Digital Commons Network^™

Desgarrandonos De Nuestra Lengua: Ripping Us From Our Language, Lillian Ramos, Julia N. Ramirez

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Using a testimonio methodology, this study provides insight on how language ideologies, family, and education in the Texas Borderlands impacted two Latina teachers’ view and understanding of their identity. Through our personal experiences as PK-16 students, classroom teachers, and doctoral students, we were able to understand the colonization of our language and the subsequent endangerment of our bilingualism, which upon reflecting, had an impact on how we see ourselves as individuals, bilinguals, teachers, and Latinas. Our experiences with our bilingualism affected the way in which we perceive ourselves and our community. The reflection and analysis of our experiences allowed us …

Quantitative Characterization Of Complex Systems—An Information Theoretic Approach, Aditya Akundi, Eric Smith

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

A significant increase in System-of-Systems (SoS) is currently observed in the social and technical domains. As a result of the increasing number of constituent system components, Systems of Systems are becoming larger and more complex. Recent research efforts have highlighted the importance of identifying innovative statistical and theoretical approaches for analyzing complex systems to better understand how they work. This paper portrays the use of an agnostic twostage examination structure for complex systems aimed towards developing an information theorybased approach to analyze complex technical and socio-technical systems. Towards the goal of characterizing system complexity with information entropy, work was carried …

How Critical Legal Studies Risks Rights: Roberto Unger Criticized Through A Dworkinian Lens, Nicholas Michael Vanhee

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

“You’Re Not Listening, Or I’M Not Saying It Right”: Reflecting On Borderland As Methodology, Marlene Galván, Randall W. Monty

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Implications Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Online Environments Where Emergent Bilinguals Participate, Myrna Rasmussen

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study aimed to better understand if culturally relevant pedagogy practices are happening in an early childhood dual-language classroom, and what knowledge does a bilingual teacher have of culturally relevant pedagogy. The theoretical framework is guided by the landmark theory of culturally relevant pedagogy by Gloria Ladson-Billings (1995). The research questions that guided this study were: (1) To what extend was culturally relevant pedagogy practices happening in an early childhood dual-language classroom? (2) What is the level of an early childhood bilingual teacher’s knowledge of culturally relevant pedagogy? The findings in this study suggest that the teacher, who …

Introducing Global Citizenship In Language Teacher Education Through The Un’S Sustainable Development Goals, Ramsés Ortín

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

The present chapter describes a pedagogical intervention administered in an undergraduate ESL teacher training program. The purpose of this pedagogical innovation was to train future language teachers to incorporate Global Citizenship related objectives into their future practice by using the United Nation’s Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) as reference. Pre-service teachers (N = 10) taking part in this study participated in a three-phase training in which they were first introduced to the topic, then, asked to apply the discussed approach to the design of language learning materials, and finally, they completed a reflection task. The analysis of the last task …

Latino/A Student Perspectives On Literacy Practices Affecting College Readiness, Danira Vanessa Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative collective case study examines how pre-collegiate literacy practices affect Latino/a student college success. Conducted at a South Texas border-region University, this study utilized a sample of six Latino/a students enrolled in a freshman level composition course. A focus group was used to explore how academic and social literacy practices play a part in college readiness for these transitioning college students. Additionally, personal narratives were conducted as a form of counternarrative. Modeled on the theoretical framework of removing racism from school structures and closing race-related academic divides, findings included the need for social and cultural acceptance, classroom adaptability, and …

Cowboy Conversations, Abraham Garza

Theses and Dissertations

I have always had a profound interest in the past; how that past affects the present, and ultimately, anticipating how the present will affect the future. Circumstances change, but the lessons we’ve learned will, inevitably, determine how we handle impending events. Using fiction as a platform, my intent is to reveal, through each chapter, how one’s past dictates future decisions.

I have been working with a vaquero, my wife’s grandfather, who was raised on different South Texas ranches. Taking odd jobs from stall boy to ranch hand, and horse trainer, his unique experiences will illustrate period-based scenarios that emphasize his …

Duet Phonology And Syntax Of The Red-Crowned Parrots In South Texas, Abigail Pozulp

Theses and Dissertations

Bird behavioral interaction systems show a preference for temporal precision. This preference is exemplified in the way many species avoid masking of vocal signals. Antiphonal duetting in songbirds suggest that overlapping notes are a sign of poor temporal coordination which can signify a weak pairbond, a possible cue for conspecifics seeking to usurp territories or mates. However, parrots (Psittacidae) are accomplished yet understudied duetters in nature. I recorded antiphonal duets produced by a wild population of red-crowned parrots (Amazona viridigenalis) in Brownsville, Texas. Temporal and acoustic variation of signals was assessed within and across a sample of mated …

Teacher Knowledge, Perceptions, And Language Orientations Towards Oral Language Instruction In A Dual Language Classroom, Lucy A. Montalvo

Theses and Dissertations

Dual language (DL) schools provide literacy in students’ native languages; however, it is unknown if there is a focus on oral language (OL) development, an essential component for emergent bilinguals’(EB) literacy development. The purpose of this mixed-methods case study is to understand what DL teachers in Virginia know about OL instruction when providing literacy instruction to EB students. This study also explored DL teachers’ perceptions and language orientations towards OL instruction in a DL classroom. The Holistic Biliteracy Framework by Escamilla et al. (2014) provided a research-based pedagogical model to compare teachers’ knowledge on OL instruction. The Language Orientation Framework …

Translingual Practices For The Development Of Latinx Teacher Candidates: A Pedagogy For The Border, Alcione N. Ostorga

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

This article explores the application of translingual pedagogies within a course on the development of bilingualism for Latinx bilingual teacher candidates (BTCs) in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Using a self-study methodology, it examines the application of translanguaging pedagogies for Latinx BTCs, and their evolving language ideologies. The participants were mostly emergent bilinguals (EBs) whose native Spanish language development was negatively impacted by hegemonic educational practices in the local K-12 schools. Therefore, while the first aim of my pedagogical practices was to promote learning of the content of the course, a second aim was to promote the development of academic Spanish language …

Media As Other Information For Fundamental Valuation, Jiajia Fu, Jingran Zhao

School of Accountancy Faculty Publications

The media is an important information intermediary. We investigate the informational role of the media by examining whether media content, measured by the sentiment of news articles, contains information about a firm’s fundamental value beyond that conveyed in earnings, book value, and analyst forecasts. We show that incorporating media content into Ohlson’s (1995) residual income model generally improves its ability to predict future residual income, explain current stock prices, and predict future stock prices. Our results are strengthened when media coverage is higher and when media sentiment is more dispersed

Política De Tradução Em Um Mundo Linguisticamente Diverso, Gabriel Gonzalez Nunez, Luciane Bittencourt Gomes Batista De Oliveira

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Na Europa, as políticas relacionadas às antigas línguas minoritárias (línguas minoritárias “regionais”) e novas línguas minoritárias (línguas "imigrantes") são diferentes, fato este observado na política linguística de grande parte do continente. Contudo, a distinção entre falantes que pertencem às antigas minorias e aqueles que pertencem às novas minorias pode ser questionada ou, pelo menos, pode-se contestar a existência de abordagens políticas distintas para ambos os grupos no que tange às suas línguas. Este artigo discute se o principal objetivo das políticas sociais, como as políticas linguísticas e as políticas de tradução, é, de fato, a inclusão, pois se faz necessário …

Proposing A Framework For Science Teachers’ Competencies Regarding Translanguaging In Multicultural Settings, Noushin Nouri, Alma D. Rodríguez, Maryam Saberi

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

The increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in today’s classrooms calls for science teachers to facilitate science learning for all students. Drawing from a sociocultural framework that values diverse students’ cultures and languages, a translanguaging pedagogy has been identified as one way to help linguistically diverse students develop science concepts. A meta-synthesis of studies exploring translanguaging pedagogy in science classrooms was conducted to create a framework for the competencies needed by science teachers to incorporate a translanguaging pedagogy in their instruction. The resulting framework consists of six competencies: (1) The teacher should know pedagogical methods on how to teach bilingual students, …

Viewing Anti-Immigrant Hate Online: An Application Of Routine Activity And Social Structure-Social Learning Theory, Matthew Costello, Salvatore J. Restifo, James Hawdon

Sociology Faculty Publications

The increasingly prominent role of the Internet in the lives of Americans has resulted in more people coming into contact with various types of online content, including online hate material. One of the most common forms of online hate targets immigrants, seeking to position immigrants as threats to personal, national, economic, and cultural security. Given the recent rise in online hate targeting immigrants, this study examines factors that bring individuals into virtual contact with such material. Utilizing recently collected online survey data of American youth and young adults, we draw on insights from Routine Activity Theory and Social Structure-Social Learning …

Exploratory Data Mining Techniques (Decision Tree Models) For Examining The Impact Of Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy For Tinnitus: Machine Learning Approach, Hansapani Rodrigo, Eldré W. Beukes, Gerhard Andersson, Vinaya Manchaiah

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: There is huge variability in the way that individuals with tinnitus respond to interventions. These experiential variations, together with a range of associated etiologies, contribute to tinnitus being a highly heterogeneous condition. Despite this heterogeneity, a “one size fits all” approach is taken when making management recommendations. Although there are various management approaches, not all are equally effective. Psychological approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy have the most evidence base. Managing tinnitus is challenging due to the significant variations in tinnitus experiences and treatment successes. Tailored interventions based on individual tinnitus profiles may improve outcomes. Predictive models of treatment …

Interview With Jeffrey Kieffer, Jeffrey Spence Kieffer, Robert P. Del Barrio, Kepler Dimas, Britney J Munos

Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) Oral Histories

The interview ranged in questions from family life to what it was like growing up in the RGV. The interview lasts for about 55 minutes where we cover the life as told by Jeffery Kieffer including activates he partook in around the farm and what were some of his deciding factors for leaving farm life behind. The interview was conducted as part of the 11th series of the UTRGV CHAPS program where we tell the story of how our city developed around the lives of our agricultural settlers and the important role they played in all of our lives.

A Pilot Trial Of Universal School-Based Mental Health Screening In El Salvador: Traumatic Stress In An Underresourced School Environment, Regan W. Stewart, Bianca T. Villalobos, Aubrey R. Dueweke, Juventino Hernandez Rodriguez, Andel V. Nicasio, Michelle Alto, Rosaura Orengo-Aguayo

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Salvadoran youth have an elevated risk of trauma exposure and related mental health problems. However, investigations of childhood trauma exposure and mental health sequelae in El Salvador are limited. The present study aimed to (a) explore the prevalence of exposure to potentially traumatic events and symptoms of posttraumatic stress, anxiety, and depression and (b) evaluate the associations between specific trauma types and emotional functioning among Salvadoran youth. A total of 1,296 youth aged 8–21 years from seven public schools completed self-report measures of trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), anxiety, and depression. Participants reported high levels of trauma exposure, endorsing …

Testimonios Of Two Latinas In The Academe, Maria Bridges

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Corporate Cash Holdings, Agency Problems, And Economic Policy Uncertainty, Siamak Javadi, Mohsen Mollagholamali, Ali Nejadmalayeri, Saud Al-Thaqeb

School of Economics and Finance Faculty Publications

Consistent with the agency view of cash holdings, we document a strong negative relationship between economic policy uncertainty and corporate cash holdings for non-U.S. firms from 19 countries. Our results are robust to different measures of cash holdings and model specifications and survive after addressing endogeneity. We provide evidence that the decrease in cash holdings is moderated by shareholders' ability to force managers to disgorge cash that fits consistently within the agency framework. Overall, results suggest that lowering cash holdings help alleviate agency problems in the presence of policy uncertainty and underscore the significance of country attributes in corporate finance.

Technologically-Aided Transcription Methods For Bilingual Sociolinguistic Corpora: Findings, Resources, And Considerations, Katherine Christoffersen, Ryan M. Bessett, Ana M. Carvalho

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

The project ‘Bilingual Voices in the U.S.-Mexico Borderland: Technology-Enhanced Transcription and Community Engaged Scholarship’ piloted technologically-aided transcription methods for two sociolinguistic corpora, supported by the NEH HCRR Planning Grant PW-269430-20. The team aimed to explore and test out several transcription methods in two corpus development internship courses at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) and the University of Arizona (UA) during Spring 2021. Due to the extremely time-consuming nature of manual transcription, the team hoped to find a sustainable option for technologically-aided transcription within the context of community engaged scholarship courses for the Corpus Bilingüe del Valle (CoBiVa) …

Historias Americanas: Implementing Mexican American Studies In K-12 Social Studies Curriculum In The Rio Grande Valley, Maritza De La Trinidad, Stephanie Alvarez, J. Joy Esquierdo, Francisco Guajardo

Mexican American Studies Faculty Publications

This essay contributes to the growing literature on Mexican American Studies in K-12 within the broader field of Ethnic Studies. While most of the literature on the movement for Ethnic Studies within Texas and across the nation mainly focuses on the impact of Ethnic Studies courses on students’ academic success, this essay highlights a professional development program for K-12 social studies teachers in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas entitled Historias Americanas: Engaging History and Citizenship in the Rio Grande Valley, funded by a federal grant. This essay provides an overview of Historias Americanas, the objectives and structure of …

Bilingual Problem-Solving Training For Caregivers Of Adults With Dementia: A Randomized, Factorial-Design Protocol For The Cades Trial, Shannon B. Juengst, Charlene Supnet, Chung Lin (Novelle) Kew, Valeria Silva, Marlene Vega, Gang Han, Brendan Kelley, Matthew Lee Smith, Gladys E. Maestre

School of Medicine Publications

Objective: Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) often experience debilitating caregiver burden and emotional distress. To address these negative emotional consequences of caregiving, we will test and refine a strategy training intervention - Problem-Solving Training (PST) - that promotes self-efficacy and reduces caregiver burden and depressive symptoms. Previous research supports efficacy of PST; however, we do not know exactly how many PST sessions are needed or if post-training "boosters" are required to maintain PST benefits. Additionally, we translated and culturally-adapted PST into "Descubriendo Soluciones Juntos" (DSJ), our novel intervention for Spanish-speaking caregivers.

Method: In this 2 …

The Rider (2021-08-25), Verilu Infante

The Rider Archives

Vol.7 No.1

El Guitarrista Y Sus Cambios De Codigos: Cruzando Fronteras Musicales [The Guitarist And Code-Switching: Crossing Musical Borders], Hector Manuel Aguilar

Theses and Dissertations

The guitar in border towns has links to many musical cultures that vary in their ways of being due to the customs of the specific space. Individual guitarists learn how to navigate the different environments because they understand the etiquettes needed to belong and participate in the musical circles.

In this autoethnographic work, I explore the various musical spaces that I have participated in through my musical journey growing up in Brownsville, Texas, to understand further how the individual musician embodies the style of music s/he performs. As a primary data source for my work, I use the experiences that …

A Phenomenological Collective Case Study Of Mexican American Gifted Dropouts In South Texas, Albert Irlas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the shared experiences of formally identified gifted Mexican American students that decided to drop out of high school in the south Texas region. The researcher utilized a phenomenological collective case study approach that investigated the influences that led gifted learners to drop out of high school via a series of semi-structured interviews that collected and analyzed the shared narrative data (Creswell, 2013; Degand, 2015; Seidman, 2014). Prevailing studies have found that Mexican American gifted learners are more likely to live in economically depressed communities, more likely to suffer from linguistic and cultural …

(Re) Actualizing Culturally Sustaining Read Aloud Practices: Enriching Latinx Bilingual Learners’ Literacy Development, Isela Almaguer

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Focusing on culturally sustaining literacy practices, I sought to conceptualize the integration of culturally rich literature as inclusionary practices for the reading and literacy development of Latinx bilingual learners. It is forecasted that by 2036, Latinx students will make up a third of the nation’s 3 to 17 year old learners - our school age population (US Census Bureau, 2010). Recognizing the importance of engaging with culturally sustaining read alouds and the value in learners seeing themselves reflected in the stories allows for increased opportunities for engagement in the literature used in the read alouds. I steadfastly advocate for asset-based …

Language In Economics And Accounting Research: The Role Of Linguistic History, Giorgio Gotti, Seán G. Roberts, Marco Fasan, Cole B. J. Robertson

School of Accountancy Faculty Publications

This paper investigates whether a consideration of linguistic history is important when studying the relationship between economic and linguistic behaviors. Several recent economic studies have suggested that differences between languages can affect the way people think and behave (linguistic relativity or Sapir–Whorf hypothesis). For example, the way a language obliges one to talk about the future might influence intertemporal decisions, such as a company’s earnings management. However, languages have historical relations that lead to shared features—they do not constitute independent observations. This can inflate correlations between variables if not dealt with appropriately (Galton’s problem). We discuss this problem …

The Impact Of Using An Online Learning Management System On Student Biology Achievement In A Hispanic Rural High School, Brent J. Burkott

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for this study was to determine the effect of using online Learning Management Systems with a Blended Learning pedagogy on state assessment achievement of high school biology students with interactions analyzed based on teaching method (Face-to-Face/Blended Learning), course type (Honors/Regular) biological sex (Male/Female), risk factor (At-Risk/Not At-Risk), and socioeconomic status (High/Low). The research questions were: (1) What is the difference in achievement scores between students taught in a Blended Learning environment with a Learning Management System verses a traditional Face-to-Face learning environment, and (2) What differences in achievement exist on the Texas assessment based on teaching method, course …

An Exploration Of Teacher Language Ideologies Around Linguistic Diversity In Adolescent Writing, Cody Fernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Emergent bilinguals that make up 19.5% of the student population in Texas (Texas Education Agency, 2019) are often placed in courses that instruct restrictive and formulaic ways as determined by their writing (Harklau, 2011). These restrictions can further limit opportunities for development of positive literate identities for bilingual writers. Research has demonstrated that language ideologies play a significant role in instruction particularly in linguistically diverse classrooms (Weaver, 2019).

This explorative study investigates the language ideologies of secondary writing teachers and the influence they play on instruction as teachers respond to linguistic diversity. The participants in this study are teachers …