Digital Commons Network^™

A Comparison Of Student Academic Variables In Mixed Teaching Methods And Traditionally Taught Biology Courses At Participating Community Colleges In Tennessee, Elesha Goodfriend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to compare academic variables from students participating in mixed teaching methods/course revitalization biology courses to those in traditional courses at two community colleges in Tennessee. A two-group comparison design using archived data was used, which evaluated differences in final grades, exam scores, and homework completion as indicators of the academic success between an urban institution and a rural college. A power analysis was performed using G*Power software to provide the needed sample size, indicating a size of 176. There were 227 students in the active teaching lecture classrooms, and 198 students in the …

Using Cultural Contextual Story-Based Lessons To Teach Emergent Literacy Skills, Elizabeth Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate and determine the effectiveness of teaching an English Language Learner (ELL) teacher to use a task analysis comprising story-based lessons with cultural contextual literature to promote emergent literacy skills for a middle school-aged Hispanic ELL student with an intellectual disability (ID). Using a single-case multiple probes across skill sets design, one student with an ID and an ELL teacher participated in this study. The student was taught by the ELL teacher using story-based lessons with cultural contextual literature to promote emergent literacy skills. Results indicated a functional relation between story-based lessons with …

The Perspectives And Experiences Of Arabic Mothers About Families’ Home And School Engagement, Fatimah Ahmed Rubayyi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the rise in the rank of Arabic students in schools in the United States (U.S.), this qualitative study was designed to investigate the perspective of Arabic mothers in the U.S. regarding their experiences of involvement with their children’s schools. The approach includes a convenience sample of eight Arabic mothers. Through virtual focus groups, individual interviews, and concept maps the eight Arabic mothers shared their experiences and perceptions of what their children's primary schools and early childhood education programs are doing to involve them. Additionally, the study explored participants' recommendations for schools regarding family involvement for other Arabic families …

An Examination Of Early Childhood Leadership In Public Elementary Schools: A Mixed Methods Study, Wesam Alshahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As state-funded Pre-K programs in elementary schools continue to grow, elementary principals are increasingly responsible for supporting, supervising, and leading these programs. Therefore, examining elementary principals' early childhood leadership competencies and the factors influencing them may help understand and improve their experiences as early childhood education (ECE) leaders. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined the ECE leadership of Tennessee public elementary school principals in two phases.

In the quantitative phase, statewide surveys were used to collect data from 67 principals. The survey comprised 51 items assessing nine ECE leadership competencies, synthesized from statements of leading ECE and elementary education …

The Role Of The Speech-Language Pathologist With Survivors Of Traumatic Brain Injury From Intimate Partner Violence And Providers’ Knowledge Of This Role, Nicolle Mcadams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intimate partner violence occurs globally at alarming rates. Many experience adverse health impacts such as traumatic brain injury. Healthcare providers do not know the role of the speech-language pathologist, or the rehabilitation needs of survivors.

Aims: This scoping review aims to identify speech-language pathology services for survivors of intimate partner violence with a resulting traumatic brain injury, and knowledge of healthcare providers on the rehabilitation needs of this population. A search was completed in May to October 2023, resulting in a total of 13 articles reviewed.

Main contributions: Speech-language pathologists lack knowledge to provide services to intimate partner violence survivors …

An Environmental Struggle: Nature’S Role In The Poetry Of Seamus Heaney And Robert Frost, Jake Lawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Both New England’s Robert Frost and Northern Ireland’s Seamus Heaney are considered major poets of the 20^th century. Both poets present speakers who rely upon rural settings to explore troublesome feelings and difficult experiences. Their speakers project their human experience onto nature, but because nature is indifferent, they cannot find solutions for their personal discomfort and uncertainties. By examining the writers in this order—Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mary Oliver, Seamus Heaney, and Robert Frost—a spectrum concerning the poet and their relationship to nature emerges. By considering John Ruskin’s pathetic fallacy, we will see a movement from irrationality in transcendental depictions, …

P300 Event-Related Potential Responses To Self-Relevant Stimuli, Jordan Razzak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature has suggested an apparent P300 sensitivity to self-relevant stimuli. To further explore this relationship, we asked participants to submit 10 photos, each of a particular category (e.g. footwear, plants), to be used as either targets or distractors in a given condition of an oddball task. Furthermore, we attempted to see whether the effect of self-relevance on the P300 could be induced in a participant by allowing them to study a set of unique photos which would then be used as targets. Our analysis suggested that P300 amplitude elicited in response to self-relevant stimuli used as targets was statistically …

Investigating Self-Perception Of Speech And Motivation For Return To Intervention For Post Cochlear Implantation In Young Adults, Madison Henry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Cochlear Implants (CI) are designed to address severe to profound hearing loss. When implantation occurs after language develops, it is referred to as post-lingual (PL) implantation. Currently, no interventions have been identified to address the communication challenges that young adults with PL-CIs may face after they complete post-CI rehabilitation services. This study analyzes if an individualized intervention plan is beneficial for a person with PL-CIs when experiencing changing communication demands in the transition to college or the workforce. Methodology: Baseline assessments were conducted; the results of which allowed for the establishment of four co-constructed goals. These goals were targeted …

Endo/Exo, Delaney Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist, Delaney Shae Rogers, discusses her Master of Fine Arts exhibition, Endo / Exo, held at the Tipton Gallery in downtown Johnson City, TN. The exhibition dates are from March 25th through April 5th, 2024, with a public reception held April 5th, 2024. The author provides insight into the concept behind the work in the exhibition and shares how the making process and specific materials impact the work. This body of work explores coping with grief, anxiety, and the state of the world through the process of making and communicating otherwise difficult topics through visually digestible symbolic language.

Community, Race, And National Socialism: The Evolution Of The Ideology Of Volksgemeinschaft, 1807-1945, Robert B. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historiography of the National Socialist Volksgemeinschaft, or people’s community, has traditionally been divided between historians surmising its construction under the Third Reich as a genuine undertaking meant to uplift German society, and those who view the project as a propaganda effort which assisted the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in retaining legitimacy. Utilizing the plethora of works written on the topic, and a handful of primary sources from pre-Nazified Germany, NSDAP officials, and average citizens alike, this work will demonstrate that, as early as 1807, German philosophers, statesmen, and eventually a large majority of the population yearned for the national unity …

Lost In The Identification Process: Where Are Gifted Blacks And Other Minorities In Gifted And Talented Education?, Tiffany M. Chenier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic students in gifted and talented (GT) education has persisted for decades, prompting a need for deeper investigation into the policies and procedures governing GT identification. The aim of this research was to investigate whether variations in practices for GT identification and the definition of giftedness, contribute to this underrepresentation. This qualitative case study used predetermined criteria outlined in the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students to examine the contents of each district’s GT identification plan available in electronic or downloadable form using document analysis. I also used …

Bull Spit, Sirena Nieves, Sirena M. Nieves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BULL SPIT, formally known as “It’s Bullshit!!”, is an exhibition consisting of seven sculptures, four installations, and one performance. The sculptures are informed by my research on low-income, working-class communities of color, analogous to the one I grew up in. The materials for my work include domestic objects such as bedsheets, hardware, uniforms, and miscellaneous items that reflect the contemporary dysfunctional dynamics between families and communities of low-income backgrounds. Cardboard, plastic bags, Styrofoam, and paper are disposable materials manipulated into abject forms to integrate the survival practice developed from the poverty culture of “making the most out of nothing.” …

Best Practices In Professional Learning Communities That Influence Teacher Self-Efficacy, Silian Molly Hornsby

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study examined best practices in professional learning communities (PLCs) that influence teacher self-efficacy. Participants were primary and intermediate teachers and teacher leaders from a large suburban elementary school in Texas. Participants had to have at least 1 year of teaching and PLC experience. The semistructured teacher and teacher-leader interviews were recorded and transcribed in real time using Otter.ai software. After members checked the transcription, the transcription was uploaded into the NVivo software for coding and identifying common themes. The findings were separated into themes based on the study’s research questions. Research question 1 explored what teachers and …

Empowerment In Patriarchy: A Phenomenological Study Of Working Mothers In The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints, Michael Snapp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore systems of empowerment and support for female members of a patriarchal society who work full-time outside of the home. Specific to this study are the lived experiences of female members of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Church) who are married, have at least one child at home, and have full-time employment outside the home, and the systems of support or empowerment that have been in place, or that they wish had been in place. Ten participants described their experiences as they related to working full-time outside the home, …

Childhood Discipline Disparities For African American And Latinx Students, Cierra Townsend

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

African American and Latinx students are disproportionality impacted by punitive discipline models including suspensions, detention, and expulsions. This disproportionality removes students from the education setting creating adverse social emotional, academic, and economic outcomes. Students who are suspended and expelled are more likely to have contact with the juvenile justice system and or to be pushed out of school into alternative settings. Therefore, punitive discipline leads to increased school-based pathways to the juvenile justice system (SPJJ), also known as the school the prison pipeline (STPP). Despite knowledge of these adverse outcomes, schools continue to utilize punitive discipline practices. School psychologists are …

Crosscultural Backchannelling Responses Among Second Language Learners, Chien-Hui Hsu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Backchannel responses (Yngve, 1970) have always been an essential component of conversational interactions that facilitate speaker-listener engagement and mutual shaping of narratives (Bavelas et al., 2000). This study aims to investigate the cross-linguistic difference in backchannelling responses between Taiwan Mandarin and English (General American) second language (L2) learners, and how those differences might impact communication in a cross-cultural classroom. The current study examines 20 participants, ten each from Taiwan Mandarin speakers and American English speakers. Each speaker was observed in an online conversation to eliminate the influence of non-verbal cues such as gestures and facial expressions. The backchannelling responses they …

Dixieland Do Sul: Brazilian Racial Democracy And The Recontextualization Of Transnational Confederate Symbols (Vol. 2), Maximilian Xavier Conrad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following their defeat in the American Civil War, tens of thousands of American Southerners, many of them former Confederates, fled the United States to seek out new homelands in Latin America. Thousands would set their sights on Brazil, encouraged by the promise of arable land and the prospect of a new society in one of the hemisphere’s last slaveholding societies. Though many of these Confederados returned to the United States after Reconstruction, their influential presence in Brazil has remained a persistent factor. This thesis volume will focus on a semiotic struggle over the role of transnational Confederate symbols in the …

Demarginalizing Bede's Margins: A Digital Codicological Reassessment Of The Relationship Between Marginalia And Body Matter In Cambridge, Corpus Christi College Ms 41, James Nicholas Sumrall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The scribal activity in the margins of the eleventh-century Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 41 has long been acknowledged and studied, but rarely have scholars examined the relationship between the manuscript’s marginalia and its body text, an Old English translation of Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica. As such, this thesis attempts to address this critical scholarly gap by evaluating key marginal texts of MS 41 in their original physical contexts. In the introduction and first chapter, a brief overview of the manuscript history of MS 41 and its five extant analogues is given. The second chapter focuses on the textual transmission, content, …

Student Informed Instruction: Vertical Non Permanent Surfaces, Cononiah L. Watson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I, an 8th grade mathematics teacher, have used vertical dry erase boards in my classroom for years to promote student engagement and perseverance after participating in a book study on Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl. Year after year, the implementation of this strategy was constantly refined based on research, other teachers’ experiences, and my perceived notions of students’ experiences while at the dry erase boards. I never, however, asked students to thoughtfully share their experiences. In this study, I introduce the method of student informed instruction to refine how I use vertical dry erase boards in my classroom. After …

Imaginative Play In The Inculcation Of Creativity As An Intellectual Virtue, Annie Elisabet Gustafsson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Creativity, defined as the ability to generate original and innovative ideas and products, is widely valued yet not explicitly taught. This largely stems from the understanding that creativity cannot be cultivated through traditional methods like imitation or direct instruction, as such approaches contradict the essence of creativity itself. However, we must not write it off as unteachable. To help us better understand what can be done to teach creativity effectively, we must consider its character.

This paper offers a theory of creativity as an intellectual virtue, drawing on Linda Zagzebki’s components of virtue and aligning creativity with Aristotle’s phronesis and …

The Perceived Effects On The Motivation, Anxiety, And Online Language Learning Of Saudi Efl Learners During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ali Hasan Alamry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although many restrictions initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer imposed, massive changes across the globe have impacted online language learning afterward. Technology infrastructure, students' and teachers' digital literacy, and proper distance learning pedagogies were among the challenges of online learning during the pandemic. Nevertheless, valuable lessons can be learned from the pandemic to better handle online language learning classes in the future. Globally, increasing attention in the literature has been directed toward the effects of the pandemic on L2 learners' different affective factors. Locally, this study focuses on the perceived impacts on Saudi EFL learners' motivation, anxiety, and …

An Applied Research Study On Improving Special Education Identification And Support For Grades 3-6: Assessing The Impact Of The Tier 3 Process, Nickie Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Addressing the urgent need for effective literacy instruction, especially for students with diverse learning needs, is paramount in today's educational landscape. This dissertation investigates the implementation and impact of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework, particularly the Tier 3 process, at AUES in grades 3-6. The study aims to shed light on the systemic gaps in special education identification and support, evolving pedagogical approaches, and the role of educators and institutions in shaping literacy outcomes.

Grounded in the principles of equity and inclusion, the MTSS framework emerges as a promising avenue for providing personalized support and instruction tailored to …

Tanzanian Cyberscape: Exploring Language Preference Patterns Among Instagram Users, Carolyne Saria Ulomy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Virtual platforms such as Instagram are not only characterized by massive collaboration, sharing, and access to information but also by multilingual exchanges. For example, Tanzanian social media users choose to disseminate or publish information online using different languages present in their linguistic repertoires. This study explores multilingualism in social media (Instagram) within the Tanzanian context, as well as address the statuses of Swahili, English, Swanglish/Kiswanglish, Community Languages (CLs) and Foreign Languages (FLs) on social media. Specifically, the research investigated two overarching questions: What are the factors influencing language choices among Tanzanian Instagram users? and is there an association between content …

Perceived Linguistic And Non-Linguistic Barriers Facing Saudi Female Partners Learning English, Samah Mohamad Dulli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The partners of the Saudi students who come to the United States on scholarships to earn a degree (Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D.) are eligible for full scholarships as well. However, most of them fail to proceed in earning a degree or fulfill the language proficiency requirement needed to join an academic degree program. This study surveys between 10 to 20 adult female partners of Saudi university students to elicit their opinions on how much English they think they will learn during their partner scholarship time in academic and non-academic settings. This study investigates the female partners of the Saudi degree …

Language Variation: Arabic Dialects In Madinah, Saudi Arabia, Arwa Alsindy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Arabic sociolinguistics, namely Arabic dialectology, is a demanding area of study. Therefore, the current research was conducted to fulfill some of those needs. Qualitative methods were applied in order to answer the research questions: What are the salient linguistic features of the Hijazi Hadari dialect, Urban Bedouins Hijazi dialect, and the emerging Saudi Arabic White dialect in Madinah? When are these dialects used? What changes or accommodations are made to these dialects when communicating with the other social groups? To provide answers to those questions, observations and interviews were applied. By applying the SPEAKING model (Hymes, 1974), six participants (three …

The Effects Of Multimodal Communication With Discourse In People With Chronic Aphasia, Elizabeth Grace Peeler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose

Individuals with aphasia often experience communication breakdowns. One strategy that has been shown to be useful is switching communication modalities when a breakdown occurs. While many researchers have incorporated and shown positive effects of multimodality in aphasia treatment, few studies have utilized a discourse task to generalize the methods trained during the structured tasks to everyday life. The purpose of Multimodal Communication Treatment + Discourse and Group (MCT+DG) is to train various communication modalities in both structured and unstructured settings, which include a discourse and group therapy to help generalizing the skills in daily communication.

Method

Two participants with …

The Impact Of Perception Of L1 Stress Features On L2 Perceived Fluency, Tian Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the influence of stress on perceived fluency, a critical dimension of fluency study, alongside utterance and cognitive fluency. Perceived fluency is defined as the inferences listeners make about speakers’ cognitive fluency based on their perceptions of utterance fluency (Segalowitz, 2010). Previous research demonstrated that factors such as pause phenomena and speech rate significantly affected subjective fluency ratings (Bosker et al., 2012; Kahng, 2018). Stress was also identified as a contributing factor through qualitative analysis (Préfontaine and Kormos, 2016), yet had not been thoroughly examined using quantitative methods.

The cue-weighting theory of speech perception suggests that listeners from …

Motivation And Attitudes Toward Learning English As A Foreign Language: A Case Study Of Urban And Rural University Freshmen In Saudi Arabia, Munif Almasarir

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Saudi educational system faces several challenges that contribute to low proficiency in English among Saudi students. Previous studies have focused on the EFL curriculum and pedagogical challenges, but there is a lack of research specifically examining other main psychosocial factors that contribute to the attainment of English proficiency. Motivational and attitudinal factors have been proven to have an impact on the proficiency level among EFL students. My study investigates the perceived influence of geographical location on students' attitudes and motivation toward English as a global language in Saudi Arabia. By utilizing an ethnographic approach focusing on both rural and …

Increasing Minority Student Enrollment: An Applied Research Study On Increasing The Enrollment Of Minority Students In Advanced Placement Courses, Tamekia Helm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Addressing the disparity in Advanced Placement (AP) course enrollment among minority students at Greater High School is the focus of this research. Through an extensive review of the literature, the study examines the various factors contributing to this gap, including access limitations and systemic barriers. Additionally, teacher perceptions, student attitudes, and parental involvement are explored to understand the influence on AP course enrollment decisions. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, including surveys and interviews, data is collected from students, teachers and parents to gain comprehensive insights.

Proposed solutions to enhance AP course enrollment include targeted outreach initiatives and support for minority students. …

Improving American Learners’ Pronunciation Of Arabic Pharyngeals: Traditional Vs. Tbi Method, Yasmine Sedeek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mastering the phonological aspects of a second language (L2) poses significant challenges for adult learners, often affecting their intelligibility in acquiring that language (Derwing, Munro, & Wiebe, 1998). McAllister (1997) has highlighted L2 learners’ struggles in perceiving and producing novel segmental features, which is corroborated by The Perceptual Assimilation Model of L2 speech learning (PAM-L2) proposed by Best & Tyler (2007), which posits that the perception of L2 phonetics is a critical precursor to their accurate production. Against this backdrop, the present study aims to improve the intelligibility of Arabic pharyngeals (/ʕ/ and /ħ/) among English-speaking learners studying Arabic as …