Digital Commons Network^™

The Relationship Between The Volume And Complexity Of Books Read Based On Accelerated Reader Assessment Data And The 5th-Grade Students’ Reading Achievement Scores, Glenda Edna Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the reading performance data for a grade level of fifth graders using the Web-based Accelerated Reader assessment program. Based solely on student archival data, this study focused on the hypothesized relationship between the volume and complexity of quizzes taken from books read using the Accelerated Reader assessment program and academic performance on the state’s standardized reading achievement portion of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test. An independent sample t – test was also performed to investigate if there were any differences between the gender, language, and socioeconomic status of the subgroup …

Being A Trafficked Teacher: An Asiancrit Autoethnography Exploring The Exploitation Of Filipino Migrant Teachers In Louisiana, Christopher R. Jose

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this autoethnographic study is to critically explore the lived curriculum of Filipino migrant teachers trafficked by a Louisiana school district using the theoretical lens of AsianCrit. Using the different tenets of AsianCrit, this study wrestles with the injustices of this lived curriculum as connected to a broader set of hegemonic curricular experiences and demonstrates the ways such injustice still permeates the lived curriculum of migrant teachers. It explores its discussion on critical race theory in education, migrant teachers and human trafficking in the United States. This study shares the effects of human trafficking of teachers and the …

How An Instructor's Noticing For Equity Can Foster Students' Sense Of Belonging And Mathematical Confidence, Sthefania Espinosa

Theses and Dissertations

There are many aspects a teacher can notice inside the mathematics classroom, and the more a teacher notices, the more difficult it is to teach. In this study, I particularly focus on noticing for equity, which describes the role of the teacher in attending to students’ mathematical thinking through an equity lens that can allow the instructor to notice the aspects of classroom mathematical activity that can make students feel less or more empowered in their mathematical practices (van Es et al., 2017). There exists few research about how students perceive their instructor’s effort to promote equity and …

Consistency Examination Of A Systematic Review And Data Analysis Report For A Social Justice Study—A Mixed Research Model, Zhidong Zhang, David Smith

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This study aimed to investigate an approach for assessing the quality of doctoral dissertations, specifically focusing on the consistency between essential elements, namely the literature review and quantitative analysis results. To accomplish this, a mixed-methods design was employed.

The qualitative data were analyzed using semantic network and thematic analysis techniques, while the quantitative data were processed using SPSS procedures.

The study's findings demonstrated that this mixed-methods model effectively facilitates the examination of dissertation quality and consistency among key elements, such as the literature review and data analysis results. By integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches, researchers gain a comprehensive understanding of …

La Conciencia Crítica Empieza Temprano: Young Transborder Children’S Critical Conciousness Y Lo Que Implica Para Las Escuelas Primarias, Melissa Adams Corral, Sarah Gallo

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Drawing upon investigaciones etnográficas with two sets of young transborder children viviendo y aprendiendo in México and the United States, en este artículo we draw upon decolonizing approaches to theorize critical consciousness formation for and with young children. Through careful attention to how children recognize inequity, critique it, and engage in a range of actions to counteract it, argumentamos que los niñes jóvenes ya están formando sus propios aspectos de la conciencia crítica. In our discussion, we highlight como esta forma auténtica de problem-posing education largely unfolds a través de dialogos con sus papas and call for pedagogies to engage …

Musicking Across Hemispheres: A Transatlantic Approach To Western Music History And Curricular Reform At A Hispanic Serving Institution, Andrés R. Amado

School of Music Faculty Publications

Advocates for music curricula reform call for programs of study that better address the concerns of professional musicians, engage the musical traditions of local communities, increase global awareness, and advance social justice. While global approaches to music history studies can address these goals, finding ways to broaden the scope of music history courses beyond the Western canon while also fulfilling curricular expectations that require knowledge of the canon is a challenge for many instructors. When considering how to expand courses to meet the goals above, I propose instructors prioritize the needs of the students and communities their institutions serve. In …

The Rider (2023-10-30), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.10

The Rider (2023-10-23), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.9

The Rider (2023-10-09), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.7

The Rider (2023-10-02), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.6

Fugitive Administrative Rhetorics, Norma Denae Dibrell, Andrew Hollinger, Maggie Shelledy

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

This article is a work in defining fugitivity in writing program administration. We return to the intersecting phenomena of the pandemic, of climate change, of state-sanctioned violence, of gerrymandering, and of stolen rights. We recognize the complicity writing programs have with this status quo, and we hope that Fugitive Administrative Rhetorics is a helpful framework for developing WPA practices that diverge from this complicity. Our writing is intended to acknowledge a deep scholarly debt within rhetoric and composition to the first fugitives of the academic space, the multiply marginalized students and faculty that built the undercommons: Black, Indigenous, Latinx, queer, …

Duolingo To Improve Linguistics Of The Medical Resident, Cameron Paul Lancarte, James Fahey

Research Symposium

Purpose: Create an attainable Spanish language education program within a medical residency program to increase the quality, efficiency, and equality of healthcare received by patients.

Description: Free DuoLingo language education application was chosen for the program due to being easily accessible, offering the ability to break down lessons into small timeframes, being user-friendly, and game format design. User’s learning goals can be tracked on this application.

The duration of the QI Project was 4 months, and the population size was 3 residents. Each were requested to complete 10 minutes per day or 70 min per week (on average) for Spanish …

The Rider (2023-09-25), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.5

The Rider (2023-09-18), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.4

The Rider (2023-09-11), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.3

The Rider (2023-09-05), Natalie Lapsley

The Rider Archives

Vol.9 No.2

A Planning Tool For Improving Interactive Read-Alouds: Why And How, Elena M. Venegas, Angelica Guanzon

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Interactive read-alouds are versatile in that teachers can teach an array of literacy skills through this instructional strategy. However, our observations of six primary grade teachers and prior research revealed that teachers' implementation of interactive read-alouds varies. Without the necessary planning and preparation for interactive read-alouds, the richness of this instructional strategy is limited. In this article, we present a planning tool for interactive read-alouds that teachers can readily adapt for use in their classrooms. We also offer three recommendations. Together the planning tool and recommendations are specific enough to provide guidance yet flexible enough for teachers to modify to …

How Did Latinxs Near The U.S.-Mexico Border Fare During The Covid-19 Pandemic? A Snapshot Of Anxiety, Depression, And Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Bianca T. Villalobos, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Introduction: The current study documented levels of anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and COVID-19 fears and impacts among Latinxs living near the U.S.-Mexico border during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: Participants of this cross-sectional study were 305 Latinx adults living in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) who completed an online survey between June and November 2020.

Results: About half of participants scored above the cut-off for anxiety (50.2%; GAD-7 scores ≥10) and depression (48.8%; PHQ-9 scores ≥10), and more than a quarter of participants showed clinical levels of posttraumatic stress (27.3%; PCL-5 scores ≥31). Latinxs reported on average 22 types of negative …

Opening Up Research On The Teaching Of Reading By Looking Beyond Us Borders: What We Might Learn From Early Literacy Instruction In China, Danling Fu, Xiaodi Zhou

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This article discusses early literacy instruction in China, including the impact of biliteracy education on Chinese society. This presentation is based on interviews with over two dozen scholars of Chinese literacy instruction, as well as primary early grades language arts classroom teachers from four different regions across China. The purpose of this examination of literacy education in China is to open our views of literacy instruction beyond US borders, especially in those countries with different language/literacy systems. Because of the rapid increase of emergent bilingual students in our schools, we need to gain a better understanding of literacy and biliteracy …

Translanguaging Practices And Perspectives Of Three Bilingual Teachers, Lillian Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

This is an ethnographic case study that explores and examines the translanguaging practices of three bilingual teachers in a rural elementary school in deep south Texas.

Translanguaging guides this analysis.

Essays On The Influence Of Review And Reviewer Attributes On Online Review Helpfulness: Attribution Theory Perspective, Rakesh Guduru

Theses and Dissertations

With the emergence of digital technology and the increasing availability of information on the internet, customers rely heavily on online reviews to inform their purchasing decisions. However, not all online reviews are helpful, and the factors that contribute to their helpfulness are complex and multifaceted. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by examining the antecedents that determine online review helpfulness using attribution theory. The dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay examines the impact of authenticity (review attribute) on review helpfulness, showing that the expressive authenticity of a review enhances its helpfulness. The second essay investigates the …

Language And The Mind: How Language Shapes Our Thinking, Xiaodi Zhou

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes languages and their connections to thinking and culture using an autoethnographic lens. This autoethnography utilized personal examples and those from the author’s students’ compositions as evidence of the link between languages and cultures. Both named languages and dialects of those languages are contemplated for the basis of how their traits influence perceptions. A neuroscientific rationale is also made between human languages and human cultures. The link between culture and language, including dialects, is made, positioning the act of translanguaging as real time dialogue between cultures. Finally, classroom implications are presented with actual student writing and multimodal performances …

Crafting The Image Of Pelayo: Identity And State-Building In Early Medieval Asturian Chronicles, Erica Buchberger

History Faculty Publications

In the late ninth century, a series of chronicles from the Christian kingdom of Asturias staked a claim on Visigothic identity, and thus ancestral legitimacy to rule in Iberia, for Asturias and its kings. Connecting Pelayo, the first king of the Asturian kingdom, to the last Visigothic kings and crafting his image as an ideal Goth and Christian was essential to this process. Informed by scholarship on “borderlands” and boundary-making, this article demonstrates how the chroniclers renegotiated the parameters of Gothic identity to impose the idea of a strict border between legitimate and illegitimate, good Catholic and heretic, and loyalty …

Cognitive Performance And Normative Data Between Hispanic And Non-Hispanic Cohorts: Results From The South Texas Alzheimer’S Disease Research Center (Adrc), Aishwarya N. Patel, Ashley Laroche, Vanessa M. Young, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, A. Campbell Sullivan, Claudia L. Satizabal, Sarah E. Savoia, Frank G. Gilliam, Rosa P. Mavarez, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Background: The prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) in the United States was estimated as 6.5 million people in 2022, with a five-fold increase for the Hispanic/Latinx population expected by 2060. The South Texas Alzheimer's Disease Center (STAC) was designated as a new ADRC in 2021 by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) with a specific aim to serve the growing needs of the local underrepresented Hispanic population. As cultural and linguistic factors can impact performance on cognitive tests, the goal of the study was to compare UDS-3 cognitive test raw scores and normative data in Hispanic …

Customer Value Co-Creation: Environmental Sustainability As A Tourist Experience, Esi A. Elliot, Russell P. Adams, Ernest Kafui Kwasi Tsetse

International Business and Entrepreneurship Faculty Publications

Increasingly, environmental sustainability has become an important consideration for customer value co-creation, which is collaboration between a firm-provider and its customers to jointly create value. Our research question is therefore “how does customer value co-creation (CVC) enhance environmental sustainability?” We argue that attention to CVC globally would significantly enhance environmental sustainability in emerging markets. The findings of the study revealed that firms that do not enhance customer engagement and their environmental sustainability will lose patronage. Secondly, the attitude of most of these tourists who continually visit unclean tourism destinations such as littered beaches and polluted water bodies would continue to …

Mapping Ecotourism Potential In Bangladesh: The Integration Of An Analytical Hierarchy Algorithm And Geospatial Data, Muhallil Abtahee, Afra Anika Islam, Md. Nazmul Haque, Hasan Zonaed, Samiha Mahzabin Ritu, S. M. Imdadul Islam, Atiq Zaman

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The significance of ecotourism has been increasing due to its potential for biodiversity preservation, economic advancement, and the promotion of sustainability awareness. In this research, geospatial analysis and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to identify feasible ecotourism sites in Bangladesh. The study applied Geographical Information System–Remote Sensing (GIS-RS) parameters and weighted overlay techniques for selected ecotourism characteristics, such as natural attractiveness, topographic features, accessibility, proximity to facilities, and community characteristics. The study found that a significant proportion (around 44%) of Bangladesh’s land exhibits high potential for ecotourism. Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, and Rangamati are particularly favorable ecotourism locations. However, …

Cultural Competence Guides For Covid-19 Messaging In Hispanic Communities, Madeline Huff, Shuchita V. Jhaveri, Ayesha Khan, Lina Pedraza, Maria Pesantez Borja, Daniela Santos Cantu, Chelsea Chang

School of Medicine Publications

Purpose: The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas comprises 5% percent of Texas's population yet 17%of Texas's COVID-19 deaths. We aimed to address underlying mistrust and systemic racism in our Hispanic community that contributes to health inequities by developing a cultural competence guide for public health messaging.

Methods: We employed a mixed method design (e.g., focus groups, surveys, interviews) to develop and implement a cultural competence guide in an iterative community-informed process. We created a general cultural competence guide, one for the Hispanic community and one for the hard-of-hearing community.

Results: Our cultural competence guides provide an interpretation as to …

“Make A Reasonable Effort”: Translation Policy For Texas State Websites, Gabriel Gonzalez Nunez, Nazaret Fresno

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Language plays a key role in democracy. In fact, the role of language in democratic societies is so crucial that scholars have addressed it thoroughly through different lenses, ranging from law to language policy. This article, in turn, seeks to add to the scholarship on democracy and language rights by considering the role of translation policy in the development of linguistically inclusive public web pages. To that end, the study considers the State of Texas's translation policy as it relates to its online presence. Specifically, it approaches translation policy by looking at translation management, translation practice, and translation beliefs as …

Math Attitudes And Identity Of High Schoolers Impacted Through Participating In Informal, Near-Peer Mentoring, Aaron T. Wilson, Xiaohui Wang, Mayra Ortiz Galarza, John Knight, Eliazar Patiño

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Research in mentoring has shown that students may at times be more willing and able to absorb information that is delivered to them by their near-peers, rather than by traditional figures of authority, like teachers and professors. In this study, underrepresented minority high school students participated in an informal learning experience that was led by college students who were "near-peers" to the high schoolers. Students were engaged by participating in interactive MathShows, following a Math Social Media Campaign, and attending a summer Math Internship. Participants in the quantitative component of the study included N = 559 U.S. high schoolers who …

Contextualizing The Mathematical Knowledge For Teaching Framework For Teachers Of Emergent Bilinguals, Luis M. Fernandez, Mayra Ortiz Galarza

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We are amid a rapid demographic shift, with Emergent Bilinguals (EBs) being the fastest growing K-12 student population. This has created an ambitious goal for teacher education programs as they must prepare mathematics pre-service teachers (PSTs) to assess the needs of EBs. As a response, this study conducted a qualitative analysis of 16 PSTs to propose a contextualized version of the Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) framework as an emerging knowledge base of teaching that can be used to further guide the planning and enactment of teacher education programs in the mathematics education of EBs, specifically.