Digital Commons Network^™

When Preparation Matters: A Mixed Method Study Of In-Service Teacher Preparation To Serve English Learners, Sung-Ae Kim, Trish Morita-Mullaney

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

In this mixed methods study, we examine the role of self-efficacy in relationship to inservice teachers’ capacities to serve English learners (ELs) based on their years of teaching experience, professional development preparation and English as a Second Language (ESL) licensure. Through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, findings demonstrate that teachers with high levels of preparation and related English as a second language (ESL) licensure have the highest levels of efficacy and are able to address the needs of ELs within their curriculum selection, instructional differentiation and interpretation of classroom-based assessments. In contrast, those that only have episodic ESL …

Funds Of Knowledge And Early Literacy: A Mixed Methods Study, Ami Butler, Debra Miretzky

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

When teachers are charged with educating students who are racially, culturally, or economically different from them, they may have little information on the culture and the expectations for family involvement, of their students. This lack of information may lead to perceptions of working-class families, in particular, as socially disorganized and intellectually deficient. Research embodying the theoretical framework of Funds of Knowledge (FoK) attempts to counter this deficit model through its assertion that all families possess extensive bodies of knowledge that have developed through social, historical, political, and economic contexts. The purpose of this study was to carefully examine one Hispanic …

English Learning And Learning Disabilities: Has Research Made Its Way Into Practice?, Solange A. Lopes-Murphy, Christopher G. Murphy

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Fundamental to the hypothesis-driven approach to assessing the special-education (SPED) needs of English learners (ELs) is the awareness that behaviors often exhibited by ELs may mirror indicators of learning disabilities (e.g., difficulty comprehending text, difficulty following directions, lack of appropriate classroom behavior, lack of attention). We surveyed 330 school professionals to examine their perceptions about four mirrored behaviors displayed by ELs during instruction, as indicators of either a second-language difficulty or a learning disability. Only 31% of the respondents correctly indicated that none of the behaviors can distinguish these two possibilities. The probability of correct assessment was positively associated with …

Retrieval Practice And Word Learning In Children With Specific Language Impairment And Their Typically Developing Peers, Laurence B. Leonard, Patricia Deevy

Purdue Center for Early Learning Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose

In this article, we review the role of retrieval practice on the word learning and retention of children with specific language impairment (SLI).

Method

Following a brief review of earlier findings on word learning in children with SLI and the assumptions behind retrieval practice, four experiments are described that compared novel words learned in a repeated spaced retrieval condition and those learned in either a repeated study condition or a repeated immediate retrieval condition. Preschool-age children with SLI and their same-age peers with typical language development were the participants in all experiments. The effects of repeated spaced retrieval were …

Negotiating For Efficiency: Local Adaptation, Consensus, And Military Conscription In Karl Xi's Sweden, Zachariah L. Jett

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The failures of the Scanian War of 1675-1679 revealed to a young Karl XI that Sweden's military was in dire need of reform. This thesis follows the king's process of negotiating with the peasantry over the implementation of one of these new reforms, the knekthåll system for recruiting infantry. It argues that Karl XI intentionally used negotiation as an instrument to build a more efficient method of military recruitment and maintenance. That he used negotiation as a tool to adapt to diverse localities and align the requirements of the knekthåll system with the real resources of an area. Negotiation legitimized …

Identifying Knowledge Gaps Using A Graph-Based Knowledge Representation, Daniel P. Schmidt

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge integration and knowledge bases are becoming more and more prevalent in the systems we use every day. When developing these knowledge bases, it is important to ensure the correctness of the information upon entry, as well as allow queries of all sorts; for this, understanding where the gaps in knowledge can arise is critical. This thesis proposes a descriptive taxonomy of knowledge gaps, along with a framework for automated detection and resolution of some of those gaps. Additionally, the effectiveness of this framework is evaluated in terms of successful responses to queries on a knowledge base constructed from a …

Targeting The Minority: A New Theory Of Diversionary Violence, Nathaniel M. Arnold

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a novel theory for domestic diversionary violence, contending that the main drivers for this type of conflict are the specific characteristics of state-targeted domestic minority groups. Seven new variables measuring minority group characteristics are identified through a case study of the Kurdish minority in the Turkish Republic, then applied to a quantitative analysis of domestic diversionary violence in a dataset of 284 observations across 117 countries during the years 2004-2005, utilizing data from the University of Maryland’s Minorities at Risk Project, the University of Illinois Cline Center SPEED Database, and World Bank. A proportional odds logistic regression …

Immigration And Crime Across Southern Us Border: The Effect Of Latino Immigration On Violent Crime, Matthew Hohman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In the United States, most lay citizens could voice an opinion on the effect of immigration in the United States. However, these opinions are generally only focused on Latino immigration entering the country across its Southern border from Mexico and Caribbean countries, such as Cuba and Haiti. Increased media coverage on this topic in recent decades has fueled this debate and made it a center stage topic in political agendas. This study aims to shed light on this issue by researching the true effect of Latino immigration, as well as total immigration, across the United States’s Southern Border. To account …

Pragmatic Development During Study Abroad: L2 Intensifiers In Spoken Spanish, Lori Czerwionka, Daniel J. Olson

School of Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

The current investigation examined the development of second language (L2) intensifier use in spoken Spanish over a 6-week immersion program in Madrid (n = 45). Native Spanish speakers from Madrid (n = 10) served as a comparison group to represent the local ambient input or sociopragmatic norm to which L2 learners were exposed. Data were extracted from semi-structured interviews. Results exposed different developmental trends over the program for intensifier frequency, intensifier lexical diversity, and intensifier collocations. While learners already had a strong sense of which intensifiers were most frequent in Spanish and how to use them in appropriate linguistic environments …

Toward Enhancing Ecological Validity Of Cognitive-Linguistic Assessment: The Role Of Individual Differences In Cognitive Capacity On Oral Discourse Processing, Nancy Naperala

Wayne State University Dissertations

A growing body of multidisciplinary research indicates the need for more holistic tests of executive cognitive functioning and complex language metrics that predict real-life performance. However, empirical studies investigating cognitive aging, limited capacity processing and everyday discourse behaviours are still lacking. The present research focused on ecologically valid methods for capturing individual differences in cognitive capacity and the effects of cognitive load on oral discourse processing (ODP) in healthy adult participants. This methodology sought to tease apart the nature of capacity limits and provide a better estimate of age-related differences in everyday discourse behaviors in three parts. First, the effects …

Curricular Inquiry: A Survey Of Writing Pedagogy Practicum Instructors, Clare Jennifer Russell

Wayne State University Dissertations

The practicum course, a required course for many new college writing instructors, is a vital site for identifying what are considered best practices in the teaching of college composition, but also for critiquing, revising, and reevaluating those practices. My dissertation contributes to the conversation about how Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) learn to teach college composition, and how what they learn in teaching practicum courses impacts graduate education in Rhetoric and Composition. My dissertation study focuses on the perspectives of instructors who design practica courses that prepare college writing instructors to teach first-year composition at their institutions. GTAs in Writing Studies, …

Mental Illness Awareness In The State Of New Hampshire, Susan Pomerleau

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

New Hampshire is a small state with 1.36 million people reported in 2019. In New Hampshire, 4% of adults live with serious mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression (Resources to Recover, 2020). The National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) has a chapter in New Hampshire to help support, promote, and educate on the topic of mental illness. I would like to partner my effort with NAMI NH and also with the STAMP OUT STIGMA Campaign through the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW) to bring greater awareness of serious mental illness (SMI) and any …

Barrels Xxxii Meeting Report: Whiskers In The Windy City, Giuseppe Cataldo, Chia-Chien Chen, Alicia C. Barrientos, Joshua C. Brumberg

Publications and Research

The 32^nd Annual Barrels meeting was hosted at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois on October 17^th and 18^th, 2019. The annual meeting brings together researchers who utilize the rodent whisker-to-barrel system as a means to understand cortical function and development. This year’s meeting focused on social behaviors, development and cerebellar functions within the barrel system and beyond.

“Does It Have To Be A Real Story?” A Social Semiotic Assessment Of An Emergent Writer, Ted Kesler

Publications and Research

Standardized writing assessments based in linear progressions position teachers for deficit views of young children’s emergent writing development. Consequently, the researcher videorecorded a writing assessment of his son, Daniel, at age 5 years, 4 months, as he composed a story across pages of a blank book, using an assortment of writing tools. Data sources included the transcription of the writing session and Daniel’s final product. The researcher first used open coding then coding based in systemic functional linguistics. Based in ecological and social semiotic perspectives, the researcher shows how Daniel’s writing development was expressed interpersonally, with the emerging text functioning …

Best Practices In Student Education: Inspiring Teachers To Make A Difference With Students Living In Poverty, Andrea Steinfeld

Theses and Dissertations

A large percentage of children enrolled in schools throughout the United States live in poverty. Therefore, educators across the country must develop education policies to ensure all children receive a high-quality education. To further support the need for education policy reform, the literature reviewed in this study indicated that students who live in poverty would have better outcomes when they are engaged in school behaviorally, affectively, and cognitively (Appleton, Christenson, & Furlong, 2008; Cai & Liem, 2017; Kelm & Connell, 2004). Moreover, professional development is necessary to provide teachers with pedagogical practices that will improve the educational practices of teachers, …

Developing Ei: Leadership Journeys In Emotional Intelligence, Erin Bric

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional intelligence (EI) has been deemed a critical competency for leaders in today's world. However, there is little information to help OD practitioners, leaders, and organizations understand how leaders can develop these skills in ways that meaningfully and positively impact their teams and organizations. This study examined the journeys of senior leaders as they developed their emotional intelligence. The study addressed two research questions: how leaders perceive they have developed their emotional intelligence throughout their lifetimes and how leaders are continuing to develop their emotional intelligence in their lives and careers. Key themes emerged out of leader interviews and were …

Differential Semantics, William Michael Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Differential Semantics is a theoretical accounting of the semantic complexity found in natural language, particularly that of the academic and literary registers. It addresses natural language semantics in terms of its contribution to the characterization and expression of creative thought, beginning the perception and conceptualization of objective reality, folloby the metacognitive development of idiosemantic connotations in reference to those conceptualizations, and finally, the intuitive process of implication and inference that facilitates the abstraction and communication of thought.

Perceptions Of Academic Writing From First Generation Non-Traditional Students, Margaret Jeanine Rauch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Across the country, many students struggle with writing making it a national concern for society to find a solution to resolve this issue. By understanding how first generation non-traditional students perceive their own writing, educators and administrators can provide the resources to help these students achieve their academic goals. It is imperative that educators and administrators be aware of this social issue of concern and try to find the best means to help eradicate it. Higher education affords students the opportunity to become critical thinkers, command their own voices, and express their ideas. This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts …

The Effect Of Loanword Status In Japanese On The Length Of The Vowel Inserted Between Consonant Clusters In L2 English By L1 Japanese Speakers Of English, Keiji Iwamoto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In L2 phonological acquisition, the difference in phonotactics between two languages might result in misperception and non-target like pronunciation (Dupoux et al., 1999; Nogita & Fan, 2012). If a language does not allow consonant clusters (CC), the language speaker may perceive an illusory vowel between the two consonants in the cluster (e.g., Japanese, Dupoux et al., 1999) and also they may insert a vowel between two consonants (i.e., vowel epenthesis). Similarly, the pronunciation of loanwords when adopted is usually modified according to the phonological system of the recipient language (Kay, 1995). The current study investigates the effect of loanwords in …

An Analysis Of Efl Learners’ Foreign Language Anxiety And Their Motivation To Learn English, Maide Beyza Cayli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to investigate English-language learners’ foreign language anxiety and their motivations to learn English in an American context. The adapted versions of The Motivation/Attitude Questionnaire (Ozturk 2012), and Foreign Language Anxiety Scale (Horwitz et al 1986) were given to 34 Intensive English Program students at a college in Southeastern United States. The participants in the Advanced and Advanced Plus Level have shown moderate level of Foreign Language Anxiety and Motivation. The results have prevailed that the students with higher proficiency levels have had slightly higher level of motivation. Yet, the participants with a higher level of English proficiency …

Arbitrating With The Mafia: Why Civil Rico Statutes Are Improperly Used And How Class Action Arbitration May Provide Just Compensation For Forgotten Victims, Max Steinberg

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

From the nineteenth century onward, the United States has been overwhelmed by the rise of organized crime. For generations, criminal organizations have "infiltrated the social and economic fabric" of society and committed heinous crimes in almost every way imaginable. For decades, pop culture and Hollywood have been infatuated with criminal organizations. Movies, television shows, books, and podcasts have portrayed these organizations as interesting and complex entities. In most cinematic programs, the leaders of these mob organizations are the protagonists. Hollywood may portray fictional mob bosses as such, but in reality, their organizations often contain ruthless murderers. What seems to get …

Questioning Assumptions About Online Tutoring: A Mixed-Method Study Of Face-To-Face And Synchronous Online Writing Center Tutorials, Carolyn Wisniewski, Maria Carvajal Regidor, Lisa Chason, Evin Groundwater, Allison Kranek, Dorothy Mayne, Logan Middleton

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

Don't Forget The End User: Writing And Tutoring In Computer Science, Krista Speicher Sarraf, Ben Rafoth

The Writing Center Journal

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Self-Reported Mental Health And Acculturation Stress Among Foreign-Born And U.S.-Born Latinos In Immokalee, Florida: A Pilot Study, Payal Kahar, Lirio K. Negroni

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The population of Immokalee in Southwest Florida is 75% Latinos, with nearly half being foreign-born. Several documented stressors contribute to poor mental health among Latinos. However, little is known about Latinos’ mental health in this region. This study sought to assess self-rated mental health (SRMH) and acculturation stress (AS) and predict SRMH based on stress from life events, AS, sociodemographic characteristics, and social support among U.S.-born and foreign-born Latinos. Face-to-face interviews and assisted self-administered surveys were used to collect information among 158 Latinos on sociodemographic characteristics, AS, major life events that caused stress, social support, and SRMH. AS was elicited …

Enhancing Learning With Primitive-Decomposed Cognitive Representations, Jamie C. Macbeth

Computer Science: Faculty Publications

This paper proposes work that applies insights from meaning representation systems for in-depth natural language understanding to representations for self-supervised learning systems, which show promise in developing complex, deeply-nested symbolic structures through self-motivated exploration of their environments. The core of the representation system transforms language inputs into language-free structures that are complex combinations of conceptual primitives, forming a substrate for human-like understanding and common-sense reasoning. We focus on decomposing representations of expectation, intention, planning, and decision-making which are essential to a self-motivated learner. These meaning representations may enhance learning by enabling a rich array of mappings between new experiences and …

Practice And Ontology Of Implied Human Rights In International Law, Federico Lenzerini

Intercultural Human Rights Law Review

Since the XIXth Century, implied (unenumerated) rights have been widely recognized by the courts of several countries with the purpose of addressing the shortcomings existing in national constitutions with respect to the protection of the fundamental rights and freedoms of the human person. In the last decades, such a trend has been emulated by international human rights treaty bodies and regional courts, which use implied human rights to fill the gaps existing in human rights instruments. This practice increases the level of protection afforded to individuals and communities, achieving the goal of guaranteeing effectiveness of human rights.

Natural Language Processing For Modeling Domains In Higher Education, Rebecca Leis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The present dissertation investigates elements of domain formalization, resource allocation, and student success in higher education to conceptually design a university-wide system to assist in strategic planning efforts. The proposed system is a program-level tool with a modular design to allow scalability and generalizability across the entire university. Higher education strategic planning decisions are under investigation by stakeholders and transparency is needed. University resources allocation models are often outdated lack to adequately support program-level decisions. Further, with the dynamic nature of technology, domain knowledge components are evolving rapidly. This complicates the situation as updating curriculum takes additional time and resources. …

Stage Fright: An Examination Of Horror-Based Theatre Through Theory And Practice, Ramon Paradoa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The horror genre wears masks of various shapes, sizes, and textures in the creative outlets in which it exists. While often criticized and chastised by the craftiest of pop culture critics, the general agreement is that the genre successfully fulfills its purpose in satisfying a craving for screams while providing a sub-cultured home for a specific demographic of misfits. Although the reasoning behind the genre's ever-growing popularity and continued financial success can easily be accredited to surface-level identifiers such as these, for the purposes of horror-based theatre, I believe they can more accurately be attributed to reasons far more psychoanalytical. …

Who Am I, And Why Does It Matter? Reflections Of Identity And The Need For Culturally Sustaining Theatre, Bianca Alamo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

The question of "who am I" created an involuntary domino effect which led me to my most valued work I have done as a graduate student, serving predominantly Latino/a students in educational theatre settings. This thesis explores three productions I worked on and the questions that have evolved in my understanding of identity and cultural sustainability as a Latina theatre artist and educator working in educational theatre. As an Orlando Repertory teaching artist, I began a residency with HOPE CommUnity Center along with some colleagues. We worked with high school students from their youth group to devise a show titled …

Localizing Shakespeare As Folk Performance: Romeo And Juliet, Sintang Dalisay, And The Igal Of The Sama Bajau In Southern Philippines, Ricardo G. Abad, M. C. M. Santamaria

Perspectives in the Arts and Humanities Asia

No abstract provided.