Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Transcription Errors On Supervised Learning In Speech Recognition, Ramasubramanian H. Sundaram

Theses and Dissertations

Supervised learning using Hidden Markov Models has been used to train acoustic models for automatic speech recognition for several years. Typically clean transcriptions form the basis for this training regimen. However, results have shown that using sources of readily available transcriptions, which can be erroneous at times (e.g., closed captions) do not degrade the performance significantly. This work analyzes the effects of mislabeled data on recognition accuracy. For this purpose, the training is performed using manually corrupted training data and the results are observed on three different databases: TIDigits, Alphadigits and SwitchBoard. For Alphadigits, with 16% of data mislabeled, the …

Network Training For Continuous Speech Recognition, Issac John Alphonso

Theses and Dissertations

Spoken language processing is one of the oldest and most natural modes of information exchange between humans beings. For centuries, people have tried to develop machines that can understand and produce speech the way humans do so naturally. The biggest problem in our inability to model speech with computer programs and mathematics results from the fact that language is instinctive, whereas, the vocabulary and dialect used in communication are learned. Human beings are genetically equipped with the ability to learn languages, and culture imprints the vocabulary and dialect on each member of society. This thesis examines the role of pattern …

An Investigation Of The Standardized Multiple-Choice Departmental Calculus I Final Examination, Maria Elizabeth Bearden

Theses and Dissertations

At Mississippi State University, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, a standardized multiple-choice departmental final examination (SMCDF) was administered at the end of the Calculus I mathematics course. This practice was abolished at the end of the spring 1997 semester. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in students¡¯ success in subsequent calculus courses as measured by a student¡¯s grade. If there was a difference, was it consistent along varying levels of students¡¯ ACT mathematics scores. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was run on the data. The variables were the five student ACT Mathematics …

Past, Present And Future Of Language Policy In Kazakhstan, Aliya S. Kuzhabekova

Theses and Dissertations

This study is an analysis of the historical preliminaries, current state and directions of further development of the language policy in the former Soviet and presently independent Republic of Kazakhstan. Such an analysis is of special interest for sociolinguistic theory. The uniqueness of the linguistic situation challenging contemporary Kazakhstani language policy-making consists in the fact that Kazakh, the native tongue of the ethnic majority and the de jure state language of the independent Republic of Kazakhstan, is too lexically underdeveloped to successfully compete in most of the communicative domains with Russian, the state language of Soviet Kazakhstan and the alternate …

A Test Of The Cultural Ecological Model With Chinese And Caucasian Parents., Elaine Hulei

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the cultural effect on parenting practices based on Ogbu's (1981) cultural ecological model. In a given society, parenting beliefs are a reflection of that society's cultural values and traditions. For example, verbosity, a parenting style, is considered a parenting mistake in Western culture; however, it may not be a-mistake in Chinese culture. Thirty-one immigrant Chinese and 30 Caucasian Americans mothers were recruited for this study. Three questionnaires were employed to measure parenting styles, child behaviors associated with parenting styles and the possible relationship between acculturation level and Chinese immigrant parenting. These questionnaires …

Awara Phonology, Edward C. Quigley

Theses and Dissertations

Awara is a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea spoken in the Finisterre Mountain Range. Though it has been mentioned in papers written about the Finisterre-Huon languages and about the Wantoat language (another language in the Wantoat family), the Awara sound system has not been described in depth.

This paper describes the Awara phonemic inventory, autosegmental features, morphophonemic processes, and implications for the Awara orthography. The analysis is presented within the framework of rules-based Generative Phonology.

Interesting aspects of the language shown here are 1) prenasalized voiced stops, 2) complex, phonemes /kw/, /ŋw/ and /gw/, 3) non--universal morphophonemic processes such …

Self-Assessed Dakota Language Fluency And Suggested Strategies For Language Revitalization On The Spirit Lake Nation, Ruth Ellen De Larios

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides a background of the status of the Dakota language as it is spoken on the Spirit Lake Nation in northeast North Dakota. The study examined Dakota language fluency, environments where the language is used, and suggested strategies for revitalization. In order to determine the aforementioned, a brief Survey for Grant for Revitalization of Tribal Languages (Survey) was implemented. This assessment of community fluency and interest was essential to obtaining an Administration for Native Americans grant to develop a language revitalization effort that came to be known as the Dakota la UnspepHLanguage Preservation Program.

The Survey for Grant …

Spelling Attitudes And Abilities Of Secondary Students, Michael C. Porter

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to a) gauge the attitudes of a group of high school seniors (n = 211) about the importance of spelling, which strategies they use to solve spelling problems, and the adequacy of spelling instruction at the high school level; b) assess the same group of seniors according to Ganske's developmental levels of spelling; and c) gauge the attitudes of high school language arts teachers in the same school (n = 16) about the importance of spelling and the adequacy of spelling instruction at the high school level, and to determine their spelling …

The Effects Of Grouping Fourth Grade Students Into Cooperative Learning Groups By Learning Patterns, Kelly A. Hamlet

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of fourth grade students working in cooperative learning groups. Students worked in three cooperative learning groups in order to determine whether grouping students heterogeneously into cooperative learning groups based on individual students' learning pattern would have a positive correlation with group and individual success. First students were grouped randomly and then homogeneously by learning pattern, and lastly heterogeneously by learning pattern. During each cooperative learning experience groups were expected to complete in-class group work. Students were then given a quiz and a test on the material covered during their cooperative …

The Effect Of Manipulative Materials On Student Motivation, Deirdre Morrissey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to determine the effect of manipulative materials on student motivation in the subject area of social studies. The students who participated in the project were divided into control and experimental groups. Each group was comprised of twenty-one third grade students living in rural southern New Jersey. Both groups completed pre and post surveys that focused on student motivation towards social studies. The experimental group students were instructed using manipulative materials after the completion of the initial survey and in conjunction with a unit on "Community Government." The control group students received no such intervention. …

Effective Vocabulary Development For Secondary Students In Weekly Small-Group Sessions, Susan L. Lange

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this quasi-experimental one group study was to (a) ascertain the vocabulary acquisition of low-achieving language students in grades 9-11 (n = 14), and (b) to determine if implementation of a program of explicit instruction would lead to a significant improvement of the volume of knowledge of a controlled list of vocabulary words. Results revealed that all participants showed positive change in the number of vocabulary items answered correctly from initial pretest to final posttest (M = +15 items), with an average 97% improvement. The time to acquire one new vocabulary word was approximately 10.6 minutes. Implications for …

Evaluation In-Service Program For Professional Development, Aida Colon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if an in-service would help the staff gain knowledge and experience in dealing and interacting with different languages and cultures that are represented in the school.

The staff was given an in-service, part of which placed them in different situations and required them to think and react to how they felt in that situation. There was a group of twenty students from different languages and cultures. The students spoke on how they felt being in a country where they did not understand the new culture and language. There was also a question …

A Study In The Effectiveness Of The Three To Get Ready Program In Promoting Language Learning, Megan Crank

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to: examine the effectiveness of a trimotoric approach using the Three to Get Ready program; to assist preschool children with disabilities to understand basic concepts and increase verbalization skills. Four students between the ages of 3 and 4 ½ years old participated in this study. They were identified as preschool disabled by school district personnel using state eligibility standards, according to the state administration code (2001). All participating children had IEP objectives in expressive language and communication. They attended a public school in Southern New Jersey and were enrolled in the class for children …

Diversity In Education: Changing Faces, Angela Rose-Bounds

Theses and Dissertations

As America becomes more and more diverse, public schools are forced to adapt to the changing faces in education. The purpose of this study was to promote culturally responsive teaching and analyze programs that impact non-Asian minority students in a suburban school district. The intern used observations, surveys, and interviews to study programs at the Charles W. Lewis Middle School in Blackwood, New Jersey. The research began by examining the school's culture and then went on to form committees and groups to promote diversity throughout the building. During this research, the intern determined that non-Asian minority students were disproportionately represented …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Wilson Fundations Program When Applied To A Group Of Children With Mild To Moderate Special Needs, Annette J. Sessa

Theses and Dissertations

A program that has addressed the needs of students with mild to moderate disabilities is the Wilson Reading Fundations Program for K-3. The targeted goal of the Wilson Language Training is to help students become fluent, accurate readers. It is a phonology, phonics, and spelling program that includes the basic components of the Wilson Reading System where emphasis is placed on systematic phonics and the study of word structure. Instruction is cumulative and scaffolds all presented skills.

The Wilson Fundations Program was administered to a small group of four children in grade 2, with mild to moderate learning disabilities. This …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of Saxon Phonics On Phonemic Awareness, Dawnmarie Bach

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a structured, systematic phonics program such as the Saxon Phonics 1 program in improving the phonemic awareness of first grade students. The effectiveness of this program was measured by a pre and post assessment using The Test of Phonological Awareness (TOPA).

The subjects for this study consisted of two groups of first grade students (ages six and seven). Group one consisted of twelve students: seven girls and five boys. Group two consisted of nine students: six girls and three boys. Teachers that are experienced in the use of the …

Self-Esteem Levels Of Adolescents With Learning Disabilities Or Mental Retardation In Inclusive Or Non-Inclusive Educational Settings, Kay L. Delp

Theses and Dissertations

This investigation compared the global, personal, and social self-esteem levels of adolescents with learning disabilities or mild-to-moderate mental retardation. The purpose was to determine differences between the adolescents based on their disability, educational setting of inclusion or non-inclusion, and by gender. The sample of this study included nine females and 22 males between the ages of 13 and 21 years who lived in southern New Jersey.

Students were given the Culture Free Self-Esteem Inventories-Third Edition, a 67 item self-report, norm-referenced instrument. Mean scores for each group were compared and analyzed by using a one-way ANOVA, a two-way ANOVA, and descriptive …

A Link Between Handedness, Gender, Socioeconomics, Race, And Parental Involvement And Learning Disabilities, Heather Reiss

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine if there was a link between handedness, gender, socioeconomics, race, and parental involvement and learning disabilities. The records from a local school where reviewed and compared to the national records. When comparing the local and national records, the school was found to be close in percentage for gender and handedness. The school, however; had a much higher percentage for African Americans and a much higher percentage for free and reduced lunch services than did the national records.

The Effect Of The Wilson Reading Program On Spelling Skills In An Inclusive Sixth Grade Setting, Kathleen A. Dellinger

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the use of the Wilson Reading program as a method for instructing spelling rules and principles in an inclusive sixth grade setting. The subjects included eighteen sixth grade students, four special education and fourteen regular education students. Post testing results indicated that in 76% of all the students there was an increase of approximately one year in spelling ability. Two of the four special education students had an increase in age appropriate ability, with the two remaining special education students decreasing in grade equivalence.

Echoes In A Concrete Canyon : Graham, Cummings, And Apollinaire, Robin L. Adams-Hays

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the poetry of Jorie Graham, E.E. Cummings, and Guillaume Apollinaire, focusing particularly on the rich tradition of concrete and visual poetry and the concept of rule breaking in writing. The connection between Cummings, taking elements of visual poetry and free verse to experimental new heights with typographic techniques, and Apollinaire, whose poetry explores similar aesthetic challenges, is obvious. Graham may seem to be the one who doesn't belong, but part of my emphasis is to demonstrate how she does fit into this study. Her poetry, as is Cummings' and Apollinaire's, is as visual as it is audible. …

The Predictive Validity Of The Teacher Perceiver Interview In Selecting Effective Elementary Teachers In A Mid-Sized Midwestern School District, Richard John Buresh

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to collect and analyze various data to determine the effectiveness of the Teacher Perceiver Interview (TPI) as a tool to assist administrators in selecting elementary teachers in a mid-sized midwestern public school district. Eight research questions asked whether there were differences (1) among TPI scores assigned by various administrators who conducted and scored the interviews, (2) between TPI scores of applicants hired and not hired, and (3) in the mean TPI scores for all applicants during the time period included in the study as well as whether there were relationships (4) between TPI scores …

Distance Learning In The Pitman School District: A Window On The World, Marsha K. Hahn

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand how a well-developed procedure to facilitate the use of distance learning technology would impact teaching practice and student achievement at Pitman High School. As part of the action research, the intern conducted a survey using a questionnaire that employed a Likert-type format. The population for the study consisted of a sample of the teaching staff from Pitman Schools representing an elementary school, middle and high school. Each of these schools had distance learning technology available. The intern analyzed the results of the survey, and computed the mean response to each question for …

Parental Involvement As A Tool To Lower Repeat Suspension Offenses, Steven W. Price

Theses and Dissertations

Parental involvement in education has been sought after for decades. The purpose of this study was to involve parents in the discipline process and thereby reduce repeat discipline offense. The intern offered the opportunity for involvement to the parents of tenth grade students who received their first out-of-school suspension. The study took place during the first semester of the 2002- 2003 school year. Parents were asked to participate in this study by answering a short survey and by discussing the incident with their child at home.

The sample population included all of the tenth grade students. A limited sample included …

Assessing Classification Confidence Using A Weighted Exponential Based Technique With The Learn++ Incremental Learning Algorithm, Jeffrey T. Byorick

Theses and Dissertations

Pattern recognition problems span a broad range of applications, where each application has its own tolerance on classification error. The varying levels of risk associated with many pattern recognition applications indicate the need for a versatile algorithm with the ability to measure its own reliability. In this work, the supervised incremental learning algorithm Learn++ [1, 2], which exploits the synergistic power of an ensemble of classifiers, is further developed to add the capability of assessing its own confidence. Estimation of the true generalization performance of the classifier as well as the confidences on classification of individual data instances is investigated …

Ontology-Based Extraction Of Rdf Data From The World Wide Web, Timothy Adam Chartrand

Theses and Dissertations

The simplicity and proliferation of the World Wide Web (WWW) has taken the availability of information to an unprecedented level. The next generation of the Web, the Semantic Web, seeks to make information more usable by machines by introducing a more rigorous structure based on ontologies. One hinderance to the Semantic Web is the lack of existing semantically marked-up data. Until there is a critical mass of Semantic Web data, few people will develop and use Semantic Web applications. This project helps promote the Semantic Web by providing content. We apply existing information-extraction techniques, in particular, the BYU ontologybased data-extraction …

Deception Detection In A Computer-Mediated Environment: Gender, Trust, And Training Issues, Monica A. Dziubinski

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense is increasingly relying on computer-mediated communications to conduct business. This reliance introduces an amplified vulnerability to strategic information manipulation, or deception. This research draws on communication and deception literature to develop a conceptual model proposing relationships between deception detection abilities in a computer-mediated environment, gender, trust, and training. An experiment was conducted with 119 communications personnel to test the proposed hypotheses. No relationship between gender or trust and deception detection accuracy was found. Partial support was found showing that training improves deception detection accuracy. The most significant finding was that individual’s deception detection abilities deteriorate in …

Multimission Aircraft Design Study, Payload, Ahmet Kahraman

Theses and Dissertations

It is proposed that a Multi-Mission Aircraft (MMA) be prepared to combine some or all the functions of the aging AWACS, JSTARS, RIVET JOINT, COMPASS CALL, and AECCC fleet. Three different thesis studies have been developed by three Air Force Institute of Technology GSE students to show the feasibility of replacing the current aging fleet with one or more MMA platforms. This is the thesis in which the payload issuer have been examined. Within this thesis, two different alternative architectures, which are One Tail Number and Different Tail Numbers including nine different configurations, have been considered. Estimated payload characteristics of …

Multimission Aircraft Design Study-Operational Scenarios, Nevin Coskuner

Theses and Dissertations

In the most recent years, the Command, Control and Communications, Counter Measures, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C3CMISR) aircrafts are used commonly in many NATO and UN Operations around the world. These aircrafts are AWACS, JSTARS, Rivet Joint, Compass Call and ABCCC. They provide close air support in the name of airborne surveillance, ground moving target surveillance, target reconnaissance, jamming, and command, control and communications issues in operational environments. Those aircrafts are tasked with a wide variety of missions than ever before in operational theaters and each one of them comprises a specific amount of cost and risk factors. As a …

Visualization Of Career-Related Computer-Mediated Communication For Increased Knowledge Management, Marc A. Grayson

Theses and Dissertations

Retention and retrieval of organizational memory has been the concentration of many conceptualized models of an organizational memory information system (OMIS). This thesis presents an extended view for system development of an OMIS from a knowledge management perspective. The United States Air Force maintains various career-related mailing lists (listservs) for information technology (IT) specialists sponsored by the Air Force Communications Agency (AFCA). AFCA has realized the importance of monitoring the communication for patterns in content and behavior. This thesis details an experimental study, which includes a repository of computer-mediated communication (CMC) of IT specialists, analyzed by software created for this …

Training Effects On Judgment Accuracy In A Computer-Mediated Environment, Mark M. Lankowski

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force (AF) has named Information Superiority the core competency "upon which all the other core competencies rely". In order to achieve Information Superiority, deceptive communication must be minimized. According to researchers, deception occurs when communicators control the information contained in their messages to convey a meaning that departs from the truth. This research draws on Biros, George, and Zmuds' (2002) deception research model to determine if training to detect deception will improve a person's deception detection performance in a computer-mediated environment. A longitudinal experiment was conducted with AF participants (N=119) where three separate training plans were …