Digital Commons Network^™

A Discipline In Search Of A Voice: A Corpus Linguistic Study Of Evaluation Scholarly Literature, Aaron Wilson Kates

Dissertations

Linguists use the concept of discourse community (DC) to describe the speech of groups of people associated by some extrinsic purpose or interest (Swales, 1990). One defining feature of a DC is a shared lexicon. Scriven (1994), in his discussion of evaluation as a discipline, addresses the need for evaluation to have a “core subject” which would then allow, among other things, the development of “concepts and language to deal with core problems,” while noting that there exists a definite lack of clarity of language among evaluators (p. 147). Christie and Rose (2003) suggest that the lack of clarification around …

English As A Foreign Language Preservice Teachers’ Technology Integration In Teaching Speaking Skills: A Study From Indonesia, I Putu Indra Kusuma

Dissertations

The novel coronavirus, namely COVID-19, has drastically forced schools and universities around the globe to implement emergency remote teaching (henceforth, ERT) in online forms. During this ERT, the personal computer, internet-accessible devices, and computer programs have expanded the opportunities of language learners to obtain more authentic materials and learning experiences. Moreover, technology enables students to record and store their speaking performance in digital forms, accommodating a new reform in English language teaching. Very little is known about how English as a foreign language (henceforth, EFL) preservice teachers, especially student teachers, implement technology in teaching speaking skills during their practice teaching. …

How Immigrant English Language Learners Used Internal Fortitude To Utilize Supports And Overcome Obstacles To Graduate From High School, Mark C. Peterson

Dissertations

Immigrants and English Language Learners (ELL) continue to receive attention in the research literature due in part to the continued immigration of families to the U.S. and the continued increasing number of students enrolled in U.S. schools under the ELL designation. The robust influx of immigrant’s school enrollment is reflected in schools across the country as classrooms are transformed from predominantly mono-cultural and mono-lingual environments to multi-cultural and multi-lingual ones. Unfortunately, the national average graduation rate for ELLs is a much lower than native-born students. The economic, social, and mental health ramifications for failing to graduate high school are dramatic; …

Dreamers: Stories Of Daca Recipients In Higher Education During The 2018-2021 Political Climate, Alicia Billini

Dissertations

Immigration has been a longstanding conversation, or debate, in American politics and society throughout history. Whether, or how much, to embrace immigrant populations into U.S. society has been a source of polarization over time, specifically as related to the handling or treatment of undocumented immigrants. A particularly acute dimension of this issue in the United States is the question of undocumented immigrants who were brought into this country as children illegally by their parents (Council on Foreign Relations, 2021). Efforts to address the needs of this unique population of immigrants have been caught between the historically and widely divergent values …

Many Words, Many Turds: Middle English Proverbial Wisdom And The Alleged Incontinence Of Female Speech, Mary C. Flannery

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

In a passage from The Castle of Perseverance, the reprehensible Malus Angelus dismisses the speech of the personified virtues who are attempting to lead mankind to salvation: ‘Ther wymmen arn, are many wordys. (…) Ther ges syttyn are many tordys’ (2649-51). As the quotation illustrates, likening someone’s words to turds is both an effective brush-off and a colourful insult. This particular insult derives its force from the familiar anti-feminist trope of the voluble woman: like women, the wicked angel implies, the female personifications of virtue talk too much, and the incontinence of their speech is presented in terms that …

Women’S Acts Of Childbirth And Conquest In English Historical Writing, Emma O. Bérat

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

This essay explores how female characters in historical literature written in high to late medieval England shape land claims, political history, and genealogy through their acts of childbirth. Recent scholarship has shown how medieval writers frequently imagined virginal female bodies – religious and secular – in relation to land claim, but less work exists on how they also used the non-virginal bodies of mothers and vivid descriptions of childbirth to assert rights to land and lineage. This essay examines three birth stories associated with conquest or claims to contested lands from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae, William of …

The Exploration Of Various Literary Genres Through Short Story Writing, Abigail Cowan

Honors Theses

This project contains four short stories and one collection of poetry. The first, “Touch-Me-Nots,” explores self-harm and healing using the touch-me-not plant as an analogy for avoiding self-harm and leaves readers with the hopeful sentiment of a person willing to heal by “leaving it alone.” Next, “The Bear and the Ant,” inspired by Aesop’s Fables, anthropomorphizes a bear and an ant and leaves readers with a ‘moral’ in true Aesop Fable fashion. Inspired by the ants who ransacked my six-month-old Halloween candy stash, I detail a Bear which attempts to “save” its honey for a day that never comes. The …

Nineteenth- And Twentieth-Century Readings Of The Medieval Orient: Other Encounters, Liliana Sikorska

Research in Medieval and Early Modern Culture

Travel narratives and historical works shaped the perception of Muslims and the East in the Victorian and post-Victorian periods. Analyzing the discourses on Muslims which originated in the European Middle Ages, the first part of this book discusses the troubled legacy of the encounters between the East and the West and locates the nineteenth-century texts concerning the Saracens and their lands in the liminal space between history and fiction.

Drawing on the nineteenth-century models, the second part of the book looks at fictional and non-fictional works of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century which re-established the “Oriental obsession,” stimulating …

Digital Intervention, Covid-19, And Critical Realism: Toward A Science Of Digital Social Work, Antonio López Peláez, Chaime Marcuello Servós

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the pace of the digital transition process in which we have been immersed. In a context of generalized lockdown, our organizations have been forced to go digital and many of the activities social workers perform must now be done remotely. As a result, e-social work, or digital social work, has gone from being an emerging specialization to a critical specialty across organizations and activities. In this article, we examine some basic scientific and methodological foundations to develop a science of social work from the perspective of critical realism, with special attention to digitalization. Establishing …

Essays On The Impacts Of Extreme Natural Events On Health, Moumita Ghorai

Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three chapters that examine how extreme events impact health outcomes such as short-term illness, body mass index, probability of pre-term birth, and mortality. The study reveals the severe consequences of these events and shows that certain groups within a particular country are affected disproportionately.

The first chapter examines whether National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), India’s flagship workfare program, mitigates adverse health outcomes of a drought. This paper contributes to a growing area of research on adaptations to climate change. Using Indian Human Development Survey (2004-2005 and 2010-2011), a nationally representative panel data set, and high resolution …

2020 Aacsb Accreditation Standards: Τι Συνεπάγονται Για Τους Βιβλιοθηκονόμους Των Σχολών Διοίκησης Επιχειρήσεων [What They Mean For Business Librarians], Ilana Stonebraker, Lumarie Guth

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Presentations

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International), which accredits over 530 business schools in the United States alone, released a new business school accreditation standards document in 2020.

In this presentation the speakers will briefly track the movement in the field by giving a retrospective of library relevance in the AACSB standards and an overview of the development of the new standards. They will focus on sections of the new standards where business librarians can play an important role, giving librarians a potential blueprint for how they can like the work they do in business information literacy …

Interpretation Of Illness And Covid-19, Stephanie Campbell

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Both during and following the global pandemic of Covid-19, there appears to be an increased need to rediscover purpose and promote physical and emotional well-being. The philosophy of social constructionism presents the opportunity to explore the socially inherited interpretations of illness and increase awareness of their often unconscious influence on our attitudes and choices. This article explores how application of this philosophy in occupational therapy might assist in improving outcomes for well-being.

Occupational Therapy And Allied Health Interventions To Promote And Support Client Self-Advocacy: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Theresa Guzaldo, Abraham Kim, Kimberly Lieberman, Erin Thrasher, Laura H. Vanpuymbrouck

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Despite occupational therapy’s focus on optimizing participation in society for individuals with disability, self-advocacy has only recently (2008) become an official client factor in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF).

Method: This study examined the current evidence in allied health professions addressing self-advocacy skills through exploring the quality, characteristics, and effectiveness of interventions designed to promote client self-advocacy. Multiple electronic databases were used for the literature search, including: PubMed, Ebscohost, PsycINFO, Google Scholar, and Sagepub. Select professional journals were also searched. Key words used in literature review were: self-advocacy, self-determination, occupational therapy, advocacy, empowerment, interventions, allied health, …

Health Literacy In Occupational Therapy Research: A Scoping Review, Erin Attard, Andraya Musallam, Kirsten Vaas, Taylar Chaney, Jennifer K. Fortuna, Betsy Williams

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Low health literacy is a significant problem in the United States. Patient education is a key component of occupational therapy intervention. Occupational therapists have the skills to develop patient education materials (PEMs) all patients can understand. Few studies on health literacy exist in occupational therapy research. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the breadth of literature on health literacy in occupational therapy research and to identify knowledge gaps.

Method: A scoping review methodological framework (Arksey and O’Malley, 2005; Levac et al., 2010) was used to search five databases. A descriptive numerical summary and qualitative …

A Scoping Review Of Occupational Therapy Approaches To Enable Occupations For People Living With Behavioral Disturbance As A Result Of Acquired Brain Injury, Anahita Brown, Tamara Tse Dr, Tracy Fortune, Susan Petrie

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Behavioral disturbance impacts almost 50% of people living with acquired brain injury (ABI) and severely impedes occupational participation. Occupational therapists are appropriately qualified and well placed to address behavioral disturbance. This scoping review analyzes the literature to ascertain approaches used by occupational therapists to treat behavioral disturbance.

Method: A literature search of three databases revealed 379 papers for consideration, five of which met inclusion criteria. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklists were used for the analysis. This paper employs the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework.

Results: Sensory modulation interventions, community-based …

Older Adults In An Lgbt Residential Community: Impact Of A Safe Space On Occupation And Well-Being, Daniel P. Swiatek, Sheryl Ryan, Terry Peralta-Catipon

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: LGBT seniors have suffered a lifetime of societal and institutional discrimination and health care inequalities. The number of LGBT people 50 years of age and older will surpass five million in the coming decades. LGBT seniors are at greater risk of disability, isolation, physical and mental health issues, and substance abuse. Supportive social environments and networks are correlated with higher quality of life. The purpose of this study was to better understand how living in a safe and secure apartment community specifically for low-income LGBT older adults impacted the residents’ daily life and well-being.

Method: This study …

Lessons From The Pandemic: Engaging Wicked Problems With Transdisciplinary Deliberation, Miles C. Coleman, Susana C. Santos, Joy M. Cypher, Claude Krummenacher, Robert Fleming

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Some crises, such as those brought on or exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, are wicked problems—large, complex problems with no immediate answer. As such, they make rich centerpieces for learning with respect to public deliberation and issue-based dialogue. This essay reflects on an experimental, transdisciplinary health and science communication course entitled Comprehending COVID-19. The course represents a collaborative effort among 14 faculty representing 10 different academic departments to create a resource for teaching students how to deliberate the pandemic, despite its attending, oversaturated, fake-news-infused, infodemic. We offer transdisciplinary deliberation as a pedagogical framework to expand communication repertoires in ways useful …

Encouraging College Student Democratic Engagement Through A Collaborative Voter, Angela M. Mcgowan-Kirsch

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Drawing on challenges I experienced when teaching a political communication course, I designed an upper-level undergraduate course with the objective of developing students’ civic competence and democratic engagement. The major class assignment, which is the focal point of this best practices essay, was a four-step collaborative voter mobilization project designed and executed by undergraduate students. I use research, classroom conversations, and student observations to discuss four best practices for encouraging students to participate in electoral politics: (a) fostering political efficacy, (b) peer-to-peer learning, (c) experiential learning, and (d) learning through reflection. This essay breaks a four-step collaborative voting mobilization project …

"Minor Setback, Major Comeback": A Multilevel Approach To The Development Of Academic Resilience, Brandi N. Frisby, Jessalyn I. Vallade

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study examined communicative processes at multiple levels that may influence students’ academic resilience through transitions. Participant interviews (N = 23) revealed that at the individual level, students develop a resilient mindset and effective academic strategies, engage in self-care, and compartmentalize. At the relational level, students rely on teachers to demonstrate positive teaching behaviors, receive academic and emotional support from a variety of sources, and find role models to inspire resilience. Finally, students reported that the campus community gave opportunities to build support networks and access campus resources, but identified threats to effective use of these resilience-building opportunities. Finally, …

Invisibility As Modern Racism: Redressing The Experience Of Indigenous Learners In Higher Education, Amy R. May, Victoria Mcdermott

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Indigenous Peoples represent the smallest group of ethnic minorities in the United States, and they are significantly underrepresented in the academy. The tumultuous relationship between institutions of higher learning and First Nation Peoples can be explained in part by the use of education to colonize and force the assimilation of Native Peoples. The end result of centuries of dehumanization and marginalization is invisibility, “the modern form of racism used against Native Americans” (the American Indian College Fund, 2019, p. 5). Educators are challenged to identify institutional inequities and redress barriers to promote social justice through informed and genuine practice, indigenization, …

"It's Been A Good Reminder That Students Are Human Beings": An Exploratory Inquiry Of Instructors’ Rhetorical And Relational Goals During Covid-19, Victoria Mcdermott, Drew T. Ashby-King

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

As colleges and universities moved to remote learning during the Spring 2020 semester due to COVID-19, the traditional higher education classroom format was challenged. This study examines how instructors reconceptualized their rhetorical and relational goals in the pandemic classroom. A thematic analysis of 68 qualitative survey responses revealed that instructors adapted their rhetorical and relational approaches to instruction due to a perceived change in students’ needs. Moreover, findings suggest that instructors intend to continue to use many of these instructional changes in their post-pandemic classrooms. These conclusions confirm that instructors should consider contextual factors not only during but also after …

Pedagogy, Protests, And Moving Toward Progress, Nannetta Durnell-Uwechue, Deandre J. Poole, Felton O. Best

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Our world is in constant flux and educators are at the ship’s helm steering toward what former U.S. Representative John Lewis called “good trouble.” However, in many cases, educators lack the training required to be most effective in doing so. As instructors face student demands to address topics on race and social justice, many educators are unsure about how to respond appropriately to the chants of “No Justice, No Peace!” Thus, this essay explores humanistic and pragmatic approaches for doing so in terms of fostering cultural communication competence when incorporating topics on race and social justice issues in the classroom.

The Other Side Of 2020: Questioning Everything—Doing Something, Adam W. Tyma

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

In February of 2020, everything around the world changed. By mid-March, the majority of the world was locked down. Teachers were called on to create a sense of “normalcy” for their students. And we tried. During that process, though, as a teacher, I started to truly question what I was teaching and—more importantly—HOW I was teaching. This reflective essay offers a critical interrogation of my own pedagogical choices during and because of the COVID-19 pandemic . . . and so many other “moments” that have led up to it. I contend that we need to look in the mirror and …

The Star-Gazer, Jennifer Kean

The Hilltop Review

“The Star-Gazer” is modeled loosely on the Old English poem “The Wife’s Lament.” This medieval elegiac composition expresses beautifully the tensions that attend unrequited or abandoned love. It is awkward: there are clearly contrasting sentiments for the absent lover. It is frustrated and distressed: the reasons for the lover’s truancy are unclear to the reader, and presumably to The Wife. It is confused: The Wife does not understand why her partner has put physical and emotional distance between them, and the nature-imagery reflects how open-ended heartbreak can suspend, or even immobilize, personal growth. In my composition, I experiment with the …

Systematic Review Of Transition Assessments For Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder From Early Intervention To Special Education, Akrum Hassan Eidelsafy, Katherine Lalonde, Starla Scott

The Hilltop Review

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), their families, and teachers face many challenges during the transition from early intervention into public education. One tool that may facilitate and streamline this transition is the use of a comprehensive transition assessment. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a systematic literature review on peer-reviewed kindergarten transition assessments for children with ASD. The systematic literature review yielded six studies that met inclusion criterion. Within those six studies, 20 assessments were analyzed by reviewing the (1) type of assessment, (2) assessment timeline, and (3) use of assessment results. The results of this …

Emeriti News Fall 2021, Emeriti Council

Emeriti News

No abstract provided.

Incorporating Virtual Reality Training In An Introductory Public Speaking Course, Kevin Kryston, Henry Goble, Allison Eden

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study presents the results of two studies using a virtual reality (VR) public-speaking training simulation as an instructional aid in a basic communication course. Results from the first study suggest that VR practice was associated with higher subsequent speech delivery grades in the course compared to no practice. However, VR practice did not reduce public speaking anxiety (PSA). In a follow-up study, VR practice was compared with other forms of lab-based practice including in front of a mirror and a recorded video session. All forms of lab practice (VR, mirror, or video) were associated with higher speech grades than …

Human-Robot Teaming Configurations: A Study Of Interpersonal Communication Perceptions And Affective Learning In Higher Education, Bryan Abendschein, Chad Edwards, Autumn P. Edwards, Varun Rijhwani, Jasmine Stahl

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Technology encourages collaboration in creative ways in the classroom. Specifically, social robots may offer new opportunities for greater innovation in teaching. In this study, we combined the established literature on co-teaching teams with the developing field of machine actors used in education to investigate the impressions students had of different team configurations that included both a human and a robot. Participants saw one of three teams composed of a human and a social robot with different responsibilities present a short, prerecorded lecture (i.e., human as lead teacher-robot as teaching assistant, robot as lead teacher-human as teaching assistant, human and robot …

The Power Of Voice: Using Audio Podcasts To Teach Vocal Performance And Digital Communication, Amanda Hill

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Today’s students often speak through mediated technologies. Thus, understanding how nonverbal cues impact meaning-making is key to understanding effective communication across mediums. This case study explores a group project where students created audio podcasts to teach others about a specific aspect of communication studies while considering the way sound and vocal performance affect the transference of the message. This article examines the use of audio podcasts as a vehicle for teaching university students about the power of paralinguistic and chronemic nonverbal behaviors.

Wmu Board Of Trustees Formal Sessionseptember 17, 2021, Wmu Board Of Trustees

WMU Board of Trustees Meetings

Acceptance of the Agenda – Chen-Zhang

Approval of the Minutes (June 24, 2021 Meeting) – Chen-Zhang

Remarks by the Chair – Chen-Zhang

Remarks by the President – Montgomery

Updates by the Faculty Senate President – Kritzman

Updates by the Western Student Association President – Morris

Updates by the Graduate Student Association President – Hiremath

Navigating Excellence in Aviation – Powell

Public Comments Regarding Action Items – Schuemann

Action Items – Chen-Zhang

1. Labor Agreements

• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Labor Agreement – Van Der Kley
• Professional Instructors Organization Labor Agreement – Bott
• Western Michigan University American Association of University Professors …