Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Importance Of The Arts As A Means Of Instruction In The Classroom, Chudney Shanta Mcclurkin Patrick

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the arts have been utilized and recognized as a vital part of instruction. There has been little research, however about the perceptions and attitudes that pre-service teachers have about the use of arts integration as a means of instruction in the general education classroom. In this study, data collected from 71 pre-service teachers revealed that pre-service teachers perceive that arts integration is an important part of the educational process for students. While they perceive that the arts are important, they hold some apprehension for their ability to effectively provide instruction in particular art forms. Over half (59.2%) …

Training Psychologists In The Ethical Use Of Language Interpreters: An Evaluation Of Current Practices, Potential Barriers, And Proposed Competencies, Clay A. Frandsen

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that general and mental healthcare services have been, and continue to be, underutilized by racial and ethnic minorities. Studies point to the language gap between limited English proficiency (LEP) individuals and mental-health clinicians as one of the factors in perpetuating that gap. Despite the legal and professional mandates that require professionals in healthcare to provide and use language interpreters in giving care, psychologists rarely make use of professional interpreters when conducting psychotherapy. Most clinicians have little experience providing mental-health treatment across differences in language, and it is supposed that clinicians usually receive little or no training on how …

Google Speech Recognition Using Embedded System, Anita Devi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will describe the theoretical background and implementation details of Google Speech Recognition using embedded system. AM37x Evaluation Board developed by Texas Instrument is used as a test bed. All major applications of Google Speech Recognition are covered in this thesis. Also, Evaluation of Google Speech API based on standard dataset is also part of the thesis.

Each implementation details are included with the theoretical background and pre-requisite details:

• Overview of the background of Automatic Speech Recognition Technology.
• Overview of Google Speech Recognition.
• Overview of AM37x Evaluation Module.
• Drivers and Android OS upgradation details.
• Installation of Google pre-requisite Apps …

The Influence Of A Social Communication Intervention On The Syntactic Complexity Of Three Children With Language Impairment, Alyse Wheeler

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that children with language impairment (LI) exhibit difficulties with both social communication and syntax. This study analyzed the effect of a social communication intervention on syntactic development, focusing on grammatical complexity in three children with LI when enacting stories. The intervention included reading and enacting stories, playing games with picture emotion cards and journaling. Each child's mean length of terminal unit (t-unit), the number and type of subordinate clauses they produced per t-unit, and the grammaticality of their complex sentences was analyzed. While none of the children increased their mean length of t-unit or the grammaticality of …

The Experiences Of Community College Trustees During Their First Year Of Service: A Phenomenological Study, Jacob Farbman

Theses and Dissertations

The global economy has created a demand for skills and talent, and while the rest of the world has responded to the global demand for post-secondary skills by increasing attainment, the United States has not. Community colleges are more important today than ever before as they work to produce qualified, skilled workers as well as an educated citizenry so that the United States can remain competitive in a global economy. Boards of trustees govern these community colleges. The boards of trustees have the final authority over the affairs of higher education institutions in the United States, yet very little research …

Racial Stereotype Threat: A Critical Race Perspective, Daniel Mccloud

Theses and Dissertations

America is currently at a crossroads regarding race relations. Social and racial inequities have led to disparities in the educational outcomes among Blacks and other groups in this country. These educational disparities, incorrectly defined as an achievement gap, are part of a larger deficit based construct, which continues to deflect attention away from a system of hegemony that has been used to maintain a hierarchy of power and dominance over African Americans. Central to the continuance of this structure is the use of deficit based rhetoric, ideology, and research that continues to perpetuate stereotypes of African American intellectual inferiority.

The …

Stories Of Becoming And Being An Associate Degree Nurse Educator: A Narrative Inquiry Study Examining How Participants' Ways Of Knowing Evolved Through Their Experiences, Bonnie Jill Ross

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the stories of the experiences of three associate degree nurse educators and how they evolved in the way they viewed their world as they transitioned in their role from nurse expert to experienced nurse educator. As associate degree nursing education is the most commonly reported initial nursing education of registered nurses in the United States, and, because of the highly affordable and accessible means for educating the next generation of nurses, the purpose of this study was to address the projected nurse and nursing faculty shortage. Through narrative inquiry, this study has provided a means to inform …

The Influence Of Test Anxiety On Memory, James J. Malloy

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between test anxiety and memory among a college population (N = 42). Specifically, the goal was to ascertain whether text anxiety had a measurable effect on memory, which was represented by scores on the Nelson-Denny reading comprehension subtest. Participants were divided into a stressed group (N = 22) and a non-stressed group (N = 20) in order to compare scores from test-takers with anxiety to those who do not. It was hypothesized that (a) test anxiety would have a significant impact on test results, (b) the non-stressed group would score …

Writing Resistance: Agency And Politics In The Postmodern And Contemporary Novel, Bradley Michael Poling

Theses and Dissertations

This project seeks to substantiate a key ambivalence at the heart of contemporary literature: what does it mean to "return" to politics? Critics of contemporary literature have outlined the new literary aesthetic, using social and political engagement as a key component in distinguishing the contemporary novel from its postmodern predecessor. This project, in response to this claim, will examine both the discursive and representation politics of two landmark postmodern novels, Thomas Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow and Don DeLillo's Libra, while examining Jennifer Eganâ??s A Visit from the Goon Squad as a descendent of this literary lineage. This project argues that the …

Modeling Children's Organization Of Utterances Using Statistical Information From Adult Language Input, Katie Lynn Walker

Theses and Dissertations

Previous computerized models of child language acquisition have sought to determine how children acquire grammatical word categories (GWCs). The current study seeks to determine if statistical structure can be corroborated as a factor in GWC acquisition. Previous studies examining statistical structure have dealt with word order rather than GWC order and only examined an overall success rate. The present study examines how well a computer model of child acquisition of GWCs was able to reorganize scrambled sentences back into the correct GWC order using transitional probabilities extracted from adult language input. Overall, a 50% success rate was obtained, but when …

Queer Horizons: Queer Assemblages And ( Re ) Visioning The"Coming-Out"Trauma Narrative In Fiction, A Critical Introduction, Eric Jason Pitman

Theses and Dissertations

The experience of many queer subjects in "coming-out" often results in a great deal of continued adversity over the course of their lifetimes, in spite of what popular, exceptionalized narratives such as the "It Gets Better" campaign might suggest. "Coming out" often entails a great deal of trauma, thus making the need to continue "coming out" a source from which anguish continues to emanate and affect queer bodies. Unfortunately, there are few fictional texts dealing specifically with "coming-out" trauma narratives. Queer subjects who continue to endure trauma through the act of "coming out" often discover that the written worlds of …

Unpacking Empowerment Discourse Within A Women's Reentry Organization, Amanda Nicole Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Through ethnographic research with a small organization, Jareth, that helps women transition from prison to the community, this work unpacks discourses of empowerment within reentry organizations. I argue that Jareth’s empowerment discourse works on a pragmatic level to help women become employed but it does not work well to completely meet the needs of women offenders because businesses do not want to employ former prisoners and because the general public thinks that prison can meet all of women's needs. I also argue that empowerment defines 'power' and dependence' in particular ways - through appropriate and inappropriate forms of power and …

Virginity And Intellectual Construction: The Function Of Virginity Within The Early English Novel, Jayna Morgan Leipart Guttilla

Theses and Dissertations

This project situates the state of virginity as both a narrative and mode of behavior within Samuel Richardson's novel Pamela. By challenging the supposition that feminine virginity in eighteenth-century novels is presented as both an intellectual and physical disability, this thesis allows for a reconsideration of how virginity functions in the early novel. I place virginity in three distinct and yet simultaneous modes of thinking that contributed to the conflicting and contradictory images of women that were available to purchase in print: virginity as moral intelligence and form of resistance; virginity as an intellectual disability, and the loss of virginity …

The Effect Of Prompt Accent On Elicited Imitation Assessments In English As A Second Language, Jacob Garlin Barrows

Theses and Dissertations

Elicited imitation (EI) assessment has been shown to have value as an inexpensive method for low-stakes tests (Cox & Davies, 2012), but little has been reported on the effect L2 accent has on test-takers' ability to understand and process the test items they hear. Furthermore, no study has investigated the effect of accent on EI test face validity. This study examined how the accent of input audio files affected EI test difficulty as well as test-takers' perceptions of such an effect. To investigate, self-reports of students' exposure to different varieties of English were obtained from a pre-assessment survey. A 63-item …

Pragmatic Quotation Use In Online Yelp Reviews And Its Connection To Author Sentiment, Mary Elisabeth Wright

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has established that punctuation can be used to communicate nuances of meaning in online writing (McAndrew & De Jonge, 2011). Punctuation, considered a computer mediated communication (CMC) cue, expresses tone and emotion and disambiguates an author's intention (Vandergriff, 2013). Quotation marks as CMC cues can serve pragmatic functions and have been understudied. Some of these functions have been generally described (Predelli, 2003). However, no corpus study has specifically focused on the pragmatic uses of quotations in online text. Consumer reviews, a genre of online text, can directly impact business profits and influence customers' purchasing decisions (Floyd, Freling, Alhoqail, …

Speech Adaptation To Kinematic Recording Sensors, Elise Hansen Hunter

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the time course of speech adaptation prior to data collection when using an electromagnetic articulograph to measure speech articulator movements. The stimulus sentence and electromagnetic sensor placement were designed to be sensitive to changes in the fricatives /s/ and /ʃ/. Twenty native English speakers read aloud stimulus sentences before the attachment of six electromagnetic sensors, immediately after attachment, and again at 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes after attachment. Participants read aloud continuously between recordings to encourage adaptation to the presence of the sensors. Audio recordings were rated by 20 native English listeners who were not part …

Perspectives Of Foreign Language Teachers On Influences, Challenges, And Practices Affecting Language Choice, Brant M. Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

In light of the 2010 recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages that teachers use the target language (TL) "as exclusively as possible," teachers face the necessity of promoting target language use and assessing how their language choices influence their students. The purpose of this study was to analyze teachers' perspectives and practices of whether to use students' first language or the target language. Data from over 100 foreign language teachers, predominantly those in the K-12 sector, were collected through a survey in order to measure how teachers manage the phenomenon of language choice. The findings …

Chinese International Students Attending American Universities: How Can We Help You? A Qualitative Study On Chinese International Students' Acculturation Experiences, Zhen Li

Theses and Dissertations

Given the increasing number of Chinese international students attending American universities, an important study would be to consider problems arising during these students' initial transition period, as they acculturate into the American culture and educational system. Taking this information into account, university counseling centers, campus services, and those who interact with and support these students would be better able to assist in easing the initial and ongoing stress of living in a foreign country and adapting to a new way of life. Thirteen Chinese international students participated in qualitative interviews conducted in Mandarin Chinese, each participant's native language. Each participant …

Psychometrically Equivalent Trisyllabic Words For Testing Spanish Pediatric Speech Recognition Thresholds, Jessica Lee Graham

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to use previously recorded Spanish trisyllabic words tested on adults in the measurement of the speech recognition threshold of Spanish-speaking children in order to (a) determine the words' appropriateness when testing children and (b) compare psychometric functions between adults and children. A selection of 28 frequently used trisyllabic words was chosen from previously recorded samples of male and female adult native speakers of Spanish. These words were then presented to 20 native Spanish-speaking children with normal hearing between the ages of 4 and 8 years. The words were presented starting at -5 dB HL …

Effects Of Two Gait Tasks On Language Complexity In Parkinson's Disease, Betty Ann Marquardt

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of dual tasking in Parkinson's disease (PD) have been studied for a number of years. Previous research has generally focused on changes in gait patterns while another task has been performed concurrently. Very few studies have focused on the impact of a concurrent task on speech or language. Language is key for communication: to express wants and needs, to maintain familial relationships, and for social interaction. Thirty-seven individuals participated in the study: 10 with PD, 14 neurologically healthy older (HO) adults, and 13 healthy younger (HY) adults. The participants were given a list of topics to consider and …

Evaluating The Effects Of Strong Teens On High School Student Levels Of Internalizing Symptoms And Resilience, Austin J. Millet

Theses and Dissertations

Many adults suffering from mental health problems often report that the onset of these concerns began in adolescence, highlighting the importance of identifying and treating mental health concerns from an early age. In high schools, some students are identified as having externalizing or internalizing disorders. The majority of these students, especially those with internalizing symptoms, go untreated. One potential reason may be that limited school resources are used to correct behavior problems, leaving those with internalizing disorders to silently suffer, which often exacerbates the issues. Recent research suggests many individuals have high levels of resilience which can be taught, and …

Semantic And Syntactic Processing In A Patient With Left Temporal Lobe Damage Secondary To Traumatic Brain Injury: An Fmri Study, Caitlin Moizer

Theses and Dissertations

The ability of the brain to change and form new neuropathways after brain injury is remarkable. The current study investigates the brains ability to form new pathways for language processing following traumatic brain injury (TBI), specifically a left temporal lobectomy. Two subjects participated in this study; one participant with TBI and one age-matched control. Sentence stimuli consisted of four types: semantically correct, semantically incorrect, syntactically correct, and syntactically incorrect. Participants underwent a fMRI scan while the auditory stimuli were presented in four blocks. Participants were asked to record if the sentence was correct or incorrect by pressing the corresponding button. …

Lexical Trends In Young Adult Literature: A Corpus-Based Approach, Kyra Mckinzie Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Young Adult (YA) literature is widely read and published, yet few linguistic studies have researched it. With an increasing push to include YA texts in the classroom, it becomes necessary to thoroughly research the linguistic nature of the register. A 1-million-word corpus of YA fiction and non-fiction texts was created. Children's and adult fiction corpora were taken from a subset of the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) database. The study noted differences in use of modals and pronouns among children's, YA, and adult registers. Previous research has suggested that children's literature focus more on spatial relations, while adult literature …

Effects Of Subglottic Stenosis And Cricotracheal Resection On Voice Production In Women, Lisa Marie Mattei

Theses and Dissertations

Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a narrowing of the airway in the region of the cricoid cartilage below the vocal folds and above the tracheal rings. Individuals with SGS experience difficulty breathing at rest and during exertion both of which become increasingly difficult with the level of stenosis severity. Some individuals also experience negative voice changes. Individuals whose stenoses significantly impact breathing generally require medical procedures or surgery, either balloon dilation or cricotracheal resection (CTR). CTR has been shown to improve patients' ability to breathe, but it can also result in permanent vocal changes. Alternatively, balloon dilation results in similar breathing …

Trio-Eligible Students And Study Abroad: Influential Factors, Barriers, And Benefits, Michael R. Minton

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the fact that only 1.8% of U.S. undergraduate students choose to participate in a study abroad program, the popularity of study abroad has grown significantly in recent years (Open Doors, 2013). Participation in study abroad programs has grown by over 97% since 2000, and has increased every year since 2008-09 (Open Doors, 2013). Many institutions recognize the importance of this educational activity in preparing their students to be productive citizens in an ever-growing global economy and society.

While the number of U.S. undergraduate students participating in study abroad has continued to increase overall, it is important to note that …

Topic Modeling Based Cross-Source Consumer Opinions Discovery & Integration, Fan Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Online reviews can easily be accessed from e-commerce websites, dedicated web portals, blogs, discussion groups, forums, and other social media. It provides affluent information about products or services for consumers, merchants, and business analysts. It brings convenience, and also confusion. People feel overwhelmed by the information they receive from online reviews. "Is this product real good, or just so so? What are the opinions of the other consumers who had experience on the item? Why the reviews from different sites read different?" These questions are frequently asked by the review readers. This dissertation answers the above questions by first investigating …

Composing Across Genres: A Study Of Writing Expectations At The University Of Arkansas At Little Rock, Howard Bryant Lytle

Theses and Dissertations

Students are entering the first-year composition (FYC) classroom underexposed to multiple genres, multiple potential audiences, and a variety of modalities. Based on survey responses from faculty members across the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), this thesis project seeks to examine effective ways of teaching composition at the UALR to prepare students for upper-level coursework and for their future workplaces. Survey findings indicate that faculty members across the university ask students to respond to writing assignments in a variety of writing genres, address multiple audiences and purposes, and bring certain skill sets into their classrooms. As a result, this …

Recruitment And Retention Of Hispanic Nursing Students: Through The Lens Of Associate Degree Nursing Program Administrators And Hispanic Nursing Students, Debra Jean Handlos Devoe

Theses and Dissertations

The Hispanic population in the United States is changing and will constitute 30% of the population in 2050; however, the Hispanic registered nurse population is less than 3%. Cultural differences between patients and nurses may cause harm and a mistrust that can affect patient outcomes. A mixed methods convergent research study was done by an electronic survey, non-electronic surveys, telephone interviews, and focus groups to compare the perceptions of nursing program administrators at seven community colleges in a Mid-Atlantic state, in the United States, and the perceptions of 15 Hispanic nursing students regarding the challenges, barriers, and obstacles of Hispanic …

Propositional And Non- Propositional Functions Of /Keda/ In The Language Of Egyptian Film, Mona Hussein

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the pragmatic and syntactic functions of the word /keda/ within a propositional and non-propositonal meaning. It also investigates /keda/within the sentence structure as a propositional meaning and outside the sentence structure as a non-propositional meaning. The analysis of /keda/ is done using a corpus of Egyptian Colloquial Arabic movies. The study uses Wordsmith Tools software to show and analyze the data./Keda/ has different meanings within the sentence structure like ‘this’/’that’, ‘so, ‘in this way’ and other meanings. It has different pragmatic and syntactic functions. When/keda/ is outside the sentence structure, it acts like the discourse markers just, …

A Model Of Children's Acquisition Of Grammatical Word Categories From Adult Language Input Using An Adaption And Selection Algorithm, Emily Marie Berardi

Theses and Dissertations

Previous models of language acquisition have had partial success describing the processes that children use to acquire knowledge of the grammatical categories of their native language. The present study used a computer model based on the evolutionary principles of adaptation and selection to gain further insight into children's acquisition of grammatical categories. Transcribed language samples of eight parents or caregivers each conversing with their own child served as the input corpora for the model. The model was tested on each child's language corpus three times: two fixed mutation rates as well as a progressively decreasing mutation rate, which allowed less …