Digital Commons Network^™

The Use Of Visuals In Health Education, Ying Yan Vigenia Njoo-Lau

Graduate Research Papers

America has a very complex health care system. It is often required a welleducated individual "to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions" (Nielsen-Bohlman, 2004). It is also required multiple skills, like reading, writing, listening, speaking, mathematic, and decision-making (Safeer & Keenan, 2005).

90 million American adults have limited health literacy to navigate of the health care system in the United States. People with limited health literacy have trouble communicating with their health care providers, understand and adherence of medical information, medical usage. $73 billion health care cost was estimated in 1998 …

An Analysis And Comparison Of Predominant Word Sense Disambiguation Algorithms, David J. Craggs

Theses : Honours

This thesis investigates research performed in the area of natural language processing. It is the aim of this research to compare a selection of predominant word sense disambiguation algorithms, and also determine if they can be optimised by small changes to the parameters used by the algorithms. To perform this research, several word sense disambiguation algorithms will be implemented in Java, and run on a range of test corpora. The algorithms will be judged on metrics such as speed and accuracy, and any other results obtained; while an algorithm may be fast and accurate, there may be other factors making …

Enhancing Automated Red Teaming With Monte Carlo Tree Search, Daniel Beard

Theses : Honours

This study has investigated novel Automated Red Teaming methods that support replanning. Traditional Automated Red Teaming (ART) approaches usually use evolutionary computing methods for evolving plans using simulations. A drawback of this method is the inability to change a team’s strategy part way through a simulation. This study focussed on a Monte-Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) method in an ART environment that supports re-planning to lead to better strategy decisions and a higher average score

"You Can See It In Their Eyes:" A Communication Ethnography Of A Humane Society, Sara Victoria Kaufman

Dissertations and Theses

This study sought to understand the culture-sharing group of people working within the shelter area of a Pacific Northwest animal shelter through the Ethnography of Communication. About 63% of households in the United States live with a companion animal (Risley-Curtis et al., 2006). Recently, there has been a shift toward closer examination into the ways in which humans interact with animals, particularly companion animals. The guiding questions of this study were: RQ1: What are the cultural communication forms performed in the context of the humane society? RQ2: How do shelter workers communicate about companion animals? RQ3: What cultural meanings are …

Emotion Language And Emotion Narratives Of Turkish-English Late Bilinguals, Melike Yücel Koç

Dissertations and Theses

The primary focus of this research was to investigate the emotion language and emotion narratives of Turkish-English late bilinguals who have been living in the U.S. Previous research has shown that the emotion language and narratives of second language learners and native speakers of English are different. This study focused on late bilinguals who had learnt English in instructed settings in their home country, and came to the U.S. for M.A. and Ph.D. degrees. The study consisted of two parts. In the first part, the elicited personal narratives of Turkish-English late bilinguals in English were compared to those elicited from …

Opening Black Boxes And Following Traces: An Exploration Of The Coalition For A Livable Future's Regional Equity Atlas Actor-World, 2003-2007, Meg Merrick

Dissertations and Theses

Maps have longed been recognized as instruments of power and persuasion. With the recent proliferation of maps in the media and on the Internet has come an increasing desire among groups advocating for environmental and social change to have access to maps (the product) and mapping (the process) to more effectively promote their agendas. However, this is not as simple as it seems. Far from being neutral conduits of "truth," maps are constructed by a myriad of social interactions among heterogeneous actors (human and technical) that left unacknowledged can lead to an untapped potential of the power of maps. Adopting …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Multicultural Attitudes And Their Instructional Practice With English Language Learners: A Mixed Method Study, Adria Danielle Dodici

Dissertations and Theses

Teachers of English language learners (ELLs) are often ill prepared to provide content area instruction tailored to their students' needs. This explanatory mixed method study examined the relationship between 15 ELL teachers' multicultural attitudes and use of sheltered instruction (SI). The purpose of the study was to ascertain whether teachers' multicultural attitudes influenced their use of SI. Data were gathered using a Demographic Questionnaire, Multicultural Efficacy Scale (MES), Classroom Instruction Questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. A correlational analysis found no statistically significant relationship (i.e., r = -.34; p = .22) between participants' scores on SI observations and the MES. A correlational …

The Responsibilities And Limitations Of Holocaust Storytelling: Understanding The Structure And Usage Of The Master Narrative In Holocaust Film, Fianna Raven Macgregor

Dissertations and Theses

When we speak of historical events, we do so with a certain amount of perceived knowledge; that is, we come to believe we know specific, individual 'truths' about the event. Since historical works are never unembellished lists of documented facts, the knowledge of how we conceive of factual events, how we document events we did not witness, is important in understanding the resulting storytelling process, not just in fictional literary constructs such as novels, short stories, poetry or film, but in the formulation of history itself. For written history must be seen, at least in part, as a constructed or …

The Work Of Promising And The Creation Of Meaning, Evan Conrad Buswell

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis is an exploration into the mechanism of Marxist materialism. It is an attempt, in the face of materialism, to regain a grasp on our intellectual lives. The promise, I will argue, is a nexus between the material and ideal realms; it largely determines the configurations of our thoughts along three poles: privacy/recognition, sovereignty/subjection, and individual/society. In this thesis, I will explore the history of the promise during the sixteenth-century development of the negotiable instrument- a form of the promise that could be bought and sold. This development, I will argue, led to a general transformation of language during …

Pop Song As Custom: Weddings, Ethnicity, And Entrepreneurs In West Sumatra, Jennifer Fraser

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Wilsonian Challenge To International Law, Leonard V. Smith

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

After the Great War, Woodrow Wilson challenged the foundations of international law based on fully sovereign states. 'Wilsonianism' as elaborated in the Fourteen Points, and in other speeches, rested on a logic that made a universalized liberal individual the locus of sovereignty in the new world order. The truly radical implications of Wilsonianism had no sterner critic than Robert Lansing, Wilson's secretary of state and one of the founders of the American Journal of International Law. Lansing held tenaciously to a positivist paradigm of international law as it had evolved by the early twentieth century. This article reconsiders the conflict …

African Americans' Perceptions Of The "N-Word" In The Context Of Racial Identity Attitudes, Keya Wiggins

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The “N-word” has been a pop-culture topic of interest which has fueled many heated discussions within the African American community. Given the history of the word nigger in America, the use of the word nigga among some African Americans may cause confusion among those who do not understand the phenomenon of African Americans‟ perceptions of the “N-word.” The present research was conducted to explore the phenomenon of African Americans‟ perceptions of both the words nigger and nigga in the context of racial identity attitudes. A primarily qualitative embedded mixed method model was utilized to gather information about feelings of group …

The Secret Is Out, Sarah O'Brien

Theses

Family... what defines family is different for each individual. As we face a shrinking economy and difficult job placement, family is our primary focus as we get through the tough times. The nuclear family (husband, wife, children and dog) does not include divorce, extended family, aging family, or many other issues that trouble today's modern families. What if your family is not what society considers typical? What if your family includes gay parents or loved ones? With television shows like Modern Family and Grey's Anatomy, gay couples are more present but what are their real life experiences? The Secret Is …

Look, Cook, Learn: A Recipe For Improved Functionality In Cooking Design, Anna Mizer

Theses

Look, Cook, Learn: A Recipe for Improved Functionality In Cooking Design is a thesis which explores the relationship and differences between print media and digital media. Both are studied in respect to instructional cooking materials with their strengths and weaknesses .The final application involves a digital application for the Apple iPad as well as a printed recipe book. The user experience is of great importance and therefor information layering, visual layout, and consumer expectations are all considered. All information that is included in both the digital application is broken into sections depending on the function or action that the user …

Speaking In Thai, Dreaming In Isan: Popular Thai Television And Emerging Identities Of Lao Isan Youth Living In Northeast Thailand, Catherine Hesse-Swain

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This is an ethnographic study of how Lao Isan youth living in the northeastern provincial capital Khon Kaen and nearby town Mahasarakham experience Thainess or khwampenthai in its most popular form – television. People who inhabit the northeast of Thailand interchangeably label themselves and are labelled by others as Isan, Thai Isan, Lao Isan, Thai or Lao, depending on the ethnic, political, social or familial nuances of any given situation. I use the term Lao Isan to refer specifically to Isan people of Lao origin or ethnicity. Lao Isan are subject to complex and often competing notions of Isanness, Laoness …

The Impact Of Student Created Slowmation On The Teaching And Learning Of Primary Science, Jeffrey Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Current research indicates that although innovations in science teaching are having a positive impact on science education in many Australian schools, national and international assessments show that student achievement is not improving (Hackling & Prain, 2008; Thomson, Wernet, Underwood, & Nicholas, 2008). Furthermore, there is little or no increase in the number of students choosing science as a post-compulsory study option or as a career path. There remains a need to further develop innovative teaching methods that promote the development of students‟ scientific literacy, engenders a joy of science learning through student engagement and encourages a desire to pursue further …

From Essay To Resumé : A Study Of Writing Genre And Discursive Positioning In Senior School English, Jennifer Shand

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In 2004, the Western Australian government signalled its intention to increase the school leaving age from 15 to 17 by 2008 (Carpenter, 2004). During the period from 2004 to 2006, increasing numbers of young Western Australians completed twelve years of secondary school. For English faculties in Western Australian schools, this resulted in a notably diverse cohort of students undertaking compulsory English studies in their final two years of school. The central aim of this thesis was to examine what it means to be a writer in senior school English. In doing so, the thesis investigated the construction of student writing …

Structure Strategy Use In Children's Comprehension Of Expository Texts, John V. Holsgrove

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study reviewed a body of literature largely written between the mid 1970s and 1990s that was concerned with the rhetorical structure of written expository text and its relationship to memory and comprehension. This dissertation follows from an argument that the earlier research often confused memory and comprehension and that it was limited in its attempt to clarify the relationship between text structure and reading comprehension. The current study sought to provide a fuller description of the manner in which schoolchildren of different ages and abilities employ rhetorical structure in the comprehension process. In contrast to the earlier research this …

Creating Persuasive Messages To Promote Abstinence From Alcohol During Pregnancy, Kathryn France

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

While the rates of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder within Australia are unknown, the rates of alcohol use during pregnancy and at-risk alcohol use by women of childbearing age highlight the need for universal prevention strategies addressing prenatal alcohol exposure. Though many awareness-raising campaigns for alcohol use during pregnancy have been conducted, predominantly in North America, they have rarely been developed using formative research nor have they been comprehensively evaluated (Saskatchewan Prevention Institute, 2009; Elliott et al., 2008). This lack of published information on the development and evaluation of campaigns makes it difficult to determine what communication elements are most credible …

Reconfiguring Phenomena Of Presence, Erika Strickland

Theses

Not included

Designing Populations: Lessons In Power And Population Production From Nineteenth-Century Immigration Law, Juliet Stumph

Vanderbilt Law Review

No abstract provided.

Playing Class: A Case Study Of Ludic Pedagogy, Jessica Broussard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of transforming traditional classroom content and teaching strategy into a "gamified" version through the use of popular gaming strategy, or, in other words, how a college course can be designed or redesigned to mimic ludic pedagogy, as well as the influence of this pedagogy on student performance in understanding course content and course assessments. The researcher acted as a participant observer and used Constant Comparative Method as data driven teaching focused on student created documents. This research provides an exploration on the use of ludicly styled teaching methodology which includes …

Does Critical Mass Matter? Views From The Boardroom, Lissa Lamkin Broome, John M. Conley, Kimberly D. Krawiec

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Do They Get The Picture?: Visual Literacy And Low-Literacy Adult Esl Learners, Daniel J Bruski

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Teachers of low-literate adult English language learners often use visual materials to teach content, but little research has been conducted on how these visuals are interpreted. This research explores the relationship between first language (L1) literacy and visual literacy, specifically the ability of adult ESL learners to identify the functions of graphic devices used in educational materials. The literature review examines how literacy and visual literacy are defined and discusses visual communication using the framework of semiotics. Through think-aloud interview sessions, Somali participants of varying L1 literacy levels interpreted illustrations from ESL materials. Results show lower than expected ability to …

Pornography Addiction: A Cognitive Approach In Combating The Lies Christian Males Believe, Farid Awad

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Pornography addiction has grown in epidemic numbers. Its bondage is evident within and outside the church walls. While sex and sexually explicit images saturate our daily lives, God continues to call His people to be holy as He is holy. Freedom from pornography addiction can be achieved only through intimate relationship with Jesus Christ and by accepting the atoning work of His cross for all believers. This thesis will redefine pornography through the lens of the Scripture and primarily focus on cognitive lies regarding oneself and others, which are crippling and ensnaring men into the trap of pornography. This study …

Regarding Westernization In Central Africa: Hybridity In The Works Of Three Chadian Playwrights, Enoch Reounodji

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The second half of the nineteenth century played a determining role in the political, economic, social, and cultural spheres of Africa. The Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 witnessed European interests bargaining over the territories of Africa and arbitrarily dividing much of the continent into different countries under European control. This historical moment may be regarded as the height of Western influence over Africa, though it only continued the colonial tradition of viewing Africa as a land without culture, theatre, literature, or history (prior to the advent of the white man). The legacy of this outlook has placed African intellectuals and literary …

Network Traffic Data Analysis, Harish Kapri

LSU Master's Theses

The desire to conceptualize network traffic in a prevailing communication network is a facet for many types of network research studies. In this research, real traffic traces collected over trans-Pacific backbone links (the MAWI repository, providing publicly available anonymized traces) are analyzed to study the underlying traffic patterns. All data analysis and visualization is carried out using Matlab (Matlab is a trademark of The Mathworks, Inc.). At packet level, we first measure parameters such as distribution of packet lengths, distribution of protocol types, and then fit following analytical models. Next, the concept of flow is introduced and flow based analysis …

Celebrity Versus Non-Celebrity: Parasocial Relationships With Characters In Reality-Based Television Programs, Nicole Webb Henry

LSU Master's Theses

Research of parasocial relationships suggests that audiences engage in one-sided relationships with their favorite personae in the media. This study attempts to explore two types of reality stars: those who had fame before being on reality television and those who have fame because of the show. Using the PSR-Processing Scale, I compared levels of parasocial interactions for each, as well how moral disengagement might play a role for each type of reality star. I also explored whether these parasocial relationships are influenced by the frequency with which respondents watch various types of sub-genres of reality-based programs (i.e. game docs, dating …

Engaged Client-Centered Representation And The Moral Foundations Of The Lawyer-Client Relationship, Katherine R. Kruse

Scholarly Works

The field of legal ethics, as we know it today, has grown out of thoughtful, systematic grounding of lawyers’ duties in a comprehensive understanding of lawyers’ roles and the situating of lawyers’ roles in underlying theories of law, morality, and justice. Unfortunately, in the process, the field of theoretical legal ethics has mostly lost track of the thing that Freedman insisted was at the heart of a lawyers’ role: the integrity of the lawyer-client relationship. As I will discuss, the field of theoretical legal ethics has developed in ways that are deeply lawyer-centered rather than fundamentally client-centered. I am going …

Assessing Attentional Bias And Cerebral Laterality In Specific Phobia Using A Dichotic Listening Paradigm, Whitney Shay Jenkins

LSU Master's Theses

Researchers have found fear to impact a variety of cognitive variables in individuals with specific phobia. Attentional bias is a cognitive variable that has received considerable attention in the specific phobia literature; however, the existing literature follows only one line of attentional bias—bias as encoded through images, words, or other content presented visually. This study aimed to expand on this area by assessing attention and cerebral laterality in individuals with specific phobia using a dichotic listening paradigm (i.e., via auditory means). Results indicated that participants with specific phobias do not significantly differ from controls in terms of the number of …