Digital Commons Network^™

Narrative Understandings Of A School Policy: Intersecting Student, Teacher, Parent And Administrator Perspectives, Elaine Chan, Vicki Ross

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

In this article, we examine one school’s experience with policy, as a means of shedding light on the intersection of factors contributing to challenges of implementing policies to support the academic achievement and social adaptation of immigrant and minority students in their school context. We begin with the presentation of a ‘big fight’ between two students of different ethnic and racial backgrounds, and consider multiple perspectives of how the disagreement was addressed by teachers and administrators, to offer insight into how issues of race and policy might have been understood by members of the school community. We use a narrative …

Sexism, Statements, And Audits, Eric Schniter, Timothy W. Shields

ESI Working Papers

Gender stereotypes and gender-discriminant behaviors have been shown to have strong and undesirable organizational, managerial, and economic effects. We examine the relationship between sexism and accounting practices, and the effect of contextual feedback using laboratory experiments. Sexist stereotypes and contextual feedback may affect the likelihood of financial misstatements and audits when auditors and issuers are of known gender. To investigate these aspects of sexism at zero acquaintance and after contextual feedback, we presented males and females with incentivized belief elicitation tasks about anticipated interaction behaviors and then a series of strategic-communication game decisions in same, other, and unknown gender interactions. …

The Big [Motion] Picture: Analyzing The Factors Affecting The International Motion Picture Industry, Dalila Salazar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The motion picture industry is one of the largest private sector employers in the United States, supporting 1.9 million jobs, and providing its workforce approximately $104 billion in total wages in 2011 (Motion Picture Association of America, 2012b). With U.S. films distributed in over 140 countries, not only is the industry successful domestically, it is one of the country's leading exports, reaping more than $23.9 billion in 2012 (Motion Picture Association of America, 2012a). Despite the importance of the global marketplace, we know very little about the factors that influence the success of movies internationally. My study partially addresses this …

Constructive Feedback In L2 Writing With Chinese High School Students In Taiwan, Chiawei Diane Yang

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the lack of motivation in L2 writing of Chinese high school students in Taiwan. The subject of this study was to examine how age, culture, and the education system in Taiwan influenced students’ motivation in learning English writing. It provided insight about how academic environments influence students’ motivation in learning English, how teachers’ feedback shapes students’ learning attitudes, and effective ways to increase students’ motivation and self-esteem. The study utilized Krashen’s (1981) affective filter hypothesis and Dornyei’s (1994) three levels of motivation theory. Ten Taiwanese students participated in this study. All of …

Countering The Dreamer Narrative: Storytelling, Immigration Reform, And The Work Of 67 Sueños, Drew Schmenner

Master's Theses

Research question: How has the practice of storytelling been used in the current U.S. conflicts over immigration?

Telling an effective story is an essential part of a complex strategy to bring about social change, but storytelling as a part of collective action has not been extensively studied. For activists in the United States fighting for immigrant rights, especially the passage of the DREAM Act, storytelling has been an important tactic, but the nature of the narrative that was constructed has its drawbacks because it excluded some members of the immigrant community. In 2010, the Bay Area-based group 67 Sueños (“67 …

Secondhand City: Stolen Stories From La Limonada, Byron José Sun

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Roboton, Jupa and Calicas have just been drafted by the city of La Limonada to petrol, to rob, to intimidate, to extort, to kill and when necessary to protect those citizens that need it; as their crime spree progresses their tactics and abilities improve shaping them into criminal machines. The three new criminals will be tasked with the reality of destroying people's lives in order to insure La Limonada maintains its dominion over every citizen by controlling every aspect of their past, present and future. Many of those citizens are clueless on how they are controlled; it isn't until their …

Engaging Communities 2014

Project South Texas

Annual report recognizing faculty, staff, and student excellence in community engagement.

Perceptions Of Seventh-Day Adventist Church Elders In Ghana And The United States On Servant Leadership And Culture: A Correlational Study, Appiah Kubi Kwarteng

Dissertations

Servant leadership has been discussed and described mostly in the North American context. Thus, there are concerns that this model of leadership may be culturally anchored in North American metaphors and thinking and may have limited universal applicability outside that context. In recent times, the Seventh-day Adventist Churchhas seen its membership swell mainly in non-Western areas such as Sub-Saharan Africa.

With the changes taking place in the church membership globally, and the challenges these changes impose on leadership, this study was pursued with a twofold purpose. One was to investigate the differences in the perceptions of elders of the Seventh-day …

Contemporary Franco Americans: A Study Of Ethnic Identity, Help-Seeking Attitudes, And Values, Jessica L. Mayo

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Given the proximity to Canada, many French Canadians who immigrated to the United States between 1850 and 1950 settled within New England. This immigration resulted in a large population of French Canadian descendants, now considered Franco Americans, within this region. Despite the number of Franco Americans, mental health professionals in New England are offered limited knowledge on conceptualizing and treating this population. To respond to this need, the present study investigated the cultural values, ethnic identity, and professional psychological help-seeking attitudes of contemporary Franco Americans. It was hypothesized that Franco Americans would prioritize values in line with the group’s traditional …

Inviting Citizen Designers To Design Learning Management System (Lms) Interfaces For Student Agency In A Cross-Cultural Digital Contact Zone, Rajendra Kumar Panthee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Inviting Citizen Designers to Design Learning Management System (LMS) Interfaces for Student Agency in a Digital Cross-Cultural Contact Zone assesses how FYC students from periphery cultural and linguistic backgrounds perceive Blackboard Learn and other learning management system (LMS) interfaces. The report of an empirical study shows that the current LMS design does not provide writing students in general and writing students from periphery cultural and linguistic backgrounds in particular an opportunity of a higher-level interactivity with the LMS. The current design neither includes periphery students' cultural and linguistic norms and values, nor does it allow them to affect the existing …

Three Essays On Social/Political Structures And Icts Use, Seungeui Ryu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

My research identifies how social structures affect the use of the Internet and/or a mobile chat application and how the Internet impacts the political structure of a nation. In my first essay of the 3-essay Dissertation, I am designing three models based on social structure theory that are used to study the Internet and a popular mobile chat application's use by managers in South Korea, with the help of a survey instrument. In my first essay, the contribution is on i) testing a model of manager's personal behavior on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use at the individual level involving …

Rolodex Of Saints: A Collection Of Short Stories, Yvette D. Benavides

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A critical preface and collection of short stories.

A Pilot Study: Examining The Microstructural And Macrostructural Narrative Measures In Bilingual Preschool Aged Children, Caroline Esparza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: Research has identified narratives as accurate and reliable predictors of language skills, yet little is documented on the microstructural and macrostructural narrative production of preschool aged bilingual children. This pilot study examined the microstructure and macrostructure elements of narratives in these children to provide preliminary data for further research.

Method: This study examined the narrative skills of 11 bilingual children between the ages of 3 and 4. Narrative retells in Spanish were elicited and were analyzed for the microstructural measures of lexical diversity (NDW) and productivity (TNW and MLU) measures and for the their macrostructural Narrative Scoring Scheme (NSS) …

Transracial Adoption: Racial Identity, Resilience, And Self-Esteem Of African American Adoptees, Jennifer Aufiero Bumpus

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study compared self-reported racial identity, resilience, and self-esteem of three independent sample groups consisting of African American adoptees (N = 45), aged 18–72. One group (n = 25) had been adopted by two Caucasian parents, the second (n= 10) by two African American parents, and the third (n = 10) by a single African American parent. The Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity, Resilience Scale, and Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale were used. Adoptees had higher levels of racial identity when they had been adopted by two African American parents as opposed to two Caucasian parents. Racial …

The Effects Of A Compassion Focused Intervention On A Non-Clinical Student Population, Adrian Kunemund

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Previous research has suggested that Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is beneficial for individuals suffering from a variety of mental health concerns including depression, shame, and self-criticism. The present study assessed the effects of a 10-week university Introduction to CFT course that includes a group orientation to CFT including exposure to CFT intervention exercises. It was hypothesized that those receiving the CFT course would show reductions in shame, self-criticism, and fears of compassion, and increases in gratitude, positive affect, and self-compassion relative to controls. While some differences were observed between the CFT and control groups, none of the hypothesized group X …

Activity Of 3\Beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Associated With Progesterone Production In Bovine Granulosa Cells Cultured Under Different Concentrations Of Serum, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I, And Gonadotropin, Özkan Şi̇mşek, Monika Mihm

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Three-\beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3\beta-HSD) is the enzyme responsible for progesterone production. This study aimed to determine whether 3\beta-HSD activity can be shown to reflect progesterone production by granulosa cells cultured under different serum conditions and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) concentrations. Large bovine follicles were dissected from abattoir ovaries to recover granulosa cells. Cells were washed, stained for viability, and plated for 48 h in basic medium with or without 5% foetal calf serum (FCS). Subsequently, cells were exposed to FSH (1 ng/mL), LH (10 or 100 ng/mL), or FSH (1 ng/mL) + …

¡No Contaban Con Mi Astucia! México: Parodia, Nación Y Sujeto En La Serie Televisiva De El Chapulín Colorado, Carlos Aguasaco

Publications and Research

¡No contaban con mi astucia! México: parodia, nación y sujeto en la serie televisiva de ‘El Chapulín Colorado’ (Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, 2014) es un estudio revolucionario del impacto y la efectividad residual de la literatura del Siglo de Oro y el periodo colonial en la producción audiovisual de Latinoamérica en el siglo veinte. El trabajo de Roberto Gómez Bolaños (creador de El Chapulín Colorado) se transmite hoy en día tanto en el formato original como en series animadas en varios canales de USA. El público norte americano y la academia están presenciando la consolidación de los estudios audiovisuales …

English Cottage Style Homes In America: Expressions Of Architectural, Technological And Social Innovation, Audra Bellmore

Dissertations

This dissertation examines contemporary English Cottage Style dwellings in America. First developed in Britain by English domestic architect Charles Voysey in the late 19th century, this house style was characterized by a simplification of design, a rationalism of plan, and a structural integrity reminiscent of rural medieval buildings. English Cottage Style homes gained popularity in Britain and later in America as a middle-class house type, promoted by Progressive Era housing reformers, including Gustave Stickley. Sheathed in concrete, to mimic the naturally occurring stuccos used in the 13th and 14th centuries, English Cottage Style dwellings utilized the latest in concrete reinforcement …

The Fashionable Life: Fashion Imagery And The Construction Of Masculinity In America, 1960-2000, Kelly Ann O'Connor

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Critique And Theory In The History Of The Modern Humanities, Paul Jay

English: Faculty Publications and Other Works

What role has poststructuralist literary, critical, and cultural theory played in the making of the humanities, particularly in the period between 1968 and the present, and what role should theory have going forward as we come to terms with the corporatization of higher education, with its stress on practical skills, vocational training, and on measuring concrete learning outcomes? Exploring these questions requires confronting - and linking - two key issues currently at the core of sometimes-fierce debates about the humanities in the West, and particularly in t he US. T he first issue has to do with whether or not …

Response: “Unsafe Politics And Risky Connections”, Suzanne Bost

English: Faculty Publications and Other Works

No abstract provided.

The Viewing Glass Of Disorder: Do Adults' Perceptions Of 'Youth' Affect Their Perceptions Of The 'Disorder' In Their Locality?, Grant Kennett

The Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Review

This dissertation explores the extent to which adults' perceptions of youth affect their perceptions of disorder in their local area. Utilising qualitative data from semistructured interviews and a focus group alongside secondary data from the Safer Cornwall Partnership Strategic Assessment (Sorensen 2012), the aim of this study was to not only establish if adults' perceptions of young people have a direct impact upon their perceptions of disorder in the Cornish town of St. Austell, but to also analyse how such perceptions are established, informed and influenced. Grounded by a wholly interpretive epistemology and through a 'thematic' analytical approach, it was …

Challenging Fragmentation: Overcoming The Subject-Object Divide Through The Integration Of Art-Making And Material Culture Studies, Andrew Cope

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This practice-led thesis explores ways in which to integrate art and material culture studies as a manifestation of philosophy’s process thread. In doing so, its goal is to generate a praxis which is able to come to holistic terms with the fragmenting dualism of subject-object binaries. By seizing my own subjectivity in its representation of this problem, the thesis develops a performance-led practice which seeks to overcome the barriers that its divisive ‘I’ presents to process. This interdisciplinary project is an explicit response to the figure of Friedrich Nietzsche; his bearing helps to constitute its methodology and repertoire as his …

Between Selves And Others: Exploring Strategic Approaches Within Visual Art, Teresa Chen

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This body of research investigates how visual artists express ideas or meanings about Otherness and issues of belonging in their art. The focus of this study is on women artists with an (East) Asian diasporic background; however, the context of the inquiry includes other American and European artists of various cultural backgrounds. A further aim is to explore the artistic strategies and the historical circumstances of the works as well as to understand the theoretical correlations. The author of this study is a visual artist who has been exploring similar issues in her own artistic practice. In order to examine …

An Integrated Model Of The Influence Of Personal Psychological Traits And Cognitive Beliefs On Customer Satisfaction And Continuance Intentions In Relation To Internet Banking Usage Within The Saudi Arabian Context, Ahmed Dirwish G Alghamdi

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This thesis examines the effects of Culture, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), Expectation Confirmation Theory (ECT) and Technology Readiness (TR) on the satisfaction and usage continuance intention of Internet banking customers within the Saudi Arabian context. The aim is to develop and test a new framework for use in determining the factors that affect Internet banking customers’ actual usage behaviours, with a special focus on the role of cognitive processes, and cultural and personal psychological traits. This research uses cross-sectional survey questionnaire methods within a quantitative approach. 261 valid responses were received. Structural Equation Modelling …

Cultural Icons': Media Representations Of Second Homes In New Zealand, Trudie Walters

Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice

New Zealanders have a long history of second home ownership, and the second home landscape is an important part of the New Zealand culture. Traditional second homes are known colloquially as the ‘bach’ or ‘crib’, and it is part of the New Zealand psyche to ‘escape to the bach’ for the weekend, especially over the summer months. However, since the 1960s these traditional second homes have been replaced in many areas by second homes that are indistinguishable from urban homes. They have become much larger, are often architecturally designed and with more modern conveniences and technology than the traditional bach. …

(Re)Thinking Maori Tourism: The Third Space Of Hybridity, Maria Amoamo

Journal of Tourism Consumption and Practice

This commentary reflects on the salience of hybridity as a theoretical tool in postcolonial studies. It argues that embedded paradigms such as colonised /coloniser and binary constructs Self/Other become subject to disruptive conjuncture through processes of hybridization and third space enunciation. It seeks to (re)think Māori Tourism as residing in third space inbetween spaces”and renegotiates the articulation of cultural production in a tourism context. Māori Tourism is therefore better understood in terms of cultural engagement that is performatively produced, historically informed, and transformed as new signs of identity.

The Perceived Threat Of Secularism And Militancy Among Religious Fundamentalists, Chase Wilson

Master's Theses

Religious fundamentalism has been found to predict endorsement of aggressive counterterrorism techniques, such as the use of severe interrogations and pre-emptive military attacks (e.g. Barnes, Brown & Osterman, 2012). The present study tested whether a perceived increase in secularism constitutes a psychological threat to American religious fundamentalists, and thus increases endorsement of such counterterrorism tactics. Replicating previous research, religious fundamentalism was found to positively predict endorsement of aggressive counterterrorism techniques, even when controlling for ideology and party identification. Contrary to hypothesis, the secularism prime had no effect. An unpredicted finding of this study was that religious fundamentalism only related to …

Cultural Identity Through Art(S)Making: Pre-Service Teachers Sharing Ideas And Experiences., Jennifer Munday, Atia Sajid, Brandi Reader

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In their Bachelor degree, Early Childhood Pre-service teachers undertake art(s)making and online journaling (blogging) to chronicle the process and thinking through the problem of them’selves’ in relation to their world. They express and challenge their own thoughts and ideas regarding their daily lives and those of the children in their future classrooms.

The article is presented as a Case Study with the outcomes of the process of the assessment task and the resulting artwork through two student experiences from different cultural backgrounds who produced artworks using different processes and deep reflections about their lives.

The sharing of the reflections through …

“Creative Writing As Freedom, Education As Exploration”: Creative Writing As Literary And Visual Arts Pedagogy In The First Year Teacher-Education Experience, Nicole Anae

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The themed presentation at the Sydney Writers’ Festival on May 25, 2013 entitled “Creative Writing as Freedom, Education as Exploration” brought together three key players in a discussion about imaginative freedom, and the evidence suggesting that the impact of creativity and creative writing on young minds held long lasting, ongoing implications. This is a particularly crucial conversation given the factors stifling creative writing pedagogies in contemporary classrooms. In contributing to the ongoing dialogue about literary creativity, this theorized classroom-based discussion explores the integration of creative writing as literary and visual arts pedagogy among first year preservice-teachers developing an …