Digital Commons Network^™

Should You Judge A Book By Its Cover? The Authentic Relationship Between Religion And The Stage In Fiddler On The Roof, Godspell, And The Book Of Mormon, Patricia H. Oliver

Theses and Dissertations

Theatre and religion have often found themselves at opposing spectrums since Thespis stepped out from the chorus. This conflict usually plays out in the audience's response to what is presented on the stage. Fiddler on the Roof relies on the tradition and values of the Jewish faith to create an authentic experience for the audience. Godspell is based on the parables, mostly from the Gospel of St. Matthew. Some people have an issue with the fact that the musical doesn't have a resurrection, but Tebelak and Schwartz meant the play to reflect joy and community. Experiencing The Book of Mormon …

It's A Drag: Finding The Divine In Drag Performance, Richard Andrew Curtiss

Theses and Dissertations

For over the thirty years, drag performance has been examined for its utility to subvert or reinforce traditional gender roles. Many of these examinations have focused on performances that emphasize subversion and separated drag into two categories: the progressive drag that subverts, and the regressive drag that reinforces. While this approach has provided a wealth of understanding about drag performance and gender roles, drag can be examined without separating its subverting/reinforcing aspects. If drag is seen as the consideration of a given gender performing the not given gender, then another consideration can be made to the subverting performing the reinforcing. …

Predicting Academic Success Among Mexican American Learners, Kattie A. Guerrero

Theses and Dissertations

The number of Hispanic students being enrolled in schools have doubled throughout the years. Especially in the Rio Grande Valley where the majority of the population are Mexican American. Previous studies have looked into the risk factors associated with academic failure, but they hardly look into factors that lead to a child’s school success. This study will investigate what contributes to a child’s academic success. The sample of the study was 115 students, grades 5th to 7th grade, all classified as Hispanic. The findings will state a) what variables were significantly correlated to each other b) what variables differed by …

An Autoethnographic Exploration Of The Professional And The Person: A Life's Journey Of A Hispanic Superintendent In South Texas, Gonzalo Salazar

Theses and Dissertations

Leadership effectiveness is often defined in terms of, a leader’s ability to motivate followers towards a collective goal, mission or vision (Knippenberg, Knippenberg, Cremer & Hogg, 2004). However, a leaders’ understanding of their own identity; how education, culture, upbringing, values and morals helped shape the self (Leary, & Tangney, 2002; Anzaldua, 2015; and Guajardo & Guajardo, 2017) and how the leader functions as a contributing member of the organization (Knippenberg & Hogg, 2003) is critically important.

Demographers have long held that by the year 2050, our nation will be increasingly more diverse and that there will be no racial or …

Speech-Language Pathologist's Perspectives On The Efficacy Of Bilingual Education Programs In South Texas Public Schools For English As A Second Language Learners, Alexandra Rosas

Theses and Dissertations

Current research in regard to the assessment and treatment of ESLs is limited. Other problems found within the school setting, is that fact that SLPs have very limited resources and large caseloads. Hence, the fact that previous studies have found that SLPS working the school setting do not feel competent in serving ESL students.

The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of bilingual programs and explore the factors that impact English as a second language learners (ESLs), in public schools across the Rio Grande Valley. School based speech-language pathologists were surveyed for information concerning their perceptions and …

The Effects Of Dance Therapy On Voice In Patients With Parkinson's Disease In A Multicultural Population, Ivon N. Ramirez

Theses and Dissertations

Current literature suggests that dance therapy in individuals with Parkinson’s disease shows noticeable improvement in motor functions, for example gait and balance improvement. Additionally, patients with Parkinson’s disease who participate in dance therapy may perceive positive benefits on their quality of life. Therefore, it is believed that increases in core support and improvements in posture, as a result of dance therapy, will have effects on the voice in patients with PD.

This thesis pulls from literature supporting treatment approaches in the field of speech-language pathology for voice patients with Parkinson’s disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the …

Every Rose Has It S Thorn: A Feminist Critique Of How The Bachelor Communicates Ideal Femininity, Katy Biddle

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the messages ABC’s The Bachelor sends about ideal femininity. Specifically, the first and twentieth seasons were analyzed through a liberal feminist lens to determine if the women on The Bachelor aligned with stereotypical representations of women in media. I focused my attention on the women who progressed to the final three within the competition and the women who were depicted as the villains within the series. Then, I compared the first season’s portrayal of the contestants with the twentieth season’s portrayal. The three themes that were uncovered were sexuality, confidence, and “ladylike” behaviors. Ultimately, I argue that …

Preparing For College: The Effects Of High School Speech Experience On Critical Thinking, Information Literacy, Communication Apprehension, And College Preparedness, Brian M. Rohman

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of the college-level basic communication course are well documented. However, a stand-alone, high school communication course is becoming a rare sight across the United States. This study seeks to examine educational outcomes of learning communication skills at the high school level on college freshman. Students enrolled in a college-level basic communication course were surveyed on factors such as critical thinking, information literacy, fake news identification, communication apprehension, and preparedness for college through speech preparation as well as grit. While few significant findings were found, implications for the study of communication at the high school level are examined.

Konstruimi I Muzeut Të Kosovës, Blerina Demaku

Theses and Dissertations

Ndërtesa monumentale "Muzeu i Kosovës" gjendet në zonën e ngushtë historike të qytetit të Prishtinës në rrugën “Ibrahim Lutfiu” dhe është ndërtuar rreth viteve 1885/86. Objekti është ndërtuar nga Austro - Hungaria për nevojat e ushtrisë turke. Deri në vitin 1975 objekti ka qenë seli e komandës ushtarake gjatë regjimit të ish RSFJ për regjionin e Prishtinës. Në oborrin e saj ka ekzistuar edhe Sahat Kulla e Vjetër. Prej vitit 1980 objekti shfrytëzohet si Muze i Kosovës. Planimetria e ndërtesës është drejtkëndëshe në etazhe: B+P+2+NK dhe është e ndërtuar me materiale ndërtimore si gurë, tulla, dru e mermer. Kulmi është …

Tya Adaptations For The Theatre Educator, Laura Ashley Butler

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last century, adaptations in the field of Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) have been the subject of some debate. While adaptations are currently the most produced type of play by children’s theatre companies and professional theatre organizations, original TYA scripts are the ones that receive the majority of the praise and acclaim, In addition, theatre educators throughout the United States struggle to produce quality plays with the limited funds they have been allotted. This paper serves multiple purposes. It aims to give theatre educators the tools they need to overcome the stigmatized opinions of adapted works. Additionally, it …

Using Narrative Distance To Create Transformative Learning Experiences, Stephan D. Taeger

Theses and Dissertations

This multi-article dissertation focuses on the role of narrative distance in instructional design. Narrative distance is defined œas the cognitive or emotional space afforded by indirect communication that invites listeners to make sense of content (Taeger, 2018, p. 6). Whereas fields associated with the arts have long used the indirect nature of story to create powerful experiences, instructional design has not examined how this aspect of narrative might be used in instruction. The first article in this dissertation explores the literature related to narrative distance and how designing for this phenomenon meets many of Wilson and Parrishs (2011) key indicators …

The Readers Constructed By Shakespeare Anthologies And Pedagogical Scholarship, Andrea Berns

Theses and Dissertations

In my graduate thesis, I determine that modern Shakespeare anthologies provide features for an audience with specific learning needs that may not be representative of the students currently enrolled in undergraduate classrooms who are reading these anthologies. On the other hand, scholars of Shakespeare pedagogy also depict readers with certain learning needs their research, the results of which may have been influenced by bias and, therefore, also may not be representative of the “real” reader of Shakespeare. To determine where the two “constructed” readers depicted in modern Shakespeare anthologies and in pedagogical research overlap and where they diverge, I will …

The Queen Of Aquatics:The 1849 Display Of The Victoria Regia Water Lily As Imperial Theatre, Katie Maurine Jarvis

Theses and Dissertations

The Victoria regia was discovered in British Guiana in 1837, and for over ten years explorers and scientists tried different methods to transport viable seeds back to England. When the seeds were finally on British soil, no one could grow them successfully except Joseph Paxton, the head gardener for the Duke of Devonshire. Paxton built a special glass house at Chatsworth estate to mimic the tropical climate the Amazonian lily required, and created an innovative tank that was heated with coal and fitted with an apparatus to gently keep the water moving, replicating freshwater rivers. The œvegetable wonder, as it …

Just A Paper Moon: A Naturalist Reading Of A Streetcar Named Desire, Daniel Alexander Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Tennessee Williams’ work A Streetcar Named Desire presents a complicated but rich text that does not fit in smoothly to any category of literature. I argue that while this complexity and difficulty of placement is true, the text is best seen through the lens of Naturalism due to the determined lives of the main characters, their attempts to escape these determined lives, and the tragic endings of these characters because of said attempts. This theory is explored in this thesis primarily through an analysis of the main characters of Blanche DuBois, Harold "Mitch" Mitchell, Stanley Kowalski, and Stella Kowalski. This …

The Cycles Of Trauma In Eugene O’Neill’S Long Day’S Journey Into Night, Alvin Alexis Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Long Day’s Journey into Night is Eugene O’Neill’s attempt to come to terms with the pain he suffered as a member of a family that battles with drugs, hostility, and a lack of understanding for each other. My thesis pairs the playwright, Eugene O’Neill, who valued the importance of an individual’s story, with the psychoanalyst, Sigmund Freud, who created a discourse that studies human relationships and our basic instincts. My thesis begins by diagnosing the traumas the Tyrone family members have experienced, and then develops into a study of human emotions and behavior under conditions that threaten freedom and life. …

From Text To Screenplay (Gendering The Nation In Mariam Naoum's Literary Adaptations), May Serhan

Theses and Dissertations

Mariam Naoum's literary adaptations to television in the aftermath of the 2011 Egyptian uprising have carried wide cultural, political and literary implications, especially where the "woman question" is concerned. With Islamism and militarism both threatening to exclude a wide sector of women from the historical narrative of the uprising and the subsequent nation-building process, and with a male-dominated literary establishment that systematically relegates women to secondary roles, Naoum's writing re-affirmed gendered agency both on the level of social engagement and authorship. Chapter one of the thesis provides the theoretical framework and historical backdrop necessary for understanding how female writing can …

Using A Culturally Responsive Approach To Shared Reading, Elizabeth A. Procida

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to investigate and document changes in the motivation and engagement of basic skills students. The specific goal was to determine whether or not the replacement of purchased traditional intervention texts with authentic multicultural texts affected motivation in a basic skills classroom.

The intervention group of students during enrichment period demonstrated motivation to read and enhanced the way they saw themselves as readers. There was a renewed interest in literacy when experienced as an active activity. The implications discussed were for a culturally responsive shared reading environment.

How Do Students Structure Their Silent Reading When Situated In Inquiry Based Pedagogy?, Michelle Cohen

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document the engagement levels and classroom discussions students have after reading their independent reading novel. The specific aim was to see how students respond using their independent reading books when class discussions are centered around an essential question. Classroom reading behaviors, student-led classroom discussions, interviews, and exit tickets were analyzed. The students were engaged as active readers when reading their chosen silent reading book to find the answer to an essential question. After, the students engaged in meaningful conversations using their silent reading books as guides before some students offered personal responses while …

A Qualitative Study On The Effects Of Second Grade Students Forming Partnerships With Their Teacher And Peers To Set Reading Goals, Sandra L. Shevlin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study is for second grade students to form a partnership with their teacher and peers to set reading goals. One goal of the study is to examine how forming partnerships with peers and the teacher helps students better understand themselves as readers. Another goal is to investigate how the created partnerships motivate students to set reading goals independently. A variety of data was collected and analyzed, including notes, observations, student conversations, and charts reported in a teacher research journal, along with the pre and post assessment data, such as the Reading Attitude Survey, student written …

Long Vacation In Bk, Doll Chao

Theses and Dissertations

The diary of a transcontinental search for self and place, a journey through obtuse politics, cultural oppression, and loneliness - this film is the document of a lost generation of Taiwanese youth and its conflict with China, swirling in a transpacific gyre of sound, image, and text.

Strategy Group Differentiation: The Effect On Literacy Development Of Accuracy, Fluency, And Comprehension, Megan Deweese

Theses and Dissertations

The problem of practice described in this paper was identified from the varying reading levels of first-grade students and the difficulty faced by teachers to meet the literacy needs of individual students within a diverse classroom. The identified problem guided the researcher to the following research question: what effect does strategy group differentiation during literacy have on accuracy, fluency, and comprehension development? The purpose of the current study is to determine if strategy group differentiation influences the academic success of students in the literacy elements of accuracy, fluency, and comprehension. Through action research studies, teachers can study their own classrooms …

Mother Knows Better: The Donna Reed Show, The Feminine Mystique And The Rise Of The Modern Maternal Feminist Movement, Anne M. Newton

Theses and Dissertations

In 1958, actress Donna Reed formed her own production company to create The Donna Reed Show, which ran successfully until 1966. One of only two female television producers working in Hollywood, Reed’s show foreshadowed much of the discontent illustrated in Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. The series explored Donna’s frustrations with housework, her interest in professional activities outside the home, and her determination to be an equal in her marriage. However, The Donna Reed Show also diverged from Friedan on key issues by elevating the housewife and establishing her moral authority, thus foreshadowing more conservative “maternal” feminism as …

Visual Art Communities Of Practice: Cultivating Support For Beginning Visual Art Teachers, Kristin Vanderlip Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Visual art teachers, from beginning to veteran, often report experiencing feelings of professional isolation and a desire for content-specific support and collaborative professional learning experiences. Mentoring and Induction Programs (IPs) offered by schools and districts continue to fall short of meeting the needs of beginning visual art teachers in particular. There are a large number of visual art teachers in the state of California, especially in Los Angeles County, yet there are no visual art specific support networks for beginning visual art teachers to help them navigate their first years teaching. Collaborative learning groups, such as communities of practice (CoP), …

The Theory, Process, And Outcomes Of Culturally Adapted Psychotherapy And Psychosocial Interventions, Caitlin Sorenson

Theses and Dissertations

Massive demographic changes have coincided with rise of the importance of evidence-based treatment among the health sciences and widespread awareness of the failure of psychology to address and serve the mental health needs of historically underrepresented groups. Researchers, theorists, and clinicians demand that empirically supported treatments be adapted to better address and better "fit" clinical needs. Based on existing approaches in the literature, this dissertation presents a four-part model of cultural adaptation of psychological interventions and reviews 101 current culturally adapted empirically supported treatments through the lens of this model. The dissertation project comprehensively describes the current state of the …

Emotional Precipitants Of Withdrawing Behavior In Couple Interactions, Jason Cencirulo

Theses and Dissertations

The demand-withdraw pattern of communication -- a cyclical pattern of interaction in which criticism and emotional or physical exit predominate -- is common amongst couples in distress and is linked to a number of deleterious health and relational outcomes. Inherent in the pattern are individual and dyadic difficulties regulating emotion that contribute to the process of polarization between demanding and withdrawing parties. While numerous therapeutic modalities target the pattern and attempt to facilitate its reduction through a focus on emotions underlying the pattern, few -- if any -- studies have examined the exact nature and quality of emotions that precipitate …

Marketing Plan For Columbus State University, Kaylyn Cockrell

Theses and Dissertations

Marketing is an important tool for capturing customers and sales in business, and it’s equally as important to an institution like Columbus State University (CSU) aiming to capture student customers. The development of a marketing plan through extensive research and planning will contribute to the success of all involved marketing efforts. This marketing plan will include all the standard essential elements: business mission statement, situation (SWOT) analysis, objectives, marketing strategy, implementation, and evaluation control. For the mission statement, the current statement from the 2018-2023 Strategic Plan will be used. The situation analysis will include looking at the current strengths, weakness, …

Translucent Voices: Creating Sound Pedagogy And Safe Spaces For Transgender Singers In The Choral Rehearsal, Gerald Dorsey Gurss

Theses and Dissertations

While transgender rights and issues are gaining an increasing amount of attention in both pop culture and, to some extent, in the education sector, little information is available for the choral conductor that provides pedagogical tools for transitioning voices. This document provides conductor-educators with both a brief look at the transgender experience and also tools to create safe learning environments, from gender-inclusive language to vocal exercises to encourage healthy vocal transitions in transgender singers

Twenty-first century choruses are not the first institutions in the realm of Western art music that have faced visual, aural, and enigmatic conceptualizations of gender and …

Backcountry Robbers, River Pirates, And Brawling Boatmen: Transnational Banditry In Antebellum U.S. Frontier Literature, Samuel M. Lackey

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation argues that in the midst of an uncertain but formative period of continental expansion, a revolutionary brand of popular crime fiction appeared and flourished in the pages of cheap periodicals and paperback novels. It consisted of conventional adventure romances and pulpy proto-dime novels that focused on frontier violence and backwoods criminals. Often popular in their day but quickly forgotten, these texts have been given short shrift by scholars and critics due to their shoddiness or ostensibly minor role in literary history. I contend that this obscure brand of crime fiction in fact has much to offer in the …

South Carolina Preschool Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences Implementing Critical Literacy In The Preschool Classroom, Rebecca Weissman

Theses and Dissertations

Critical literacy situated within a critical theoretical and pedagogical paradigm focuses specifically on exploring the sociopolitical implications of texts and challenging information rather than taking it at face value. The present study constitutes a case study that describes the perceptions and experiences of seven preschool teachers who employ critical literacy in their early childhood classroom and how their pedagogy fits within the existing themes seen in the early childhood literature. Specifically, this case study is an instrumental collective study, consisting of in-depth interviews. Through qualitative analysis of these interviews a variety of specific pedagogical methods for implementing critical literacy are …

Delphine Ugalde: Defying Gender Norms Both On And Off The Stage In 19th Century Paris, Michael T. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The social and professional networks that grew out of Paris’ vibrant theatrical and salon culture in the late 19th century supported a number of female artists in somewhat “non-traditional” roles. While the careers and influence of artists such as the sculptor Hélène Bertaux and singer-composer Pauline Viardot have been thoroughly researched in recent years, little attention has been paid to the life and work of the coloratura soprano, actor, pedagogue, and composer Delphine Ugalde. During her performing career, Ugalde was highly regarded for her ability to portray both male and female characters. After retiring from the stage, she engaged in …