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Western Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog 2003-2005, Western Michigan University

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"Real Ways Of Talking" And School Talking: One Appalachian Student's Perception Of Teacher Discourse During Writing Conferences, Sherry W. Powers

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A barrier to school literacy is created when teachers fail to build upon the familiar language of students. These research findings indicate that when students perceive that nonstandard ways of talking are not as highly valued by the school as Standard English is valued, they deliberately fail to produce written products that match their teacher's expectations.

Reading Horizons Vol. 43, No. 2

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 43, issue 2.

The Social Roles Of The Early Irish Monastery Of Kildare And Its Paruchia Within The Kingdom Of Leinster, Bridgette K. Slavin

Masters Theses

Monastic settlements in early medieval Ireland were active: politically, socially, economically, and spiritually. While an ascetic life was ideal, these communities were in fact often lively participants in the secular affairs around them. Yet, detailed studies of ecclesiastical social structure and its economic and political influence on early Irish society have been, for the most part, not attempted while disagreements concerning organization continue to haunt scholars of the early Irish church. Moreover, as Colman Etchingham aptly points out in his recent publication, Church Organisation in Ireland, AD 650 to 1000, detailed studies of individual religious communities will bring to …

Review Of Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, And People Of Color. Jewelle Taylor Gibbs And Teiahsha Bankhead. Reviewed By Devon Brooks., Devon Brooks

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jewelle Taylor Gibbs and Teiahsha Bankhead, Preserving Privilege: California Politics, Propositions, and People of Color. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001.

Tales Of Forbidden Love: A Sociological Analysis Of Interracial Intimacy, Candice L. Bryant

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the constructions of race, marriage, and love insofar as these components promote the exclusion of interracial intimacy and marriage from the dominant discourse. The study focuses on the ways in which the social sciences have polarized "blacks" and "whites" (linguistically, socially, and economically) thus, making it difficult for persons living in black and white skin to experience social affirmation through literature, media, and agents in everyday life.

A qualitative content analysis of historical and contemporary literature regarding interracial marriage and intimacy were conducted in conjunction with an auto ethnography of the author's …

Evaluation Of The Picture Exchange Communication System, Anne Rena Cummings

Masters Theses

The Picture Exchange Communication Systems (PECS) is a picture-based augmentative communication method that is widely accepted and utilized across children with a variety of disabilities. Despite its extensive dissemination, there is a dearth of empirically based support to document the effectiveness of PECS. The current study is the first to experimentally evaluate the effects of training during each of the 6 phases of PECS. Results indicated that with all 7 participants, the level of PECS responses consistently increased only after training was completed in Phases 1 through 4. In addition, all of the participants showed an increase in PECS responses …

Perceptions Of Preservice Elementary Teachers On Multicultural Issues, Mary Alice Barksdale, Janet Richards, Peter Fisher, Marge Wuthrick, Jean Hammons, Dana Grisham, Heather Richmond

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This paper reports an exploratory study of preservice teachers' knowledge of multicultural education and preparedness for literacy instruction with diverse populations. We conducted the study across a variety of college and university contexts. Results showed that preservice teachers did not feel well prepared to teach children of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. We also found evidence that these preservice teachers had not developed a strong knowledge base about multicultural education, despite the fact that they had all been introduced to multicultural topics in their teacher education coursework. This study demonstrates that there is a need for examination of current methods …

Medievalism And Literature: An Annotated Bibliography Of Critical Studies, Richard Utz, Aneta Dygon

English Faculty Publications

This annotated bibliography represents a solid first selection of critical studies discussing the creative and scholarly reception of medieval literary texts in post-medieval times.

How Does It Mean? Literary Theory As Metacognitive Reading Strategy In The High School English Classroom, Lisa J. Schade

Dissertations

In the last two decades, serious scholarly attention has been paid both to theories of teaching reading and to theories of literary interpretation. These potentially related fields have been treated as separate, focused either on teaching reading in the elementary grades or on teaching interpretation to advanced college literature students. Until very recently the relevance of either reading theory or literary theory to middle school or high school pedagogy has remained unexamined. My research, as a reflective practitioner, addresses this important gap. I focus on the teaching of literary theory in the high school English classroom as a strategy to …

The Clinical Irrelevance And Scientific Invalidity Of The "Minority" Notion: Deleting It From The Social Science Vocabulary, Doris Wilkinson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A systematic socio-linguistic and historical analysis of the minority label reveals its multiple irregularities and imperfections. These encompass a misleading array of vastly dissimilar nationality or group designations and the erroneous comparison of behaviors and life styles with racial status. As it is currently applied in U.S. political culture and in a variety of disciplines including sociology and social work, the concept has virtually no substantive meaning nor reality-linked usefulness. A thorough appraisal of the consequences of the perpetual reliance on the notion demonstrates that it eradicates ethnic cultural diversity and ignores historical antecedents and the "lived" experiences of oppressed …

Classroom Questioning Strategies As Indicators Of Inquiry Based Science Instruction, Linda Hale Goossen

Dissertations

Inquiry teaching often rests upon the assumption that through the use of questioning and response strategies, teachers can stimulate students to actively construct knowledge. Based on this hypothesis, middle-school science lessons were observed and questioning and response strategies were identified that are related to inquiry-based instruction.

Twenty-four science lessons were observed, videotaped, and ranked by inquiry characteristics other than questioning strategy. The video and audio portions of the recordings were analyzed to determine the student and teacher’s questioning and response strategies in each classroom. These strategies were then compared to teaching style, along a continuum from traditional to inquiry, to …

Self-Perceived Language Competence And East Asian Students’ Oral Participation In American University Classrooms, Ee Lin Lee

Masters Theses

This study examined English language related competence factors that contribute to East Asian students' (EAS) oral participation levels in American university classrooms. Specifically, this study posited that EAS' self-perceived English communicative competence, English speaking anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation affect their level of oral participation. The results of the statistical analyses supported the hypothesized relationships, indicating (a) EAS' self-perceived English communicative competence correlates positively with their level of oral participation, (b) EAS' reported level of English speaking anxiety correlates negatively with their level of oral participation, and (c) EAS' level of fear of negative evaluation correlates negatively with their …

Earning The Right: Exploring The Communication Strategies Of European Americans In Interracial Relationships, Angela L. Putman

Masters Theses

In a societal context, European Americans are the dominant majority group. However, when European Americans are involved in interracial relationships, they may often find themselves in the minority (numerically speaking) when they interact with their partner's friends and/or family members. This research explores lived experiences of European Americans involved in interracial relationships with African Americans. Specifically, the general question addressed was, "What communication strategies and behaviors do European Americans exhibit when they communicate with their African American partner's friends and/or family members?" The acculturation process and Communication Accommodation Theory were explored in order to provide initial insight into this relatively …

The Adjustment Problems Of African Students At Western Michigan University, Apollos Bitrus Goyol

Dissertations

There are more international students enrolled in colleges and universities in the U.S. than in any other country as reported by the Institute of International Education. In the 2000/01 school year, the institute estimated that 547,867 international students were studying in the U.S. Most of these students, 302,058 (55%) came from countries in Asia; and 80,584 (14.7%) came from Europe. Latin America had 63,634 (11.6%); followed by the Middle East, with 36,858 (6.7%); Africa, with 34,217 (6.2%); North America, with 25,888 (4.7%), and Oceania, with 4,624 (.8%). Ten students were Stateless. As a response to the high number of international …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 29, No. 2 (June 2002)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DISEMPOWERING MINORITIES: A CRITIQUE OF WILKINSON'S 'TASK FOR SOCIAL SCIENTISTS AND PRACTITIONERS' - Mitch Berbrier
• THE CLINICAL IRRELEVANCE AND SCIENTIFIC INVALIDITY OF THE "MINORITY" NOTION: DELETING IT FROM THE SOCIAL SCIENCE VOCABULARY - Doris Wilkinson
• PERCEIVED EFFECTS OF VOLUNTARISM ON MARITAL LIFE IN LATE ADULTHOOD - Liat Kulik
• WILL CHURCHES RESPOND TO THE CALL? RELIGION, CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY, AND SOCIAL SERVICE - Emily A. Leventhal and Daniel P. Mears
• CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENT AND CHILD VISITATION: PERSPECTIVES FROM NONRESIDENT FATHERS AND RESIDENT MOTHERS - Stacey R. Bloomer, Theresa Ann Sipe, and Danielle E. Ruedt
• SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK IN HARTFORD, …

Faculty Retirement Recognition Dinner 2002, Western Michigan University

Faculty Recognition

Faculty Retirement Recognition Dinner Program

May 30, 2002

Honored Guests:

• Dale M. Brethower
• Mary Anne V. Bunda
• Seamus A. Conney
• Loren D. Crane
• Ronald A. Crowell
• Richard J. Dieker
• Jay Easwaran
• Jeffrey B. Gardiner
• Earl E. Halvas
• R. Dean Kaul
• Diann J. Miller
• Thomas F. Pagel
• Karen K. Seelig
• Thomas H. Seiler
• John F. Shaw
• Nancy H. Steinhaus
• Ralph K. Steinhaus
• Morton O. Wagenfeld

A Lesson Before Prying: Invitation To Inquiry Within A Collaborative Community Of Literacy Educators, Nancy L. Williams, Mary Lou Morton

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

A university-school collaborative, responding to the many challenges of urban educators, including high-stakes testing, invited the authors to improve literacy instruction. The authors chronicle their initials steps of this action research. Their lesson before prying into the teaching and learning lives of the stakeholders of the learning community indicated that the teachers a) used professional vocabulary that often conflicted with classroom practices, b) expressed interest in improving instruction, and c) highly value their students.

Purchasing Power: One School District's Decisions To Purchase Three Reading Programs, Teresa B. Jayroe, Devon G. Brenner

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

To understand decision-making processes of purchasing supplemental reading programs, the researchers conducted interviews with teachers, administrators, and central office personnel, asking them to describe curricular purchasing decisions, grant writing, and budgeting process. These interviews, observations, and documents allowed us to understand many perspectives of the decisionmaking process.

The Impact Of A Congenitally Blind Child Upon Family Functioning And Interaction, Pamela S. Berryman

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was an impact of congenital blindness upon family functioning and interaction. This research investigated the level of blindness upon family adaptability, cohesion, satisfaction, and social family climate from a family systems perspective. The study analyzed data from a sample of 56 participants who were parents/care-givers of children age 0-12 years with either no vision, partial vision, or full vision. Chi-squares were computed to determine if any of the demographic variables differed among the three groups. Respondents’ gender, relationship to child, age, child’s level of blindness, number of siblings, and household …

An Examination Of The Effects Of Fluency Training On Retention, Distractibility, And Generativity, Victoria Mary Pellettiere

Dissertations

The Precision Teaching movement grew out of a commitment to use frequency as a universal measure of behavior, as well as the desire to employ research methods derived from the experimental analysis of behavior in education (Lindsley, 1991). One component of instruction employing the precision teaching model is fluency training that typically involves exposing learners to the training materials until they have met criteria for both accuracy and speed. Proponents of fluency training ascribe a number of specific benefits to this instructional tool. Lindsley (1992, 1995) and others (Binder, 1993, 1996; Haughton, 1981b) suggested that fluency training enhances retention, endurance, …

Systematic Methods For The Design Of A Class Of Fuzzy Logic Controllers, Saad Y. Yasin

Dissertations

Fuzzy logic control, a relatively new branch of control, can be used effectively whenever conventional control techniques become inapplicable or impractical. Various attempts have been made to create a generalized fuzzy control system and to formulate an analytically based fuzzy control law. In this study, two methods, the left and right parameterization method and the normalized spline-base membership function method, were utilized for formulating analytical fuzzy control laws in important practical control applications. The first model was used to design an idle speed controller, while the second was used to control an inverted control problem. The results of both showed …

O'Odham Himdag As A Source Of Strength And Wellness Among The Tohono O'Odham Of Southern Arizona And Northern Sonora, Mexico, Teri Knutson Woods, Karen Blaine, Lauri Francisco

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Tohono O'odham are fostering strength and wellness in their community by translating increased economic self-sufficiency and resources derived from gaming into social, health, and educational services which maintain their tribal traditions, thereby providing an effective path toward the maintenance of cultural identity, or O'odham Himdag. Cultural identity serves as a source of client strength and as a protective factor contributing to client wellness. O'odham Himdag describes a way of life, encompassing Tohono O'odham culture. This article is a theoretical exploration of O'odham Himdag as a path toward cultural identity among the Tohono O'odham of Southern Arizona and Northern Sonora, …

Public Voices And Public Policy: Changing The Societal Discourse On "Welfare", Vicki Lens

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Much of the public discourse on welfare reform is subjective and value laden, a composite of socially constructed stories and myths that support the dominant ideology. This article reports on a study that examines the language used by government officials, poverty experts, advocates and others to discuss welfare reform. Statements made about welfare reform were extracted from the Washington Post and the New York Times and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Dissecting the public language of welfare provides insight into how prevailing ideologies are communicated and reinforced, and how they can be changed.

Scatology, Sexuality And The Logic Of Laughter In Marguerite De Navarre's Heptaméron, Dora E. Polachek

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

No abstract provided.

Elementary History Education And Children's Perceptions Of Time, Christine M. Mccreedy

Honors Theses

When I was in upper elementary school, social studies, history in particular, was often nothing more than reading a text to imprint for a short period of time the "facts" of history. I read books through most of the instruction. I read so many wonderful works of historical fiction, the Holocaust and the Civil War being among the most interesting subjects. Through excellent and not-so-good works of historical fiction, I saw history unfolding in the present, not just the past. The characters gave faces, stories, and meaning to the text we used in class. I grew up with a strong …

Creating A Pathway To Multicultural Education In Urban Communities: Real-Life Experiences For Preservice Teachers, Margaret A. Moore-Hart

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The classrooms within our nation are becoming rich tapestries, interwoven with people of diverse cultures and ethnic groups. In response to the evolving tapestries, many educators advocate the need to heighten preservice teachers' sensitivity to cultural issues so that they might apply this cultural knowledge within their teaching and learning. Using a reconstructionist approach, where preservice teachers become caring citizens who reach out to help culturally diverse children, is one way to address these issues. This manuscript describes an alternative tutoring program, where meaningful teaching and learning emerges within an urban community, and its' evaluation process. As a result of …

Reading Horizons Vol. 42, No. 3

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Complete issue of Reading Horizons volume 42, issue 3.

2002 University Employee Service Recognition Program, Western Michigan University

25 Year Club

• 25 Year Club
• New Inductees
• Members
• Retirees
• Forty Years of Service
• Thirty-Five Years of Service
• Thirty Years of Service
• Twenty Years of Service
• Fifteen Years of Service
• Ten Years of Service

Academic Freedom In Times Of Turmoil, Petr Kolar

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

Papers presented for the Center of the Study of Ethics in Society Western Michigan University November 5, 2001.