Digital Commons Network^™

Another Sort Of Life: A Novel, Andrew S. Hollinger

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In the critical introduction of this thesis, I examine the academic and creative impulses that helped me to complete this novel. In particular, I detail my seemingly nonlinear course of study as I planned, wrote, and reflected on this novel draft. This work required significant research and study outside the field of creative writing: health care systems, cancer, shame, vulnerability, guilt. I discuss at length the processes by which I became knowledgeable of these subjects, and how even after the first draft of the creative work was completed, I continued to create a more nuanced and sophisticated concept of my …

Self-Esteem And Identity: A Case Study Of Two Bilingual Education Students, Julia Gomez Montalvo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This qualitative study focused on the self-esteem, sociocultural identity, and academic performance of transitional and dual language students as they moved through their respective programs. A case study was conducted on two randomly selected students, one from the transitional program and one from the dual language program. The two students attend the same school and have participated in their respective programs for 12 years in the same school district. Both students were asked to complete surveys on self-esteem and participate in an interview where they were asked various questions about their self-esteem, sociocultural identity, and academic performance. Data collected from …

Prairie Bound: How Laura's Past Forged My Future, Lori J. Houston

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This work of creative non-fiction seeks to explore my past at the same time as I explore the past of a favorite childhood author, Laura Ingalls Wilder. This exploration took the form of a road trip with my father to visit the sites written about in Laura’s books. I found that Laura’s life appealed to me because it represented an insular security that I felt I needed, and that was why I chose, as a child, to immerse myself in the 1880’s. While finding out what she meant to me then, I also discovered that Laura is an even better …

Impact Of Hispanic Ethnic Concentration And Socioeconomic Status On Obesity Prevalence In Texas Counties, Jennifer J. Salinas, Elizabeth Rocha, Bassent Abdelbary, Jennifer L. Gay, Ken Sexton

Physician Assistant Studies Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to determine whether Hispanic ethnic concentration is associated with a higher prevalence of obesity and, if this relationship exists, whether it is affected by the socioeconomic environment. The study uses the Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) linked to 2000 census data to access the relationship between prevalence of obesity, Hispanic ethnic concentration, poverty and level of education at a county-level. The findings suggest that the association of Hispanic ethnic concentration and obesity varies by socioeconomic environment. Although little influence was observed for % poverty, the relationship between Hispanic ethnic concentration and obesity …

Improving Academic Writing Skills Among Undergraduates At A Hispanic Serving University In South Texas With Cooperative Learning, Scaffolded Instruction, And Formative Feedback, Lori Wells

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Three teaching strategies: scaffolded instruction, cooperative learning, and formative feedback were analyzed to determine their effectiveness in improving academic writing skills among undergraduates at a Hispanic serving university in south Texas. Hispanic youth in the United States are graduating from high school and college at significantly lower rates than students from all other ethnic backgrounds. This mixed methods study was conducted during the spring semester of 2011. Forty-six students from two education classes participated. Data from a pre and post test survey, writing samples, and interviews were analyzed. Positive gains were seen in all areas of academic writing, but larger …

Orange & White - Spring 2012, University Of Texas At Brownsville

UTB/TSC Archives - Orange & White Magazine

No abstract provided.

Investigating Elementary Teachers' Instructional Planning And Teaching Experiences With Long-Term English Learners: A Qualitative Study, Melinda V. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

English Language Learners (ELLs) are currently the fastest growing student population in the United States (Duhon-Ross & Battle, 2001; Verdugo & Flores, 2007). Within this population, there exists a group of students who are frequently criticized for lacking academic fluency in English despite having been educated in the United States for a long period of time. They are known as Long-Term English Learners. Long- Term English Learners share some characteristics with other groups of students, but occupy a unique space with regards to language issues (Olsen, 2010). The phenomenon of Long- Term English Learners is not new, but continues to …

First Language Use By Adequate Formal Schooling Adult English Language Learners In A University English Language Institute, Joel S. Garza

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In their pursuit of a better way of life, immigrants who arrive in this country are faced with many challenges. One important challenge is their need to adapt to a new society that requires them to learn English as a second language (ESL). As adult learners enter ESL programs, they are confronted with a common sense belief that the exclusion of their native language (L1) and the exclusive use of the target language (TL) in their instruction is the best approach to learn English. Whether immigrant students are educated or not in their home countries, they face the double task …

The Collegian (2012-01-30), Rene Cardona Jr.

UTB/TSC Archives - The Collegian [Newspaper]

Vol. 64, No. 18

The Language Of Abjection: Poetic Logic And Impurity In Clarice Lispector’S The Hour Of The Star, Aarti S. Madan

Hipertexto

No abstract provided.

Second Thoughts On Morisco Conversion: Ginés Pérez De Hita’S Reappraisal Of Spanish Hegemony In The "Guerras Civiles De Granada", Zane U. Segle

Hipertexto

No abstract provided.

Learning From Bilingual Family Literacies, Luz A. Murillo

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

This ethnographic study explores the literacies of bilingual families living in the Rio Grande Valley on the U.S.—Mexico border. Murillo argues that immigrant families living on the border play an important role in their children’s literacy development, but that their voices are seldom heard in schools due to powerful and persistent deficit views of Spanish and Spanish-speaking families. To counter these views, Murillo describes the literacy practices that bilingual families engage in on a daily basis, and reports bilingual parents’ views about literacy in Spanish and English. To encourage and guide language arts educators who wish to use bilingual family …

Social Skills As Predictors Of Theory Of Mind Development Among Children, Lucia A. Salinas

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The present study examined relationships among social skills including deceptive behavior, socioeconomic status, and theory of mind development in 98 predominantly Hispanic 3- to 7-year-old children residing in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Measures were of vocabulary, deceptive ability, true belief, and false belief understanding. Children’s interactions with others were also measured through observational methods and parental data was obtained to compute socioeconomic status and validate social skills information. It was hypothesized that social skill development, including deception would emerge along with theory of mind understanding in this population, and that children from households of lower socioeconomic status would …

Use Of Preventative Health Care Services In Hispanic Workers In Manufacturing Sector In South Texas, Pooja Chopra

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study analyses the factors that determine the intensity of use of preventive health care services for a sample of Hispanic manufacturing workers in South Texas (RGV). Logistic regression is used to estimate the effect of health insurance, age, income level and education on the use of preventive health care of Hispanic workers in the manufacturing sector in South Texas (RGV). The outcome variables are vaccinations, tests and screening for women and men. The sample includes 228 manufacturing workers from the RGV. People with health insurance were more likely to use preventive care services such as vaccination for flu, hepatitis, …

And They Were Thirteen, Daniel Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In the critical introduction to my thesis, I explore how the progression of my creative work straddled the gap between fiction and nonfiction and how, in trying to make the creative work a combination of both, I failed to make it work as successfully as I could have as a narrative. I then segue into my research on Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and how it has even affected narratives focusing on teachers. I then explain how elements present in my work coincide with aspects of the monomyth. Because of the prevalence of the monomyth in American pop culture, I make an …

“Breakfast Shots” And Other Stories: Collected Fiction Of Joseph D. Haske, Joseph D. Haske

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The following thesis for the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing consists of two parts. The first part contains five excerpts from a short story cycle, tentatively entitled Breakfast Shots. The second part includes experimentation with the short story form, including the noir-influenced Bloqueo and two minimalist stories derived from this piece. Several stories included in this thesis have been published in journals such as Boulevard, Fiction International, and Dark Sky. The rest are currently under consideration for various journals and anthologies.

“Oye: Words Are One Big Mind” A Collection Of Poems, Samuel Arizpe

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Oye: Words Are One Big Mind. A Collection of Poems comprises forty poems arranged into three sections. It is preceded by a critical introduction in which the author discusses: 1) the childhood provenance of his love for language; 2) how his Latino linguistic, religious and cultural roots from South Texas set him on the path of poetic discovery and contextualized his poetic style 3) the influence of early Chican@ poets upon his poetry; 4) commonalities of Latin American poetry in his own work; 5) the convergence of spiritual, social, religious, mystical, and universal issues in his work.

The Mexican Identity And Music: Audioscapes And The Transnational Death Metal Band Brujeria, Michael D. Mena

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The California-based Mexican-American “activist” metal band Brujeria, uses a powerful, yet conflicting, blend of nihilism, anarchism, and racism with a dose of hyper-patriotism in its attempt to convey the voice of oppressed Mexicans on both sides of the border. While it is uncertain whether or not Brujeria is intentionally political, their live performances and song lyrics are highly critical of both the U.S. and Mexico regarding immigration policy, border-crossing, and other issues which have resonated among an international audience. In this paper I explore the conflicting notions of space, performativity, binationality and U.S. Mexico relations within the context of Brujeria …

Toward An Inter-American Philosophy: Pragmatism And The Philosophy Of Liberation, Alexander V. Stehn

Philosophy Faculty Publications

This essay suggests that the U.S.-American Pragmatist tradition could be fruitfully reconstructed by way of a dialogue with Latin American Liberation Philosophy. More specifically, I work to establish a common ground for future comparative work by: 1) gathering and interpreting Enrique Dussel’s scattered comments on Pragmatism, 2) showing how the concept of liberation already functions in John Dewey’s Pragmatism, and 3) suggesting reasons for further developing this inter-American philosophical dialogue and debate.

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En este ensayo se sugiere que la tradición del pragmatismo estadounidense podría ser reconstruida de forma fructífera en un diálogo con la filosofía de la liberación latinoamericana. …

The Pan American (2011-10-06), Alma E. Hernandez, Roxann Garcia

UTPA Archives - The Pan American Newspaper

Vol. 68, No. 6

Within Language, Through Language, Beyond Language: The Portmanteau-Word Neologism As Agent And Emblem Of Contingent Change., Nicholas Webber

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Contributor Biographies, Journal Of South Texas English Studies

Journal of South Texas English Studies

No abstract provided.

Los Arcos - Fall 2011, University Of Texas-Pan American

UTPA Archives - Los Arcos Magazine

No abstract provided.

Utpa Commencement – Fall 2011, University Of Texas-Pan American

Edinburg Archives - Legacy Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Teaching The Academic Language Of Language Arts To Secondary Long-Term English Learners, Mary Soto

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

While the majority of English language learners are found in elementary schools, an alarming number of these students are entering secondary schools. These secondary students are long-term English learners, students who have been in U.S. schools for seven years or longer. Long-term English learners struggle with academic success, and educators need to find ways to support them. In this qualitative study, the effects of teaching academic vocabulary and concepts to 10th grade Hispanic long-term English learners in a language arts class at a large, South Texas high school were explored. The researcher observed students as they were involved in five …

Positive Emotions And Suicide Intervention Response, Crystal Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigated the role of positive emotions in suicide intervention response, in an effort to inform future directions in suicide intervention strategies. Participants were 381 Hispanic college students who completed a measure of suicide intervention skill and wrote written responses to a vignette of a peer in crisis. Results indicated that communication of positive emotions and suicide intervention response skill were not related. Possible explanations and future directions are discussed.

Benchmarking Bottom-Up And Top-Down Strategies To Sparql-To-Sql Query Translation, Andrii Kashliev

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Many researchers have proposed using conventional relational databases to store and query large Semantic Web datasets. The most complex component of this approach is SPARQL-to-SQL query translation. Existing algorithms perform this translation using either bottom-up or top-down strategy and result in semantically equivalent but syntactically different relational queries. Do relational query optimizers always produce identical query execution plans for semantically equivalent bottom-up and top-down queries? Which of the two strategies yields faster SQL queries? To address these questions, this work studies bottom-up and top-down translations of SPARQL queries with nested optional graph patterns. This work presents: (1) A basic graph …

Chemical Education Experiences From The English Language Learner Perspective, Annette Flores

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is a region populated by Spanish-speaking immigrants and their descendants producing a large English Language Learner (ELL) student population. ELLs have historically had low literacy rates and achievement levels when compared to their counterparts. In order to address this achievement gap, previous research efforts and curriculum interventions have focused on language acquisition as being the determining factor in ELL education, with little attention given to academic content acquisition. More current research efforts have transitioned into English language acquisition through academic content instruction; this present research study specifically focuses on ELL experiences in chemistry. Participants were …

The Culturally Adapted Public Administrator: How Accredited Mpa Programs Are Preparing Administrators With Cultural Competency, Nicholas Weimer

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the extent to which National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) accredited Public Administration terminal professional degree programs address cultural competency in their curriculum, the amount of institutional diversity of these programs, and the relations among these quantities. The sample includes 74 university self-study reports. Cultural competency is the dependent variable of this study and syllabi/abstracts of courses taught constitute the major explanatory variable. Descriptive analysis reveals that 15.4% of the total courses in the sample address elements of cultural competency. The use of frequency statistics further reveal that …

Mameluk Una Novela Corta, Ruben Baldazo

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

La presente tesis es un trabajo de creación creativa literaria. En esta novela corta se relata la historia de Anilez, una guerrera mameluk mitad demonio y mitad humano, la cual, tras el aniquilamiento de su protectora y amiga, busca y asesina a una serie de demonios denominados como shekskas en las distintas misiones que es asignada por una organización secreta conocida simplemente como la Hermandad. Los géneros en los cuales se desarrolla la trama de la historia son la aventura y el dark fantasy, teniendo como temas centrales la búsqueda, el encuentro de identidad, la venganza, el psicoanálisis y …