Digital Commons Network^™

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Secondary Teachers Trained In Content-Only Areas Throughout Their First Year Instructing English Language Learners, Bonnie J. Carmen

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of first-year, general education content teachers working with ELLs in secondary schools who have limited or no training to do so. The first-year teacher experience was defined as the situations and circumstances of teachers in their introductory year of instruction; their expectations upon entry, the realities of the actual experience, and the concluding reflections following their first year. Schlossberg’s transition theory guided this study as it lends itself to capturing the transition process and added information to the body of research on teaching ELLs - more specifically the experiences …

Superintendent Relations: Impact Of Leadership On Student Learning, Joetta S. Basile

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind school systems across America have been searching for the answer to increasing student achievement. Researchers have found many methods of increasing achievement through leadership behaviors, however others have found that superintendents have a very small impact on achievement and proficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between superintendent leadership behaviors and student proficiency rates in school districts in rural West Virginia. This quantitative, correlational study specifically sought to discover how accurately school proficiency rates could be predicted from a linear combination of superintendent instructional leadership behaviors. Fifty-five school …

North Carolina Private School Educators' Perceptions Of Byod Implementation As A Lived Experience: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Alexander Randolph Grey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological research study was to understand North Carolina private high school educators’ perceptions of the implementation of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program as a lived experience. This research study utilized the theoretical lenses of the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) model and the technology acceptance model (TAM) frameworks to determine the perceptions of each educator participating in this research study in relation to BYOD integration into their classroom settings. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was secured from both Liberty University as well as the private school site. Participants in the study were asked …

Measures For Comparing An Augmentative And Alternative Communication Application For Use Within A Kindergarten Curriculum, Anna Camille Johnson Mckelphin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to measure the influence of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with symbol-supported communication applications (apps) on stimulating kindergarten students to increase expressive language in the general education setting in an elementary school located in Washington, DC. The study sample size was 31 students. The research aimed to identify these tools as an effective strategy to assist kindergarten students in using more verbal language, thereby lowering the risk of communication frustration and increasing the expression of learned knowledge. Language data usage was collected by viewing speech acts as operators in a planning system, then integrating …

Personality Disruption As Mental Torture: The Cia, Interrogational Abuse, And The U.S. Torture Act, David Luban, Katherine S. Newell

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This Article is a contribution to the torture debate. It argues that the abusive interrogation tactics used by the United States in what was then called the “global war on terrorism” are, unequivocally, torture under U.S. law. To some readers, this might sound like déjà vu all over again. Hasn’t this issue been picked over for nearly fifteen years? It has, but we think the legal analysis we offer has been mostly overlooked. We argue that the basic character of the CIA’s interrogation of so-called “high-value detainees” has been misunderstood: both lawyers and commentators have placed far too much emphasis …

Free Spirit Meets Gilded Cage: Betty Ford As Second Lady 1973-1974, Caroline Marie Dickey

Masters Theses

Betty Ford has a rich legacy as a pioneer and trailblazer, but her transition into politics was far from smooth. 1973-1974, or her time as Second Lady, was a critical training ground that solidified her beliefs and character for the rest of her life in the spotlight.

Is There A Need For Restoration Of Justice In Democratic India?, Abraham Sekhar

Masters Theses

Justice means giving all persons their due. Justice is the quality of being fair and reasonable. India has the largest democracy in the world. It has become noticed globally by most other countries, on the one hand, for its significant economic growth during the past two decades; and on the other hand, for its domestic unrest among people of different religions and castes. Under the rule of the present political party, India’s economic growth has experienced a sudden decline during the past three years. This drew my attention to find out the reasons for such a decline. A literature survey, …

Second-Harmonic Optical Vortex Conversion From Ws₂ Monolayer, Arindam Dasgupta, Jie Gao, Xiaodong Yang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wavelength, polarization and orbital angular momentum of light are important degrees of freedom for processing and encoding information in optical communication. Over the years, the generation and conversion of orbital angular momentum in nonlinear optical media has found many novel applications in the context of optical communication and quantum information processing. With that hindsight, here orbital angular momentum conversion of optical vortices through second-harmonic generation from only one atomically thin WS2 monolayer is demonstrated at room temperature. Moreover, it is shown that the valley-contrasting physics associated with the nonlinear optical selection rule in WS2 monolayer precisely determines the output circular …

Droplets As Carriers For Flexible Electronic Devices, Mingxing Zhou, Ziyue Wu, Yicong Zhao, Qing Yang, Wei Ling, Ya Li, Hang Xu, Cheng Wang, Xian Huang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Coupling soft bodies and dynamic motions with multifunctional flexible electronics is challenging, but is essential in satisfying the urgent and soaring demands of fully soft and comprehensive robotic systems that can perform tasks in spite of rigorous spatial constraints. Here, the mobility and adaptability of liquid droplets with the functionality of flexible electronics, and techniques to use droplets as carriers for flexible devices are combined. The resulting active droplets (ADs) with volumes ranging from 150 to 600 µL can conduct programmable functions, such as sensing, actuation, and energy harvesting defined by the carried flexible devices and move under the excitation …

Multimodal Mobile Sensing Systems For Physiological And Psychological Assessment, Nguyen Phan Sinh Huynh

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Sensing systems for monitoring physiological and psychological states have been studied extensively in both academic and industry research for different applications across various domains. However, most of the studies have been done in the lab environment with controlled and complicated sensor setup, which is only suitable for serious healthcare applications in which the obtrusiveness and immobility can be compromised in a trade-off for accurate clinical screening or diagnosing. The recent substantial development of mobile devices with embedded miniaturized sensors are now allowing new opportunities to adapt and develop such sensing systems in the mobile context. The ability to sense physiological …

Cattle Industry Funding Scheme Annual Report 2018/2019, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

In June 2010 the Cattle Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) was introduced to address biosecurity threats relevant to the Western Australian (WA) cattle industry. The Scheme was established under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 to enable cattle producers to identify the pest and disease priorities at a whole-of-industry level and to raise funds for activities to address these priorities.

There are currently three Industry Funding Schemes in operation. In addition to the Cattle IFS, there is a Sheep and Goat IFS and a Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS. The three IFSs operate in a similar manner.

The purpose of …

Impacts Of Growing Technology On Students' Reading And Writing Skills, Jacquelyn Ogborn Corpuz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Technology has radically changed the ways in which students and teachers function within the classroom. The use of mobile technologies, specifically laptop computers and internet use, has transformed teacher instruction along with student expectations. Given that students have a high exposure to technology in the classroom, especially at the middle school level, this senior capstone examines the impact of growing technology on their reading and writing skills through the use of literature review, teacher interviews and survey, interviews with principals and superintendents, and online teacher survey. The result findings reveal that there are several positive impacts of technology integration on …

Bringing Music Back Into The Classroom And Its Benefits On Elementary School Students, Laura Alcaraz

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This project brings to light the lack of music education in elementary classrooms despite its benefits to students. There are numerous positive advantages for students learning to play an instrument or participating in a choir, for example. The education system strives to educate its students to the best of their abilities. However, this focus has pushed away music education to math, science, and language arts, and prepared students for standardized testing. This senior capstone research project examines the benefits of bringing back music into the classroom through the use of literature review and anonymous interviews with public and private school …

Gnome Waste Warriors: Waste Reduction Through Sustainability, Hayley E.R. Frost Rubino

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project was on how waste and waste reduction could positively impact a community. Waste reduction is an important issue because the negative impacts of waste affect the whole planet. By educating Monterey Gnome School (MGS) about waste, changes in daily habits are intended to result in lasting change. An evidence-based argument is offered that waste is a global issue that negatively impacts the earth's landmasses, oceans, and human health. Both MGS staff and students were interviewed and surveyed, as their perspectives provide unique aspects of thinking about waste issues. The themes that emerged from an …

Reading Rainbow: Give Hope To Struggling Readers, Celia Higer

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Senior Capstone Project, the researcher investigated what stakeholders had to say about reading difficulties, the Irlen Method, and how to increase awareness and access to the Irlen Method in schools. Based on analysis of the data and the relevant research literature, the researcher used what she learned to formulate an action that responded to the focus issue. This is important to students and other stakeholders that have reading difficulties.

No Habla Español: Are Monolingual Teachers Getting The Support They Need?, Natalie Correa

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project, the researchers investigated how monolingual teachers view the support and resources they received to teach English Language Learners (ELL) and what they thought could be done to improve their teaching effectiveness. An evidence based argument is offered that monolingual teachers were not being provided with effective support and resources. More specifically, three themes emerged from an analysis of the data obtained from interviews of monolingual teachers and administrators. Based on the emergent themes, an action was undertaken to help monolingual teachers better address the needs of ELLs. This is an important issue for monolingual teachers because …

No Habla Espanol: Are Monolingual Teachers Getting The Support They Need?, Megan Ehrhardt

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project, the researchers investigated how monolingual teachers view the support and resources they received to teach English Language Learners (ELL) and what they thought could be done to improve their teaching effectiveness. An evidence-based argument is offered that monolingual teachers were not being provided with effective support and resources. More specifically, three themes emerged from an analysis of the data obtained from interviews of monolingual teachers and administrators. Based on the emergent themes, an action was undertaken to help monolingual teachers better address the needs of ELLs. This is an important issue for monolingual teachers because the …

No Habla Espanol: Are Monolingual Teachers Getting The Support They Need?, Selena Banuelos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

For this Capstone Project, the researchers investigated how monolingual teachers view the support and resources they received to teach English Language Learners (ELL) and what they thought could be done to improve their teaching effectiveness. An evidence based argument is offered that monolingual teachers were not being provided with effective support and resources. More specifically, three themes emerged from an analysis of the data obtained from interviews of monolingual teachers and administrators. Based on the emergent themes, an action was undertaken to help monolingual teachers better address the needs of ELLs. This is an important issue for monolingual teachers because …

Teaching College Foster Youth How To Use Mindfulness To Cope With Stress, Jiovana Xasel Vallejan Lugo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Research has found that all foster youth face some sort of trauma at least once in their life, leading them to experience mental stress, emotion dysregulation, and depression during the transition to adulthood (Valdez, Bailey, Santuzzi, & Lilly, 2014). Many of the youth are not aware of the effects of stress on mental and physical well-being and how to cope with the stress they are feeling. Also, many of them are not aware of their mental state or how to cope with the stress they are feeling. College youth are not only affected mentally by stress, but also physically. They …

#Queer: Community, Communication, And Identity In The Digital Age, Margaret Allen-Young

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The creation and facilitation of community among LGBTQ+ people has always been necessary as a means of support, protection, and affirmation in a discriminatory society. The common perception of this community imagines the migration of people from rural areas to urban meccas like San Francisco and New York in search of likeminded people. However, the advent of new technology has allowed for community building and organizing to occur more easily without face-to-face contact. In this paper I utilize existing literature, including a large study on queer rural populations, and real-world examples such as the platform Tumblr to explore the evolution …

Youth Empowerment Summit (Yes), Laura Wright

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Community Solutions is a non-profit agency that serves ages 0-100 in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties. The Solutions to Violence Program operates out of Morgan Hill and houses the CSEC and Human Trafficking Division where the capstone project was developed.The “Chill Room” was created at Community Solutions as a part of the Youth Empowerment Summit (YES) Conference in response to the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) within Santa Clara County. The YES Conference was created to enhance collaboration among community based, county, & non-profit organizations to provide a safe space for CSEC youth to process trauma. The conference …

Increasing The Accessibility Of Bim Training Within The Aec Industry, Xavier Caldera

Construction Management

At the turn of the 21^st century, the rise of new technology has helped modernize the AEC industry. Architects, engineers, general contractors, and foremen can build, collaborate, and communicate more efficiently using BIM to help facilitate the building process. The benefits of BIM have been proven through increased coordination, risk mitigation, and cost optimization. However, with the increasing use of BIM, there is a growing education gap between construction workers and BIM technology. Currently, there are three main avenues to learn BIM: in-house company training, attending college, or paying to learn independently online. The foundation for a BIM learning …

Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing, Esmeralda Contreras-Heredia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Monterey County Tobacco Control Program is working to pass smoke-free multi-unit housing (MUH) ordinances in the cities of Monterey, Salinas, and Seaside, to prevent exposure to secondhand and thirdhand smoke. Exposure to the toxins in smoke, including cannabis and electronic cigarettes, causes health risks to non-smoking residents. A sustainable program was developed to educate and increase tenant awareness of health risks associated with second and thirdhand smoke exposure and ways to create healthy home environments. The program consisted of training and building knowledge for Community Health Workers (CHWs) to effectively disperse information to MUH residents. Once the ordinances pass …

Central Coast Vna Palliative Care Volunteer Program, Jacquelyn Taueetia

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Central Coast VNA Visiting Nurse Association provides the highest quality health care to patients through physicians, hospice medical directors, nurses, medical social workers, spiritual care counselors, and volunteers. VNA currently does not have a volunteer program specifically for palliative care patients for their Palliative Care Team. Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and family by addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs (VNA, 2019). 94.9% of patients are referred to VNA because they need support for the patient and family …

Youth Education Program, Venessa Villa-Martin

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Young adults in Monterey County are at risk of being in an abusive relationship and becoming a victim of domestic violence. Being in an abusive relationship has lasting effects, including low self-esteem, and negative effects to both mental and physical health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019), nearly 1 in 11 female, and 1 in 15 male, high school students report having experienced physical dating violence within the past year. About 26% of females and 15% of males will have experienced some type of intimate partner violence (sexual violence, physical violence, or stalking) before the age …

Day Worker Center: Employer And Client Engagement, Anayeli Avalos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The Day Worker Center of Santa Cruz County is a component of the Community Action Board (CAB), a non-profit organization that has been providing services to eliminate poverty. CAB offers the program, administrative, and fiscal oversight to the Day Worker Center. The County of Santa Cruz is facing a high rate of unemployment, which is affecting the community. What contributes to the problem is low awareness of community knowledge about employment services. Also, the undocumented community that finds it hard to trust services because they think they can get deported. In addition, the issue can cause consequences such as health …

Incompetency To Stand Trial: An Informational Guide, Natalie Baur

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

At Monterey County Behavioral Health, we serve people with a variety of mental illnesses. They range from moderate to severe- whether it be schizophrenia or depression, we provide services that will help them deal with their symptoms. We strive to cultivate positive relationships in the community with our clients and contracted facilities. In this essay, I am going to talk about a certain population of who we serve: those who are found incompetent to stand trial and the toll it takes on them and their families. Moreover, I will be talking about the challenges and uncertainties that clients and their …

Traumatic Experiences Through The Queer Lens, Holden Guckenberg

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This is a collection of short stories based off of real trauma that LGBTQ+ individuals have experienced. I have interviewed seven people who identify within the LGBTQ+ community and listened to their traumatic stories. Based on their stories, I have written their accounts with trauma while expanding and taking creative freedom to better enunciate and bring-forth their stories. Trauma affects the LGBTQ+ community at a greater height than it does the general population. It’s important to recognize this fact so that we can support those people who have faced tremendous adversity in the form of trauma. In one form or …

End Of Life Care, Ana Mederos

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Central Coast Visiting Nurses Association is a non-profit agency that provides home health care as well as hospice care for individuals in the counties of Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Santa Clara. In this region, the Latino/ Hispanic communities are underutilizing the services for end of life care. According to statistics provided by VNA 2019, only around 20% of the populations they serve are Latino/ Hispanics. Education on end of life care services is necessary for an individual to have a better understanding and quality of life during the end stage or confronted with a life limiting illness. In …

Reconciling Hyphenated Identities: Muslim American Youth Reflect On College Life In The Midst Of Islamophobia, Diba Ataie

Doctoral Dissertations

Muslims make up more than 1.8 billion people of the world population and have been displaced globally in waves due to the political tension in their homeland. The tragedy of 9/11 forever changed the landscape of this nation for Muslim Americans and created hostility and fear. Islamophobia has been on the rise after the post 9/11 era, but due to the 2016 election cycle Muslim Americans have been placed under direct scrutiny. Muslim Americans were targeted and threatened with a Muslim registry and implemented a Muslim Ban to further ostracise them. The post 9/11 generation of Muslim American youth were …