Utopias: Contemporary Debates, Mark Jendrysik

Political Science & Public Administration Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Reference Tracking In Ethiopian Sign Language, Katelin Jo French

Theses and Dissertations

Very little has been written about Ethiopian Sign Language, but the language has obvious differences from more well-studied signed languages. This thesis focuses on striking differences in reference tracking: looking at all the different referring types—lexical items, points, eye gaze, body shift, agreement, and zero reference—and their distribution throughout narrative texts. Through this process, Ethiopian Sign Language has proved different from expectations based on previously studied signed languages. This language uses loci with much more flexibility, depending on role shift alone to strongly establish loci for entities. Another way this language differs from other languages is its lack of entity …

Some Features Of Participant Reference In Xochapa Mixtec, Laura J. Cline

Theses and Dissertations

Many works have been published about the grammar and phonology of Mixtecan languages, but relatively little has been written about the discourse features of these languages. One of these areas of discourse where relatively little research has been done is that of participant reference.

This thesis explores the features of participant reference in one Mixtec language, Xochapa Mixtec, by examining the use of nouns, pronouns, and deictic phrases in eight Xochapa Mixtec texts. The texts used in this research were transcribed from audio recordings and then analyzed with respect to the participant reference forms they employed. The thesis begins with …

Volume 56, Number 11: October 24, 2018, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

English Learners And Mathematical Word Problem Solving: A Systematic Review, Virginia Clinton, Deni Lee Basaraba, Candace Walkington

Educational Foundations and Research Faculty Publications

Successful solution of mathematics word problems (MWPs) requires students to be able to understand the language of the MWP, which may be particularly challenging for English Learners (ELs). In this chapter, we review 21 empirical studies about specific linguistic features of MWPs, and the effects of modifying linguistic features on mathematics word problem-solving performance. Results of our review indicated that a variety of linguistic features has differential effects on the mathematics word problem-solving performance of ELs (compared to non-ELs), and that the effects vary by linguistic feature and grade level. Additionally, the effects of modifying the linguistic features of items …

Do Mindful Breathing Exercises Benefit Reading Comprehension? A Brief Report, Virginia Clinton, Sara Elizabeth Carlson, Megan Swenseth

Educational Foundations and Research Faculty Publications

A brief breathing exercise designed to induce a mindful state could benefit reading comprehension performance, but has not been previously examined. Furthermore, the mechanisms of how an induced mindful state benefits cognition are not well understood. The purposes of this study are to test the effectiveness of a brief mindful breathing exercise on reading comprehension performance and examine two potential mechanisms (mind wandering and stress reduction). Undergraduate students (N = 104) engaged in either a mindful breathing exercise or control sham exercise, indicated their stress levels, and completed a reading comprehension assessment during which they self-reported their mind wandering. The …

Summer Commencement: August 3, 2018, University Of North Dakota

UND Commencement Programs

UND Summer Commencement program from August 3, 2018.

Modest Dress As Literacy Practice In English-Speaking Conservative Mennonite Groups, Megan Lois Mong

Theses and Dissertations

English-speaking conservative Mennonites exercise a distinct set of dress practices that are not often understood by people outside the community. Advances in New Literacy Studies pave the way to understand their dress practices as a type of literacy. Multiple literacies work together to inform conservative Mennonite dress practices. One of these literacies is the reading and writing of religious texts. A second literacy is a form of heritage literacy where clothing functions as a multimodal text. Conservative Mennonites use their clothing to codify their Christian identity, gender roles and church affiliation. They intend their clothing to represent who they are …

The Impact Of Translation On Constructed Action And Constructed Dialogue In Asl Texts, Beth C. Gray

Theses and Dissertations

Depiction, a phenomenon similar to iconicity, involves representing what something "looks like or is like" (Streeck 2008:289). Because depiction is used more heavily in sign languages than spoken languages (Dudis 2007), people interpreting or translating spoken/written texts into signed languages struggle to use depiction naturally (Thumann 2011). This thesis analyzes constructed action (CA) and constructed dialogue (CD), two types of depiction in which the signer's hands represent those of a discourse participant. Using Tannen (1989) & Metzger's (1995) framework of non-directly-quoted CACD and Quinto-Pozos & Mehta's (2010) degrees of CA, I examine differences between narratives originally composed in ASL and …