Digital Commons Network^™

Newcomers: Portraits Of Immigrants Raising Academically Achieving Gifted Children, Kipling E. Wiles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To date, few research studies have focused on the home environments and specific strategies used by immigrant families to successfully parent gifted youth. This dissertation explores the parenting beliefs and practices of immigrants raising academically achieving gifted children in the United States. Using data from home observations and interviews, the study attempts to detail the cross-cultural parenting beliefs and practices of immigrants and what role these play in nurturing the academic success of gifted children. The study also examines the influential role of traditional values from the country of origin on these beliefs and practices. Using the qualitative method of …

Race Matters: An Examination Of The Study Abroad Experiences Of African American Undergraduates, Karyn L. Sweeney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As U.S. colleges and universities face increasing pressures to prepare graduates to succeed in a global environment, African American students continue to be underrepresented in study abroad participation. In-depth interviews and a critical race theory framework were utilized to examine how six African American undergraduates experienced study abroad. Findings were organized around participant backgrounds, motivations, and goals for study abroad; lived experiences abroad, with an emphasis on the effects of race and racism; expectations; and meanings and outcomes ascribed to study abroad by the participants. The study findings offered a counternarrative to deficit-based discussions of African Americans and study abroad …

"Another Way": The Pneumatology Of Deleuzean Minoritarian Communal Interpretation In Scripture, The 16th Century Radical Reformation, And Alternative 21st Century Anabaptist Community, Jeremy Garber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a constructive theology of the Holy Spirit called the "pneumatology of minoritarian communal interpretation," the alternative creation of meaning within an oppressive majority context. It illustrates the convergence of Deleuzean philosophy with Anabaptist pneumatology and media communal interpretation theory in three particular locations: 1) selected mentions of the Holy Spirit in the Hebrew Bible and Christian New Testament; 2) the 16th century Radical Reformation; and 3) "Another Way," a 21st century alternative Anabaptist group focused around the spiritual discussion of art and popular media. Chapter One outlines the three theories. Chapter Two examines the Holy Spirit in …

Rethinking Levanna Ceramics: A Tenth Century Short Term Occupation Site In Central New York, Christina T. Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The analysis of ceramics located inside of a proto-longhouse at Levanna, an early 10th century site overlooking Cayuga Lake in Central New York have found the established typologies of the area to be less rigid and contain much more variability than would be expected. Levanna appears to be a short-term occupation site (ca. 30 years) containing a variety of ceramics. In past studies Levanna had been deemed an "Owasco" era (900-1400 A.D.) site by early and some recent archaeologists, yet the analysis of features and ceramics found during the 2008 and 2009 excavations help deconstruct the idea or concept of …

The Definition Of Insanity: Dialectically Communicating Student Athlete Identity And Structure In Collegiate Sport Culture, Marissa Metala Yandall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Albert Einstein famously stated that the definition of insanity is to continue to go about a process in a similar manner while expecting different results. This is the current state of collegiate athletics. Reformers and community members have high hopes for meaningful change in light of the numerous and ongoing issues of impropriety and scandal that continue to grace the sports page in daily current events. Yet, in spite of nearly one hundred years of reform efforts, the structure of collegiate sport has changed very little. How can we expect a change in the culture without making concentrated effort to …

Assessing The Perceptions Of Giftedness In Parents Of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students, Amber Waheed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound scale to investigate the perception differences of giftedness between parents of various culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Historically, schools adopt the early definition of giftedness that is presented, too narrowly focusing only on intelligence and achievement tests (Baldwin, 2005). This phenomenon has led to minority students, particularly Black and Hispanic, being significantly underrepresented in gifted programs (Naglieri & Ford, 2003). Environmental factors, such as socio-economic status and parent education levels, significantly impact these marginalized populations. The Parent Perception of Giftedness Scale (PPGS), grounded in Spearman and Gardner's theory …

A Divine Round Trip: The Literary And Christological Function Of The Descent/Ascent Leitmotif In The Gospel Of John, Susan Elizabeth Humble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The thesis of this dissertation is that the Descent/Ascent Leitmotif, which includes the language of not only descending and ascending, but also going, coming, and being sent, performs a significant literary and christological function in the Gospel of John. The Evangelist's Descent/Ascent Leitmotif becomes the Gospel's organizing principal, drawing together a constellation of verbs and a number of themes, including Jesus-Son's origin, identity, relationship to God, authority, signs and works, life, and glory.

In the introductory chapter, after providing a layout of the dissertation, the discussion turns to the spacial dimensions and christological importance of the vertical and horizontal depictions …

Comparison Of Reading Development Across Socioeconomic Status In The United States, Beatriz Michelle Macdonald Wer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

It is well known that higher parental socioeconomic status (SES) predicts better child reading outcomes, but little work has been done to unpack this finding. The main overall question addressed by this project was whether cognitive models of the two main reading outcomes, single word reading (SWR) and reading comprehension (RC), performed similarly across levels of parental SES. The current study predicted a differential relation between parental SES and both predictors and outcomes because of the known large relation between parental SES and child oral language development. Three questions examined the mediating effects of cognitive predictors on the relation between …

Scripture And Self In Origen Of Alexandria's Exegetical Practice, Micah David Saxton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation I examine the nature of scripture and the self as presented by Origen of Alexandria. I argue that Christian scripture and the Christian self are constructed by exegetical practice; furthermore, in the case of Origen, I will demonstrate that Christian scripture and the Christian self are so closely related that it is best to speak of a scripture-self complex emerging out of his exegetical practice. I use a theory of structure as developed by William Sewell as a means to discuss both scripture and the self. As "structures," scripture and the self are composed of "resources" and …

The Vernacular Discourse Of The "Arab Spring": An Analysis Of The Visual, The Embodied, And The Textual Rhetorics Of The Karama Revolution, Fatima Zahrae Chrifi Alaoui

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Vernacular Discourse of the "Arab Spring" is a project that bridges the divide between the East and the West by offering new readings to Arab subjectivities. Through an analysis of the "Arab Spring" through the lens of vernacular discourse, it challenges the Euro-Americo-centric legacies of Orientalism in Western academia and the new wave of extremism in the Arab world by offering alternative representations of Arab bodies and subjectivities. To offer this new reading of the "Arab Spring," it explores the foundations of critical rhetoric as a theory and a practice and argues for a turn towards a critical vernacular …

Building Temperature Control With Intelligent Methods, Feng Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Temperature control is important for both human comfort and the need in industry. In the thesis, two good intelligent control methods are compared to find their advantages and disadvantages. Matlab is used as the tool to make models and process calculations. The building model is one simple room in Akwesasne in New York State and the target is to keep the temperature indoor around 22 degree Centigrade from 12/29/2013 to 12/31/2013. Heat pump is used to provide or absorb heat. All data in the experiments is from JRibal Environmental eXchange network and PJM. The first method is fuzzy neural network …

Waldorf Kindergarten And Reggio-Inspired Kindergarten: Documenting Value And Effectiveness Of Two Arts-Based Approaches, Daria Stowell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Waldorf kindergarten and Reggio-inspired kindergarten are two arts-based approaches to early childhood education that are viewed as strong educational alternatives to traditional education and serve as sources of inspiration for progressive educational reform. This study describes, interprets, and appraises the intentions and operations of two Waldorf kindergartens and two Reggio-inspired kindergartens in the United States in order to uncover the aims, practices, and values of both.

Five questions guide this study: (1) What are the intentions of Waldorf kindergarten and Reggio-inspired kindergarten? (2) What do Waldorf kindergarten and Reggio-inspired kindergarten look like in practice? (3) What do the children have …

Virtualizing The Word: Expanding Walter Ong's Theory Of Orality And Literacy Through A Culture Of Virtuality, Jennifer Camille Dempsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation seeks to create a vision for virtuality culture through a theoretical expansion of Walter Ong's literacy and orality culture model. It investigates the ubiquitous and multimodal nature of the virtuality cultural phenomenon that is mediated by contemporary technology and not explained by pre-existing cultural conventions. Through examining the theoretical underpinnings of orality and literacy culture, the dissertation explores the cultural shift that is just beginning to restructure human consciousness through the ways that society is connecting, exploring and communicating. Further, this dissertation examines the contrasts between virtuality culture features and those related to traditional literacy and orality types, …

Replacing The "Raise Your Hand To Speak" Rule With New Social And Sociomathematical Norms In An Elementary Mathematics Classroom, Lisa Brooks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study documents the establishment of new social and sociomathematical norms in a second grade classroom. The teacher allowed students to speak directly to one another without having to raise their hands first during whole group mathematics instruction. Reform efforts in mathematics and the standards for mathematical practice contained in the Common Core State Standards call for students to discuss their reasoning with each other. Data were collected through interviews with the teacher and students, field notes, and video-recorded lessons over the course of 23 days. An online survey tool was utilized to share selected video of the teacher's …

Investigating The Relationships Between Preferences, Gender, And High School Students' Geometry Performance, Bhesh Mainali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this quantitative study, the relationships between high school students' preference for solution methods, geometry performance, task difficulty, and gender were investigated. The data was collected from 161 high school students from six different schools at a county located in central Florida in the United States. The study was conducted during the 2013-2014 school year. The participants represented a wide range in socioeconomic status, were from a range of grades (10-12), and were enrolled in different mathematics courses (Algebra 2, Geometry, Financial Algebra, and Pre-calculus). Data were collected primarily with the aid of a geometry test and a geometry questionnaire. …

An Exploration Of Communication Perceptions Between Elementary School Staff And The Parents Of The Children They Serve, Cynthia Gardner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to explore the perceived school communication between elementary school staff and the parents of the children they serve. Staff members and parents, from a central Florida public school district, in both Title I and Non-Title I schools completed an online survey regarding (1) timely school communication, (2) school's website being informative and easy to use, and (3) staff members knowing what is going on in schools. Researchers have long explored the importance of family involvement in children's academic success, communication between home and school is an important link in the process. The …

Minnie And Ivy: Minnie Moore-Willson, Ivy Stranahan, And Seminole Reform In Early Twentieth Century Florida, Sarika Joshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During an era when the Seminoles were little regarded in Florida, despite mass Indian reform nationwide, Minnie Moore-Willson of Kissimmee and Ivy Stranahan of Fort Lauderdale attempted to bring reform to the state. Living amongst members of the tribe, both women used their familiarity with Seminole life and practices, as well as their political and social connections, to enact change for the tribe. This was done, respectively, through the creation of reservations and attempting to increase educational and vocational opportunities for tribe members. This thesis examines the lives and activism of Minnie Moore-Willson and Ivy Stranahan over the first two …

The Spatial Relationship Between Labor, Cultural Migration, And The Development Of Folk Music In The American South: A Digital Visualization Project, Robert Clarke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This Digital/Public History visualization thesis project explores how three factors-Atlantic migration patterns, demographics, and socioeconomic systems-influenced the development of folk music in the southern United States from the 18th century through the 20th century. A large body of written scholarship exists addressing plantation economies, the slave trade, and folk music. Digital technology, however, creates new opportunities for analyzing the geo-temporal aspects contained within the numerous archival resources such as census and migration records, field recordings, economic data, diaries, and other personal records. The written portion of the thesis addresses the historiography, research findings, and the process of creating the visualization …

The Signs We Speak: An Exploration Of The Loss Of Precision And Meaning In Language Today., Emilie Finney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My interest is in the beauty and power of language. I have sought to understand language on a systemic level. I have broken language down to alter signified meaning, exalted extinct words, mourned the loss of formal language, and explored the confines of common vernacular. My artwork addresses meaning within the context of Semiotics and Linguistics. I have investigated the Semiotic theories and philosophies of Roland Barthes, Jacques Ranciere, Pierre Guiraud, and Erving Goffman. As outlined by Roland Barthes, our language is a semiotic system used to communicate meaning. My work is also informed by the rules of Linguistics and …

Byzantine Foreign Policy During The Reign Of Constans Ii, Joseph Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the foreign policy of Constans II as the first Byzantine Emperor to rule after the initial Arab conquests in Syria-Palestine. His reign, 641-668, was the first reign of a Byzantine Emperor where the entire reign was subject to Arab raids and invasions. Constans II also had to contend with the Slavs in Thessalonica and Greece and the Lombards in Italy. To complicate matters more, Constans II was forced to cope with the religious division between the eastern and western churches due to Monothelitism in the East. Beset on every frontier and inheriting a much reduced empire after …

City Of Superb Democracy: The Emergence Of Brooklyn's Cultural Identity During Cinema's Silent Era, 1893-1928., David Morton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study discusses how motion picture spectatorship practices in Brooklyn developed separately from that of any other urban center in the United States between 1893 and 1928. Often overshadowed by Manhattan's glamorous cultural districts, Brooklyn's cultural arbiters adopted the motion picture as a means of asserting a sense of independence from the other New York boroughs. This argument is reinforced by focusing on the motion picture's ascendancy as one of the first forms of mass entertainment to be disseminated throughout New York City in congruence with the Borough of Brooklyn's rapid urbanization. In many significant areas Brooklyn's relationship with the …

The State Of The Anti-Union Address: A Rhetorical Critique Of Select Service Worker Training Methods, Richard Ries

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is an interdisciplinary master's level thesis that explores links among technical writing, training manuals, surveillance, and anti-union rhetoric used with service workers in select American chains and franchises. Brief histories are provided, including those of technical writing, the rise of unions in America, and how technical writing became inextricably linked with labor. A major shift occurred in the 20th century when workers began interacting less with products and more with the public. The research focuses on training manuals, techniques, and rehearsed dialogues of McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Starbucks, Whole Foods, Panera, and Publix, though similar organizations are referenced. Service worker language, …

Shifgrethor As The Deterministic Theme In Ursula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand Of Darkness, Amber Hanson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness has received much attention, scholars have largely overlooked one dynamic and integral device found in the novel, that of shifgrethor. This thesis offers an exposition of this LeGuinian device, by examining shifgrethor as theme within a Russian Formalism framework, by first establishing a working definition, and then by examining the device used within the novel to establish it as a theme. In the first chapter, I offer the reasons behind my interest in the novel and then move into providing an overview of previous research done on The Left Hand …

Why Aren't More Heathens Eco-Pagan Vegetarians? The Intersection Of Gender, Politics, And Spiritual Environmentalism, Kristen An Horton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neo-Paganism, a nature-based new religious movement, provides a rich backdrop for the study of spiritual environmentalism. This ethnographic project analyzes the dynamic interconnectedness of neo-paganism and environmentalism, or "eco-paganism," and how Heathenry reframes the natural world using interpretations of Old Norse lore. A Heathen's connection to nature and how this connection is incorporated into his/her daily life supports the idea of environmentalism, yet their patriarchal and conservative political beliefs devalue environmentalism. My focus is on the feminization of the environment and vegetarianism to such a degree that Heathens view these movements as radicalized liberal tree hugging hobbies and how these …

Narrating Jackson State: An Examination Of Power Relations And Mississippi Newspaper Coverage Of The 1970 Shootings At Jackson State College, Leslie Hassel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis examines media coverage of a 1970 campus shooting at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi, during which two black students were killed and several others were injured. Over forty years after the shootings, the incident remains largely absent from the dominant historical narrative. This study posits that the contradictory accounts published by various Jackson-area news outlets blurred the lines between facts and subjective perspectives and as a consequence limited the resources used by historians to construct a narrative of the shootings. Consequently, Mississippi media outlets contributed to the incident's absence from the dominant historical narrative and American …

A Study Of Data Informatics: Data Analysis And Knowledge Discovery Via A Novel Data Mining Algorithm, Shilpa Balan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Frequent pattern mining (fpm) has become extremely popular among data mining researchers because it provides interesting and valuable patterns from large datasets. The decreasing cost of storage devices and the increasing availability of processing power make it possible for researchers to build and analyze gigantic datasets in various scientific and business domains. A filtering process is needed, however, to generate patterns that are relevant. This dissertation contributes to addressing this need. An experimental system named fpmies (frequent pattern mining information extraction system) was built to extract information from electronic documents automatically. Collocation analysis was used to analyze the relationship of …

From The Mouths Of Mississippian: Determining Biological Affinity Between The Oliver Site (22-Co-503) And The Hollywood Site (22-Tu-500), Hanna Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippian period in the American Southeast was a period of immense interaction between polities as a result of vast trade networks, regional mating networks which included spousal exchange, chiefdom collapse, and endemic warfare. This constant interaction is reflected not only in the cultural materials but also in the genetic composition of the inhabitants of this area. Despite constant interaction, cultural restrictions prevented polities from intermixing and coalescent groups under the same polity formed subgroups grounded in their own identity as a result unique histories (Harle 2010; Milner 2006). As a result, phenetic similarities and differences are not homogenized. In …

Transformation Of Early Nineteenth Century Chickasaw Leadership Patterns, 1800-1845, Emily Paige Smithey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is an examination of the changing leadership patterns of the Chickasaw Nation during the early nineteenth century, and combines the internal function of Chickasaw government with the leaders' responses to overwhelming external factors. This thesis begins in 1800, a time that hinges on the remnant Chickasaw political leadership offices of previous centuries, such as the Minko and Tisho Minko, combined with the formation of newer offices such as district chiefs. It ends in 1845 after the Chickasaws were forced to remove from their Mississippi homelands into the Indian Territory. After removal, the Chickasaws began a more centralized form of …

Transgenerational Transmission Of Trauma In Second Generation Latino Children And Adolescents, Ricardo Phipps

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the impact that immigration-related trauma has upon families, particularly second-generation immigrant children in the Latino-American community in the United States, and the possibility that second-generation immigrant Latinos are vulnerable to transgenerational trauma. Transgenerational trauma involves the exhibition of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in subsequent generations in families with histories of trauma exposure. Multiple linear regression was conducted to explore the existence of a correlation between PTSD and depression in second-generation Latino immigrant children and adolescents with a myriad of potentially predicting factors. Enhanced understanding of how trauma can affect the children of traumatized immigrants will add …

The Beowulf Poet's Accommodation Of Pre-Christian Germanic Culture, Walter Beverly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis argues for the Beowulf poet's more accommodating perspective on pre-Christian Germanic culture, when examined in comparison to other, later Germanic authors of works such as Icelandic sagas and Danish pseudo-history. The primary components of Beowulf I address to argue for this point are the poet's incorporation of pagan Germanic cosmology, and his rendering of Beowulf according to two different heroic types in Germanic literature, those being the model thane and the model king.