Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of Ada Title I Allegations Of Workplace Discrimination As Filed With The Eeoc By Persons With Mental Illness, Jessica E. Hurley

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT AN ANALYSIS OF ADA TITLE I ALLEGATIONS OF WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION AS FILED WITH THE EEOC BY PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS Jessica Erin Hurley A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Health Related Sciences—Rehabilitation Leadership Virginia Commonwealth University, 2011 Dissertation Chair: Brian T. McMahon, Ph.D., CRC This study explores employment discrimination as experienced by persons with mental illness who filed allegations under Title I (the employment provisions) of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. The entire universe of employment discrimination allegations filed under Title I of the ADA …

A Case Study Of The Impact Of Filmmaker Decisions In The Construction Of A Documentary: Helen Whitney's (2007) The Mormons, Elizabeth Joy Mott

Theses and Dissertations

Informed by theories of media framing, exemplification, and non-fiction film production, this case study used as its sample for textual analysis the typed transcripts from the final cut of Helen Whitney's (2007) documentary film, The Mormons, and the interview transcripts of the 15 key commentators interviewed for the documentary. These theories suggest that (a) media producers condense topics in the media by selecting information that connects news stories to a larger context and imbues them with symbolic value; (b) verbal and visual examples have been shown to be more easily retrieved in memory than abstract ideas and are consequently …

Assessing Multicultural Art Education: What Approaches Are Currently Being Used In Virginia Public High Schools?, Laura Nichols

Theses and Dissertations

This study utilized a survey of Virginia public high school teachers to examine how teachers understand multicultural education, how frequently they teach from this perspective, what cultures are represented, what teaching strategies they use, and what, if any incentives would encourage them to teach in this way more frequently. Through analysis of the findings, three major themes emerged which describe participants’ views of the purpose of multicultural education. These themes are “exposure” to other cultures, “understanding” of the way cultures interact and of the context surrounding a culture’s art, and promoting “equity” in the classroom environment and by encouraging students …

Isolationism, Internationalism And The “Other:” The Yellow Peril, Mad Brute And Red Menace In Early To Mid Twentieth Century Pulp Magazines And Comic Books, Nathan Vernon Madison

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis’ purpose is to demonstrate, via the examination of popular youth literature (primarily pulp magazines and comic books) from the 1920s through to the 1950s, that the stories found therein drew their definitions of heroism and villainy from an overarching, nativist fear of outsiders that had existed before the Great War, but intensified afterwards. These depictions were transferred to America’s “new” enemies following both the United States’ entry into the Second World War, as well as the early stages of the Cold War. This transference of nativist imagery left behind the ethnically-based origins of such depictions, showing that racism …

Native American Students: Perceptions Of Lived Experiences Attending A Small Predominantly White University In The Upper Midwest, Dennis Richard Simons

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand the lived experiences of Native American students when studying on a predominantly white campus at a small university in the Upper Midwest. Using a phenomenological approach, the researcher interviewed each of the eight participants for one hour, although there were two interviews that took longer. Two participants agreed to meet for a second interview and, again, the time taken was approximately one hour. The resulting audio-recorded interviews were then transcribed, coded, and analyzed.

Three themes emerged from the analysis of the data. Theme One: Participants depended on the support of …

Five Songs Of Northeastern Brazilian Folklore By Ernani Braga, Harmonized For Voice And Piano: A Performance Guide, Sergio A. De Moura Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

This paper provides a performance analysis of one of Ernani Braga's most well-regarded compositions, Cinco Cancoes Nordestinas do Folclore Brasileiro (Five Songs of Northeastern Brazilian Folklore). I include a biography of the composer, a complete catalogue of his songs, and an analysis of the music construction and technical performance challenges of his folk song cycle. By doing so, I also hope to draw attention to Braga's compositional output for voice and piano, and to raise awareness of his importance as great Brazilian musician and accomplished composer.

Perceptions Of Male Versus Female Students Enrolled In Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics Courses Regarding Peer Tutoring, A Component For Student Retention, Cheryl D. Kingsbury

Theses and Dissertations

Academic departments in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, strive to develop in students the ability to problem solve, analyze, and to critically think about solutions to problems. Academic departments are committed to success, yet retention rates are lower than would be expected for females in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields of study, where female students are underrepresented.

The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of male and female traditional and nontraditional students who participated in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics STEM course during the spring 2010 semester regarding peer tutoring, and to …

Placing İsmayilli Lezgi Among The Lezgi Dialects, Jessica Smith

Theses and Dissertations

There is a cluster of three Lezgi villages in the İsmayıllı district of Azerbaijan that is separated by the Caucasus Mountains from the three main Lezgi dialects—Standard (SL), Axti (AL), and Quba (QL) Lezgi. This study places İsmayıllı Lezgi (IL) among the other dialects by comparing many of the varieties' attributes.

Five approaches are taken in this comparison: 1) comparing the similarities and differences of IL's phonological inventory to that of SL and AL; 2) contrasting the noun case system of IL versus that of SL; 3) comparing their verbal morphology; 4) looking for lexical similarities between IL and SL/AL/QL …

Merit Beyond Any Already Published: Austen And Authorship In The Romantic Age, Rebecca Lee Jensen Ogden

Theses and Dissertations

In recent decades there have been many attempts to pull Austen into the fold of high Romantic literature. On one level, these thematic comparisons are useful, for Austen has long been anachronistically treated as separate from the Romantic tradition. In the past, her writings have essentially straddled Romantic classification, labeled either as hangers-on in the satiric eighteenth-century literary tradition or as early artifacts of a kind of proto-Victorianism. To a large extent, scholars have described Austen as a writer departing from, rather than embracing, the literary trends of the Romantic era. Yet, while recent publications depicting a “Romantic Austen” yield …

The Effect Of Content Revision Logs And Student-Teacher Conferences On Esl Student Writing, Urim Yi

Theses and Dissertations

Research has demonstrated the need for both teachers and students to find appropriate types of feedback for meaning-level (content) issues for English as a second langauge (ESL) writing (Kepner, 1991). The current study examines the use of a content revision log (where students monitor their revisions in such content issues as organization, paragraph development and use of topic sentences). Adding to the effect of applying the content revision log, the effect of holding conferences was also examined in the hope that referencing the content revision log during a conference session would bring the most positive results. There were three types …

Iconic Semantics In Phonology: A Corpus Study Of Japanese Mimetics, Joshua Marrinor Caldwell

Theses and Dissertations

Recent research on Japanese mimetics examines which part of speech the mimetic occurs as. An individual mimetic can appear as a noun, an adjective, an adverb, or a verb (Tsujimura & Deguchi 2007, 340). It is assumed by many scholars that mimetic words essentially function as adverbs (Inose 2007, 98). Few data-based studies exist that quantify the relative frequency of mimetic words in different word categories. Akita (2009) and Caldwell (2009a) have performed small scale or preliminary studies of this aspect of Japanese mimetics. The use of mimetics in other grammatical function categories has been attributed to the polysemous nature …

Printed Matter, Inc., The First Decade: 1976-1986, Claire Dixon

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides an account of the events of the first ten years of Printed Matter, Inc., a distribution center for artists’ books established in New York City in 1976. Included are descriptions of the individuals who formed Printed Matter’s first board, their objectives, books published by Printed Matter, and the windows installation program. This thesis also describes challenges the board members faced, including lack of organization, difficulty cultivating a broad public audience, and inadequate income. In addition, it recounts the gradual streamlining of business practices, and the realignment of goals and expectations for the genre as board members accepted …

A Comparative Analysis Of Parallel Revisionism In The Plays Rabinal Achí And Zoot Suit, Matthew C. Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

This study draws parallels between the dramatic works Rabinal Achí­, an anonymous ancient Mayan text, and the Luis Valdez masterpiece Zoot Suit. The parallel that I seek to establish is one of the strong trend of historical revisionism in both works as well as a parallel development of plot and characterization. This work does not claim to be representative of revisionism as a whole, nor does it seek to establish a new official history, but it does to demonstrate how both works, even though they are separated by hundreds of years, share a common bond of subversion and …

Examining The Effects Of Pronunciation Strategy Usage On Pronunciation Gains By L2 Japanese Learners, Seth L. Robins

Theses and Dissertations

Language learning strategies have become an important element of second language acquisition research over the course of the last few decades. Much research on these strategies has been dedicated to speaking, reading, and other language skill sets. However, one essential skill needed for communication is pronunciation. No matter how proficient other areas of linguistic ability may be, it can be difficult to interact effectively with native speakers if one's pronunciation is poor. Yet research dedicated to pronunciation and language learning strategies is in surprisingly short supply. Of those studies that have researched pronunciation strategies, some have been dedicated to discovering …

Pyaline: Automatically Growing Language Family Trees Using The Aline Distance, Paul A. Huff

Theses and Dissertations

Several methods for determining a numerical distance between languages have been proposed in the literature. In this thesis I implement one of them, the ALINE distance, and develop a methodology for comparing its results with other language distance metrics. I then compare it with a leading distance metric, the LDND distance, proposed by the ASJP project.

A Survey Of Utah Spanish Teachers Regarding The Instruction Of Heritage Language Students Of Spanish, Sara Lynn Wilkinson

Theses and Dissertations

It is imperative that educators understand the current state of heritage language education because many locations have experienced large increases in their heritage language populations in recent years. This study reports on the findings of a statewide survey of secondary Spanish teachers in Utah regarding the instruction of Spanish heritage language students. Their perspectives give insight into Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) education in both traditional Spanish foreign language and heritage language classes. The information gathered describes the availability of specialized courses, the prevalence of SHL students in Spanish classes, and these students' backgrounds. It also describes the characteristics of Spanish …

Reading Holiness: Agnes Grey, Ælfric, And The Augustinian Hermeneutic, Jessica Caroline Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Although Anne Brontë's first novel, Agnes Grey, presents itself as a didactic treatise, Brontë's work departs from many accepted Evangelical tropes in the portrayal of its moral protagonist. These departures create an exemplary figure whose flaws potentially subvert the novel's didactic purposes. The character of Agnes is not necessarily meant to be directly emulated, yet Brontë's governess is presented as a tool of moral instruction. The conflict between the novel's self-proclaimed didactic purpose and the form in which it presents that purpose raises a number of interpretive questions. I argue that many of these questions can be answered through …

An Evaluation Of Communicative Activities In First-Year High School Spanish Textbooks, Marcella C. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

The study analyzed activities of Spanish Level 1 textbooks used in high school to determine the extent to which they incorporate some of the most respected theories of communicative language learning, in particular the theories of Krashen, Swain, Long and Nunan. Five well known Spanish books were chosen: Realidades, Exprésate, Así­ se dice, Avancemos, and Aventura. For each book, Chapter 2 and Chapter 5 were chosen to be evaluated by two raters. The activities in these chapters were analyzed according to four criteria derived from the abovementioned theories. Results suggest that textbooks may not be …

Factors Influencing The Academic Success Of Second Generation Immigrant College Students, Natalya V. Boureiko

Theses and Dissertations

The changing demographic situation in the U.S. creates paramount social problems as the population of immigrants grows. Because the higher education is the most effective tool for incorporating the immigrant populations into the society, the purpose of the proposed study was to determine what students' characteristics, parents' characteristics, as well as students' actions affect the academic attainment versus grade point average (GPA) of immigrant population in college. The study was based on longitudinal datasets NPSAS 2000, NPSAS 2004, and NPSAS 2008. There were three cross-sectional samples and statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and stepwise regression. The findings of the study …

A Study Of The Model Of Mastery As A Theoretical Framework For Coaching Teachers Writing Workshop, Jennifer Lynn Kimbrell

Theses and Dissertations

The study investigated a coach's use of a theoretical framework called the Model of Mastery to assist three teachers in becoming self-regulated in the teaching of writing workshop by moving them through three settings: acquisition, consolidation, and consultation. The goal of the coach was to assist teachers in developing expertise in procedural, declarative, and strategic knowledge as it relates to writing in order to mentor others. The findings indicated the Model of Mastery allows a coach to stay focused on where the teachers are in their learning and to determine change over time in the development of their professional knowledge.

Self-Directedness In Foreign Language Learners: A Phenomenological Study Of College Students And Foreign Language Instructors, Sueid Fauaze Moreira

Theses and Dissertations

The intent of the qualitative research was to investigate if students experience self-directedness when taking foreign language classes at the college level. The research was based on learners' perspectives of the phenomenon both verifying the use of self-directedness among learners and understanding the paradigms of self-direction. Guided by scholarly research, the construct elements for the research were a) Characteristics of Instruction, b) Characteristic of Learner, and c) Self-Directedness. Four groups of students were identified in the study. Individual students' interview responses revealed that their perceived needs varied according to their degree seeking and career goals. Interview data combined with scores …

In Search Of Critical Thinking: A Case Study Of A Midwestern University's Center For Teaching Excellence, Lourene Pike Thaxton

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicated that students often graduate from colleges and universities without encountering critical thinking skills in undergraduate coursework. The first national report raising concerns over the declining quality of education stemmed from the National Commission on Excellence in Education (1983), and findings based on disappointing test scores were essentially repeated with the Spellings Report (2006) twenty years later. Although numerous scholars, experts, and politicians voiced concerns regarding what were perceived to be deficient methods of instruction in higher education, missing were the voices of professors who devised the curriculum and delivered student instruction. The intention of this study was to …

Signal Detection Framework Using Semantic Text Mining Techniques, Sithu D. Sudarsan

Theses and Dissertations

Signal detection is a challenging task for regulatory and intelligence agencies. Subject matter experts in those agencies analyze documents, generally containing narrative text in a time bound manner for signals by identification, evaluation and confirmation, leading to follow-up action e.g., recalling a defective product or public advisory for potential flu outbreak. Technical challenges to achieve effective signal detection include mining unstructured data, increasing document collections, and presence of multi-domain vocabulary. Lack of annotation and multi-domain vocabulary makes traditional semantic web mining ineffective. Use of heuristics to enhance bag-of-words type text mining to semantic text mining is a novel idea attempted …

The Influence Of Language Production, Comprehension, And Pragmatic Judgment On Prosocial Behavior In Children With Language Impairment, Nicole Yvette Weber

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between language skills and prosocial behavior in 37 children with language impairment (LI) and 37 typically developing peers matched for age (ranging from 6;11 to 11;1 years). The influence of gender on this relationship was also considered. Three different subtests of the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language (Carrow-Woolfolk, 1999) were used to evaluate language ability in the areas of language comprehension, language production and pragmatic judgment skills. The Teacher Behavior Rating Scale (C. H. Hart & Robinson, 1996) was used to evaluate prosocial behavior. The current study replicated previous research …

Twenty-Seven Authentically-Based Esl Grammar Supplements: Shifting From Form To Function, Kelly Phillip

Theses and Dissertations

The language teaching profession has seen many changes in how to teach grammar in the language classroom. The pendulum has swung widely from a grammar only approach to an almost complete omission of its teaching. In general, teaching grammar can be a very daunting endeavor even for the most skilled educator. In addition, some language teachers do not have authentic materials or are using books that have sentence-based grammar exercises. The focus of this thesis is to determine the importance of grammar and communicative activities in the language classroom and to design authentically-based grammar supplements that are grammar-based but still …

Gender Bias As Evidenced On Political Blogs In The 2008 Presidential Election, Lori Ann Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

Political blogs played a significant role in the 2008 presidential election serving not only as news sources on the latest political coverage, but also as communities where people expressed political opinions, interacted with others who shared similar beliefs, as well as attempt to persuade and influence the audience members, often making calls to action. A rhetorical analysis, drawing from gendered mediation and frame theory, of 183 political blog posts revealed that gendered mediation was quite common on blog posts in the 2008 presidential election. Further, the mediation was often followed by gendered discourse that was much more blatant in content …

Students Say The Darndest Things! A Conversation Analysis For Teaching Assistants In The First-Year-Writing Classroom, Meredith Mcmillan

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching writing is about more than just the writing itself. It's about effective communication between students and teachers, which should create a positive and productive writing environment. However, within conversations, challenges of authority are likely to occur. This project discusses the pitfalls of communication between teaching assistants and students in the first-year-writing classroom. These pitfalls are defined as discourse violations, and are further explained and analyzed using concepts of language theory. Case studies of discourse violation scenarios are presented for discussion. Each scenario illustrates various types of discourse violations, and creates an awareness of the need for classroom management. Ultimately, …

The Predictive Relationship Between Temperament, School Adjustment, And Academic Achievement: A 2-Year Longitudinal Study Of Children At-Risk, Maha Al-Hendawi

Theses and Dissertations

Individual differences in temperament can be a risk or a protective factor for a child, especially for children at-risk who possess single or multiple risk factors that may interfere with their educational success and affect their healthy development and their life-long outcomes. This research study examined the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between temperament, school adjustment, and academic achievement in children at-risk. Seventy-seven children, ages five to 11 years, were reassessed two years after an initial study. Their teachers completed the Temperament Assessment Battery for Children (TABC), the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC), and reported on the children's academic achievement. …

Cultural Factors And Communication During Medical Consultations With Hiv-Positive Racial/Ethnic Minority Patients, Lillian Stevens

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between cultural characteristics, communication variables, and medical outcomes in HIV-positive racial/ethnic minority patients. Participants included 33 patients and 5 providers across two urban, community medical clinics. The patient sample was 61% African American, 24% Latino, and 15% Other/Mixed. The majority (73%) were male. Providers included one White female physician, one White male nurse practitioner, two White female nurse practitioners, and one White male physician assistant. In this descriptive study, patients completed self-report ratings of their desire for engagement in decision-making prior to their scheduled medical consultation. After their consultations, patients rated their provider regarding engagement …

Comparing The Pedagogical Thinking Of More Successful And Less Successful Adult Esl Instructors Using Stimulated Recall, Jason Paul Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

This paper reports a study that examined the pedagogical knowledge (knowledge and beliefs related to the act of teaching) of two more successful and two less successful adult ESL instructors during planning teaching and post teaching reflection. The verbal reports of their teaching were compared to previous studies (Gatbonton, 2000, 2008; Mullock, 2006) that used stimulated recall to categorize adult ESL instructors' pedagogical thoughts during their instruction. The comparison showed that the previous categories were inadequate to cover the data. Additional codes were added in order to codify all the data after which patterns and themes emerged that overarched the …