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Coastal Zone Access And The Pell Elementary School Sail Newport Program: Experiential Education Outcomes In Newport, Rhode Island, Leah Feldman

Open Access Master's Theses

Newport, Rhode Island is a diverse community. Although there is a population of very wealthy households in Newport, roughly 11% of the population lives below the poverty line. Newport is one of the more demographically diverse communities in Rhode Island, with 49.7% of its populous identifying as white, 27.1% identifying as black, and 18.2% identifying as Hispanic. The state of Rhode Island consists of 81% white, 6.5% African American and 5.8% other races and ethnicities. In this thesis I discuss the effects of a place-based experiential environmental education program, the Pell Elementary School Sail Newport Program, on this diverse demographic …

Plastic Perceptions: Surveying Public Opinion Of Plastic Pollution In Rhode Island, Sabrina Pereira

Open Access Master's Theses

This research surveyed 200 coastal and noncoastal Rhode Island residents to determine their perceptions of marine plastic debris and their support for plastic and paper bag legislation. The results suggest that one’s residency, or geographic distance from the coast, has no bearing on plastic and paper bag policy support and that most participants, 77%, classify plastic pollution as a serious threat to various types of wildlife, the marine environment, human health, and Rhode Island’s economy. The data also seems to suggest support for a statewide plastic bag ban and a statewide fee of 10 cents on paper bags as a …

The Effects Of Concussion On Motor Neuron Reflex Excitability, Priscilla Villa

Open Access Master's Theses

Objective: Individuals who participate in high impact sports are prone to concussive injuries. Assessments used to measure concussion severity mainly examine cognitive domains and only minimally assess the motor system. Testing the motor system is important for athletes whose performance and safety rely heavily on motor control. To our knowledge, there are limited studies assessing motor dysfunction at the spinal level. The goals of this study were to assess the effect that a head injury has on 1) resting spinal motor neuron reflex excitability (MNRE) and 2) MNRE levels over time when preparing for a volitional movement (Motor Preparation).

Participants …

The Role Of Ethnic/Racial Classroom Dynamics In The Learning Environment And Mathematics Achievement, Christina Stephens

Open Access Master's Theses

In the U.S., ethnic and racial disparities in education persist throughout K-12 education. Empirical research has linked classroom ethnic/racial structures and achievement, and the learning environment and achievement. However, few studies have considered the complex manner in which ethnicity/race may interact with the learning environment and its relation to student success across diverse groups. The current study investigated the role that ethnic/racial congruence between the student, teacher, and classroom could have on the learning environment and mathematics achievement. A multilevel regression approach examined if these factors predicted academic achievement. Secondary data were from The National Center for Teacher Effectiveness, collected …

Exploring Typology Categorizations Of Male Perpetrators: A Methodology Study, Emilyl N. Weber, Ashely R. Taylor, Arturo L. Cantos, Barbara G. Amado, K. Daniel O'Leary

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrators were categorized based on whether they were generally violent (GV) or family only violent (FO) using self-report or arrest records. Classification criteria to assess recidivism in perpetrators of IPV were evaluated herein to determine the incremental validity of using a perpetrator’s criminal history in addition to their self-report information for categorization purposes. The concordance rates for categorizing subtypes of male perpetrators were compared for two methods, namely, self-report versus criminal history data. Categorizations were made based on self-reported history of violence and federal criminal records separately. Between measures consistency was defined as whether or not …

How Epistemic Justice Can Inform Gender Equality In A Technological University, Yvonne Galligan, Sarah Clavero

Irish Journal of Academic Practice

This article has two aims: one is to map the landscape of gender (in)equality in science and technology universities and the customary lens through which this deficit is analysed. The second is to explore the concept of epistemic justice, unpacking its features and discussing its relevance in a higher education context. This leads to a consideration of the application of epistemic justice to science and technological universities, where knowledge production and sharing takes place in a highly masculinised environment. In this context, the intersection of epistemic justice and gender equality is a particularly relevant dimension of academic and institutional life. …

A Decade Of Disability Depictions In Newbery Award Books, H. Grow, Sharon Black, K. Egan, Tina Taylor, K. Moss, Rachel L. Wadham, Mary Anne Prater

Faculty Publications

Newbery awards are conferred annually on books recognized as having made the most distinguished contribution to children’s literature; these books reach a wide audience, and their depictions of characters with disabilities can influence children's perceptions and attitudes toward individuals with disabilities. Eight Newbery Medal and Honor books chosen from 2010 to 2019 were identified as portraying 11 main or supporting characters with a disability. Six disabilities were represented: emotional disturbance, deafness, specific learning disability, speech/language impairment, orthopedic impairment, and traumatic brain injury. Applying the Rating Scale for Quality Characterizations of Individuals with Disabilities in Children’s Literature, we found most of …

Learning At Literary Festivals, Giulia Rossetti, Bernadette Quinn

Books/Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Consumer Wine Choice: The Case Of Wine Tourism, Margaret Connolly

Books/Book Chapters

This research was undertaken to examine the relationship between the wine tourism activities of consumers and their subsequent wine choices. Exploratory research was undertaken giving specific attention to wine tourism, first, as a factor of influence on decision-making, second, on levels of consumer involvement and third on long-term consumer loyalty. A convenience sample of 12 wine consumers in Dublin participated in the study. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used to gather the qualitative data used. The findings clearly establish links made by consumers between their wine tourism experiences and their subsequent wine purchase preferences. The findings highlight the importance of facilitating …

Association Between Preseason Training And Performance In Elite Australian Football, Callum J. Mccaskie, Warren B. Young, Brendan B. Fahrner, Marc Sim

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: To examine the association between preseason training variables and subsequent in-season performance in an elite Australian football team.

Methods: Data from 41 elite male Australian footballers (mean [SD] age = 23.4 [3.1] y, height =188.4 [7.1] cm, and mass = 86.7 [7.9] kg) were collected from 1 Australian Football League (AFL) club. Preseason training data (external load, internal load, fitness testing, and session participation) were collected across the 17-wk preseason phase (6 and 11 wk post-Christmas). Champion Data© Player Rank (CDPR), coaches’ ratings, and round 1 selection were used as in-season performance measures. CDPR and coaches’ ratings were examined …

Fake News And Propaganda: Trump’S Democratic America And Hitler’S National Socialist (Nazi) Germany, David E. Allen, Michael Mcaleer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper features an analysis of President Trump’s two State of the Union addresses, which are analysed by means of various data mining techniques, including sentiment analysis. The intention is to explore the contents and sentiments of the messages contained, the degree to which they differ, and their potential implications for the national mood and state of the economy. We also apply Zipf and Mandelbrot’s power law to assess the degree to which they differ from common language patterns. To provide a contrast and some parallel context, analyses are also undertaken of President Obama’s last State of the Union address …

Screening For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Ards Survivors: Validation Of The Impact Of Event Scale-6 (Ies-6), Megan M. Hosey, Jeannie-Marie S. Leoutsakos, Ximin Li, Victor D. Dinglas, O. Joseph Bienvenu, Ann M. Parker, Ramona O. Hopkins Phd, Dale M. Needham, Karin J. Neufeld

Faculty Publications

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are common in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) survivors. Brief screening instruments are needed for clinical and research purposes. We evaluated internal consistency, external construct, and criterion validity of the Impact of Event Scale-6 (IES-6; 6 items) compared to the original Impact of Event Scale—Revised (IES-R; 22 items) and to the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) reference standard evaluation in ARDS survivors.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis from two independent multi-site, prospective studies of ARDS survivors. Measures of internal consistency, and external construct and criterion validity were evaluated.

Results: A total of …

“It Takes A Village To Raise A Rigorous Qualitative Project”: Studying Family Financial Socialization Using Team-Based Qualitative Methods, Loren D. Marks, Christina M. Rosa, Ashley B. Lebaron, E. Jeffery Hill

Faculty Publications

This purpose of this case study is to relate the methods used to conduct a qualitative research project about family financial socialization designed by emerging adults, primarily employing emerging adults as the primary research participants (although some of their parents and grandparents are interviewed). A sample of 153 respondents (128 undergraduate students, 17 parents, and eight grandparents) at three universities was recruited to assure diversity. We outline and discuss our team-based approach to qualitative data collection, analysis, and coding procedures, as well as how a team of 10 undergraduate students was incorporated into this approach. We relate the challenges and …

Late-Career Unemployment Has Mixed Effects In Retirement, Wendy C. Birmingham, Maren Wright Voss, M Beth Merryman, Lisa Crabtree, Kathy Subasic, Lori Wadsworth, Man Hung

Faculty Publications

Paid work forms a pattern of occupational engagement that shifts during both unemployment and retirement. Similar to unemployment, the occupational disruption associated with involuntary retirement has been linked to poorer physical and mental health outcomes. To better understand the health impact of work transitions during the pre- and post-retirement years, 24 retired individuals with late-career unemployment were interviewed at the Huntsman World Senior Games in October 2016. Demographic data were collected. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) approach was utilized to thematically analyse the interview data and interpretations were evaluated against existing theory. Themes identified included struggle, freedom, and transition, followed by …

Report On The Future Role Of Engineers In Society And The Skills And Competences Engineering Will Require, Brad Tabas, Una Beagon, Klara Kövesi

Reports

This literature review outlines the current state of the art knowledge in relation to the influence of diversity, attractiveness of the engineering profession and the skills and competencies required of engineers to achieve the SDGs. We aim to answer the overall research question: How do engineering educators develop new learning and teaching approaches (methods) that will attract a diverse group of students (and mature learners) whilst achieving the SDGs in 2030? The main objective of the A-STEP 2030 project is to create an attractive and fascinating learning environment to encourage young people with diverse backgrounds to engage in engineering studies …

Redmond (2002) Revisited: Have Standardized Behavioral Rating Scales Gotten Better At Accommodating For Overlapping Symptoms With Language Impairment?, Kirsten M. Hannig, Sean M. Redmond, Amy Wilder

Faculty Publications

Seventeen years ago, Redmond ¹ reviewed five standardized behavioral rating scales and identified several aspects of their design that made them prone to mischaracterize language impairments as socioemotional behavioral disorders. The purpose of this report is to provide an update and extension of the original audit. We consulted test manuals to evaluate: (1) representation of children with language impairments in their standardization samples; (2) presence of language, or academic items within their inventories; (3) accommodations for administering the measure to children with language impairments; and (4) procedures for identifying inordinately punitive ratings. Overlapping language and academic symptoms continued to be …

Bidirectional Interference Between Simulated Driving And Speaking, Christopher Dromey, Kelsey Simmons

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study relied on acoustic measures of connected speech and several indices of driving performance to quantify interference between speaking and simulated driving. Method: Three groups of 20 younger (ages 20–30 years), middle-age (ages 40–50 years), and older (ages 60–71 years) adults produced monologues and completed a simulated driving task, which involved maintaining a constant speed and lane position on a freeway. Both tasks were completed separately and concurrently. Results: There were significant divided attention effects, with a reduced speaking time ratio, and increases in vocal intensity, speed variability, and steering wheel adjustments. There was a significant between-subjects age …

Listeners’ Ability To Identify The Gender Of Preadolescent Children In Different Linguistic Contexts, Christopher Dromey, Shawn Nissen, Sharalee Blunck, Anita Dromey

Faculty Publications

This study evaluated listeners’ ability to identify the gender of preadolescent children from speech samples of varying length and linguistic context. The listeners were presented with a total of 190 speech samples in four different categories of linguistic context: segments, words, sentences, and discourse. The listeners were instructed to evaluate each speech sample and decide whether the speaker was a male or female and rate their level of confidence in their decision. Results showed listeners identified the gender of the speakers with a high degree of accuracy, ranging from 86% to 95%. Significant differences in listener judgments were found across …

How Architecture And Engineering Students Conceptualize Design Creation: Report Of A Pilot Study, Shannon Chance, Mike Mimirinis, Ines Direito, John E. Mitchell, Emanuela Tilley

Conference papers

This study uses phenomenographic research methodologies to identify qualitatively different ways engineering and architecture students conceptualize design creation; it seeks to discover if and how their conceptualizations of design creation relate to their conceptualizations of knowledge generation. This work extends prior research by King and Kitchener (1994) and others (Baxter Magolda, 1992; Belenky, Clinchy, Goldberger, & Tarule, 1986; Hofer & Pintrich, 2002; Perry, 1970) about the ways students develop increasingly sophisticated ways of: understanding and conceptualizing knowledge; sources of truth; how to evaluate various opinions and points-of-view; and ways to assess truthfulness and validity of new ideas. This project stems …

International Student Support Groups: Learning From Experienced Group Members And Leaders, Nathan` Page, Mark Beecher, Derek Griner, Timothy B. Smith, Aaron Jackson, Klint Hobbs

Faculty Publications

Adjustment to college can be particularly difficult for international students. A multi-site qualitative study investigated the experiences of six group leaders and 10 group members who participated in seven different university counseling center international student support groups. Analyses of interview data using hermeneutic interpretation resulted in nine major themes and ten sub-themes organized into four sections: (1) Recruitment and group design, (2) Experiences of group members, (3) Experiences of group leaders, and (4) Additional considerations. College and university counseling centers can effectively work with international students by providing outreach and support groups.

Learner Engagement In Blended Learning Environments: A Conceptual Framework, Lisa R. Halverson, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

Learner engagement correlates with important educational outcomes, including academic achievement and satisfaction. Although research is already exploring learner engagement in blended contexts, no theoretical framework guides inquiry or practice, and little consistency or specificity exists in engagement definitions and operationalizations. Developing definitions, models, and measures of the factors that indicate learner engagement is important to establishing whether changes in instructional methods (facilitators) result in improved engagement (measured via indicators). This article reviews the existing literature on learner engagement and identifies constructs most relevant to learning in general and blended learning in particular. The authors present a possible conceptual framework for …

Interaction, Student Satisfaction, And Teacher Time Investment In Online High School Courses, Chad Turley, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

This case study explores differences between two online course models by investigating the results of a student end-of-course evaluation survey and teacher communication logs in two online high school courses. The two course models were designed with different types and levels of interaction, one with high levels of student-content interaction, the second with high levels of student-content and student-teacher interaction. The majority of research on interaction in online learning has been conducted with adult learners at the university level. There is far less literature focusing on K-12 online learning while investigating interaction, student satisfaction, and teacher time investment. This case …

Experiences With Personalized Learning In A Blended Teaching Course For Preservice Teachers, Karen T. Arnesen, Charles R. Graham, Cecil R. Short, Douglas Archibald

Faculty Publications

In this study, we explored the experiences of preservice teachers as they learned about and experienced personalized learning in a one-credit class designed to introduce students to four core competency areas in K–12 blended teaching contexts: online integration, data practices, personalization, and online interactions. The course included online synchronous, online asynchronous, and in-person class meetings. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, we examined students’ pre and post readiness surveys, activity data, and reflections on their experiences in the course. We found that through course readings; creation of an online module based on blended learning pedagogies, which included personalized learning experiences; …

Driving, Sustaining And Scaling Up Blended Learning Practices In Higher Education Institutions: A Proposed Framework, Cher Ping Lim, Tianchong Wang, Charles R. Graham

Faculty Publications

Higher education institutions (HEIs) have recognised the role of blended learning (BL) in enhancing teaching and learning quality; many of these institutions have implemented BL initiatives as part of their quality enhancement efforts. Despite these efforts, HEIs face sustainability and scalability challenges and issues. There have been pockets of innovative BL practices but these practices are not prevalent across courses and programmes within institutions. In response, this paper proposes a framework to inform institutional strategic planning for driving, sustaining, and scaling up BL practices in HEIs. There are seven strategic dimensions in this framework: (1) curriculum; (2) vision and policy …

Reward Type And Performance: An Examination Of Organizational Wellness Programs, William G. Heninger, Steven D. Smith, David A. Wood

Faculty Publications

We examine organizational control in the context of wellness programs—organizational initiatives designed to improve the physical and mental health of employees. In a field study setting, we examine the associations of three different types of incentives (cash, gift cards, and tangible rewards) with wellness program performance. We find that employees who successfully complete program challenges are associated with greater weight loss. We also find participants choosing gift cards are associated with the greatest program success, even though cash rewards are selected more than twice as often as gift cards. Tangible rewards are the least frequently selected reward and are associated …

Parental Mediation And The Internet: Findings Of Net Children Go Mobile For Parents' Mediation Strategies In Ireland: Mediazione Dei Genitori E Internet: Risultati Di Net Children Go Mobile Per Le Strategie Di Mediazione Di Genitori In Irlanda., Thuy Dinh, Brian O'Neill

Articles

Based on data collected from the Net Children Go Mobile project, a cross- national study of children aged 9-16 in seven European countries with a focus on the Irish context, this article examines parental mediation of children’ online ac- tivities. The relationship between children’s digital skills (including internet and smartphone use) and parental mediation is also examined and factors influenc- ing parent mediation are highlighted. Parents implement a range of strategies, favouring strict mediation and rules over active mediation on internet safety, but these were associated with reduced children’s online activities and digital skills. These findings challenge researchers to identify …

Would A Robot Trust You? Developmental Robotics Model Of Trust And Theory Of Mind, S Vinanzi, M Patacchiola, A Chella, A Cangelosi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Trust is a critical issue in human-robot interaction: as robotic systems gain complexity, it becomes crucial for them to be able to blend in our society by maximizing their acceptability and reliability. Various studies have examined how trust is attributed by people to robots, but less have investigated the opposite scenario, where a robot is the trustor and a human is the trustee. The ability for an agent to evaluate the trustworthiness of its sources of information is particularly useful in joint task situations where people and robots must collaborate to reach shared goals. We propose an artificial cognitive architecture …

Plastics, The Environment And Society: Current Consensus And Future Directions, Richard C. Thompson, Sabine Pahl

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

In less than 60 years, plastics have transformed our daily lives. Usage is increasing and now exceeds 330 million tonnes per annum. In this concluding chapter we summarise current understanding about the benefits and concerns of plastics usage and look to future priorities, challenges and opportunities. It is clear that plastics bring many societal benefits and offer the potential for further advances in medical and technological applications, as well as carbon reductions. However, it is also widely acknowledged that current production, use and disposal of plastics is not sustainable. Our understanding of the issues associated with end of life plastics …

Auditions And … More Auditions, John Matthews, Guevara Vl De

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Musical Borrowing In Sonification, Núria Bonet

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

Sonification presents some challenges in communicating information, particularly because of the large difference between possible data to sound mappings and cognitively valid mappings. It is an information transmission process which can be described through the Shannon-Weaver Theory of Mathematical Communication. Musical borrowing is proposed as a method in sonification which can aid the information transmission process as the composer’s and listener’s shared musical knowledge is used. This article describes the compositional process of Wasgiischwashäsch (2017) which uses Rossini’s William Tell Overture (1829) to sonify datasets relating to climate change in Switzerland. It concludes that the familiarity of audiences with the …