Digital Commons Network^™

Designing A Curriculum For Difficult History: Teachers, Museum Workers, And War Photojournalism, Sara Clarke-Vivier

Doctoral Dissertations

Educational theorists and researchers have emphasized the importance of museum spaces as sites of learning and engagement for their ability to supplement and enhance the school curriculum. These individuals often describing the importance of museums in relation to a set of progressive educational ideals such as the provision of experiences that enhance a learner’s capacity to live and learn in a diverse democratic society. As interdisciplinary community teaching spaces, museums can serve as a natural nexus for socially engaged cross-disciplinary teaching and learning, fostering and supporting the investigation of questions about how to best understand, curate, and educate around difficult …

Exploring Self-Regulated Learning (Srl) And Listening Strategy Instruction In A Chinese L2 Classroom, Yue Li

Doctoral Dissertations

This interpretive case study explored the effectiveness of listening strategy instruction that promoted self-regulated learning and gained insights into students’ and instructors’ perceptions of strategy-integrated listening instruction among second semester learners of Chinese as a second language at a military college in Northern California. Most of previous studies investigated listening strategy use and the relationship between listening strategy use and listening achievement. Few studies investigated the effectiveness of listening strategy instruction. Thus, this study addressed the gaps in research by examining the effectiveness of integrating listening strategies into regular curriculum and explored students’ and instructors’ perceptions of listening strategy instruction …

Culture Teaching And Learning In An Advanced Placement Chinese Course, Yu-Han Lin

Doctoral Dissertations

The significance of teaching culture in the foreign language classroom has been widely acknowledged. However, it remains a challenge for language teachers to properly incorporate culture teaching into language teaching. Chinese language teachers in the United States also encounter the challenge of teaching culture to the increased number of Chinese language learners. In particular, scant attention has been paid to how Chinese language learners approach cultural issues and develop cultural awareness in the language teaching context of American secondary education. In order to address the research gap, the present study aims to explore how the teaching and learning of culture …

Folklórico Testimonios: Identity, Community, And Agency As Social Justice Cultural Performance For Dancers Of Mexican Folklórico, Manuel Alejandro Perez

Doctoral Dissertations

Mexican students in higher education have few opportunities to learn about their heritage and history outside of Ethnic Studies courses. Some students seek alternative opportunities to learn about their identity and to build community with other Mexican students through folklórico. In Mexican folklórico, dancers learn the techniques and skills to communicate stories about their history, culture, and heritage through movement, song, and dance. This study is the story of Mexican students and folkloristas on their journey to (re)discover identity, community, and agency as they move through higher education.

This study uses testimonio to capture the voice, the struggle, and the …

The Role Of Self-Determination And Co-Construction To Support Meaningful Student Participation In An Individualized Education Program Meeting In High School, Trudy Ruth Gross

Doctoral Dissertations

By participating within the educational setting in making decisions about their lives that reach beyond choice-making, students with disabilities who acquire the skills of self-determination may express interests and goals through their own authentic voice. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to describe the experiences and participation of two high-school students labeled with intellectual disability or autism at their Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings following participation in the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI). Student participation in the IEP process provides an avenue through which self-determined qualities emerge, and verbal and nonverbal participation can occur in a meaningful …

More Than A Silhouette: African American Women’S Graduate Student Experience, Bridget Holly Love

Doctoral Dissertations

African American women have been silhouetted. They have been reduced to a one dimensional version of themselves and defined by societies White – male hegemonic background. Currently, limited research exists on the experiences of African American (AA) women graduate students from an Afrocentric perspective. Despite the increase enrollment of AA women in higher education, barriers to degree completion still persist as evidenced by the lower rates of graduation. The lack of AA women in higher education demonstrates that the literature holds a minority position not unlike that of AA women in society. Subsequently, the accomplishments, challenges and overall experiences of …

Understanding Translanguaging And Identity Among Korean Bilingual Adults, Nancy Ryoo

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study, conducted at a Northern California university, explored how six Korean bilingual adults expressed their unique identities while utilizing both Korean and English in their daily and academic lives. The six study participants shared their journeys as bilingual adults who migrated to the United States from South Korea to attend graduate school. Several will return to South Korea at the conclusion of their graduate studies. Research data included narratives from in-depth personal interviews as well as focus group discussions.

This qualitative study postulated that translanguaging is commonly observed within bilingual/multilingual populations and can be utilized as a source …

Relative Importance Of Anxiety And Motivational Variables In Predicting Language Achievement For College Learners Of Chinese, Qi Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

The growing worldwide enthusiasm in learning Chinese calls for more research on learner characteristics in Chinese classrooms to better inform teaching practice. Language anxiety, which falls under the umbrella of learner’s affect, is considered an important affective aspect that negatively influences language learning and acquisition. As research on language anxiety mainly focused on the learning of Western languages, this study constitutes an initial attempt to investigate anxiety in the learning of Chinese through the testing of a structural model. The purpose of the study was to examine the relative importance of language anxiety in predicting Chinese achievement when motivation, integrativeness, …

Papelitos: The Visual Testimonios Of Undocumented College Students, Olivia Munoz

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated the role art played in the lives of nine undocumented college students at different universities in Northern California. The purpose of this qualitative inquiry was to examine how undocumented college students use art as a mechanism of resistance and activation of the political self related to their immigration status. This scholarship comes at the heels of the first year in office of the 45th president of the United States, who ran on a platform, in part, of anti-immigrant rhetoric. Much of the activism around undocumented immigrant rights has used art as a mechanism for collective action, allyship, …

Cognition-Based Approaches For High-Precision Text Mining, George John Shannon

Doctoral Dissertations

"This research improves the precision of information extraction from free-form text via the use of cognitive-based approaches to natural language processing (NLP). Cognitive-based approaches are an important, and relatively new, area of research in NLP and search, as well as linguistics. Cognitive approaches enable significant improvements in both the breadth and depth of knowledge extracted from text. This research has made contributions in the areas of a cognitive approach to automated concept recognition in.

Cognitive approaches to search, also called concept-based search, have been shown to improve search precision. Given the tremendous amount of electronic text generated in our digital …

Environmental Hazard Identification, Assessment And Control For A Sustainable Maritime Transportation System, Lizzette Marie Pérez Lespier

Doctoral Dissertations

"A demand exists to contribute towards the widening awareness of the need for sustainable maritime development and for coordinated maritime policies worldwide. Maritime shipping is considered the most eco-efficient mean of transportation and yet, is responsible for negative environmental impacts.

This dissertation focuses on developing data-driven decision support tools to evaluate the sustainable performance of MTS by focusing on the elements of the MTS that place stress on the environment. The first research contribution is a System Dynamics simulation model that examines the MTS resiliency after an extreme event and determines the sequence needed to restore the ocean-going port to …

An Experimental Investigation Of The Factors Supporting The Emergence Of Spatial Agreement In Nicaraguan Sign Language, Emily Carrigan

Doctoral Dissertations

Studies of natural language emergence provide unique opportunities for examining the learner-internal and environmental factors underlying language development, but lack the control of factors necessary to test hypotheses about language development. By ‘language development,’ I intend to encompass both language acquisition and modern-day language change/emergence, which I argue are driven by many of the same factors. Researchers of Nicaraguan Sign Language, an emerging language, have proposed that intergenerational transfer and particularly child language-learning mechanisms (e.g. the propensity to ‘reanalyze’ and systematize inconsistent input) shape the development of the language. We observe this potential pattern in the emergence of the systematic …

The Wu Ming Foundation: A Collective Approach To Literature, Art, And Politics In 21st Century Italy, Melina A. Masterson

Doctoral Dissertations

The early 1990s marked a shift in modern Italian history with the advent of the Second Republic and the arrival of Silvio Berlusconi on the political and cultural scene. Berlusconi’s almost complete control of the country’s media, in addition to his political power as center-right prime minister, presented a unique challenge not only to democracy in general but to Italian culture in particular. It was in this context that Wu Ming, an ‘anonymous’ Bolognese writing collective emerged. In this study, I will argue that the group is both a unique product of and response to the period of 1993-2016, which …

How To Beat Without Feet: Weight Scales And Parameter Dependencies In The Computation Of Word Accent, Alexandre Vaxman

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines word accent assignment in phonological, lexical and mixed accent systems with the goal of providing a uniform account of these types of systems in terms of a single accent-assigning mechanism.

Taking as a point of departure the Primary Accent First theory (van der Hulst 1996, 2010, 2012), I introduce here the Scales-and-Parameters (S&P) theory which proposes a set of parameters related by ordering and dependencies. Empirical testing reveals that, for phonological accent systems, the S&P parameter system closely approaches descriptive adequacy.

In order to account for phonological and lexical accent systems with the same grammar, a new …

A Difference That Makes A Difference: The Role Of The United States In World Society, Jason F. Charrette

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the global role of the United States and other organizations within world society. What sets this project apart from previous scholarship is that it relies on the insights of Niklas Luhmann’s modern systems theory to contextualize those roles. Luhmann argues that the closest human civilization has to a world order is a “world society” made up of many functional communication systems. These systems each provide a distinct model through which humans understand and construct their social world. Because these models are not always compatible, the potential for conflict is woven into the fabric of world society. Extending …

English Morphological Development In Bimodal Bilingual Children: Deaf Children With Cochlear Implants And Hearing Children Of Deaf Adults, Corina V. Goodwin

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the acquisition of English morphology in two bilingual populations: hearing American Sign Language (ASL)-English bilinguals and Deaf ASL-English bilinguals with cochlear implants (CIs). Such a study is important to not only help address more general theoretical questions about the role of input in language acquisition, but also to help establish expected outcomes in these populations vulnerable to over-diagnosis of language disorder. Spontaneous and elicited speech samples were used to determine accuracy rates in obligatory contexts for ten English morphemes (definite and indefinite determiner, progressive –ing, (un)contractible copula, (un)contractible auxiliary, regular plural, regular 3^rd person present, …

On The Presence/Absence Of Tp: Syntactic Properties And Temporal Interpretation, Neda Todorovic

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates syntactic and semantic properties of the aspectual-temporal domain, arguing that TP is not universal.

Chapter 1 assumes a cross-linguistic structural difference in the nominal domain with DP projected only in languages with overt articles, and explores the idea that the difference has a clausal parallel, with TP being the correlate of DP. By postulating a link in terms of morphological realization of projections, I propose TP is projected only in languages with overt temporal morphology; languages without it lack TP. Correlating the presence of DP and TP provides the right split regarding finiteness mismatches in VP-ellipsis (Chapter …

Individual Differences In Evaluating The Credibility Of Online Information In Science: Contributions Of Prior Knowledge, Gender, Socioeconomic Status, And Offline Reading Ability, Elena Forzani

Doctoral Dissertations

This study investigated how seventh grade students performed on a measure of online critical evaluation in science (the ORCA). The analysis included evaluating the extent to which critical evaluation also appeared to be an aspect of other elements of online research and comprehension, including reading to locate information, reading to synthesize information, and reading and writing to communicate information. Additionally, this study examined the extent to which several important individual difference variables affected students’ ability to critically evaluate information during online reading in science. The individual difference variables evaluated in this study included prior knowledge, gender, socioeconomic status, and offline …

An Investigation Of Lexical Coherence In Novel Word Learning, Ashlee Shaw

Doctoral Dissertations

The Lexical Quality Hypothesis suggests that the difficulties exhibited by poor readers cascade from deficient representations of phonological, semantic, and orthographic dimensions in lexical memory. This invites questions of what kinds of individual differences in cognitive abilities might lead to differences in lexical quality. In this dissertation, I used artificial lexicon learning studies and individual differences measures of language- and memory-related skills in an effort to understand how differences in component abilities assumed to be important for novel word learning might lead to differences in lexical quality.

I manipulated relationships between phonological, orthographic, and/or semantic features of the artificial lexicon …

Categories Of Conceptions Of Proofs By Students Of Computer Science, Thérèse Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

Guided by constructivism, which posits that students assimilate new knowledge into what has made sense to them previously, we researched student conceptualizations of proof. We used the qualitative research methods of thematic analysis and phenomenography to learn and categorize student conceptualizations of proof, and of mathematization more generally. Our published work exhibited an explanatory connection between publications of others in the mathematics education community and the computer science education community. The connection we found is lack of understanding of proof by mathematic induction as an argument, as occurs among students of mathematics and of computer science, explains lack of understanding …

Do Adolescents With High Functioning Autism Verbally Mediate Theory Of Mind?, Christina A. Irvine

Doctoral Dissertations

Studies suggest that typically developing (TD) individuals verbally mediate theory of mind (ToM). Given that language deficits and ToM deficits are central to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and given evidence that people with ASD may utilize visuospatial rather than verbal mediation, we sought to examine the role of language inner speech in ToM among adolescents with ASD. We utilized a false belief location-change dual task paradigm to examine whether a simultaneous verbal task, which inhibits inner speech, would differentially interfere with false belief task performance in participants with ASD. We predicted that results would indicate less reliance on inner speech …

The Lived Experience Of Brazilian Immigrants In Connecticut And Crimmigration, Walter John Belsito Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

Crimmigration, or the criminalization of immigration that intensified after the attacks of September 11, 2001, has impacted the lives of many immigrants living in the United States. After 9/11 there was an acceleration of the merger of immigration law and criminal law, and its enforcement, at the local, state, and federal levels. These restrictive laws have resulted in the increased incarceration, detainment, and mass deportation of immigrants throughout the United States. This qualitative study focused on the lived experience of Brazilian immigrants living in Connecticut.

A critical phenomenological design was used to understand how crimmigration and other factors such as …

Lay Theories Of Morality In The Lives Of Moral Exemplars, Atilla Cidam

Doctoral Dissertations

Psychological research on moral exemplars presents them as near perfect, focusing on their impeccable character and accomplishments. However, just like anybody else, they also have imperfections that are usually unrecognized by psychological research. The aim of this dissertation is to examine the implications of studying moral exemplars as if they are perfect. I will argue that focusing only on the positive qualities of moral exemplars, and ignoring the important ways that failures may have contributed to their development, imply an entity theory of morality where only certain perfect people possess unchangeable moral traits. In Chapter I, I provide an overview …

Validating Visibility And Voice: A Community-Based Participatory Research Study To Address The Health Access Of Cambodian Americans, Jack J. Lu

Doctoral Dissertations

Since 1975, Cambodians have sought survival in the United States by escaping from extreme forms of violence, torture, and other traumas from the Khmer Rouge genocide and refugee camps. Although some have lived within the United States for several decades, many Cambodian Americans continue to experience inadequate access to health that results in ongoing poor health outcomes, such as physical suffering, psychological distress, and premature death. Rooted in social determinants (e.g., social economic status, education, stress), these poor health outcomes have led to disproportionate rates of illness (i.e. health disparities) when compared to the general population. Improving health access, defined …

Two Essays On The Effect Of Alphanumeric Brand Names On Consumers’ Brand Related Decisions, Selcan Kara

Doctoral Dissertations

Because consumers tend to rely on simplifying heuristics to reduce processing and judgmental operations (Bettman, Johnson, and Payne 2008; Tversky and Kahneman 1974), they use brand names as a judgmental heuristic, a phenomenon commonly referred to as the brand name heuristic (Maheswaran, Mackie and Chaiken 1992). From this perspective, in recent years, the use of alphanumeric brand names has emerged as an interesting test case for the role of cognition in consumers’ brand evaluations in the Marketing field. Alphanumeric brand names consist of combinations of letters and numbers either in digit or word form (Pavia and Costa 1993), such as …

“Un Pueblo Tan Dulce”: Diabetes, Depression, And Obesity Syndemics In Puerto Rico, Shir Lerman

Doctoral Dissertations

Diabetes, depression, and obesity are global health crises that disproportionately affect people with low socioeconomic status and other marginalized identities. These diseases have high incidence and prevalence rates in Puerto Rico due to high poverty and unemployment rates, changing dietary patterns, and Puerto Rico’s political status as a U.S. commonwealth. The myriad problems on the island contribute to the flight of Puerto Ricans to the mainland in search of better education and employment; there are currently more Puerto Ricans living on the mainland than there are in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s political status is of particular importance, as it simultaneously …

The Effect Of A District-Wide Literacy Initiative On English/ Language Arts Standardized Test Scores, Sheri R. Robken

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a District-Wide Literacy initiative that implemented the 18 literacy strategies and Silent Sustained Reading activities incorporated in the 2008 Revised Louisiana Comprehensive Curriculum on English/Language Arts standardized test scores. Standardized test scores were obtained for seventh and eighth grade students from a control group (n=204, 2006-2008 tests administrations) and an experimental group (n=185, 2008-2010 test administrations). An Analysis of Variance was used to determine significance (p

Data Structures And Algorithms For The Identification Of Biological Patterns, Marius Nicolae

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis studies the following problems:

1. Planted Motif Search. Discovering patterns in biological sequences is a crucial process that has resulted in the determination of open reading frames, gene promoter elements, intron/exon splicing sites, SH RNAs, etc. We study the (l, d) motif search problem or Planted Motif Search (PMS). PMS receives as input n strings and two integers l and d. It returns all sequences M of length that occur in each input string, where each occurrence differ from M in at most d positions. Another formulation is quorum PMS (qPMS), where M appears in at least q% …

From Wilde To Obergefell: Gay Legal Theatre, 1895-2015, Todd Barry

Doctoral Dissertations

From Wilde to Obergefell:

Gay Legal Theatre, 1895-2015

Todd Barry, PhD

University of Connecticut, 2016

This dissertation examines how theatre and law have worked together to produce and regulate gay male lives since the 1895 Oscar Wilde trials. I use the term “gay legal theatre” to label an interdisciplinary body of texts and performances that include legal trials and theatrical productions. Since the Wilde trials, gay legal theatre has entrenched conceptions of gay men in transatlantic culture and influenced the laws governing gay lives and same-sex activity. I explore crucial moments in the history of this unique genre: the Wilde …

Indigni Et Peccatoris Verbum: Christian Identity In The Epistula Severi, Mark Pearsall

Doctoral Dissertations

The Epistula Severi provides an account of the conversion of the Jews on the island of Minorca in February, 418. According to the letter, the Christians were inflamed with religious fervor as a result of the arrival of certain relics of St. Stephen the Protomartyr shortly earlier. As a result, they rallied under the leadership of their bishop, Severus, and attempted to engage the Jews of Magona, the primary city on the island, in a debate and convince them to join the Christian church. The Jews, according to Severus, refused to debate and began stockpiling weapons to defend themselves against …