Digital Commons Network^™

Community Cultural Wealth And Its Impact On Pandemic Relief Funding For Small Businesses, Brett Smith

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This dissertation investigates the impact of social, navigational, familial, aspirational, and resistant capital on the ability of small business owners in Pennsylvania to access relief funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily the period from March 2020 to December 2020. Utilizing Dr. Tara Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework, the study explores systemic barriers within relief initiatives and how they affect marginalized communities.

To meet business owners where they were, and to utilize technologies born as a result of the pandemic, this study utilized Asynchronous Video Interviews (AVI) and online surveys, to capture the lived experiences of these small business owners. Not …

Demystifying Multiple Sclerosis Diagnosis Using Interpretable And Understandable Artificial Intelligence, Krishnaraj Chadaga, Varada Vivek Khanna, Srikanth Prabhu, Niranjana Sampathila

Open Access archive

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a dangerous illness that strikes the central nervous system. The body's immune system attacks myelin (an entity above the nerves) and impairs brain-to-body communication. To date, it is not possible to cure MS. However, symptoms can be managed, and treatments can be provided if the disease is diagnosed early. Hence, supervised machine learning (ML) algorithms and several hyperparameter tuning techniques, including Bayesian optimization, have been utilized in this study to predict MS in patients. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis has been conducted before training the classifiers. The most essential markers were chosen using a technique called …

Awareness Of Deleterious Oral Habits And Knowledge Of Habit Breaking Appliance Among Parents In Alkharj - A Cross Sectional Study, Sultan Abdulrahman Almalki, Inderjit Murugendrappa Gowdar, Saeed N. Asiri, Praveen Jodalli

Open Access archive

Background: Actions that are repetitive and being practiced automatically are called habits. Oral habits can be classified as normal or deleterious. Oral health education starts from footprints of awareness. Growing children require appropriate guidance for healthy growth and maintenance of their teeth, which makes the parent an active participant in the prevention and treatment of malocclusion and thus is majorly affected by their knowledge and attitude regarding various deleterious oral habits and habit breaking appliances. Aim: To assess and compare awareness of deleterious oral habits and knowledge of habit breaking appliance, among parents at Alkharj Saudi Arabia. Methodology: Study assessed …

Analysis Of The Magnetohydrodynamic Effects On Non-Newtonian Fluid Flow In An Inclined Non-Uniform Channel Under Long-Wavelength, Low-Reynolds Number Conditions, Manjunatha Gudekote, Rajashekhar Choudhari, Prathiksha Sanil, Hanumesh Vaidya

Open Access archive

This study utilises mathematical modelling and computations to analyse the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effects on non-Newtonian Eyring-Powell fluid flow in an inclined non-uniform channel under long-wavelength, low Reynolds number conditions. The governing equations are solved by applying slip boundary conditions to determine the velocity, temperature, concentration, and streamline profiles. The key findings show that the magnetic parameter dampens the flow rate. The relationship between the variable viscosity, velocity, and temperature is nonlinear. The wall rigidity parameter and axial velocity are directly proportional until a threshold. Increasing inclination angles distorts streamlines. The magnetic field alters concentration contours and thermal transport. MATLAB parametric …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Moscow Prioritization In Software Development: A Holistic Analysis Across Methodologies, Suchetha Vijayakumar, Prasad K. Krishna, Holla M. Raviraja

Open Access archive

Effective software Requirement Prioritization plays a pivotal role in the success of the Software Development process, ultimately contributing to the successful delivery of high-quality products. Among the various methods for Requirement Prioritization, the MoSCoW method has gained widespread adoption due to its ease of use. However, its overall effectiveness remains a subject of inquiry. This paper presents a rigorous assessment of the MoSCoW Requirement Prioritization technique, drawing insights from software developers who engage in the Prioritization process. Our evaluation encompasses a distinct perspective: that of the developers tasked with Prioritization. The feedback solicited from developers encapsulates a diverse set of …

Classrooms, Hallways, And Peleas: The Violence And The Education Of Latino Students, Pamela Margolis

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

Latino children attend schools that are informed by violent, biased, and racist beliefs that make it difficult for them to attain educational success. Informed by Latino Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) this qualitative study examined the narratives and lived experiences of bilingual Latino children and their families and the educational violence they were subjected to in schooling. The research team completed 8 semi structured family interviews equaling twenty-five people with 12 parents and 13 children. Children ranged in age from 8 to 17 years old. Methodologies included family interviews in which most of the parents’ interviews were conducted in Spanish and …

Facilitating Children’S Musical Development, Andrew Aprile

Open Educational Resources

In this course, early childhood teacher candidates will explore significant issues and current research regarding the musical development of young children, as related to emotional, cognitive and physical musical growth. Observations of natural music-making behaviors, interactive music making experiences, as well as integrative pedagogy focused on children’s engagement with music and movement will be salient to teacher candidates’ learning process.

History Vs. Originalism: The Bill Comes Due, Stephen M. Griffin

Constitutional Commentary, Vol. 37 and later (2023–present)

No abstract provided.

The Principal's Role In Creating A Culturally Responsive Learning Environment, Freda J. Allen

Doctor of Education Dissertations

Many educators believe the implementation of culturally responsive strategies may help to increase the engagement and academic success of students of color. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not culturally responsive leadership (CRL) strategies were consistently being implemented in schools with large percentages of minority students. The research for this study was based on the CRL Framework developed by The Leadership Academy in 2022. This mixed methods study explored the practices of current school administrators and compared them to the perceptions of staff members. Staff members from three high schools completed a 23-question survey with a …

From Page To Practice: The Impact Of A Guided Book Study On Classroom Teacher Perceptions Of Cultural Proficiency And Culturally Responsive Teaching At One Middle School, Joan T. Dorsey

Doctor of Education Dissertations

This qualitative study investigated the impact of a guided book study on middle school classroom teacher perceptions of cultural proficiency and culturally responsive teaching (CRT) practices in one middle school environment. Data were collected from seven middle school teachers who participated in the study. A participatory action research (PAR) approach, an online interest survey, reflection questions, an anticipation guide, Get Centered questions, interview questions, and field notes were utilized to gather the perceptions. The outcome of the study demonstrated a shift in teacher perceptions regarding cultural proficiency and CRT practices. The participants shared an increased understanding and willingness to attempt …

Measuring The Impact: Teacher Self-Efficacy In Literacy Instruction Following Letrs Professional Development, Elizabeth Younger

Doctor of Education Dissertations

North Carolina passed legislation that required all elementary literacy teachers to be trained in the Science of Reading (SOR). The North Carolina Public Department of Education (NCDPI) partnered with Lexia Learning to provide training on the SOR to all public-school Pre-K-5 literacy teachers using the professional development (PD) program Language Essential for Teacher of Reading and Spelling (LETRS). This study looked at how teachers in one North Carolina school district perceive the LETRS program to have impacted their efficacy in literacy instruction. This study used a mixed-method design using an explanatory sequential design with two phases. The first stage included …

Demarginalizing Bede's Margins: A Digital Codicological Reassessment Of The Relationship Between Marginalia And Body Matter In Cambridge, Corpus Christi College Ms 41, James Nicholas Sumrall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The scribal activity in the margins of the eleventh-century Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 41 has long been acknowledged and studied, but rarely have scholars examined the relationship between the manuscript’s marginalia and its body text, an Old English translation of Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica. As such, this thesis attempts to address this critical scholarly gap by evaluating key marginal texts of MS 41 in their original physical contexts. In the introduction and first chapter, a brief overview of the manuscript history of MS 41 and its five extant analogues is given. The second chapter focuses on the textual transmission, content, …

Student Informed Instruction: Vertical Non Permanent Surfaces, Cononiah L. Watson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I, an 8th grade mathematics teacher, have used vertical dry erase boards in my classroom for years to promote student engagement and perseverance after participating in a book study on Building Thinking Classrooms by Peter Liljedahl. Year after year, the implementation of this strategy was constantly refined based on research, other teachers’ experiences, and my perceived notions of students’ experiences while at the dry erase boards. I never, however, asked students to thoughtfully share their experiences. In this study, I introduce the method of student informed instruction to refine how I use vertical dry erase boards in my classroom. After …

Imaginative Play In The Inculcation Of Creativity As An Intellectual Virtue, Annie Elisabet Gustafsson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Creativity, defined as the ability to generate original and innovative ideas and products, is widely valued yet not explicitly taught. This largely stems from the understanding that creativity cannot be cultivated through traditional methods like imitation or direct instruction, as such approaches contradict the essence of creativity itself. However, we must not write it off as unteachable. To help us better understand what can be done to teach creativity effectively, we must consider its character.

This paper offers a theory of creativity as an intellectual virtue, drawing on Linda Zagzebki’s components of virtue and aligning creativity with Aristotle’s phronesis and …

A Less Than Lay-Friendly Translation : A Textual Analysis Of Information Leaflets And Labels For Drug And Cosmeceuticals In Thailand, Narongdej Phanthaphoommee, Koraya Techawongstien

Manusya, Journal of Humanities

Information on drug use should be easily comprehensible and provide clear instructions without relying on expert advice. Drawing upon the concept of lay-friendly translation (Askehave and Zethsen 2002, 2014; Jensen 2013), this study examines the translated information leaflets and labels of drug-related and cosmeceutical products in Thailand to understand characteristics of supposedly reachable language use. The findings reveal both lay-friendly and non-lay-friendly features in the English-to-Thai translations. Indicative of the former is the use of general terms, explanation, glossing, rewriting/summarising, syntactical shift, and stylistic shift. Instances of the latter include the direct transfer of field-specific terms and the use of …

Linguistic Uniscape : A Comparative Study Of Universities In Thailand, Zhaoyi Pan

Manusya, Journal of Humanities

This study examines the linguistic landscape (ll) of university campuses in Thailand and proposes the term “linguistic uniscape” (lu). It attempts to examine whether there is a significant difference in the code preference for signage between the public universities (puu s) and the private universities (pru s) in Thailand and examines the different social meanings of the signage at the puu s and at the pru s by using place semiotics (ps) theory. A total of 30 university campuses were investigated, including 15 puu s and 15 pru s. The results revealed a significant difference in the use of English …

Dissent And Posthuman Consciousness In Prabda Yoon’S Basement Moon, Isaraporn Pissa-Ard

Manusya, Journal of Humanities

This paper examines Thai author Prabda Yoon’s Basement Moon, a 2018 science fictional novel that embodies the belief that art and science can play a vital role in triggering critical consciousness that keeps alive the spirit of dissent. A close reading of the novel also reveals that it mirrors several key concepts and ideas promoted by Gramsci pertaining to power relations between the ruling class and those under them and the educational roles of art and science. Of great significance is that this novel is exemplary of an innovative mode of political fiction in its employment of key posthumanist …

Passionate Women, Vengeful Spirits : Female Ghosts And The Japanese Gothic Mode, Samantha Landau

Manusya, Journal of Humanities

Female phantasms of the living and the dead that appear in Japanese folklore and literature involve a dual image of women: the representation of a patriarchal ideal of women, and the monstrous double that revolts against that ideal. Representations of this folklore-inspired ideal/monstrous woman can be seen in a wide-ranging array of twentieth and twenty-first century Japanese fiction, from the early cannibalistic spirits in folklore-inspired tales to Romantic and Absurdist works to possession narratives. This essay builds upon extant research from folklorists and cultural anthropologists as well as critical literary theories on the appearance of ghosts in Japanese fiction. I …

The Demand For Thai Language Skills In Thai-Chinese Economic And Trade Relations: A Case Study Of Yunnan Province, Yunheng Yuan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study aims to analyze the demand for Thai language skills in economic and trade cooperation between Thailand and Yunnan Province, examine the current status of Thai language training programs in universities and colleges in Yunnan Province, and evaluate whether these programs adequately meet the demand for Thai language skills in the development of economic and trade cooperation. Through research methods like field observation, questionnaires, interviews, and document research, it was found that the economic and trade relations between Thailand and Yunnan Province continue to improve. Meanwhile, the demand for Thai language skills in Yunnan Province significantly increases. However, there …

The Representation Of Women With Disabilities In Shahira Al-Hasan's Cochlea's Secrets, Mohamad Abou Adel, Amr M. Mohamed, Mubarak Altwaiji

CoHSS Faculty Work

This study examines the representation of women living with disabilities in Shahira Al-Hassan's novel Cochlea's Secrets. This is an important endeavor as it highlights fiction's role in advocating for women with disabilities, particularly in the Arab region. Such a study is crucial for increasing awareness and support for women with disabilities, especially in literary writing. By addressing this topic from the perspective of an Arab narrative, the study aims to highlight the contributions of Arab novels in addressing injustices against women living with disabilities and exploring opportunities for their empowerment. The paper also seeks to reveal how Arab novelistic innovation …

Dpal-Bert: A Faster And Lighter Question Answering Model, Lirong Yin, Lei Wang, Zhuohang Cai, Siyu Lu, Ruiyang Wang, Ahmed Alsanad, Salman A. Alqahtani, Xiaobing Chen, Zhengtong Yin, Xiaolu Li, Wenfeng Zheng

Faculty Publications

Recent advancements in natural language processing have given rise to numerous pre-training language models in question-answering systems. However, with the constant evolution of algorithms, data, and computing power, the increasing size and complexity of these models have led to increased training costs and reduced efficiency. This study aims to minimize the inference time of such models while maintaining computational performance. It also proposes a novel Distillation model for PAL-BERT (DPAL-BERT), specifically, employs knowledge distillation, using the PAL-BERT model as the teacher model to train two student models: DPAL-BERT-Bi and DPAL-BERT-C. This research enhances the dataset through techniques such as masking, …

Revisiting The Notion Of Vicarious Cause: Allure, Metaphor, And Realism In Object-Oriented Ontology, Jon Cogburn, Niki Young

Faculty Publications

We revisit the notion of vicarious causation in Graham Harman's Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO) in order to first show that Harman has articulated two iterations of his account that are in tension with one another; one is found in his earlier paper "On Vicarious Causation,"while the other is contained in his later writings following the publication of Object-Oriented Ontology: A New Theory of Everything. This involves a critical assessment of his developing theory of metaphor in a way that encourages sympathetic revision in the service of improving his non-correlationist view of intra-objective relations.

The Incompatibility Of The Commons And The Public, Roy L. Heidelberg

Faculty Publications

In this essay I consider the conceptual conflict between the public as a modern political category and the idea of the commons. By linking the idea of the public to an early exposition that explicitly sought a distinction between the commons and the public, I show how the generalization inherent in the public contravenes the particularity of the commons. This poses important political problems for how a modern commons or a modern notion of the commons is conceived and also allows for a nuanced understanding of the political challenge posed against the commons itself.

The Perceived Effects On The Motivation, Anxiety, And Online Language Learning Of Saudi Efl Learners During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ali Hasan Alamry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although many restrictions initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer imposed, massive changes across the globe have impacted online language learning afterward. Technology infrastructure, students' and teachers' digital literacy, and proper distance learning pedagogies were among the challenges of online learning during the pandemic. Nevertheless, valuable lessons can be learned from the pandemic to better handle online language learning classes in the future. Globally, increasing attention in the literature has been directed toward the effects of the pandemic on L2 learners' different affective factors. Locally, this study focuses on the perceived impacts on Saudi EFL learners' motivation, anxiety, and …

An Applied Research Study On Improving Special Education Identification And Support For Grades 3-6: Assessing The Impact Of The Tier 3 Process, Nickie Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Addressing the urgent need for effective literacy instruction, especially for students with diverse learning needs, is paramount in today's educational landscape. This dissertation investigates the implementation and impact of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework, particularly the Tier 3 process, at AUES in grades 3-6. The study aims to shed light on the systemic gaps in special education identification and support, evolving pedagogical approaches, and the role of educators and institutions in shaping literacy outcomes.

Grounded in the principles of equity and inclusion, the MTSS framework emerges as a promising avenue for providing personalized support and instruction tailored to …

Tanzanian Cyberscape: Exploring Language Preference Patterns Among Instagram Users, Carolyne Saria Ulomy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Virtual platforms such as Instagram are not only characterized by massive collaboration, sharing, and access to information but also by multilingual exchanges. For example, Tanzanian social media users choose to disseminate or publish information online using different languages present in their linguistic repertoires. This study explores multilingualism in social media (Instagram) within the Tanzanian context, as well as address the statuses of Swahili, English, Swanglish/Kiswanglish, Community Languages (CLs) and Foreign Languages (FLs) on social media. Specifically, the research investigated two overarching questions: What are the factors influencing language choices among Tanzanian Instagram users? and is there an association between content …

Realize That Students Are Capable: Perspectives Of Students With Intellectual Disability On Their College Experiences, Belkis Choiseul-Praslin, Clare Papay, Danielle Roberts-Dahm, Mindy Lingo, Chelsea Stinnett

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

The Think College Inclusive Higher Education Network conducted a brief literature review of articles that included the voices and perspectives of college students or college graduates with intellectual disability. The aim of this review was to identify common program elements or experiences that students reflected on positively and/or could be improved upon. In this Insight Brief, we summarize the findings from our research review. We end with a summary of recommendations made by or based on the perspectives of students with intellectual disability that can be used to improve postsecondary education programs.

International Assessment Benchmarks: Inputs To Enhance The K To 12 Assessment Policies, Minie Rose C. Lapinid, Voltaire Mistades, Richard R. Sagcal, Leah E. Gustilo, Marilyn U. Balagtas, Richard Dlc. Gonzales, Cesar T. Medula, Jr., Brando C. Palomar, Ria Lorraine H. Pagliawan

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

The study conducted a document analysis of the four Philippine Department of Education (DepEd) K to 12 assessment policy guidelines and seven international large-scale assessment (ILSA) framework documents for benchmarking purposes and policy advice. Each identified ILSA standard indicator is mapped to each DepEd document policy provision to determine the gaps in the assessment policy guidelines. ILSA key standard indicators with no equivalent concept corresponding to DepEd assessment policy guidelines were considered gaps for adoption and policy recommendations. We found five ILSA key indicators not fully captured in the classroom and national assessment policies and three considered gaps for adoption …

Enacting Invitational Rhetorics: Leveraging Networks Of Care In The Us Asylum Process, Monica Reyes, Randall W. Monty, Jorge E. Camarillo, Cindy Bernal

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Acquisition Of Romani In Roma Children, Hirsto Kyuchukov, Jill De Villiers, Yanwan Zhu, Iris Zhong

Psychology: Faculty Publications

The paper presents the first comprehensive look at the language development of Romani-speaking children from resource-poor Roma communities in several European countries. 250 participants aged 3- to 10-years participated. The experimental tasks assess knowledge in eight key areas of grammar and morphology, including fast mapping of novel items. The special properties of Romani allow new insights on long distance wh-movement and possessive agreement, and the data question the universality of other distinctions in passives and wh-movement from complements. The results demonstrate that the Roma children as a group are as proficient in their primary language as children in other countries, …