Digital Commons Network^™

Bravery In The Delicate: An Actor's Exploration Of Thea Elvsted In Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, Mary Catherine Goff

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This purpose of this document is twofold: to examine the process of character creation over the course of my experiences performing the role of Thea Elvsted in West Virginia University’s spring 2020 production of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, and to define Thea’s dramatic significance to Hedda Gabler as a whole. The following text will provide a detailed look at the research I collected in the interest of building a cohesive view of the world of the play. Additionally, it will describe the various techniques I employed throughout the rehearsal and performance process of the production, with specific attention paid to …

Pandemic Pedagogy: A Zoom Teaching Experiment Using Cognitive Theory Of Multimedia Learning Principles Of Multimedia Design, Kevin C. Knoster

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct an experimental study exploring the applicability of multimedia principles of effective instructional design to Zoom teaching. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators across higher education were forced to rapidly transition from traditional face-to-face instruction to online teaching. One of the most common ways in which colleges and universities navigated this transition in the United States was via mass adoption of the video conferencing platform Zoom. However, best practices have not yet been identified to assist instructors inexperienced with online teaching in adapting to remote instruction via Zoom. This dissertation argued …

Critical Communities Of Practice In Distance American Sign Language Interpreter Education, Danielle South

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

American Sign Language interpreter education must center the Deaf community in the learning environment. In a distance-education environment, the task of connecting students with the Deaf community is challenging due to time constraints and geographic separation. In order to facilitate meaningful, engaging, experiential online learning, I developed a critical community of practice (CCoP), similar to Lave & Wenger’s (1991) community of practice (CoP). I facilitate my research through one primary research question and three subquestions: (1) How does integration of the critical community of practice framework impact students’ learning in an online language-interpreting-based learning environment? (a) How does critical discourse …

Chronic Customers Or Increased Awareness? The Dynamics Of Social Media Customer Service, Shujing Sun, Yang Gao, Huaxia Rui

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Despite that social media has become a promising alternative to traditional call centers, managers hesitate to fully harness its power because they worry that active service intervention may encourage excessive use of the channel by disgruntled customers. This paper sheds light on such a concern by examining the dynamics between brand-level customer complaints and service interventions on social media. Using details of customer-brand interactions of 40 airlines on Twitter, we find that more service interventions indeed cause more customer complaints, accounting for the online customer population and service quality. However, the increased complaints are primarily driven by the awareness enhancement …

Creating Usable And Accessible Courses Through Usability Testing In Higher Education: A Canvas Usability Assessment For Diverse Students, Carrie Schreiner

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

No abstract provided.

Zero-Shot Action Recognition With Knowledge Enhanced Generative Adversarial Networks, Kaiqiang Huang, Luis Miralles-Pechuán, Susan Mckeever

Conference papers

Zero-Shot Action Recognition (ZSAR) aims to recognise action classes in videos that have never been seen during model training. In some approaches, ZSAR has been achieved by generating visual features for unseen classes based on the semantic information of the unseen class labels using generative adversarial networks (GANs). Therefore, the problem is converted to standard supervised learning since the unseen visual features are accessible. This approach alleviates the lack of labelled samples of unseen classes. In addition, objects appearing in the action instances could be used to create enriched semantics of action classes and therefore, increase the accuracy of ZSAR. …

"Who Can Help Me?'': Knowledge Infused Matching Of Support Seekers And Support Providers During Covid-19 On Reddit, Manas Gaur, Kaushik Roy, Aditya Sharma, Biplav Srivastava, Amit Sheth

Publications

During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, subreddits on Reddit, such as r/Coronavirus saw a rapid growth in user's requests for help (support seekers - SSs) including individuals with varying professions and experiences with diverse perspectives on care (support providers - SPs). Currently, knowledgeable human moderators match an SS with a user with relevant experience, i.e, an SP on these subreddits. This unscalable process defers timely care. We present a medical knowledge-infused approach to efficient matching of SS and SPs validated by experts for the users affected by anxiety and depression, in the context of with COVID-19. After matching, each SP to …

Collaborative Learning Of International Undergraduate English Language Learners In Small-Group Writing Communities, Yiting Chu

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This article reports a study on how international English language learner (ELL) students participated in a collaborative learning community comprised of peers and peer tutors in a writing center in a U.S. university. Drawing on the theory of community of practice (CoP), qualitative data were collected from weekly observations of three groups and in-depth interviews with four ELL students and six tutors. Findings suggested that these three groups functioned differently as CoPs with varied levels of participation and social interaction among the students and between students and tutors. A mismatch between the goals and roles of the students and those …

Prepared To Respond? Investigating Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Readiness For Culturally Responsive Teaching, Alicia L. Moore, Rebecca M. Giles, Paige Vitulli

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Increasing cultural diversity in American schools has made preparing graduates to work with diverse learners an essential goal of teacher education programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of elementary (K-6) undergraduate preservice teachers (n=36) in a dual certification program regarding their personal and professional readiness for culturally responsive teaching. Data collected using the Cultural Responsive Teaching Readiness Scale (Karatas & Oral, 2017) revealed relatively high mean overall with little variation (M = 4.25, SD = 0.18) with a statistically significant difference (t (33) = 18.65, p < .001) between Personal Readiness (M = 4.46) and Professional Readiness (M = 3.98). Participants seemed to perceive classroom practice as influential in terms of their cultural awareness, thus, indicating the importance of partnerships with area schools and districts to ensure effective field experiences for preparing teachers for sustained employment in culturally and linguistically diverse settings.

Service-Learning To Develop Responsiveness Among Preservice Teachers, Elizabeth S. White

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits, challenges, and limitations of a service-learning project designed to promote responsiveness among PK-12 preservice teachers (N=41). The service-learning included working with children (5- to 12-year-olds) at before- and after-school programs, interviewing site staff, and developing lesson plans for the children at each site. Data sources for this study included students’ reflections and group lesson plans. Qualitative analysis showed that what constituted benefits for some students, such as connecting with children and learning classroom management, were reported as challenges for others. Additionally, students’ ideas about responsiveness in education were focused on …

Positioning Co-Teachers In An Integrated English As A New Language Class: Making Sense Of Teaching Roles, Kelley E. Cordeiro

Theses & Dissertations

This study examined how co-teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and General Education (GE) perceived their roles, agency, and professional positioning within co-taught elementary integrated English as a New Language (ENL) classes. Theories of positioning and educational change guided this study, exploring teachers’ perceptions of parity and observations of their discourse and interactions within the context of school and district cultures and policies. ESOL and GE co-teachers who implemented the collaborative cycle of instruction with fidelity experienced parity in their partnerships. These teachers utilized their distinct areas of expertise and had a common understanding of each teacher’s …

Co-Creating A Culture Of Belonging Through The Relational Co-Teaching Framework: A Critical, Transformative Auto|Ethnography, Elizabeth L. Stein

Theses & Dissertations

This critical, transformative auto|ethnography highlights power relations and culture as it documents my four-month collaborative journey with co-teachers and their students in their fifthgrade suburban school in Northeastern New York. This study describes how Ms. K., a general educator, and Ms. D, a special educator, negotiated power and reimagined a culture of belonging through the shift to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The co-teachers’ interactions were analyzed on macro, meso, and micro levels with data sources, including transcripts from cogenerative dialogues and semi-structured interviews, written reflections through student journaling, researcher’s journal, and other artifacts. A theoretical bricolage guided my …

"X" Marks The Spot, Or Does It? An Analysis Of Voter Intent Laws And Their Implications For Counting Paper Ballots, Kyle C. Kopko

South Dakota Law Review

No abstract provided.

Interactive Modules For Flight Training: A Review, Stephanie G. Fussell, Robert Thomas

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The use of animation and video, combined with auditory and text components, to teach complex subjects can be beneficial to deepen understanding. A review of the literature was conducted to better understand how interactive learning modules can give flight students tools to enhance the learning process outside of traditional instruction. Instructional theories and educational environments were considered through the lens of designing course content for flight students. Several research questions were asked to guide the course of the research, all focused on how students learn a complex subject matter using interactive material. Guidelines and principles are discussed to ensure the …

An Exploration Of Depression In African American Adults With Sickle Cell Disease: Symptoms, Coping Strategies And The Potential Benefits Of Religiosity, Delores P. Quasie-Woode

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Depressive symptoms in adults with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) often go unrecognized and untreated. SCD is one of the most common inherited hemoglobin disorders in the United States, affecting 1 in 365 African Americans. Individuals with SCD and co-morbid Depression lead to high hospitalization rates and healthcare utilization. The objective of this study is to explore depressive symptoms and preferred coping strategies among African American Adults with SCD. Furthermore, the aim is to explore the acceptability of religiosity among those who self-identify as religious.

Interviews were conducted with 30 African American adults, recruited during their hematology appointment at the Center …

Languages, Cultures, And Identities: Cross-Cultural Experiences Of Hbcu Students In A Study Abroad Program In Costa Rica, Irina M. Tedrick

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this dissertation was to illuminate how an immersive study abroad program enabled my Black and African American Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) students to have meaningful language acquisition, cultural exploration, and identity expansion experiences. The methods used in this research reflect the qualitative narrative nature of the cross-cultural narrative inquiry (He, 2003, 2006, 2010; Phillion & He, 2008; Phillion et al., 2009; Sharma & Phillion, 2021). Thus, to accurately capture the participants’ stories, I employed a variety of methods, gathering data through semi-structured interviews and the collection of personal artifacts, such as journal writings, pictures, and …

Mothering Through Our Pain: Single Black Mothers’ Narratives, Yolanda E. Surrency

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Black women’s voices and historical contributions have been dismissed, and even excluded, making it difficult for their cultural knowledge to be transmitted to future generations. Black women battle with an unsettled consciousness from subscribing to the normalization of what dominant culture defines as good mothering. This study uses Black feminism to examine single Black mothers who navigate the negative images of the welfare queen and the matriarch. This narrative study uses Black feminism to examine the stories of single, Black mothers and their daughters. The purpose is to investigate Black mothers’ lived experiences to understand their struggles and resistance. Purposeful …

Rapid Transition Of A Technical Course From Face-To-Face To Online, Swapna Gottipatti, Venky Shankaraman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Just like most universities around the world, the senior management at Singapore Management University decided to move all courses to a virtual, online, synchronous mode, giving instructors a very short notice period—one week—to make this transition. In this paper, we describe the challenges, practical solutions adopted, and the lessons learnt in rapidly transitioning a face-to-face Master’s degree course in Text Analytics and Applications into a virtual, online, course format that could deliver a quality learning experience.

'Fraught' Chineseness: 'Chinese Christians' In The Vancouver Sun, Justin Kh Tse

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This chapter explores the ways in which Douglas Todd, a journalist for the Vancouver Sun, has covered stories about Chinese churches in Vancouver, BC, for over three decades. It shows how Todd has focused on Chinese Christians as a way to offer a particular perspective on religion and cultural diversity in Vancouver, and as a window into their relationship with the civil society. Ultimately, this chapter highlights the ways in which Todd essentializes “Chineseness” and reinforces a problematic public narrative of homogeneity among Vancouver’s Chinese Christians.

2021 Fall Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Spandeck: A Relational View Of The Duty Of Care, Kian Peng Soh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The use of a general framework in the determination of a duty of care has seemingly fallen out of favour following the UK Supreme Court’s decision in Robinson. Relying on the example of the Spandeck framework in Singaporean jurisprudence, this piece presents the argument that such frameworks, being consistent with a relational conception of tort law, can provide a useful means of determining whether a duty of care exists. In so doing, this piece addresses some criticisms of the relational view and re-emphasises the important role the duty of care plays in the tort of negligence.

Parent Coaching Via Telepractice For Children From Latinx Backgrounds With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Valeria Yllades, J. Birdie Ganz, Sanikan Wattanawongwan, Claudia Dunn, Lauren Pierson

All Faculty Scholarship (Archived)

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder from bilingual homes have to learn two languages and to discriminate which language to use across settings and people. Language instruction for this population is complicated by the core deficits in social-communication common in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Language barriers create conflict between families and practitioners. Using a single case, multiple probe design across three parent-child dyads between 3-6 years from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, the present study examined the effect of telepractice-based parent coaching in a multimodal communication intervention. Culturally responsive approaches were integrated within the coaching model, including targeted interview questions. …

Undergraduate Catalog, Georgia Southern University

Undergraduate & Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Equity In Language Programs: Revitalizing Indigenous Languages In Secondary School In Anchorage, Alaska, Betsy Watson (Paskvan)

Doctoral Dissertations

"Wherever there is a situation of domination and subordination between any two groups, whatever their color or religion, this will be reflected in the language relationship: one language dominating the other." —wa Thiong’o (2011, p. 244) Indigenous language and culture education efforts in Anchorage, Alaska are limited by omissions in the public school curriculum. One of the many reasons for this is that policy makers believe there is not sufficient demand for Alaska Native languages in public schools. Further there is a perceived lack of language teacher-leaders and experts to build programs for Alaska Native language instruction. This study used …

Pilipinx Radical Imagination: Healing And Visioning In Our Process Of Becoming, Anthony Abulencia Santa Ana

Doctoral Dissertations

There are estimated 10.4 million Filipinos living or working abroad primarily in the Middle East, Europe, Canada, and the United States searching for a better life for themselves and their families (Commission on Filipino Overseas, 2013). Due to economic motivation, assimilating to the host country's culture, values, and traditions is an act of survival. While the majority of the research has focused on the domestic workers’ experience, rarely has there been a study focusing on Filipinos in the diaspora positive contributions to the host country and their Pilipinx Radical Imagination. As a result, the purpose of this qualitative study is …

Appropriation Vs. Authenticity: The Use Of Black Vernacular English By White Speakers, Tamara Petrov

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

This research investigates the authenticity of white speakers of Black Vernacular English (BVE). The scope of the paper is limited to white speakers of BVE in America, including European immigrants. The paper explores how authenticity is determined, revealing a complex vetting process performed by Black, in-group speakers. Research indicates that many of the white BV users exhibit appropriate use, wherein the speaker employs a speech pattern from a community to which they do not belong. The paper supports that the root of white appropriation of BVE is the desire to project characteristics of “toughness” associated with stereotypes of Black masculinity. …

Pluralism And Convergence: Judicial Standardization In Canadian Corporate Law, Camden Hutchison

All Faculty Publications

This article uses statistical analysis of judicial decisions to address whether (and to what extent) the common law of corporations varies among the provinces. The primary findings are: (1) as measured by the number of case citations, provincial courts of appeal favour precedent from their home provinces; (2) the Supreme Court of Canada exerts a powerful standardizing influence across the provinces; and (3) on balance (and despite the “home province” bias of provincial courts of appeal), Canadian corporate law is largely homogeneous, with little variation among provincial jurisdictions. This article concludes that—for a variety of reasons—it is unlikely that any …

Narratives Of Disability And Displacement: Oral Histories Of The Lived Experiences Of Disabled Refugees, Jennifer Lynn Ward

Doctoral Dissertations

Disabled refugees are considered as the most marginalized group of all displaced populations. Disabled displaced people are at particular risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse. Additional barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance, education, health care, and other services exist for disabled displaced people. The purpose of this study was to collaborate with disabled refugees who have resettled in the United States and to create a space for their stories to be told. This research project explores the narratives of the lived experiences of disabled displaced people through the lenses of three theoretical frameworks: human rights, disability justice, and Critical Refugee Studies. …

The Effect Of Teaching And Learning Vocabulary In Lexical Chunks On The Listening Comprehension Of Adult Learners Of Arabic, Bassam Al-Maqtari

Doctoral Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate how teaching and learning Arabic vocabulary items in multiword form (i.e., chunks and phrases), rather than in single form (i.e., one word at a time), affects learners’ ability to comprehend Arabic listening passages and to examine the relationship between students’ auditory knowledge of words, and that of phrases and listening comprehension. Data sources included three types of tests: the Arabic listening comprehension test, the single-word auditory knowledge test, and the multiword auditory knowledge test. The sample consists of 39 students (experimental group=20, control group=19). The study was separated into a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest portion (Phase 1) …

The Effectiveness Of Using Multimedia For Teaching Phrasal Verbs In Community-College Esl Classes, Guohua Fu

Doctoral Dissertations

This mixed-methods study investigated the effectiveness of multimedia instruction for phrasal-verb education with community-college English as a second-language learners (ESL) in Northern California. Previous researchers have found that ESL learners have difficulties and barriers in learning phrasal verbs, and other researchers have found that how using multimedia teaching techniques in different fields of education have been effective, but no studies have investigated using multimedia instruction with community-college ESL students in learning phrasal verbs for second-language acquisition. In this mixed-methods research, there were 35 community-college ESL students, including 22 students in the multimedia-treatment group and 13 students in the text-based-comparison group, …