Digital Commons Network^™

Humor Matters: An Adapted Multiple Case Study Exploring Music Therapists’ Perspectives Of Humor With Older Adults, Caleb M. Posey

Theses and Dissertations--Music

Humor is a ubiquitous human experience and a skill retained in older adulthood. It is also an integral but elusive therapeutic tool with numerous benefits and risks to well-being. Therapeutic humor – the application of humor to client well-being – is an emerging area of study. However, scant music therapy literature on humor is available. The purpose of this qualitative thesis was to explore the use and function of humor in music therapy with older adults from the perspectives of experienced music therapists. There were three research questions: (1) how do music therapists describe their use of humor with older …

Honk!: Meaning And Activism In 21st Century American Street Bands, Isaac Maupin

Theses and Dissertations--Music

In this dissertation, I explore activism, music, and meaning through the lens of HONK! Bands in the United States. HONK! A Festival of Activist Street Bands began in Sommerville, Massachusetts, in 2006. Since its inception, the festivals have grown on a national and global scale. The festivals, however, operate as a convenient organizing structure for the bands themselves and are not a primary focus of this work. Instead, I examine activism, learning, and value as systems within the HONK! culture (each topic with a devoted chapter) to, through a phenomenological lens, better understand how HONK! bands fit within American culture. …

How Spirituals Influenced Both Resistance To Nazis And Civil Rights Protests, Chandi Plummer

Theses and Dissertations--Music

How have American Negro Spirituals inspired later generations of oppressed and marginalized people? Which songs of suffering and hope were particularly poignant in providing courage and inspiration? Questions such as these sparked my research journey, reaching a crescendo during a lecture recital on November 10, 2023, and now culminating in a dissertation.

Spirituals inspired Albert Franklin Fisher and Dietrich Bonhoeffer in New York City in 1930 during the Harlem Renaissance and traveled (via phonograph and music books) with Bonhoeffer to Nazi Germany during World War II. In America, spirituals influenced Myles and Zilphia Horton, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, …

School Psychologists Supporting Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Families Through The Evaluation Process, Jacqueline A. Oluoch

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This study examined factors that predicted higher cultural skills in practicing school psychologists, and if these skills could be improved through a professional development session. Participants were school psychologists who attended a cultural skills professional development workshop during the National Association of School Psychologists Annual Convention 2024. A Mann-Whitney test was used to examine the change in cultural skills pre- and post-workshop. Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine cultural skills by career stage and work settings. The results showed an overall increase in cultural skills post-workshop. Working in public schools or non-public schools was not related to higher cultural skills …

Revisiting The Global Measures Of Overall Neuropsychological Function And The Impact Of Race-Based Normative Data In Clinical And Forensic Populations, Zachary Thomas Dipasquale

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

This research investigated the impact of race-based normative data, the removal of a subtest, and the reason for referral on neuropsychological assessments. Three hypotheses were tested using various statistical methods. The first hypothesis predicted a significant difference in the Average Impairment Rating (AIR) when comparing European American normative data to African American normative data. The second hypothesis posited that the removal of the 12th composite score (Av-1) would significantly alter the classification of brain injury using the AIR. The third hypothesis proposed that a significant difference would be observed in the AIR, General Deficit Scale (GDS), and Halstead Impairment Index …

กระบวนการสอนภาษาไทยเป็นภาษาที่สองตามแนวคิดการสอนแบบมุ่งปฏิบัติงานร่วมกับ การสอนแบบตอบสนองด้วยท่าทางเพื่อส่งเสริมความสามารถในการสื่อสารของ เด็กอนุบาลกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์, ศิริพร วงค์ตาคำ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

วัตถุประสงค์ของงานวิจัยเชิงทดลองครั้งนี้ คือ 1) เพื่อพัฒนากระบวนการสอนภาษาไทยเป็นภาษาที่สองตามแนวคิดการสอนแบบมุ่งปฏิบัติงานร่วมกับการสอนแบบตอบสนองด้วยท่าทางเพื่อส่งเสริมความสามารถในการสื่อสารของเด็กอนุบาลกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ และ 2) เพื่อศึกษาผลการใช้กระบวนการสอนภาษาไทยเป็นภาษาที่สองตามแนวคิดการสอนแบบมุ่งปฏิบัติงานร่วมกับ การสอนแบบตอบสนองด้วยท่าทางส่งเสริมความสามารถในการสื่อสารของเด็กอนุบาลกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ ตัวอย่างคือ เด็กอนุบาลกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ที่ใช้ภาษาไทยเป็นภาษาที่สอง ในระดับชั้นอนุบาลปีที่ 2 ภาคการศึกษาที่ 2 ปีการศึกษา 2567 ในโรงเรียน สังกัดสำนักงานเขตพื้นที่การศึกษาประถมศึกษาจังหวัดเชียงใหม่ เขต 1 จำนวน 50 คน โดยแบ่งเป็นกลุ่มทดลอง จำนวน 25 คน และกลุ่มควบคุม จำนวน 25 คน เครื่องมือที่ใช้ในการวิจัยคือ แบบวัดความสามารถในการสื่อสารของเด็กอนุบาลกลุ่มชาติพันธุ์ที่ผู้วิจัยสร้างขึ้น ระยะเวลาในการเก็บรวบรวมข้อมูล 16 สัปดาห์ วิเคราะห์ข้อมูลโดยค่าเฉลี่ย ส่วนเบี่ยงเบนมาตรฐาน การวิเคราะห์ความแปรปรวนแบบวัดซ้ำ การหาค่าที และการวิเคราะห์เนื้อหาผลการวิจัยพบว่า1. กระบวนการสอนภาษาไทยเป็นภาษาที่สองฯ ประกอบด้วย 5 องค์ประกอบ ได้แก่ (1) หลักการ (2) วัตถุประสงค์ (3) เนื้อหา (4) ขั้นตอน และ (5) การประเมินผล โดยมี 4 ขั้นตอน ได้แก่ (1) ขั้นดึงประสบการณ์ (2) ขั้นทดลองทำกิจกรรม (3) ขั้นเสริมต่อความรู้ทางภาษา และ (4) ขั้นทบทวนเสริมความมั่นใจ 2. หลังการทดลอง กลุ่มทดลองมีค่าเฉลี่ยคะแนนการสื่อสารสูงกว่าก่อนการทดลอง ระหว่างการทดลอง และหลังการทดลอง อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05 โดยก่อนการทดลองมีค่าเฉลี่ยคะแนนเท่ากับ 8.44 ระหว่างการทดลองมีค่าเฉลี่ยคะแนนเท่ากับ 12.12 และหลังการทดลองมีค่าเฉลี่ยคะแนนเท่ากับ 17.003. หลังการทดลอง ค่าเฉลี่ยคะแนนการสื่อสารทั้ง 3 ด้าน ได้แก่ การแสดงท่าทางเพื่อสื่อความหมาย การสนทนาโต้ตอบเพื่อสื่อความคิดความรู้สึก และการขีดเขียน ของกลุ่มทดลองสูงกว่าค่าเฉลี่ยคะแนนทั้ง 3 ด้าน ของกลุ่มควบคุม อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติที่ระดับ .05

My Mother Tongue Is Your Other Tongue: Experiences Of Therapeutic Work By Thai Therapists Who Do Not Share The Same Mother Tongue With Clients, Phatcharapan Rojanasukarn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Language plays a central role in counseling, yet its impact on counseling and psychotherapy remains insufficiently studied in Thailand. This research employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to address this gap by examining the lived experiences of professional Thai practitioners working with clients who do not share their mother tongue. Six practitioners were selected through purposive sampling, and in-depth interviews, reviewed with input from field experts, were conducted to capture their unique perspectives. The findings reveal four main themes: (1) Perceived Challenges: This theme uncovers internal struggles such as constant linguistic vigilance, competence anxiety, and hesitation to clarify, along with language …

Conceptual Blending: A Singer’S Analysis Of Libby Larsen’S Try Me, Good King: Last Words Of The Wives Of Henry Viii And A Conversation With The Composer, Kelsey Paige Ann Loeslie

Theses and Dissertations--Music

American composer Libby Larsen is celebrated for her versatility and expertise in crafting intricate text-music relationships, notably exemplified in her song cycle Try Me Good King: Last Words of the Wives of Henry VIII. This research explores Larsen's innovative compositional techniques in this cycle using Cross-Domain Mapping and Conceptual Blending Theory. Drawing from Lawrence Zbikowski's work, the study employs Conceptual Integration Networks to analyze Larsen's music, revealing the intricate interplay between text and music. By synthesizing these methodologies, the research comprehensively examines Larsen's song cycle, enhancing our understanding of her composition both from a music theory perspective and from a …

Deep Transfer Learning-Based Bird Species Classification Using Mel Spectrogram Images, Mrinal Kanti Baowaly, Bisnu Chandra Sarkar, Md.Abul Ala Walid, Md. Martuza Ahamad, Bikash Chandra Singh, Eduardo Silva Alvarado, Imran Ashraf, Md. Abdus Samad

School of Cybersecurity Faculty Publications

The classification of bird species is of significant importance in the field of ornithology, as it plays an important role in assessing and monitoring environmental dynamics, including habitat modifications, migratory behaviors, levels of pollution, and disease occurrences. Traditional methods of bird classification, such as visual identification, were time-intensive and required a high level of expertise. However, audio-based bird species classification is a promising approach that can be used to automate bird species identification. This study aims to establish an audio-based bird species classification system for 264 Eastern African bird species employing modified deep transfer learning. In particular, the pre-trained EfficientNet …

English Language Sub-Skills Needed By Diploma Theology Students In Their Academic And Professional Lives, Deressa Wakgari, Tefera Yohannes, Alemu Adege

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The study assessed the needs of diploma theology students' English language sub-skills and tasks in their academic and professional areas. The study is a descriptive survey that makes use of a mixed method approach. The data were collected using a questionnaire, interview, and content analysis. The participants of the study were first and second year diploma theology students, the former theology students, theology instructors, and EFL teachers. Additionally, one unit of the teaching material contents were evaluated using the checklist. For the evaluation of the unit, the researcher prepared checklists which were adapted from the literature and gave them to …

The Reinvigoration Of The Organization Of Turkic States Amid Ongoing Geopolitical Unrest And Economic Uncertainty, Vusal Guliyev

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The recent regional events and the geopolitical consequences of the RussoUkrainian war have had a profound impact on the dynamics among Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and the Central Asian Turkic states (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan). This shifting geopolitical landscape has been the catalyst of collaboration and integration for these countries under the Organization of Turkic States (OTS), an intergovernmental organization that aims to foster cooperation among Turkic-speaking nations. Being established in 2009, this emerging bloc has pursued a relatively low-profile policy on geopolitical issues in the past decade. However, after years of relatively little activity, things have started to change drastically due …

Combined Plithogenic Hypersoft Sets In Decision Making On Supplier Selection With Different Mcdm Approaches., Sikkanan Sudha, Ravi Priya, Nivetha Martin, Said Broumi, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Decision making methods integrated with Plithogenic sets are highly feasible and resilient in designing optimal solutions. This research work identifies the research gaps of limited applications of combined plithogenic hypersoft sets (CPHSS) and hence proposes a supplier selection decision problem with an integrated approach combining CPHSS with MCDM methods. A generalized form of Plithogenic accuracy function is used in determining the plithogenic accuracy matrix to which the prominent ranking methods of TOPSIS, ELECTRE, VIKOR and MAIRCA are applied. The proposed hybrid decision approach is illustrated using supplier selection decision problem as a case study. The ranking results are compared with …

Introduction To Upside-Down Logic: Its Deep Relation To Neutrosophic Logic And Applications, Takaaki Fujita, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In the study of uncertainty, concepts such as fuzzy sets [113], fuzzy graphs [79], and neutrosophic sets [88] have been extensively investigated. This paper focuses on a novel logical framework known as Upside-Down Logic, which systematically transforms truths into falsehoods and vice versa by altering contexts, meanings, or perspectives. The concept was first introduced by F. Smarandache in [99]. To contribute to the growing interest in this area, this paper presents a mathematical definition of Upside-Down Logic, supported by illustrative examples, including applications related to the Japanese language. Additionally, it introduces and explores Contextual Upside-Down Logic, an advanced extension that …

A Spanish Language Educator’S Guide To Radio Ambulante, "Guerra En El Bío Bío", Latin American And Iberian Institute

K-12 Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

A Spanish Language Educator’S Guide To Radio Ambulante, "El Juez", Latin American And Iberian Institute

K-12 Lesson Plans

No abstract provided.

Penalizing Compliance: The Case For Paying Chapter 13 Trustees In The Event Of Pre-Confirmation Dismissal, Hannah L. Fink

Emory Bankruptcy Developments Journal

Standing trustees provide a critical function of fairness in chapter 13 bankruptcy, but a jurisdictional split regarding their fees means that trustees in multiple circuits are not paid for a large percentage of their work. Under Ninth and Tenth Circuit precedents, standing trustees may not collect the percentage fee when the debtor’s case is dismissed before confirmation. This creates a different result for standing trustees as opposed to single-case trustees, hurts debtors and creditors, creates adverse incentives, and even constitutional conundrums.

Permitting some debtors to enjoy the benefits of chapter 13 without paying their fair share creates a system where …

An Innovative Approach On Yao’S Three-Way Decision Model Using Intuitionistic Fuzzy Sets For Medical Diagnosis, Wajid Ali, Tanzeela Shaheen, Iftikhar Ul Haq, Florentin Smarandache, Hamza Ghazanfar Toor, Faiza Asif

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

In the realm of medical diagnosis, intuitionistic fuzzy data serves as a valuable tool for representing information that is uncertain and imprecise. Nevertheless, decision-making based on this kind of knowledge can be quite challenging due to the inherent vagueness of the data. To address this issue, we employ power aggregation operators, which prove effective in combining several sources of data, such as expert thoughts and patient information. This allows for a more correct diagnosis; a particularly crucial aspect of medical practice where precise and timely diagnoses can significantly impact medication policy and patient results. In our research, we introduce a …

Correlation Of Several Parameters With Psychiatric Problems In Children With Dyslexia, Elsady Safaa R, Aboelela Eman I, Elnenny Rham A, Azzam Azza A

Journal of Medicine in Scientific Research

A child's development in the areas of cognition, language, emotion, socialization, and morality is greatly influenced by schools and learning. Academic abilities are the cornerstone that forms the basis for evaluating a student's success in the classroom. Therefore, fear, guilt, and inadequacy caused by a learning issue may manifest as behavioral problems in school-age children. Determining whether a behavior is comorbid with dyslexia or secondary to it is crucial when dyslexia and behavioral issues co-occur. The study's goal: to determine which parameters are correlated to the co-morbid psychiatric issues in dyslexic children in order to lessen their burden and provide …

Integrating Knowledge Graphs With Large Language Models For Natural Language Querying, Rakesh Kandula

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This research explores the integration of knowledge graphs with large language models that have already been trained on a vast pool of unstructured text data. Large language models trained on this type of data have a tendency to hallucinate and produce factually inaccurate results. This behavior is primarily due to the data being trained is unstructured and huge text corpus, and large language model uses predictive text analysis methods to obtain a response. These issues can be addressed by applying Retrieval Augmented Generation and Fine-tuning to large language models, employing an underlying domainspecific knowledge graph. Integrating knowledge graph and large …

The Relationship Between Aim Pathways Professional Development, Teachers’ Sense Of Efficacy For Literacy Instruction, And Literacy Knowledge, Among K-3 Teachers, Shakita Bagwell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teaching reading has been an ongoing challenge for many educators across the United States. Numerous studies suggest that teachers feel they were not adequately prepared to teach reading and have low efficacy in delivering literacy instruction. Teaching reading requires educators to be knowledgeable about the alphabetic principle, decoding new words, and how the brain learns to read. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the relationship between AIM Pathways Professional Development on teachers’ literacy efficacy and knowledge compared to teachers who did not receive the professional development. A survey was administered to eighty-eight teachers in Mississippi Literacy Support Schools. Multidimensional scaling …

The Role Of L1 Dialect Phonotactics On The Production Of L2 English Phonotactics By Saudi Efl Learners, Abdullah Ahmad Balbaid

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the phonological challenges and adaptive strategies employed by 30 first-year university students majoring in English from three distinct Saudi Arabian dialect backgrounds—Najdi, Hijazi, and Hasawi—in perceiving and producing English onset biconsonant and triconsonant clusters. Exploring dialectal variations, the research aims to understand how these phonological characteristics influence the acquisition and intelligibility of English pronunciation among Saudi learners. Utilizing a combination of perception tasks through ABX discrimination tasks and production tasks inspired by the Labovian model, the study provides insights into the dialect-specific phonological challenges faced by the participants.

Key findings reveal that Najdi speakers demonstrate higher proficiency …

Mississippi's America: Late Southern Writing On National Themes, Jacob Fennell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines three texts each from three Mississippi authors working today: Kiese Laymon, Jesmyn Ward, and Mary Miller. These authors’ literary constructions of their home state and the South as a whole serve as critical, political frames for the United States. As a result, their work is well-served by the questions and methodology of New Southern Studies, a field actively invested in conceptions of the U.S. South as nonexceptional and lodged within greater geopolitical contexts. Indeed, the original call for New Southern Studies from Houston A. Baker, Jr. and Dana Nelson speaks to a problem of a false national …

Moderation In Online Incel Forums: A Comparison Of Warning Behaviors, Katherine Elizabeth Norris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Incels constitute an online community characterized by shared negative perspectives concerning masculinity, women, and societal norms. Platforms such as Twitter and Reddit have implemented content moderation measures aimed at curtailing the dissemination of incels' ideologies, which often promote violence and suicidal ideation. To observe the influence of content moderation on incel discourse, this study examined posts from two distinct incel forums: one subject to moderation and another without such restrictions. Employing thematic analysis, common themes within the posts were identified, and the occurrence of negative language was quantitatively assessed. Findings revealed that the moderated forum exhibited a higher prevalence of …

Listening To The Voices Of Educators In The Implementation Of The Mississippi Seal Of Biliteracy, Rosalynn Vásquez Rutland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi Department of Education adopted the Mississippi Seal of Biliteracy in 2019 changing our state’s educational language policy from English-only to English-plus another world language, elevating Spanish and other world languages to a status closer to English in the districts that the seal has been adopted. This study documents the perspectives held by Mississippi educators on the benefits, new practices, challenges, and policy perception of the Mississippi Seal of Biliteracy at a high school that has adopted the seal and one that has not. Due to the difference in sample sizes between schools, this study is a generalization of …

Mirroring The Target Environment: Text And Task Authenticity In Esl Business Textbooks, Kurt Wildon Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the utilization of authentic reading materials in ESL textbooks and the role that textbook-based tasks serve in enabling ESL classrooms to mirror the target environment. Three original studies are conducted, and two models are designed and applied in order to address the research questions, which aim to establish a standard metric for assessing semi-authenticity of materials and to determine to what degree ESL textbooks prepare students for utilizing subsequent academic textbooks in similar topical areas. Textbooks developed for ESL business and academic business courses are analyzed to determine task category prevalence, reading texts in the ESL genre …

Modeling The Relationship Between Protein Sequence And Structure Using Triangular Spatial Relationship-Based Keys, Arianna Nicole Swensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protein structure comparison and our understanding of protein sequence and structure relationships are intertwined. In this work, I use the TSR-based key generation algorithm to develop a model for relating sequence and structure. I develop embeddings for the sequence-based keys and the structure-based keys as the basis for a translation model between the two sets of keys, evaluating the efficacy of local and global embedding generation techniques in the context of the TSR-based comparison method.

'Mark My Words' : Measuring Personality Of Global Leaders, Mahesh Acharya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the analysis of thousands of speeches delivered at the United Nations General Assembly to detect personality of global leaders, this dissertation adds a stepping stone to the first image research, in particular, the psychological approaches in International Relations and its stream of Foreign Policy Analysis. Theoretically, it advances the trait models of psychological approaches by building on the lexical theory of personality psychology to analyze the traits of global elites. The theory has been tested over decades showing that linguistic cues like utterances not only provide us with the information on semantics but also the speaker including her personality …

Attitudes Toward Arabic-Accented Speech In English, Sarah Aldossari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study explores the attitudes of undergraduate Flagship students in the United States towards Arabic-accented speech in English. It examines the Familiarity Principle among these students and analyzes their attitudes based on socio-intellectual status, aesthetic quality, and dynamism of Arabic-accented speech. The study also discusses the relationship between pronunciation features and language attitudes and intelligibility of communication.

The study used mixed methods to collect and analyze data on students' attitudes towards Arabic-accented speech. It used a verbal-guise technique, a Speech Dialect Attitudinal Scale questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire data revealed that 54% of students valued socio-intellectual status, 48% aesthetic …

English Language Teachers’ Perspective On The Applicability Of The Language Assessment Frameworks Used In Saudi Arabian Universities, Asmahan Ghazi Alqahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates English language assessment practices in Saudi Arabian universities from the perspectives of English language teachers. It explores how ESL teachers perceive the applicability of assessment frameworks provided by policymakers in higher education. Guided by concepts of Language Assessment Literacy, the study examines the roles and practices of various stakeholders in language assessment, the principles and concepts guiding these practices, and the awareness of the social contexts in which language assessment takes place. In Saudi Arabia, research on language assessment is needed due to the limited attention given to assessment and testing issues, and the minimal involvement of …

Back Matter

The Writing Center Journal

Back Matter for Writing Center Journal 42.3.