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Social Tensions And Acculturation: Portrayals Of German Integration Discourse, Soeren Wendland

Masters Theses

This Master Thesis deals with the portrayal of social tensions and acculturation perceptions resulting from German integration discourse. Wester, Pleijter, and Renckstorf's (2004) model for interpretative content analysis was applied to examine the portrayal of migrants and integration from three German online magazines. Germany's struggle with its multicultural aspect is described, a history of Germany as a multicultural society is provided, acculturation theory is described, the meaning of integration in Germany is illustrated, perceptions of Germans and foreigners on life in Germany are explored, and the role of the media in the integration discourse is introduced. Results show magazine portrayals …

Miming The Poem: Influence And Imitation In Robert Lowell's Poetic, Andrew Walker

Masters Theses

Following the recent work of Christopher Ricks in his book True Friendship, this thesis examines the possibilities and particularities of the influence of the New Critics on Robert Lowell and, more specifically, his poetry. As a way of elucidating Lowell's own comment regarding his indebtedness to New Criticism, Lowell's poetry is examined regarding its use of metaphysical theme, tension, and metaphor. Each of these examinations is given articulation in regards to a specific context in the Lowell canon (Land of Unlikeness, "For the Union Dead," and History) and a specific forebear against which to more clearly …

Phonological Awareness And Reading Ability In Children, Roberta J. Morton

Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Narrative Analysis And Computational Model To Predict Interestingness Of Narratives, Laxman Thapa

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

In this research, I present results demonstrating the classification of the specially generated narratives by a machine agent by listening to human subject describing the same sets of the events. These classifications are based on human ratings of interestingness for many different recountings of the same stories. The classification is performed on various features selected after analyzing the different possible feature that affect on the interestingness of narratives. The features were extracted from the surface text as well as from annotations of how each narration relates to the content of the known story. I present the annotation process and resulting …

My Made For Tv Life Or How We Survived My Psycho-Killer Dad, Sarah Beth Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The critical afterword discusses my struggles writing a memoir after a lifetime of primarily fictional influences, the ethics of truth and memory, and my attempts to find a style that would do justice to my mother s struggles. The memoir began its life as a portrayal of my mother's story, but in the end was the story of a girl growing up with the knowledge of her father's attempted murder, and the strength of her mother's guidance. My story.

Looking For Adam: An Analysis Of The Works Of Marilynne Robinson, Kristina Y. Zavala

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Many scholars have analyzed the works of Marilynne Robinson, focusing their work on analyzing her novels separately instead of as a whole according to her views of Calvinism and other faith-related themes. This thesis will take apart all of the essays in The Death of Adam, examining each of them for the most important views and opinions expressed by the author. These issues have served to evolve Robinson‘s opinions in such a way that to analyze her novels according to only her religious views would be an injustice. By examining the use of certain aspects of the novel form, this …

After “Borderlands” The Making Of An Academic Chola: Poems, Veronica Sandoval

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This poetry collection is by a Mexican American spoken word, performance poet, Lady Mariposa, from Sullivan City turned Chican@ feminist after coming to terms with her mestizaje through Gloria Anzaldúa’s Borderlands La Frontera: The New Mestiza. In Lady Mariposa’s journey as an “Academic Chola,” the term “chola” articulates her Chican@ identity and creates a new space in academia by using “chola” as a hybrid of identity and style in the formation of her poetics. Her poetry can also be called pocho, pocha, Tex-Mex and code switches. She is inspired by Chican@ literature and history, lowriders, cholo culture, cholas, jazz, hip …

Third Grade Taks Reading Performance Differences, Textbook Adoptions And Texas Reading First Initiative Participating And Non-Participating Campuses, Erica Briana Guerra

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to compare the reading performances of third grade students in Texas Reading First Initiative participating and non-participating campuses. Additionally, comparisons were made on third grade reading TAKS campus performance based on three Texas Education Agency textbook supported adoptions. Furthermore, campus TAKS reading performance was compared based on curricula and reading textbooks. Lastly, an examination of the participating and non-participating campus TAKS reading results and teacher interviews were described. The three textbook adoptions used during the Texas Reading First Initiative produced the same results. The campuses that did not participate in Reading First outperformed Texas …

Hijos Como Mediadores Lingüísticos Entre Padres Y Diferentes Entidades Sociales, Mercedes Huerta

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Este estudio se apoyó fundamentalmente en el análisis de encuestas en las que participaron hijos de familias migrantes. Los encuestados, cuando eran menores de edad, sirvieron como mediadores lingüísticos entre sus padres y diferentes entidades sociales. El objetivo del estudio fue descubrir el impacto emocional, académico, intrafamiliar y social que la experiencia de ser mediadores lingüísticos dejó en la vida de los participantes. Los encuestados, que ahora son mayores de edad, analizaron en retrospectiva las experiencias que vivieron cuando ayudaron a sus padres fungiendo como mediadores lingüísticos. Así mismo, los participantes tuvieron la oportunidad de compartir anécdotas y comentarios con …

Disciples Of Vu, Leif Carl Behmer

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This project is in the design of high-fantasy sword and sorcery, wherein the concepts of mana and magic are employed as expressions of virtue to highlight contemporary issues of cultural identity and belonging. This project is also an experiment to attract a readership of non-traditional fantasy readers into the genre by creating, rather than assuming, a fantastic world context using immersive rhetorical techniques.

This project in of itself is not so much a re-invention of the traditional adventure quest as it is an exploration of its post-Tolkien form (the attraction of mythology and folklore, the narrative use of prophecy), and …

Attitudes Of Parents And Teachers Toward Bilingual Education, Gilda Rios

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The importance of bilingual education has caught the attention of public school administrators. The current study used a quantitative approach to investigate the perceptions of bilingual education of teachers and parents from a selected elementary school in South Texas. Bilingual education is used in this study to describe the study of two languages among students. The term “bilingual education” can have multiple meanings to many people so we wanted to understand what people believed of educating students among two languages being that the area in which this study was conducted has traditionally rejected bilingual education. There were a total of …

Middle School Students' Perceptions Of The Gender And Ethnic Gap In Achievement, Marian Elizabeth Hendrickson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study used a mix-method approach to determine achievement gap in gender and ethnicity. Quantitative data was collected from the 2008-2009 Arkansas state Benchmark exam to investigate the extent of the gap in the school. Qualitative data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with 13 students. The students were asked to explain their perceptions of the gender and ethnicity gap in the school. The use of two methods for this study enabled the researcher to better understand the actual achievement gap that appeared at the school and compare this information to the information provided by the participants. The Quantitative data gathered …

Impact Of Sanctions And Isolation Measurement With North Korea, Burma/Myanmar, Iran And Zimbabwe As Case Studies, Clara Portela

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The present study explores how the introduction of targeted sanctions has transformed the practice of international organisations, looking at the examples of North Korea, Burma/Myanmar, Iran and Zimbabwe.

Although the ultimate effectiveness of the individual sanctions measures can hardly be ascertained, not least due to their co-existence with unilateral sanctions proactively enforced by the US, the analysis demonstrates that the character of sanctions measures, and the changing nature of the international system, has put the use of sanctions and isolation measures in different terms than was the case just a couple of decades ago.

While it is beyond the scope …

The Relationship Between Readability Level Of Mississippi's Middle Schools' Websites And Seventh Grade Language Arts Mct2 Scores, Anna Marlene Graves Pickard

Dissertations

Today’s educators face the unprecedented challenge of increasing achievement for all students. One response has been to increase and improve parent involvement and school-to-home communication through the use of school websites. The quantitative section of this study analyzed the readability grade level of the website as it relates to state test scores. For the qualitative section of the study, a sample of middle school principals’ levels of interest and involvement with parents through the website and other methods of communication for student achievement were examined through the use of principal interviews.

Seventh grade Language Arts MCT2 scores from 205 Mississippi …

The Curriculum Of Capitalism: Schooled To Profit Or Schooled To Educate, Douglas O. Carroll

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Utilizing a critical pragmatist framework for analysis of the United States public school education, the research suggests the United States public education system perpetuates a curriculum of Capitalism linking with democracy; yet social Capitalism remains remarkably undemocratic as the experience of race, class, and gender contradict the curriculum of public schools. The consequence of these contradictions is perpetuation of racist or sexist stereotypes, a distinct class system delineated by financial, educational, and techno-wealth, a heightened if not profound sense that the American ideal is no longer within reach or a political sham. In sharp contrast to conservative theories of education …

Between Morality And Myth: A Parodic Visual Manifesto, Patricia J. Quilichini

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Acting on the belief that art communicates, that an image speaks all languages, these works were created as a visual manifesto responding satirically to the absurd way in which myths are elevated to the status of moral values. The photographic works created for this thesis challenge long held beliefs and emotions that associate sex with shame and guilt, and that grow out of the moral traditions we have inherited. Judeo-Christian traditions and religious beliefs have created widely unchallenged social/moral constructs, which regard sexuality and sexual awareness as sinful and woman as subservient to the moral authority constructed by men. I …

The Sun Also Sets: British Authors And The Death Of The Empire, Brian Butler

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis traces the decline of the British Empire through the perspectives of prominent British authors, beginning with Rudyard Kipling's Kim, which establishes the height of the British Empire. Thereafter, the Empire's decline is incisively chronicled through the various catalysts that contributed to the overall demise of the Empire: E.M Forster illustrates the impact of the introduction of British women into India in A Passage to India; George Orwell demonstrates the significance of burgeoning native dissent and the empowerment of the compradore class in Burma in Burmese Days; Anthony Burgess offers an exhaustive fictional meditation of the zenith of native …

Moletest: A Web-Based Skin Cancer Screening System, Jonathan Blackledge, Dymitiy A. Dubovitskiy

Conference papers

This paper reports on a research and development programme undertaken in the Bioengineering Research Group http://teapot.dit.ie/ at Dublin Institute of Technology which led to the launch, in September 2010, of a new SME called Moletest UK Limited. Based on an exclusive license awarded by Dublin Institute of Technology in 2010, we report of the development of the world’s first remote skin cancer screening system which is based on a customer uploading a good quality digital image of a suspect mole. A ‘background to the case’ is given and the concept of the approach discussed together with an overview of the …

Features Of Effective Educational Leadership From The Perspectives Of Teachers., Aysha Saeed Rashed Saeed Al Nuaimi

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the important characteristics and features influencing effective educational leadership from the perspectives of teachers. There were six main features that were investigated in this study. These are: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, encourage the heart, and have a global mind set. The study was guided by one research question. Data for this study were collected through a survey questionnaire. It contains 36 close ended-questions and one open-ended question. The instrument rated responses on a five level Likert Scale questionnaire which is rated from …

The Effectiveness Of Using Ict To Enhance The Efl Speaking Skill, Amin Mefreh Amin Elkhayyat

Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of ICT on the EFL speaking skill and its specific components: (I) verbal linguistic, (2) auditory paralinguistic, (3) visual nonverbal paralinguistic. In addition, the study investigated the effects of employing ICT tools on students' motivation. The design of this study was a quasi-experimental design, i.e. pre-post control group design. Thirty-nine male students, from grade eight, of two intact classes at one of the schools in Al-Ain, UAE, participated in this study. The experimental group received learning and teaching of the speaking skill through employing ICT tools, the independent variable, whereas …

The Effects Of A Guided Program On Improving Fourth Grade English Reading Comprehension Skills In The Uae., Mohammed Kamil Salhyyah

Theses

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of implementing a guided reading program for promoting reading comprehension skills of grade four pupils in the UAE. This program was based on intensive practice of the targeted skills followed by a gradual release of teacher’s role to have more pupils’ independence while reading. The participants of this study were sixty pupils in grade four who were divided into a control group and a treatment group. Data were collected and analyzed using the results of both the pretest and posttest. The treatment was implementing a guided reading program which lasted …

Dickensian Physiology Of Memory: Recall, Redintegration, And The Historical Novel, Timothy M. Curran

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Role Of Pragmatic Competence In Second Language Acquisition, Leah J. Reigle

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is the culmination of the author’s years spent observing and studying language in the pursuit of a Master’s degree in Second Language Teaching at Utah State University. Included here is the author’s personal teaching philosophy on effective language instruction, written with a college-level EFL classroom in mind. In addition, and relating to this teaching philosophy, are three additional artifacts addressing the significance of pragmatics in second language acquisition. These artifacts demonstrate the author’s understanding of the roles of culture, language, and literacy in a second language classroom. An annotated bibliography supporting the author’s perspective and philosophy on language …

Fostering Effective French Communication In The Classroom, Lindi Brown

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a compilation of work the author completed while in the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. It is focused on her beliefs of how French should be taught in a university classroom. It also includes three artifacts addressing how a challenging aspect of the language should be taught, how authentic literature can be utilized in the classroom, and why the French culture should be incorporated into the curriculum. Finally, there is an annotated bibliography of books and articles which have shaped the author’s beliefs and opinions about teaching French as a foreign …

Russia At War: Chechnya, Georgia, And Theories Of Foreign Policy, Tyler J. Pack

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The conflicts in Chechnya and Georgia are for Russia the seminal policy events of the turbulent post-­‐Soviet era. Learning about Russian conflict policy thinking with respect to these cases should help to illuminate broader Russian foreign policy objectives and tendencies. Even though the Chechen Wars were by nature domestic conflicts, I believe that trends and patterns from that case, combined with insights from the Georgian conflict, can help identify strengths and weaknesses of major Russian foreign policy theories.

Though there are many such theories, I see that most fall into one of two broad categories. While there is some overlap, …

A Sociocultural Approach To Esl For Adult Learners, Whitney Putnam

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The following portfolio is a collection of work submitted for the Master of Second Language Teaching (MSLT) program at Utah State University. Within this portfolio is the author's personal philosophy on effective language teaching written with a college-level ESL classroom in mind. Following the teaching philosophy are different artifacts and reflections, all related to the philosophy on teaching, but separate in topic. The three artifacts demonstrate the author's understanding of the role of language, culture, and literacy in a second language classroom. Also included in this portfolio is an annotated bibliography containing the scholarly works which support the writings here.

Teaching Communication In The Chinese As A Foreign Language Classroom, Xia Wu

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

This portfolio is a collection of the author’s teaching beliefs and approaches regarding Chinese as foreign language teaching, which she developed during her time in the Master of Second Language Teaching program. The centerpiece of the portfolio is the author’s personal teaching philosophy. It is followed by three artifacts. The language artifact analyzes one of the complexities encountered by learners in the Chinese as a foreign language classroom: the three particles 的 (de), 地 (de), 得 (de). The culture artifact illustrates the difference between American and Chinese language teachers. The literacy artifact talks about using literature circles in the CFL …

Reform Of Secondary Education In Post-Communist Estonia: Advancing Or Dismantling Social Cohesion, Cassandra Jo Garcia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The concept of integration in the most basic of senses refers to intermixing of groups of people that were previously segregated. Estonia, as the focal point of this study as opposed to another post-Soviet nation, is unique in that it is such a small country, and this state possesses a variety of traits that distinguishes it from other states in the process of reform and from other multicultural states. Over 25% of the population of Estonia speaks Russian as their mother tongue, and currently the youth of these Russian-speaking communities are feeling the weight of the integration process. Education reform …

At-Risk Hispanic Students' Perception Of Afterschool Programs: A New Model Targeting The Needs Of English Language Learners, Cynthia Wise Galvan

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The purpose of this study was to explore 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) as support systems for at-risk Hispanic youth. Expanding upon previous theories that analyzed afterschool programs and bilingual programs separately, this study sought to understand how 3rd, 4th and 5th grade at-risk Hispanic youth attending the 21st CCLC, Afterschool Centers on Education, perceive the afterschool programs in a small school district in South Texas. The study analyzed five afterschool program constructs pertaining to what literature says are best practices for afterschool programs and bilingual programs inclusive of safety, self-esteem, interactive, and engaging, language, and cultural characteristics. This …

A Case Study Of Spanish Language Use In A Texas Border Colonia, Maria E. Diaz

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This case study reveals a Spanish language marginalization in a South Texas community of mostly Latinos, who are the fastest growing group in the U.S. (Colombi & Roca, 2003); furthermore, approximately 77% of English language learners (ELLs) have Spanish as their heritage language (Hopstock & Stephenson, 2003). Nevertheless, ELLs do not receive much academic literacy support in their first language in many schools (Zehler et al., 2003). Thus, out-of- school social practices play an important role on maintaining a native language (e.g., Burrows-Goodwill, 2009; Reyes, 2006). However, researchers have not explored this phenomenon in Texas border colonias, or unincorporated areas …