Digital Commons Network^™

Reimagining Positionality In Curriculum: Unlocking Consciousness Beyond Hegemonic Boundaries, Haniyeh Kheirkhah Abkenari

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This paper examines the interplay between hegemonic systems, curriculum, and individual consciousness in diverse life contexts. It underscores the need for critical thinking skills and self-examination to challenge hegemonic ideologies embedded within curriculum materials. The paper emphasizes the potential for curriculum to shape and influence consciousness, yet it also highlights the autonomy of consciousness to critically engage with curriculum content. Positionality and identity are explored, illustrating how they impact an individual's social role and their ability to promote social justice.

Through the Currere as a autoethnography research method, the paper offers a comprehensive reflection on the author's experiences as an …

Faithfulrag: Fact-Level Conflict Modeling For Context-Faithful Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Qinggang Zhang, Zhishang Xiang, Yilin Xiao, Le Wang, Junhui Li, Xinrun Wang, Jinsong Su

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Large language models (LLMs) augmented with retrieval systems have demonstrated significant potential in handling knowledge-intensive tasks. However, these models often struggle with unfaithfulness issues, generating outputs that either ignore the retrieved context or inconsistently blend it with the LLM’s parametric knowledge. This issue is particularly severe in cases of knowledge conflict, where the retrieved context conflicts with the model’s parametric knowledge. While existing faithful RAG approaches enforce strict context adherence through well-designed prompts or modified decoding strategies, our analysis reveals a critical limitation: they achieve faithfulness by forcibly suppressing the model’s parametric knowledge, which undermines the model’s internal knowledge structure …

Causalabstain: Enhancing Multilingual Llms With Causal Reasoning For Trustworthy Abstention, Yuxi Sun, Aoqi Zuo, Wei Gao, Jing Ma

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Large Language Models (LLMs) often exhibit knowledge disparities across languages. Encouraging LLMs to abstain when faced with knowledge gaps is a promising strategy to reduce hallucinations in multilingual settings. Current abstention strategies for multilingual scenarios primarily rely on generating feedback in various languages using LLMs and performing self-reflection. However, these methods can be adversely impacted by inaccuracies and biases in the generated feedback. To address this, from a causal perspective, we introduce CausalAbstain, a method that helps LLMs determine whether to utilize multiple generated feedback responses and how to identify the most useful ones. Extensive experiments demonstrate that CausalAbstain effectively …

R2dqg: A Quality Meets Diversity Framework For Question Generation Over Knowledge Bases, Yimeng Ren, Yanhua Yu, Lizi Liao, Yuhu Shang, Kangkang Lu, Mingliang Yan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The task of Knowledge-Based Question Generation (KBQG) involves generating natural language questions from structured knowledge sources, posing unique challenges in balancing linguistic diversity and semantic relevance. Existing models often focus on maximizing surface-level similarity to ground-truth questions, neglecting the need for diverse syntactic forms and leading to semantic drift during generation. To overcome these challenges, we propose Refine-Reinforced Diverse Question Generation (R2DQG), a two-phase framework leveraging a generation-then-refinement paradigm. The Generator first constructs a diverse set of expressive templates using dependency parse tree similarity, capturing a wide range of syntactic patterns and styles. These templates guide the creation of question …

Xfinbench: Benchmarking Llms In Complex Financial Problem Solving And Reasoning, Zhihan Zhang, Yixin Cao, Lizi Liao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Solving financial problems demands complex reasoning, multimodal data processing, and a broad technical understanding, presenting unique challenges for current large language models (LLMs). We introduce **XFinBench**, a novel benchmark with 4,235 examples designed to evaluate LLM’s ability in solving comple**X**, knowledge-intensive **Fin**ancial problems across diverse graduate-level finance topics with multi-modal context. We identify five core capabilities of LLMs using XFinBench, i.e., _terminology understanding_, _temporal reasoning_, _future forecasting_, _scenario planning_, and _numerical modelling_. Upon XFinBench, we conduct extensive experiments on 18 leading models. The result shows that o1 is the best-performing text-only model with an overall accuracy of 67.3%, but still …

Evaluating And Mitigating Linguistic Discrimination In Large Language Models: Perspectives On Safety Equity And Knowledge Equity, Guoliang Dong, Haoyu Wang, Jun Sun, Xinyu Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

By training on text in various languages, large language models (LLMs) typically possess multilingual support and demonstrate remarkable capabilities in solving tasks described in different languages. However, LLMs can exhibit linguistic discrimination due to the uneven distribution of training data across languages. That is, LLMs are hard to keep the consistency of responses when faced with the same task but depicted in different languages. In this study, we first explore the consistency in the LLMs’ outputs responding to queries in various languages from two aspects: safety and quality. We conduct this analysis with two datasets (AdvBench and NQ) based on …

Cami: A Counselor Agent Supporting Motivational Interviewing Through State Inference And Topic Exploration, Yizhe Yang, Palakorn Achananuparp, Heyan Huang, Jing Jiang, Phey Ling Kit, Nicholas Gabriel Lim, Cameron Shi Ern Tan, Ee-Peng Lim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Conversational counselor agents have become essential tools for addressing the rising demand for scalable and accessible mental health support. This paper introduces CAMI, a novel automated counselor agent grounded in Motivational Interviewing (MI) – a client-centered counseling approach designed to address ambivalence and facilitate behavior change. CAMI employs a novel STAR framework, consisting of client’s state inference, motivation topic exploration, and response generation modules, leveraging large language models (LLMs). These components work together to evoke change talk, aligning with MI principles and improving counseling outcomes for diverse clients. We evaluate CAMI’s performance through both automated and expert evaluations, utilizing simulated …

Knowledge Boundary Of Large Language Models: A Survey, Moxin Li, Yong Zhao, Wenxuan Zhang, Shuaiyi Li, Wenya Xie, See-Kiong Ng, Tat-Seng Chua, Yang Deng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Although large language models (LLMs) store vast amount of knowledge in their parameters, they still have limitations in the memorization and utilization of certain knowledge, leading to undesired behaviors such as generating untruthful and inaccurate responses. This highlights the critical need to understand the knowledge boundary of LLMs, a concept that remains inadequately defined in existing research. In this survey, we propose a comprehensive definition of the LLM knowledge boundary and introduce a formalized taxonomy categorizing knowledge into four distinct types. Using this foundation, we systematically review the field through three key lenses: the motivation for studying LLM knowledge boundaries, …

Beware Of Your Po! Measuring And Mitigating Ai Safety Risks In Role-Play Fine-Tuning Of Llms, Weixiang Zhao, Yulin Hu, Yang Deng, Jiahe Guo, Xingyu Sui, Xinyang Han, An Zhang, Yanyan Zhao, Bing Qin, Tat-Seng Chua, Ting Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Although large language models (LLMs) store vast amount of knowledge in their parameters, they still have limitations in the memorization and utilization of certain knowledge, leading to undesired behaviors such as generating untruthful and inaccurate responses. This highlights the critical need to understand the knowledge boundary of LLMs, a concept that remains inadequately defined in existing research. In this survey, we propose a comprehensive definition of the LLM knowledge boundary and introduce a formalized taxonomy categorizing knowledge into four distinct types. Using this foundation, we systematically review the field through three key lenses: the motivation for studying LLM knowledge boundaries, …

Browsing Like Human: A Multimodal Web Agent With Experiential Fast-And-Slow Thinking, Haohao Luo, Jiayi Kuang, Wei Liu, Ying Shen, Jian Luan, Yang Deng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Automating web navigation which aims to build a web agent that follows user instructions to complete tasks like booking flights by interacting with websites, has received increasing attention due to its practical value. Although existing web agents are mostly equipped with visual perception, planning, and memory abilities, their reasoning process are still deviate from human cognition. In this work, we study the human thought pattern to empower agent with more human-like abilities in web navigation. To tackle this problem, we propose a novel multimodal web agent framework called WebExperT, which is designed to emulate the human planning process of “thinking …

Mpo: Multilingual Safety Alignment Via Reward Gap Optimization, Weixiang Zhao, Yulin Hu, Yang Deng, Tongtong Wu, Wenxuan Zhang, Jiahe Guo, An Zhang, Yanyan Zhao, Bing Qin, Tat-Seng Chua, Ting Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Large language models (LLMs) have become increasingly central to AI applications worldwide, necessitating robust multilingual safety alignment to ensure secure deployment across diverse linguistic contexts. Existing preference learning methods for safety alignment, such as RLHF and DPO, are primarily monolingual and struggle with noisy multilingual data. To address these limitations, we introduce Multilingual reward gaP Optimization (MPO), a novel approach that leverages the well-aligned safety capabilities of the dominant language (e.g., English) to improve safety alignment across multiple languages. MPO directly minimizes the reward gap difference between the dominant language and target languages, effectively transferring safety capabilities while preserving the …

Dreamanime: Learning Style-Identity Textual Disentanglement For Anime And Beyond, Chenshu Xu, Yangyang Xu, Huaidong Zhang, Xuemiao Xu, Shengfeng He

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Text-to-image generation models have significantly broadened the horizons of creative expression through the power of natural language. However, navigating these models to generate unique concepts, alter their appearance, or reimagine them in unfamiliar roles presents an intricate challenge. For instance, how can we exploit language-guided models to transpose an anime character into a different art style, or envision a beloved character in a radically different setting or role? This paper unveils a novel approach named DreamAnime, designed to provide this level of creative freedom. Using a minimal set of 2-3 images of a user-specified concept such as an anime character …

Preparing Pre-Service Teachers For Writing Instruction: Best-Practices And Insights Into Self-Efficacy, Lindsey Wiggins

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Many pre-service teachers (PSTs) report feeling under-prepared to teach writing, a challenge often linked to limited attention to writing instruction in teacher preparation programs (TPPs). While writing methods courses offer opportunities to build PSTs’ self-efficacy and pedagogical skill, questions remain about how to best structure these experiences and measure their impact. This three-article dissertation examines how PSTs develop self-efficacy for writing and writing instruction during teacher preparation and how those beliefs relate to instructional practices.

In Study I, I conducted a systematic literature review to examine how researchers measure the effects of effective writing and writing instruction interventions with elementary …

Reflections Of Linguistic Experiences In A Borderland: Influences On Cultural Identity And Teacher Praxis, Iliana Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

This Autoethnographic dissertation uses autohistoria-teoria to critically analyze my lived curriculum as a Mexican-born raised in the borderland of the Rio Grande Valley. This research aims to understand the influence of my linguistic experiences on my cultural identity and teaching praxis within the same context. Drawing from Anzaldua’s (1987) concept of Borderlands as a contextual lens and Raciolinguistics as a theoretical framework, I examine and reflect on key linguistic experiences that have perpetuated colonizing linguistic practices rather than fostered linguistic diversity. Additionally, Culturally Linguistic Sustaining Pedagogy serves as a framework to critically analyze my teaching praxis in relation to my …

Barriers To Hispanic Post-Secondary Education In Science Fields, Luis Slayton

Theses and Dissertations

The study aimed to examine whether external barriers could be identified and are present throughout a Hispanic individual's educational life. The beliefs of the Hispanic community regarding education and the nature of acquiring an education could be relevant to the factors that impede the completion of high school. A survey approach was chosen as the methodology for the study due to the confidential nature of a questionnaire. Human nature tends to be more honest when not asked personal questions face-to-face. Additionally, there is potential to generalize attributes from a small sample to a larger population, allowing inferences about the identified …

Intersecting Realities And Evolving Landscapes: Mapping Generative Ai Within The Framework Of Digital Rhetoric, Joshua Troy Nieubuurt

English Theses & Dissertations

The increased usage of [Generative] AI technologies (GenAI) in the 21st century has called into the question the rhetorical agency of these digital things. [Gen]AI has historically been framed within a Heideggerian “readiness-to-hand” dynamic in which it has been unilaterally conceived as a tool to be used by humans. This dissertation proposes that the GenAI assemblage is capable of being a co-actor in rhetorical spaces. To provide evidence for this stance This dissertation utilizes Actor Network Theory to map the actants within a GenAI assemblage. In doing so it allows for an understanding of the stakeholders (both human and non-human) …

Systems Statistical Engineering – Hierarchical Fuzzy Constraint Propagation, Hengameh Fakhravar

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Driven by the growing need in the 21st century for integrating rigorous statistical analysis into engineering research, there is a movement to develop an integrated statistical engineering science within statistics and quality communities (Hoerl & Snee, 2010; Anderson-Cook et al., 2012). Systems Statistical Engineering research seeks to integrate the Causal Bayesian hierarchical modeling (Pearl, 2009) and cybernetic control theory within Beer’s Viable System Model (1972, 1979, 1985) and the Complex Systems Governance framework (Keating, 2014; Keating & Katina, 2015, 2016) to produce multivariate systemic models for robust dynamic systems mission performance. Cotter & Quigley (2018) set forth the Bayesian systemic …

Enhancing Non-Visual Interaction With Online User-Generated Content, Mohan Krishna Sunkara

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

The Web has become the dominant medium for our everyday activities, including communication, business, e-commerce, news, and entertainment. Consequently, the online world is experiencing an explosion of User-Generated Content (UGC), particularly on social media platforms and online review systems. To facilitate convenient interaction with UGC, web platforms have adopted various presentation strategies that enable users to efficiently browse and contribute to the UGC. However, these user interfaces are primarily designed for sighted individuals, so they do little to assist blind users who rely predominantly on audio-based screen reader assistive technology. The extant efforts to improve web interaction for blind users …

Language Barriers In Accessing Healthcare Services For Refugees In The United States, Sadaf Khuram

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

Accessing healthcare is a pivotal aspect of refugees' integration into their host countries and significantly impacts their long-term health outcomes. The literature emphasizes the critical role of language proficiency in overcoming communication barriers within healthcare settings. This thesis, however, challenges the assumption that addressing language barriers alone is universally sufficient. It argues that the importance of language solutions is context-dependent, varying with the design of healthcare systems and the diverse needs and backgrounds of refugees. In some cases, focusing primarily on language barriers can divert resources from other critical areas, particularly when healthcare facilities have limited capacities or when services …

Anticolonialism And Qualitative Methods For Culture-Centered Interventions, Mohan Jyoti Dutta, Ambar Basu, Satveer Kaur-Gill, Debalina Dutta, Mahuya Pal, Iccha Basnyat, Selina Metuamate, Venessa Pokaia, Phoebe Elers, Indranil Mandal, Rabindranath Mandi, Pankaj Baskey, Devalina Mookerjee, Shaunak Sastry, Jaime Robb, Andrew Carter

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

In this essay, we a collective of Indigenous, Black, and migrant Global South scholars engaged in experiments with the culture-centered approach (CCA) draw on our lived experiences amidst struggles against land grab, neoliberal extractivism, and capitalist exploitation to outline a framework for qualitative methods as anticolonial politics. We begin by exploring the interplays of colonialism, imperialism, and racial capitalism that have shaped the origins and uses of qualitative methods toward serving extractive agendas of global capital. This critique serves as the basis for outlining the key principles of the CCA, turning to voice, storytelling, and embodied action as the basis …

Deaf Faculty Members’ Experiences In Higher Education Institutions, Stephanie Proctor Horvath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Deaf faculty members bring diverse perspectives to higher education, yet their experiences remain underexplored in academic research. The critical first year of teaching can shape their career experiences, revealing both opportunities for growth and systemic barriers. The purpose of this study was to understand deaf faculty members’ experiences, focusing on their transition into academic roles, the accommodations provided in their workplaces, and the challenges they faced. This study employed a qualitative phenomenological design, utilizing semi-structured interviews with 15 Deaf faculty members, whose teaching experience ranges from 1 to 30 years. In the reflexive thematic analysis and AI-coding of this data, …

Computational Fact-Checking With Limited Resources, Fengzhu Zeng

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

The rapid dissemination of information through online platforms has sparked widespread concern about the propagation of misinformation. Manual fact-checking by pro- fessional fact-checkers is time-consuming and lacks scalability to address the vast volume of daily information. Consequently, computational fact-checking, driven by automated techniques in natural language processing (NLP), has garnered interest as
a potential solution. However, computational fact-checking faces critical challenges limited resources, particularly due to the issues of data scarcity and computing resource constraints. One key challenge is data scarcity, which arises from the constant generation of new information and emerging events on social media. This scarcity manifests in …

The Psychological Constructs Of International Graduate Students Transitioning To A University In America: A Thematic Analysis, Umadevi Ramesh

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation employed a qualitative analysis methodology to explore the experiences of first-time international graduate students during their transition to university, focusing on initial adjustment, perceived support, perceived discrimination, and mental well-being. Previous studies about international student experience have mainly focused on undergraduate students. Furthermore, few have examined the initial transition period to university and factors involved in both positively and negatively impacting students’ adjustment process as well as overall psychological well-being. Nine participants qualified for inclusion in the present study and participated in semi-structured interviews, which the researcher analyzed using a thematic analysis framework. Participants expressed a strong need …

Promoting Understanding Of Soft Power Theory : A Case Study Of Confucius Institutes Along The Belt And Road, Dan Yang

Lingnan Theses (Doctoral degree)

This dissertation explores the function of Confucius Institutes (CI) as key tools within China’s soft power approach, particularly in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It provides a detailed and empirically based analysis of how these institutes operate within various national contexts. Drawing upon Joseph Nye’s soft power theory and supported by literature on public diplomacy, this study assesses the ways in which CIs translate cultural, linguistic, and educational assets into international influence. Despite the rapid expansion of CIs globally, their actual effectiveness in achieving cultural diplomacy and tangible soft power outcomes remains uncertain. Advocates emphasize the …

Language Brokering Conditions The Indirect Association Between Mexican‐Origin Adolescents’ Academic Discrimination And Educational Expectations, Su Yeong Kim, Yayu Du, Chantal Alvarado, Wei Xiang Sim, Wen Wen, Tianlu Zhang, Jingyi Shen

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Mexican‐origin adolescents, a significant portion of the US Latino population, often experience a decline in educational expectations from early to late adolescence. Contextual factors such as academic discrimination and language brokering for parents may contribute to this decline. This study investigates the indirect effect of academic discrimination experienced in middle school on educational expectations in young adulthood through high school grades and engagement, and the moderating role of language brokering experiences in these relations. Data were collected from 604 Mexican‐origin adolescents across four waves from 2012 to 2023. Academic discrimination experiences in middle school were negatively associated with school grades …

Designing Multilingual (Maker) Spaces: Exploring The Intersections Of Play, Posthumanism, And Pre-Kindergarten, Victoria G. Pennington

All Dissertations

In this dissertation, I explore the posthuman play literacies of multilingual makerspaces with four-year-olds, emphasizing the need for such a study while situating my arguments within the existing literature and outlining my methodological approach. Chapter One critiques the public 4-year-old kindergarten systems, arguing institutionalized cultural and linguistic ideologies restrict multilingual learners’ (MLs) opportunities for meaning-making. I draw on the raciolinguistic perspective (Flores & Rosa, 2015) and its intersection with a posthumanist paradigm (Braidotti, 2013), framing my research questions as lines of inquiry to guide the study. Key posthumanist literacies concepts are defined, highlighting the entanglement of literacies, discourses, materials, and …

More Than Numbers: Interrogating The Instructional Capacity Of Middle School Mathematics Teachers, Yashica R. Latimer

All Dissertations

This study examines how middle school mathematics teachers conceptualize and enact culturally responsive mathematics teaching (CRMT) within a district-supported professional learning initiative. Guided by the CRMT framework developed by Aguirre and Zavala (2013), the research explores how instructional decision-making intersects with equity-focused pedagogy.

Two central questions inform the study: (1) How do middle school mathematics teachers interpret and apply CRMT principles in their classroom practice? (2) What specific instructional strategies do teachers use to integrate cultural responsiveness into their instruction?

Using a qualitative multiple-case study design, data were collected from three teachers participating in a professional learning group called MORE …

Increasing Student Enrollment In The Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion Program: Leveraging Marketing And Outreach Within A Strategic Enrollment Management Framework, Na Zhang

All Dissertations

This study examines the impact of marketing and outreach strategies on enhancing family awareness and increasing enrollment in a Dual-Language Mandarin Immersion (DLMI) program in South Carolina. The history of bilingual education has shown an increased interest in recent decades. At the same time, Mandarin immersion programs continue to face challenges and under-enrollment. This study employs a mixed-methods design to collect data from surveys and interviews with parents of children entering kindergarten. The data collection also includes interviews with Mandarin Immersion teachers and attending community events. The purpose is to identify effective practices and ongoing barriers to enrollment. Informed by …

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Undergraduate General Chemistry, Destinee J. Cooper

All Dissertations

General chemistry is a foundational course for advancement in most undergraduate STEM programs, but unfortunately, many students do not continue in STEM after their experiences in their general chemistry course. Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) has the potential to increase students’ positive experiences in general chemistry by centering their needs, identities, and backgrounds. However, this pedagogical approach has not been widely studied in the college general chemistry context. As such, my four-paper dissertation broadly aimed to explore both the implementation and outcomes of CRP in undergraduate general chemistry.

The first paper reviewed the literature on culture-based pedagogies across the full undergraduate …

Emotional Safety In Pediatrics: The Impact Of Child Life Services On Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions Of Their Own, Patients’, And Families’ Outpatient Experiences, Jenni Davis

All Dissertations

Medical visits, regardless of setting, are stressful for children and their families. Care that focuses on the emotional safety of children and families can help reduce this stress. However, not all staff feel prepared to provide emotionally safe care. Child life specialists (CLSs) are specifically trained to support emotional needs during healthcare encounters. Their presence may help staff stress as well, not just stress for children and families.

This study used three surveys to understand stress among healthcare staff working in pediatric outpatient clinics and surgery settings, and how support from a CLS affects staff, children, and families. All staff …