Digital Commons Network^™

Eyetracking Metrics Related To Subjective Assessments Of Asl Animations, Matt Huenerfauth, Hernisa Kacorri

Presentations and other scholarship

Analysis of eyetracking data can serve as an alternative method of evaluation when assessing the quality of computer-synthesized animations of American Sign Language (ASL), technology which can make information accessible to people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, who may have lower levels of written language literacy. In this work, we build and evaluate the efficacy of descriptive models of subjective scores that native signers assign to ASL animations, based on eye-tracking metrics.

Introduction: Expanding Our Educational Goals: Exploring Intercultural Competence, Alvino E. Fantini, Paula Garrett-Rucks

Dimensions

We are delighted to present this collection of manuscripts that focus on various aspects of Intercultural Competence in this Special Issue of Dimensions 2016. Our hope for this Special Issue is not only to bring attention to the innovative programmatic changes and best teaching practices presented in the following chapters, but also to stimulate discussion in the field on the convergence of the diverse terminology used for a common end goal of fostering learners’ intercultural competence. The development of language learners’ intercultural competence—or more completely stated, intercultural communicative competence—engages them in a most profound educational experience, one that will serve …

Exploring Collaborative Work For The Creation Of Interdisciplinary Units Centered On Intercultural Citizenship, Manuela Wagner, Fabiana Cardetti, Michael Byram

Dimensions

In this work we report on a collaborative project at a large Northeastern University, in which we explored how to best collaborate to develop interdisciplinary teaching units, which integrate intercultural citizenship (Byram, 2008) into world languages, mathematics and social studies sixth grade curricula. We argue for the importance of addressing current critical areas in education. After introducing a framework that allows teachers to focus on the development of intercultural citizenship while at the same time fostering skills in the diverse content areas, we report on how we worked with a group of graduate students, teachers and administrators in order to …

Service-Learning: Overcoming Fears, Connecting With The Hispanic/Latino Community, Laura Guglani

Dimensions

This chapter explores the reasons why adult Spanish language students claimed to be hesitant to participate in the local Hispanic/Latino community in a recent study on 25 students enrolled in a 400/500-level Spanish class with a service-learning component at a Southeastern university. Data come from student reflection papers, written four times over the course of the semester, analyzed through thematic content analysis. Findings indicate that students held specific fears about participating in the local Hispanic/Latino community, including fear of interacting with the community and insecurity about their ability to communicate with native speakers. The analysis of the reflection papers revealed …

Investigating Products, Practices, Perspectives In A Simulated Moving Abroad Project, Sabine Smith

Dimensions

This classroom action research explores discipline-based inquiry and learner assessment of intercultural competence in a simulated “Moving Abroad” project that is part of an undergraduate English-language survey class required of all world language majors and minors at a large public university in the Southeast. The project tasks students to adapt the ACFTL Three Ps framework (Products, Practices, and Perspectives) through simulated intercultural encounters. The study seeks to assess the ways in which the project generates evidence of learners’ development of intercultural competence and how participants perceive the project as meaningful. Data in the form of 124 student documents were collected …

Mayan Language Revitalization, Hip Hop, And Ethnic Identity In Guatemala, Rusty Barrett

Linguistics Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the language ideologies and linguistic practices of Mayan-language hip hop in Guatemala, focusing on the work of the group B'alam Ajpu. The members of B'alam Ajpu use a mix of Spanish and Mayan languages in their music and run a school that combines lessons in hip hop (rapping, break-dancing, etc.) with efforts to promote the use of Mayan languages among children. The language ideologies associated with B'alam Ajpu intersect and challenge the ideologies associated with both language revitalization and with hip hop. The linguistic practices of B'alam Ajpu also challenge hegemonic assumptions regarding ethnic identity in Guatemala.

No.35 - March 2016, Center Of Civil Law Studies

The Center of Civil Law Studies Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Ecuadorian Mobility Strategies In The Clandestine Migration Journey, Victoria Stone-Cadena

Publications and Research

Based on testimonials of migration journeys of indigenous Cañaris from southern highland Ecuador, this paper examines strategies of mobility and social networking employed by migrants and facilitators in the human smuggling market. Following a series of economic crises in the late 1990s, Ecuadorian transnational migration increased significantly, with a 55.5 percent increase to the United States between 2000 and 2008, and staggering 12,150 percent increase to Spain between 1998 and 2005. This article focuses on the growth of a regional migration industry in the southern high-land region, and pays special attention to the roles of indigenous Cañari migrants and migration …

漢語詩律起源 : 證自沈約詩案例研究, Hongming Zhang

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

永明詩歌，對中國學術史而言，其意義不僅在於詩歌史，它在文學史、文化史、語言史諸方面之影響，也非其它詩體所能匹配。論永明體，自然要談沈約聲律論。但沈氏學説究竟爲何，其論與其作關係怎樣，學界至今少有服衆之論。坊間相當流行的説法，其實問題不少。在此僅舉其犖犖大端，略説一二。學界普遍認爲，沈約首創“四聲八病”，並將四聲分成平仄兩類，構成漢語近體詩平仄二元對立的聲律體系。梅維恒（Victor Mair）和梅祖麟（Tsu-lin Mei）則進一步主張，沈約是受梵詩格律影響而有“八病”之説、“平仄”之創。不過，讓人困惑的是，沈約及其他六朝詩人的創作實踐並不遵守這些規則。可見，漢語近體詩聲律的起源仍是一個不解之謎。本文就以下諸問題對沈約詩歌作一窮盡性研究，希冀解決這一謎團：（1） 詩律的本質；（2）漢語格律詩的聲律模式；（3）漢律梵源説證僞；（4）漢詩格律如何由六朝律嬗變至唐朝律。

駢文韻律與超時空語法 : 以《蕪城賦》爲例, Shengli Feng

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

“駢文”得名於文章排句之方式、“四六文”得名於造句之字數。漢魏以降，駢文儷偶便成爲中國古典文學的一個重要文體。理論上説，文學語言、文體形式均根植於該語言的語法機制。然而，爲什麽駢文句式要四六？四六的拼搭有何必然？四六之美何在？駢文離開“四”和“六”還是不是“駢文”？此類問題仍然有待回答，本文即探討這方面問題的一個嘗試。

Gendering Peacebuilding In Post-Conflict Northern Uganda, Amanda J. Reinke

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Approximately 1.8 million northern Ugandans were internally displaced during conflict between the Ugandan government and Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels (1987-2006). The ethnographic and qualitative research findings presented in this article illuminate the need to address structural violence, not just physical violence, in the aftermath of conflict, and to pay particular attention to how conflict and peacebuilding processes are gendered. Although gender-sensitive approaches to peacebuilding have increased in recent years, especially among scholars, in practice these processes often still fail to adequately address the myriad needs of survivors and to understand the complex interplay between gender, conflict, and post-conflict rebuilding. …

Learning The Language Of Academic Engineering: Sociocognitive Writing In Graduate Students, Catherine G. P. Berdanier

Open Access Dissertations

Although engineering graduate programs rarely require academic writing courses, the indicators of merit in academic engineering, such as journal publications, successful grants, and doctoral milestones (e.g. theses, dissertations) are based in effective written argumentation and disciplinary discourse. Further, graduate student attrition averages 57% across all disciplines, with some studies classifying up to 50% of these students as “ABD” (All But Dissertation.) In engineering disciplines specifically, graduate attrition rates across the U.S. average 36% (both Master’s and PhD students), according to the Council of Graduate Schools. The lack of socialization is generally noted as a main reason for graduate attrition, one …

Cyclicity Versus Movement: English Nominalization And Syntactic Approaches To Morpho-Phonological Regularity, Jeffrey Punske

Articles

In this paper, I show that Embick’s (2010) cyclic head approach to regular morphology alone cannot account for the freely available variations in the realization of nominalizers in English nominalizations involving overt verbalizers. Instead, I offer an account of the regularity effects using the technology of Local Dislocation (Embick and Noyer 2001, Embick and Marantz 2008, Embick 2007a, 2007b). Using this analysis, I derive both the variable nominalization patterns and the restrictions on particles and results in derived nominals from Sichel (2010). By treating regularity as the by-product of extant morphosyntatic operations, we can better explain the distribution of regular …

Opinion Question Answering By Sentiment Clip Localization, Lei Pang, Chong-Wah Ngo

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This article considers multimedia question answering beyond factoid and how-to questions. We are interested in searching videos for answering opinion-oriented questions that are controversial and hotly debated. Examples of questions include "Should Edward Snowden be pardoned?" and "Obamacare-unconstitutional or not?". These questions often invoke emotional response, either positively or negatively, hence are likely to be better answered by videos than texts, due to the vivid display of emotional signals visible through facial expression and speaking tone. Nevertheless, a potential answer of duration 60s may be embedded in a video of 10min, resulting in degraded user experience compared to reading the …

Developing And Evaluating Language Learners’ Intercultural Competence: Cultivating Perspective-Taking, Kristin Hoyt

Dimensions

This study investigates the development of intercultural competence (IC) in a university French conversation class through a course module that features student ethnographic interviews with native French speakers. Data collected from 50 students across three semesters are examined through the lens of Byram’s (1997) five domains of IC and used as a framework to identify change in the development of students’ IC. This mixed-method study draws on quantitative and qualitative data from pre- and postquestionnaires along with data documenting instructional delivery. Quantitative results indicate significant change in the skills domains of IC (Skills of Interpreting and Relating and Critical Cultural …

Fostering Global Competence Among Pre-Service Language Teachers: A Comparison Of Teacher Beliefs And Practices Between Language Teachers From The U.S. And Spain, Victoria Russell, Sarah Allison, Ashley Jacobs, Kristina Wingate, Hilaria Taft

Dimensions

This chapter describes an effort to internationalize a foreign language education initial teacher certification program through a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) grant project that was funded by Valdosta State University. The purpose of the QEP grant was to foster discipline-specific inquiry skills among undergraduate students and to promote the development of global competence. With the guidance of faculty, the teacher candidates who participated in the project conducted a research study that examined teacher beliefs and practices between 18 foreign language teachers from the U.S. and 15 foreign and second language teachers from Spain. The results revealed that both teacher groups …

Web 2.0 Use To Foster Learners’ Intercultural Sensitivity: An Exploratory Study, Claire Mitchell

Dimensions

This chapter reports on a qualitative investigation on the development of adult Spanish language learners’ intercultural sensitivity while using Web 2.0 technologies to explore living abroad. Comments provided by 33 participants on wikis, Pinterest, and journal entries were analyzed using a line-by-line interpretative approach (Charmaz, 2006). Data analysis revealed that while investigating studying and living abroad using Web 2.0 technologies, learners often remained in an ethnocentric stage of intercultural sensitivity (Bennett, 1993). However, upon the completion of reflective activities, many learners began to progress in their intercultural sensitivity, demonstrating a shift away from ethnocentric thinking.

New Levels, No Limits. Special Issue: Focus On Intercultural Competence

Dimensions

SCOLT Dimensions Volume 51

Recommending Transparency In Land-Based Investment: A Summary Of Relevant Guidelines And Principles, Columbia Center On Sustainable Investment

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

An emerging consensus on the need for greater transparency in land-based investment is increasingly evident across various forums. This document consolidates recommendations regarding transparency featured in guidelines and principles published by international organizations, government agencies, and multilateral or multi-stakeholder groups. Viewed together, these recommendations offer insight on the evolving narrative on transparency in land-based investment, assist stakeholders in addressing the issue of transparency, and provide an informed starting point for further analysis.

Emerging Practices In Community Development Agreements, Jennifer Loutit, Jacqueline Mandelbaum, Sam Szoke-Burke

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

Community Development Agreements (CDAs) have the potential to facilitate the delivery of tangible benefits from large-scale investment projects, such as mines or forestry concessions, to affected persons and communities. To be effective, however, CDAs must be adapted to the local context, meaning that no single model agreement or process will be appropriate in every situation. Nonetheless, leading practices are emerging which can be required by governments, voluntarily adopted by companies, and demanded by communities. These practices are grounded in ensuring that all parties are sufficiently informed, capacitated, and prepared to engage in meaningful negotiations regarding how the investor’s operations should …

Remember, It Is The Supreme Court That Is Expounding: The Least Dangerous Branch And Popular Constitutionalism, Helen J. Knowles

University of Dayton Law Review

No abstract provided.

Issues In Corporate Communication And Measurement., Williams D. Kareem

Bullion

This paper examines the concept corporate communications and measurement. After a definition of the concept and a brief review of related literature the paper identified three categories of communication namely management communication, organisational communication and marketing communication. This is followed by a literature review of corporate communication concepts which in also consists of 3 important elements: management instruments or tools; internal and external communication; and Stakeholders or audiences. The paper further examines implications of corporate of corporate communication; corporate communication process; and why measure corporate communications under which measurement and evaluation components and commons measure processes and the likely metrics …

Nation-Building Is An Oxymoron, M. Chris Mason

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Shame And Resilience Among Mental Health Trainees: A Scale Construction Study, Claire T. Hauser

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Contemporary research has revitalized interest in the construct of shame, and the pervasive nature with which it impacts psychological functioning. It has been argued that mental health professionals encounter shame regularly in the therapeutic milieu and must be equipped to assist clients in developing shame resilience. The process of learning to provide shame attendant therapy begins during graduate training, as mental health trainees (MHTs) gain first hand experience with feeling shame through the evaluative nature of the training process. Although shame in the MHT role has been discussed in prior literature, it is difficult to study due to lacking instrumentation. …

Predicting Construction Labor Productivity With Bayesian Belief Networks, Ayoub Hazrati

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Construction labor productivity plays an important role in labor intensive projects. Therefore, increasing construction labor productivity is a vital task to decrease a project’s cost (time). The primary goal of this research is to investigate the feasibility of developing a comprehensive causal model that can predict construction labor productivity for various project’s situations, such as existence of “Adverse Weather,” “Changes,” “Working Overtime,” etc., while considering uncertainty. It is found that Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) is the best approach that can model causal relationships among different factors while considering uncertainty, simultaneously.

Developing a BBNs model requires to extract its structure and, …

Unburying The Mirror: An Autoethnography Of A Latino Teacher Who Left The Classroom, Arturo Rafael Acevedo-Febles

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Despite the expressed need for bicultural teachers, research on teacher attrition has demonstrated that a growing number of bicultural educators are leaving the classroom. Bicultural male teachers, in particular, experience high rates of teacher attrition. Schools, unfortunately, are contexts in which Latino male teachers are constantly experiencing dilemmas related specifically to both their gendered and racialized positionality as males of color.

Grounded in Antonia Darder’s critical bicultural framework, this autoethnographic study explored the complex factors that drive Latino male teachers out of the classroom, through an in-depth and grounded examination of a Latino male teacher who left the classroom. The …

The Sun Star Vol 35 No 20 ( March 1st, 2016), N/A N/A

Sun Star

No abstract provided.

The Sun Star, Vol. 35 No. 20 (March 01, 2016) , N/A N/A

Sun Star

No abstract provided.

Formal Controls, Neighborhood Disadvantage, And Violent Crime In U.S. Cities: Examining (Un)Intended Consequences, Allison Martin, Emily M. Wright, Benjamin Steiner

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Purpose This study examines the intended and unintended effects of formal social controls on violent crime within and across U.S. cities. Methods Using data from the National Neighborhood Crime Study, we assess whether greater police arrest activity and jail incarceration risk are associated with lower violent crime rates across cities. We also investigate whether greater use of these formal social controls exacerbates the relationship between extreme neighborhood disadvantage and violent crime. Results Results from multilevel analyses show that some formal controls (jail incarceration risk) reduce violent crime across cities, but other formal controls (police arrest activity) amplify the relationship between …

The Effect Of Prompt Accent On Elicited Imitation Assessments In English As A Second Language, Jacob Garlin Barrows

Theses and Dissertations

Elicited imitation (EI) assessment has been shown to have value as an inexpensive method for low-stakes tests (Cox & Davies, 2012), but little has been reported on the effect L2 accent has on test-takers' ability to understand and process the test items they hear. Furthermore, no study has investigated the effect of accent on EI test face validity. This study examined how the accent of input audio files affected EI test difficulty as well as test-takers' perceptions of such an effect. To investigate, self-reports of students' exposure to different varieties of English were obtained from a pre-assessment survey. A 63-item …