Digital Commons Network^™

Destigmatizing Working With Dyslexic Learners, Riley N. Dandurand

The Writing Center Journal

In the field of writing center research there is a paucity of information regarding tutoring students with dyslexia. This comes as no surprise considering it is only in the last 50 years that there has been a conscious effort to include those who have exceptionalities in all areas of education. In addition to a lack of research and training there is another issue that arises with disclosing exceptionalities. Those studying dyslexia have found that students are hesitant to disclose their learning disability because of the stigma and feelings of differentiation from their peers (Brizee et al., 2012). The question then …

An Open Natural Language Processing (Nlp) Framework For Ehr-Based Clinical Research: A Case Demonstration Using The National Covid Cohort Collaborative (N3c), Sijia Liu, Andrew Wen, Liwei Wang, Huan He, Sunyang Fu, Robert Miller, Andrew Williams, Daniel Harris, Ramakanth Kavuluru, Mei Liu, Noor Abu-El-Rub, Dalton Schutte, Rui Zhang, Masoud Rouhizadeh, John D Osborne, Yongqun He, Umit Topaloglu, Stephanie S Hong, Joel H Saltz, Thomas Schaffter, Emily Pfaff, Christopher G Chute, Tim Duong, Melissa A Haendel, Rafael Fuentes, Peter Szolovits, Hua Xu, Hongfang Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Despite recent methodology advancements in clinical natural language processing (NLP), the adoption of clinical NLP models within the translational research community remains hindered by process heterogeneity and human factor variations. Concurrently, these factors also dramatically increase the difficulty in developing NLP models in multi-site settings, which is necessary for algorithm robustness and generalizability. Here, we reported on our experience developing an NLP solution for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) signs and symptom extraction in an open NLP framework from a subset of sites participating in the National COVID Cohort (N3C). We then empirically highlight the benefits of multi-site data for both …

Solving The Problem Of The Reading Achievement Gap Among Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners In A West Texas Elementary School: An Applied Study, Narichica V. Handy

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to solve the problem of low reading achievement among English language learners at Wiley Elementary School in West Texas. A multi-method design was used, consisting of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The first approach involved semistructured interviews with campus administrators, campus teaching coaches, and dual language teachers. The second approach involved conducting a focus group with campus administrators, campus teaching coaches, and dual language teachers. The third approach consisted of a document review of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness reading results. The findings resulted in several recommendations for solving the problem …

Lived Experiences Of Counselors: Navigating The Changing Role Using Emotional Intelligence, Marissa Joelle Stelzer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of counselors during the transition from traditional face-to-face counseling to a teletherapy format during the COVID-19 pandemic and how counselors were able to utilize emotional intelligence skills/abilities during this time. The theories that guided this study were the ability model of emotional intelligence and social constructivism. The following questions guided this study: How did counselors experience their changing role from primarily face-to-face counseling to teletherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic? How did counselors experience emotional intelligence during the transition from traditional face-to-face counseling to teletherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic? …

Latina Christian Women Describe Their Religious Experience Overcoming Child Abuse Trauma In The Western United States, Norma Rosales

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Abstract This phenomenological study aimed to understand and discover the childhood abuse experienced by Christian Latinas in the Western United States. The theory guiding this study was Lazarus and Folkman's stress and coping theory, as it focused on the adaptation to stress as a process of interaction between individuals and stressful stimuli. This study explored issues concerning religious coping and how participants adapted and managed child abuse. Data was collected through a semi-structured interview process, whereby the discussion was recorded to ensure that all pertinent information was collected with participant consent. The interviews lasted 1–1.5 hours each, depending on the …

College-Level Foreign Language Instructor's Perceptions On The Incorporation Of Mobile Technology Devices And Their Learning Applications In Curricula: A Collective Case Study, Bellisa Reichelt

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to understand the integration of mobile technology devices (MTDs) and their learning applications (apps) into foreign-language curricula by foreign-language instructors at two colleges in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. The theory guiding this study was Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, which examined how self-efficacy affects college-level foreign language instructors’ integration of MTDs and their learning apps into foreign language curricula. In this project qualitative case study design was used to explore and investigate the issue of having limited technology knowledge and skills to integrate MTDs and their learning apps into foreign language classes. A …

Challenges Affecting Educator Careers Of Black Male Teachers In K-12 System In South Carolina: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, David Jerome Williams

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the multifaceted challenges that impact the careers of Black male teachers within the K-12 education system in South Carolina. Despite efforts to increase diversity in the teaching profession, Black male educators remain underrepresented, facing unique obstacles that can hinder their work due to growth and retention. Grounded on critical race theory and Black male identity theory Through in-depth interviews and rigorous analysis, this research uncovered these educators' lived experiences and perspectives on the complex interplay of factors that shape their career trajectories. The study employed a phenomenological approach to capture the essence of the challenges …

Front Matter

The Writing Center Journal

Front matter and editors' introduction to The Writing Center Journal 41:2 (2023).

The Impact Of Writing Center Consultations On Student Writing Self-Efficacy, Isabelle M. Lundin, Victoria O'Connor, Sherry Wynn Perdue

The Writing Center Journal

This study sought to determine the impact writing center consultations have on student writing self-efficacy and to illuminate effective consultant strategies for fostering student writing confidence. As part of a multimethods study, a survey was administered for students to reflect upon and to assess their feelings of writing self-efficacy by describing experiences in writing center consultations. Selected respondents were asked to elaborate on the strategies used by their peer consultant(s) in an optional open-ended interview. Findings suggest that writing center consultations help increase writing self-efficacy. The effective consultant strategies described by study participants are synthesized into an overarching consultant framework …

Keynote: Butting Heads And The Agency To Yield: Maverick Considerations In The Writing Center, Rebecca Hallman Martini

The Writing Center Journal

Despite their history of marginalization, writing centers need to be spaces where consultants, writers, and administrators act with agency. This requires both knowing when and how to act, as well as deciding when to yield. In challenging policies of seeming neutrality, I argue in this manuscript that writing center practitioners can center the needs and knowledge of consultants and writers alike. Finally, I call for more research about writer experiences with writing centers, which can (and should) meaningfully shape our administrative practices.

Back Matter

The Writing Center Journal

Back Matter for WCJ 41.2.

Cognitive Engagement During Group Learning Activities In Chemistry Courses: An Analysis Of Student Discourse, Safaa Youssef El-Mansy

Dissertations and Theses

As educators, our goal is to help our students be successful, but in order to accomplish this, we need to understand what factors contribute to student success. One factor, small-group active learning, has been correlated to improved academic outcomes; however, the magnitude of this improvement can vary across different courses, different types of group work, and even across courses that use the same group work structure. Therefore, it is important to understand what aspects of group work contribute to its effectiveness. The work presented in this dissertation investigated one specific aspect: students’ cognitive engagement. This was done by analyzing the …

How Eagle Public Schools' Gifted Program Works As A System: A Case Study, Casey Rae Ward

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Learners who are gifted often underachieve due to various issues related to how they are served in their gifted programs. The purpose of this qualitative single-instrumental, embedded case study was to describe how the components of the gifted program of Eagle Public Schools, a small suburban school district in northern Virginia that recently implemented a new talent search approach in its gifted program, work together as a system to address the problem of underachieving gifted learners. The study sought to answer the central question: How do the components of Eagle Public Schools’ gifted program work together as a system? The …

The Transformative Preaching And Teaching Of The Old Testament Through Its Expositional Approach, Sony Olivier

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The aura of the Old Testament preaching and teaching today has been absorbed by the enthusiasm of its fulfillment in the New. Thus, the interest in exploiting the Old Testament principles as fulfilled in Christ through its expositional preaching and teaching needs to be revised. As revealed in the book of Acts, the commitment to preach the complete Word of God, the Old Testament, is vividly clear as Christ being the center of their preaching and teaching. Therefore, in today’s context, proclaiming the whole counsel of God’s Word calls for every preacher to consider Scripture in its entirety duly, from …

African American Males, Who Attended Urban High Schools, Concerning Their Academic Achievement In North Carolina: A Phenomenological Study, Jermaine Lee Porter

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of the proposed hermeneutic phenomenological study was to explore the perceptions and lived experiences of African American males, who formerly attended urban high schools, concerning their academic achievement in North Carolina. The theory guiding this study is the social equity theory (SET) as it describes the lens to view the racial-ethnic academic achievement gaps and explains what occurs when multiple factors create group differences in school readiness and achievement. The research methodology used in this study was the qualitative phenomenological method. A questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group were used to gather data on the participants' perspectives …

Vol. 60 No. 1 - Whole No. 404, Megan Abrahamson

Mythprint

Mythprint is the quarterly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the study, discussion, and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. To promote these interests, the Society publishes three magazines, maintains a World Wide Web site, and sponsors the annual Mythopoeic Conference and awards for fiction and scholarship, as well as local discussion groups.

Nlm Scrubber To De-Identify Clinical Text Data And Facilitate Data Sharing, Christine Nieman Hislop, Katie Pierce-Farrier

Medical Institutional Repositories in Libraries (MIRL)

Before sharing clinical data, personal and sensitive information must be removed or de-identified. The NLM Scrubber is a clinical text de-identification tool developed by the National Library of Medicine. This session will give a brief introduction to different branches of AI. Natural language processing (NLP) is one such branch of AI that combines linguistics and computer science to make human language understandable to computers. The NLM Scrubber uses NLP to identify personally identifying information and replace it with generic terms. It is a freely available tool that can be customized to look for and redact specific terms and phrases. NLM …

The View From Ventress - 2022-23 Academic Year, University Of Mississippi, College Of Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts Newsletters

News from the College of Liberal Arts

Engaging Students In A Genetics Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Utilizing Caenorhabditis Elegans In Hybrid Learning To Explore Human Disease Gene Variants, Natalie Forte, Virginia Veasey, Bethany Christie, Amira Carter, Marli Hanks, Alan Holderfield, Taylor Houston, Anil Challa, Ashley Turner

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Genetic analysis in model systems using bioinformatic approaches provides a rich context for a concrete and conceptual understanding of gene structure and function. With the intent to engage students in research and explore disease biology utilizing the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans model, we developed a semester-long course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in a hybrid (online/in-person) learning environment—the gene-editing and evolutionary nematode exploration CURE (GENE-CURE). Using a combination of bioinformatic and molecular genetic tools, students performed structure-function analysis of disease-associated variants of uncertain significance (VUS) in human orthologs. With the aid of a series of workshop-style research sessions, students worked in teams …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of Women In Skilled Labor Regarding The Lack Of Women In The Construction And Building Industry, Danielle Faye King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Screensafefuture: A Parent-Empathetic And Practical Mhealth Application For Toddlers' Brain Development Addressing Screen-Addiction Challenges, Nafisa Anjum

Master of Science in Information Technology Theses

The surging incidents of infants and toddlers screen addiction in the United States are becoming a pressing concern due to its detrimental and compound impact on cognitive development, mental health, and physical growth. To address this era's critical child health and human development problem, we propose an innovative mHealth application-- ScreenSafeFuture-- in this paper. ScreenSafeFuture provides practical and parent-friendly solutions that seamlessly fit into parents' busy lifestyles, also acknowledging the effectiveness and convenience of smartphones as a healthcare tool. Our offering includes essential features designed to enhance the experience between parents and their children under 3 years old. With an …

The Experiences Of Microaggressions Among Latiné Health Service Graduate Students And The Supervisory Relationship, Mackenzie Callahan

Theses and Dissertations

Although data has shown that psychology graduate programs are actively recruiting more Students of Color every year, there is not as much evidence that these programs are able to adequately support these students once they arrive. The purpose of the current study is to examine how Latiné graduate students’ experiences of microaggressions from their supervisor affects their supervisory relationship, as well as their perceptions of their graduate program climate. I collected survey data from 80 Latiné psychology graduate students from across the United States and conducted small focus groups with five participants. I found that exposure to microaggressions within supervision …

China Working Group: China, Space, And Strategy, Eisenhower Center For Space And Defense Studies

Space and Defense

Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Air University Keystone, Colorado, June 2007

Chinese advances in its space program in recent years has led to a growing international interest in the implications of Chinese programs in the civil, military, and commercial space sectors. This workshop, sponsored by the United States (U.S.) Air Force Academy Eisenhower Center for Space and Defense Studies and the Air University School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, brought together a community of experts and policy-makers to discuss the implications of current and future Chinese space developments on space …

Strategic Communications With China About Space, Joan Johnson-Freese

Space and Defense

In 2006, I published an article entitled “Strategic Communication with China: What Message About Space?”1 The article pointed out that difficulties encountered in trying to convey its message regarding the Global War on Terror to a global audience had convinced the United States, or at least the Defense Science Board, that it needed to use strategic communications more effectively. From there I extrapolated, “If one believes that big problems are best tackled in small bites, ‘space’ perhaps offers an area where the United States can begin to understand and tackle some of the strategic communication issues it faces.”2 Communication mishaps …

Analysing Influence Of School Principals’ Cultural Intelligence And Cultural Leadership On Teachers’ Perceived Diversity Climate And Organizational Identification In The United Arb Emirates, Meghry Vasken Nazarian

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

Diversity and multiculturalism have become a worldwide reality of nations and organizations in the face of globalization. The United Arab Emirates as a country and its organizations, including educational organizations, experience this trend profoundly as its two-thirds of population consists of expatriates. UAE schools have become multicultural in nature, embracing principals and teachers from diverse cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and citizenship statuses. The purpose of this study was to examine whether principals’ cultural intelligence (CQ) and cultural leadership practices have direct and indirect influence on teachers’ perceived diversity climate and organizational identification. Whether principals’ and teachers’ citizenship statuses are differentiating factors …

Conceptual Meaning In Phonology: Multimodal Iconic Expressions In Discourse Focus, David Páez Acevedo

Linguistics ETDs

In everyday communication, speakers go beyond words to synchronize speech sounds and gestures, adding nuanced meanings. For instance, in Colombian Spanish, recounting the distant past involves elongating words, modulating pitch, and using expressive hand movements. This dissertation explores this phenomenon, termed Multimodal Iconic Expressions (MMIEs), using Cognitive Linguistics and Cognitive Grammar. The quantitative study uncovers correlations between verb aspect, nominal quantification, and speech duration, revealing phono-iconic connections. The qualitative study examines construal operations giving rise to MMIEs across semantic domains. MMIEs predominantly appear in discourse Focus, with durative events and mass-like quantities exhibiting pronounced phono-iconic associations. Patterns include stress and …

Poetic Tracks And Treading On Indigenous Lands: Examining Marlatt And Warland’S And Akiwenzie-Damm’S Literary Travels To Australia And Aotearoa, Christine C. Campana

The Goose

This paper considers the work of poets who travel from the area of the Indigenous land of Turtle Island now known as Canada to the Indigenous territories of Australia and Aotearoa. The poets engage in different forms of movement on the land that reveal varying degrees of awareness of and respect for Indigenous sovereignty. In particular, I put “17:00 / coming into Port Pirie” and “30/5 8:50 / past Menindee” from Daphne Marlatt and Betsy Warland’s 1988 Double Negative, an understudied collection of poetry in which the lesbian poets traverse Australia by train while reflecting on travelling through “(ab) …

Fall 2023 Student Showcase For Research And Creative Inquiry Program, Office Of Student Research, Longwood University

Fall Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

No abstract provided.

Copyright, Data Mining And Developing Models For South African Natural Language Processing, Chijioke Okorie

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

This paper sets out the issues of copyright ownership and risk of copyright infringement liability raised by data science research use of data held by public bodies (in particular, public service broadcasters) in South Africa. Considering both the fair dealing exception in South Africa’s Copyright Act of 1978 and the proposed fair use provision in its Copyright Amendment Bill B13F-2017, the paper discusses these issues elaborating on the reasons why data science researchers in public research institutions should not require a copyright licence or be considered to be infringing copyright when they use copyright-protected materials held by public bodies for …

Lisa Green, Interview, 2023, Christopher Durden

Oral Histories

In November of 2023, Eastern Michigan University’s LGBT Resource Center hosted an event in collaboration with the University Archives’ Oral History Program during Transgender Awareness Week where students could share their experiences with being part of the LGBT community on and off campus. EMU student Lisa Green talks about the importance of the Resource Center on campus, growing up as a queer child, and their journey to EMU.