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Mapping Reward Values To Cues, Locations, And Objects: The Influence Of Reward Associations On Visual Attention, Constanza De Dios

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous work has attempted to fit reward-driven attentional selection as being exogenous (stimulus-driven) or endogenous (goal-driven). However, recent work suggests that reward’s effects on attention depend on the type of stimulus feature that the motivational information is imparted during learning (incentive salience). If true, then reward should not be limited to solely impacting early perceptual or late categorization processes attention. The current study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to test the idea that reward’s effects on attention depend on the process that the reward information is embedded – early perceptual or late categorization. Results demonstrated reward-driven effects on perceptual representation when …

Cultivating Educators’ Critical Consciousness Of Learning And Language Needs In Emergent Bilinguals, Alta Joy Broughton

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study reports the application of the Cultivating Critical Consciousness in Educators (CCCE) model for the collective cases of instructional coaching in one school. Overall, this conceptual model informed the coaching model, data collection, and data analysis by integrating three interacting concepts; 1) conscientização, the process of developing critical consciousness, (Carlson, Engebretson, & Chamberlain, 2005; Freire, 1970; King, 1991), 2) knowledge and practice as interdependent and interactive domains for cultivating teacher growth (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999), and 3) tenants of culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogies summarized in three complementary strands: the Self, the Other, and the sociopolitical dimensions. Two …

Abelard's Affective Intentionalism, Lillian M. King

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The work contained within this dissertation is a textual exegesis of Abelard’s ethics. The goal is to elucidate Abelard’s sort of intentionalism given his use of “intention” within his wider corpus, the grammatical and syntactical patterns in his prose, and Abelard’s own interests, biography, and situation as a twelfth-century monastic figure. As a result, this project should be understood as a history of philosophy dissertation. I am not attempting to build upon Abelard’s ideas but to clarify them. This is not to say that building upon Abelard’s ideas is not a worthwhile project. It is merely to say that doing …

Queer Authority In Old And Middle English Literature, Elan J. Pavlinich

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I argue that select early English texts queer normative authorizing conventions to authorize Old English and Middle English literatures. During the European Middle Ages, Latin cultures and literatures were privileged with authority that extended to and subverted the cultural capital of the inhabitants of England at the edge of the known Western world. I identify four exceptional English texts that employ authorizing conventions to disrupt normative networks of power that traditionally privilege Latin and to authorize English literature instead. The Norman Conquest had altered the English language and social structures; still, these altered networks of power continued to marginalize English …

Optimizing Early Intervention For Preschoolers' Vocabulary Development, Lindsey A. Peters-Sanders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Preschool is a critical time in children’s oral language and pre-literacy skill development, but this development varies greatly among children. Those with smaller vocabularies are at greater risk for developing future language and reading difficulties that persist throughout their education. Because vocabulary knowledge is essential for later reading success, early instruction in preschool is key. To better understand how to enhance preschoolers’ word learning, the current dissertation contains three studies that examined the benefits of explicit vocabulary instruction and identified the factors that best facilitated vocabulary learning among a diverse group of young children. To aid in the early identification …

Occupation And Displacement Of Palestinian Multilinguals: Language Emotional Perception, Language Practice, And Language Experiences In Palestine And In The Diaspora, Anastasia Khawaja

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the emotional perceptions, language practices, and language experiences of Palestinian multilinguals in Palestine, and the more under-studied population in the diaspora - focusing on Arabic, English, and Hebrew. A total of 47 participants filled out the adapted Bilingual Emotional Questionnaire (Dewaele & Pavlenko, 2001-2003) in order to compare and contrast positive and negative emotional perception of participant reported languages via a Likert scale, and overall language practices and experiences via open-ended questions. Several independent sample t-tests were run by location of participants in order to determine significant differences in emotional perception, and a thematic analysis was run …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of A Student Trajectory Enhancement Program (Step Up) On High School Performance, Odalys G. Pritchard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Student Trajectory Enhancement Program (STEP UP) was launched in 2014 by Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) as a six-week summer program that targeted over-age, retained, potentially under-achieving students completing the sixth grade. The purpose of this study was to conduct a summative evaluation of the effectiveness of the STEP UP program in keeping program participants “on track” for high school graduation and to determine if the intended goals of the program were realized.

STEP UP was developed in response to compelling data that there is an unacceptably high number of overage students in middle school in HCPS. STEP UP …

No One Wants To Read What You Write: A Contextualized Analysis Of Service Course Assignments, Tanya P. Zarlengo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation takes a systematic approach to answering the question of what services course assignment should accomplish in curricula by looking at the assignment from a contextual perspective that takes into consideration the programmatic factors in which the assignment circulates. The dissertation accomplishes this work by studying curricular artifacts, to include course syllabi and assignment descriptions, as well as textbooks. Additionally, interviews with program administrators and textbook authors are analyzed. The results of this analysis posit a programmatic network that visualizes connections between program, course, and staffing administrative factors with assignments as the nexus of the network. This dissertation illustrates …

Risk And Resilience Pertaining To Mental Health Of Youth Attending A College In Kathmandu Who Were Exposed To The 2015 Earthquakes During Their Adolescence: A Mixed Method Study, Vinita Sharma

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: Adverse mental health outcomes have been previously reported among survivors of natural disasters. Available studies mostly focus on risk factors and not resilience. In 2015, a series of earthquakes caused massive loss of lives and livelihood in Nepal. Epidemiological data pertaining to youth mental health in Nepal is limited. Information about the post-earthquake mental health of youth who were exposed to earthquakes during their adolescence in Nepal is scarce.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to address risk and resilience factors related to mental health among college-attending Nepali youth (18-20 years) exposed to the 2015 earthquake during their …

“It’S A Broken System That’S Designed To Destroy”: A Critical Narrative Analysis Of Healthcare Providers’ Stories About Race, Reproductive Health, And Policy, Brianna Rae Cusanno

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Constructions of race, reproductive health, and gender have been inextricably linked in the United States since the beginning of the nation. Today, these linkages remain evident in the marked racial and gender inequities in reproductive health outcomes that persist in the U.S. To better understand how these meanings and material outcomes are negotiated and produced by actors on the ground, this study asked: “How do reproductive healthcare providers (RHPs) communicate about the intersections of race, reproductive health, and policy?” I conducted semi- structures interviews with 24 RHPs, resulting in over 35 hours of recorded interviews. Drawing on critical-cultural communication, Reproductive …

Linking Trait-Based Influences With Proximal, Contextually Driven Processes To Understand The Relationship Between Alcohol Use And Risk Behavior, Patrick M. Logan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Impulsivity-related traits explain a significant and meaningful level of variance in the prediction of drinking behavior. Previous research has demonstrated that although risk taking propensity has been conceptualized as a "trait-like" construct, there are contextual and situational factors that affect an individual's likelihood of engaging in risk taking behavior, including drinking behavior. Despite the well-established relationship between alcohol use and risk behavior (e.g., risky sexual behavior, physical assault, etc.), it is unclear how alcohol-related context influences risk taking on a computerized behavioral task. Grounded in alcohol expectancy theory (which holds that information processing about the rewarding effects of alcohol mediates …

Linking Sleep And Aggression: The Role Of Response Inhibition And Emotional Processing, Melanie L. Bozzay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although shorter sleep duration is theorized to increase the risk of engaging in aggressive behavior, experimental studies examining this relationship yield conflicting findings. Since sleep serves in part to regulate the functioning of prefrontal brain regions, insufficient sleep may deleteriously impact the individual’s ability to inhibit rash action and alter emotional processing, which could in turn increase aggressive tendencies. However, no studies have examined the extent to which naturally occurring insufficient sleep is linked to aggression or potential mechanisms of this relationship, limiting understanding of and the generalizability of extant findings. Thus, the present study examined whether cognitive (deficits in …

International Teaching Assistants’ Perceptions Of English And Spanish Language Use At The University Of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, Edward G. Contreras Santiago

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Globalization and sociopolitical factors impact migration patterns all over the world. In Puerto Rico, these factors created superdiverse environments where languages users have pushed the boundaries of language in order to make sense of their worlds. Even though this language dynamic is natural for locals, it is those who visit from different countries, specifically international graduate students, that have a difficult time adjusting to Puerto Rico’s rich use of English and Spanish. Understanding how international graduate students perceive the language used at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (UPRM) upon arrival is essential to provide a better experience for future …

Measuring And Understanding Food Accessibility In The Tampa Bay Area, Bailey I. Glover

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the Tampa Bay region, increasing population and changing demographics have begun to alter the characteristics of established neighborhoods. An increase in suburban growth has triggered a shift in the location and profitability of food establishments in socially disadvantaged neighborhoods. Supermarket closures have garnered attention from public health officials who are concerned with the overall availability of fresh food throughout Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Unfortunately, there has been little research surrounding the quality of food sold at establishments in both the Tampa Bay region and abroad. Instead, many geographic studies have chosen to group both fresh and prepared food establishments …

Womenpreneurs In A Digital Environment: Utilizing Instagram To Build A Personal Brand, Michelle N. Nuñez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Personal branding on social media is a growing and expanding field. The present research works to uncover the processes and practices of womenpreneurs and the ways in which they utilize social media, specifically Instagram, to build and maintain their personal brands. Grounded theory is used to underpin the research and provide a basis of which the study is conducted. The review of literature provides the context necessary to support the methods of a content analysis and semi-structured interviews. There is a gap in research as it pertains to the conceptualization of personal branding practices on Instagram and the present study …

The Role Of Social Media Journalists In Tv News:Their Effects On The Profession And Identity Of Tv Journalism, The Quality Of News, And Theaudience Engagement, Yousuf Humiad Al Yousufi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spurred by the rapid influence of social media in the news industry, an increased number of TV news stations have started assigning dedicated social media journalists (SMJ) in newsrooms to monitor, gather, verify, share news, and engage with audiences on the streams of social media. Consequently, drawing on the diffusion of innovation theory, the present study probes into TV journalists’ perceptions of the implications of the role of this new type of TV professionals in the identity and profession of journalism, the quality of news pertaining to the verification of misinformation, and the news audiences’ attractions and viewership by capitalizing …

"Roll" Models: Fat Sexuality And Its Representations In Pornographic Imagery, Leah Marie Turner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to use specific fat pornographic imagery as a means to help us understand fat tropes and fetishization. The goal is to use our understandings of masculinity and race within fatness to create a possible launching point for further study within the field of fat sexuality studies. My rationale for writing such a paper is because fat sexuality studies is a field which has very little content, but potential for incredible scholarship which can impact not only our understandings of fat bodies, but of all bodies. The method for this thesis involves looking at specific …

Bridging The Achievement Gap: Promoting Equity In Teachers' Use Of Behavior-Specific Praise With Self-Monitoring And Performance Feedback, Ashley E. Knochel

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disparities in academic and social outcomes for ethnically diverse students in educational settings has been identified in the literature as the achievement gap. This study examined the impact of teacher training interventions on establishing equity in teacher implementation of a common positive behavior classroom support strategy, behavior-specific praise in four elementary classrooms. Teacher self-monitoring and written performance feedback were used to facilitate teachers to improve classroom practices by establishing proportionate praise and discipline practices across racially diverse students. A multiple-baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the impact of self-monitoring and written performance feedback with and without equity-focused procedures …

Eating In America: Easing The Transition For Resettled Refugees Through An Applied Anthropological Intervention, Emily A. Holbrook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Refugees resettled in the United States are expected to quickly become self-sufficient members of society despite the numerous challenges they face due to adaptation and integration into new systems and ways of life. Issues with dietary and nutritional adaptation persist for resettled refugee communities in the United States and are not prioritized by national, state, or local policy and practice. This research aimed to help mitigate problems with food assistance benefits and healthy eating issues faced by resettled refugees in Hillsborough County through an applied intervention in local English as a Second Language (ESOL) classes. ESOL materials designed to teach …

The Effect Of Narrative Language Intervention On The Language Skills Of Children With Hearing Loss, Stephanie M. Raymond

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with hearing loss have limited auditory access to their native language and struggle to develop appropriate language skills. These children consistently demonstrate less complex oral language output, smaller vocabulary inventories, and delays in overall communicative proficiency. With the extensive implications hearing loss has on language development, a child with hearing loss requires immediate access to appropriate and effective intervention to address deficits and curb long-term language delays. However, there is a paucity of research investigating the effects of various language intervention programs with children with hearing loss. Much of the existing research focuses on the consequences of a selected …

Promoting L2 Idiomatic Competence Among Chinese College Students Via Wechat, Zhengjie Li

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many second language (L2) scholars acknowledge that L2 idioms play a critical role in reading development as well as in communicative competence for L2 learners (Arnaud & Savignon, 1997; Barfield & Gyllstad, 2009; Conklin & Schmitt, 2008; Howarth, 1998; Liontas, 2017; Littlemore, Chen, Koester, & Barnden, 2011). Echoing the current trends of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), much research has been done to underscore how L2 idiom learning can be infused with instructional technologies to promote L2 learners’ idiomatic competence (see Luk & Ng, 1998; Nakata, 2011; Yang & Xie, 2013). However, what remains underexplored is the ways that L2 …

Increasing Engagement And Academic Performance Of Children With Autism Spectrumdisorder And Attention Difficulties: Do Fidget Spinners Help?, Melanie Byrne B.S.

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with varying exceptionalities including ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other learning disabilities often struggle with attention deficits. The persistence of alternative non-behavioral approaches in classrooms to address this deficit presents the need for more research and education about these interventions. Specifically, the fidget spinner is a newer intervention which currently has no empirical evidence to support its use in the classroom setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of fidget spinners on increasing engagement and academic comprehension in a whole classroom environment. A multiple baseline across participants design was used with six children with varying …

Play Behaviors In Latino Dual Language Learners: The Relationship Between Maternal Characteristics And Classroom Peer Play, Olivia Hernandez Gonzalez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In Head Start, 28.8% of the children enrolled are Dual Language Learners (DLLs), and 84.4% of those speak Spanish as their home language. However, there are limited studies involving DLLs. Using the Ecological Model of Human Development framework with current revisions with culture as part of the microsystem (Bronfenbrenner, 1994; Vélez-Agosto et al., 2017), the current study aimed to identify maternal level factors that may relate to Latinos' classroom peer play while controlling for classroom quality. Forty-five Latino DLL children attending Head Start, their mothers, and their teachers participated in the study. Head Start administrators provided their most recent vocabulary …

The Humanitarian Gaze And The Spectatorial Nature Of Sympathy, Michelle Assaad

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ansel Adams, one of the world’s great photographers, once said, “There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.” This thesis will explore the relationship of the photographer, the viewer, and the photographed subject in the context of humanitarian photography, which has historically internalized a specific balance of power between the worlds of the photographer, viewer, and subject. By examining this tangible expression of the internalized world, this thesis is also performing a critical examination of humanitarianism itself with the intent of improving humanitarian practices and interior worlds. In examining these topics, this thesis will answer …

Rethinking Map Literacy And An Analysis Of Quantitative Map Literacy, Ming Xie

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Maps are increasingly being used in traditional and virtual media, and civic discourse on political, social, and environmental issues, among others, is more and more becoming influenced by them. The often-used expression of a “picture tells a 1000 words” has never been so apt in our progressively more visual world. Despite this increased role and importance of maps, map literacy, as a field of research, remains rather underdeveloped. This is especially so for thematic maps, the very type of map that is finding increasing currency in discourse. As part of this under-developed nature of map literacy, the quantitative skills used …

An Examination Of The Roles Of Classroom Quality And Approaches To Learning On The Early Academic Skills Of Latino Dual Language Learners Enrolled In Head Start, Marcela A. Galicia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examined the relationship between classroom quality, approaches-to-learning, and early academic skills among 384 Latino dual language learners (DLLs) enrolled in Florida Head Start programs. The children were living in low-income homes where Spanish was the primary language spoken by at least one parent. The study analyzed the extent to which approaches-to-learning behaviors moderate early literacy and numeracy skills in Head Start classrooms of varying quality. During the spring of their prek-4 year, the children were administered the English and Spanish Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems subtests of the WJ-III (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) and the Batería III …

Exploring Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives On Dual Language Education, Kylie Ross

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates preservice teachers’ perspectives towards dual language education (DLE) through a mixed methods approach. This study investigates preservice teachers enrolled in an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) certification course concerning the following research questions: 1. What impact does taking an ESOL course have on preservice teachers’ attitudes and perspectives towards DLE? 2. Is there a significant difference in change in attitude between students taking the course online versus face to face (F2F)? 3. How are preservice teachers informed about what schools have dual language programs in their area? 4.What relationship may exist between attitudes, perspectives, and …

Demographic Predictors And Reasons For Chronic Absenteeism Amongst Secondary Students With Disabilities, Cashea Holyfield

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many students in secondary schools are increasingly impacted by chronic absenteeism. Researchers have consistently concluded that students who are chronically absent are likely to experience negative outcomes such as difficulties in academic achievement, learning, sociability, and mental health (London, Sanchez, & Castrechini, 2016). However, despite the implications of chronic absenteeism, research studies that primarily focus on assessing students with disabilities’ (SWDs) reasons for chronic absenteeism are relatively limited. Although there is some existing research that suggests that SWDs are frequently absent due to health-related reasons, transportation issues, and their perceptions of poor school climate (Erbstein, 2014; Humm-Brundage, Castillo, & Batsche, …

Supervision In Every Breath: Enacting Zen In An Elementary Education Teacher Program, Steven R. Haberlin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The field of teacher education is in tumultuous times. Criticisms and questions about teacher preparation have led to calls for reform, including grounding teacher preparation programs in clinically rich experiences. Responsible for preparing these teachers, university- based supervisors are under added pressure to provide opportunities that connects theoretical knowledge with field experience. Complicating matters, views of supervision continue to evolve and remain divided, creating uncertainty over how to best approach the role. In light of these challenges, I argue in this study that current conceptions of supervision need to be reevaluated and expanded by entertaining new views, namely those from …

Representations Of Indian Christians In Bollywood Movies, Ryan A. D'Souza

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation uses discursive formation as the methodological approach to examine representations of Indian Christians in eleven Bollywood movies released during the 2004-2014 decade. The decade witnessed the exit and eventual re-entry of the Hindu Right, and the citizenry during that period experienced centrist, liberal, and secular governance. Since the present of Indian Christianity is inextricable from a colonial past, and Bollywood emerges in response to colonialism, a postcolonial intervention in methodology and theory is undertaken. A postcolonial perspective illuminates the discourses that enable the formation of the postcolonial nation, i.e., the ways a nation imagines its culture, people, traditions, …