Digital Commons Network^™

Kairos Undergraduate Publication, Arnaud Zimmern, Taylor Kara, Tyler Anderson, Rahfin Faruk

Big iDeas 2012 Proposals

In an effort to usher SMU into an even more academic centennial and change the popular perception of Dallas with regard to the scholastic caliber of its central university, we propose to publish a review of the most exemplary undergraduate textual output over the span of an academic year. The work to compile all the formal undergraduate research into an online journal is already underway by the efforts of Prof. Robert Kehoe. Our magazine would serve, in part, as an appetizer to his website; but more than that, the review would also cover Richter Fellowship papers, Big Ideas papers, Departmental …

Open Minds, Trisha St-Fleur

Big iDeas 2012 Proposals

Young adults leaving the foster child care system often experience hardships that many of their peers do not have to address. Some of these former foster children become victims of homelessness, higher rates of unemployment, poverty, and disproportionate rates of incarceration. Nationally, only about 50 percent of these young people earn a high school diploma and less than two percent of this cohort pursues higher education in either the two-year or four-year sectors.

Due to a myriad of systematic problems and social conditions, the minds of these young adults become limited to the vast opportunities that could be available to …

Smu West Dallas Youth Cultural Initiative, Savannah Niles, Diana Antohe, Ray Henninger, Oscar Mejia

Big iDeas 2012 Proposals

The SMU-West Dallas Youth Cultural Initiative began through our enrollment in Bernado Diaz’s Artist Residency directed studies course, Art as Social Practice. We are now hoping to continue our workshops and events with the West Dallas community at the Bataan and McMilan centers beyond the scope of this directed studies course, on the basis of the networks and relationships we have already initiated in the area. We intend to:

• Develop and implement culturally-driven curriculum for students participating in the afterschool programs of the West Dallas Community Centers.

• Pilot a program at SMU that allows students to engage in …

Student And Tutor Perspectives Of Tutoring In A Russian Flagship Program, Dianna Murphy, Karen Evans-Romaine, Snezhana Zheltoukhova

Russian Language Journal

This paper presents findings from a small-scale qualitative study based on interviews with Russian Flagship students and tutors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to explore students’ and tutors’ perceptions of tutoring in the UW-Madison Russian Flagship Program. The UW-Madison Russian Flagship is a rigorous undergraduate program funded by a grant from the National Security Education Program (NSEP) to provide opportunities for highly motivated students of any major to reach a Superior level of proficiency in Russian by graduation. Students in the program are provided with two to four hours per week of individual tutoring in Russian. The present study follows …

Results 2012: Using Flagship Data To Develop A Russian Learner Corpus Of Academic Writing, Anna A. Alsufieva, Olesya V. Kisselev, Sandra G. Freels

Russian Language Journal

This paper presents a project developed at the Russian Flagship Center at Portland State University, the pilot Russian Learner Corpus of Academic Writing (piRULEC). PiRULEC is the first of its kind Russian learner corpus that contains academic texts written on a variety of topics produced by advanced learners of Russian from a variety of linguistic backgrounds (heritage speakers of Russian and mainstream American students).

Perils And Pontifications: Reflections On The Failures And Joys Of A Law Teacher, John W. Teeter Jr

Faculty Articles

Next to fatherhood and my faith, teaching is what matters most to me, and yet it has been filled with failures as well as undeniable fulfillment and joy. I hope to enrich the lives of teachers who will replace me behind the podium, and that this article will serve as both an inspiration and a warning to new professors and those contemplating life in academics.

I offer the following guidance. Look outside yourself so you can look within yourself and then share what you find with the world. Actively seek the friendship and guidance of others, especially those from different …

Nonnatives' Perceptions Of Group Work: A Study Of Their Attitudes And Experiences In The Group Work Setting, Ellen Nogueira Rodrigues

Master's Theses

Problem. Studies on group work in the field of second language learning have pointed out positive outcomes of this classroom instruction for providing output and input opportunities for language production, for negotiations of meaning, and for academic language. Furthermore, social-psychological factors that hinder language development are asserted to be prevented by the use of group work. Even though group work may create an excellent environment for second language acquisition, research has indicated that few opportunities seem to be conceded for second language speakers to take active participation in discussions. In short, it seems that nonnatives’ interactions are hindered due to …

The Effects Of Rankings On Student Choices And Institutional Selection, Ellen Hazelkorn

Books/Book chapters

No abstract provided.

Learning Experiences Of International Students In Online Course : Mixed Methods Study, Gulnara Sadykova

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study explored the learning experiences of international students in fully online courses offered through a US university. Employing a sociocultural framework, particularly ideas put forward by Russian psychologists L. Vygotsky and American scholars R. Scollon and S. W. Scollon, the study examined the interplay of host and native cultures in an online learning environment and studied its effect on international students' learning experiences, specifically on the learning experiences of one focal student from China.

A Generic Qualitative Study Of The Experiences Of International Students Participating In The Cultural Connections Program At The University Of Mississippi, Nadezda Nikolaevna Kholomeydik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences of international students participating in the Cultural Connections Program at The University of Mississippi. A generic qualitative design was utilized using purposeful criterion sampling. The data was collected from two focus group interviews with 11 participants in focus group 1 and 10 participants in focus group 2. Using a generic qualitative approach, eight initial themes were identified after focus group 1 and eight clarifying questions were developed based on these themes. During focus group 2, these clarifying questions were utilized to further explore the eight initial themes in more depth …

A University Course's Influence On Students' Perpectives Regarding Sabbathkeeping As Spiritual Discipline, Ifeoma I. Kwesi

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Although most students who attend Oakwood University are self-identified Seventh-day Adventist Christians, from general observation of their activities, conversations, and attitudes displayed on any given Friday night and/or Saturday (i.e., Sabbath), it would be easy to conclude that many neither enter nor exit their collegiate experience with a holistic understanding or experience of Sabbath and Sabbathkeeping.

Methodology

1. As part of the research for this project I used a pre- and post-test methodology to determine the cognitive, behavioral and affective realms of Sabbath and Sabbathkeeping among students enrolled in RP131: Spiritual Formation for Ministry. The intervention was the aforementioned …

Parent Involvement Plan For Lincoln Elementary, Michelle Kaune

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project was to create a parent involvement plan for Lincoln Elementary using research based information. The information gathered during the literature review will be used to gain a better understanding of parent involvement along with evidence based strategies to improve parent involvement. This plan will then be used by the school to work to increase the amount of involvement parents during the 2012-13 school year. Creating a strategy to increase parent involvement has been identified as a need by the school. It is also part of the school’s Adequate Yearly Progress plan which was submitted …

Instructional Technology Usage And Implications For Student Academic Achievement And Further Success, Bradley D. Petry

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The digital divide was once a term used to indicate disparity between socio-economic classes and access to digital devices. The digital divide may now more accurately indicate differences in the types of usage between members of different socio-economic classes. Differences in usage among the middle school student population may play a role in the development of critical thinking and collaborative communication. The Maryland results of the 2010 Speak Up survey – a national student survey regarding the usage of technology - were used in comparison with student respondent school district differentiation and were also compared with student state standardized test …

Technological Innovations For The Human Service Profession, Tara M. Hill, Cassandra Pusateri, Erik Braun, Mueni "Joy" Maweu

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Many professions are incorporating innovative and affordable technologies such as smart phones, wireless Internet, gaming systems in which the only controller is the human body, and countless software programs and applications to improve efficiency, increase access, and promote themselves. The human service profession is also making strides to utilize new and existing technological mediums in original and creative ways. The article presents ideas for the use of innovative technological approaches in the training of human services students, the dissemination of services to consumers, supervision of human service students and professions, and the everyday operations of human service agencies. The limitations …

Using Newspapers To Improve Narrative Writing Among Secondary School Students / Saibah Binti Awang Ahmad, Saibah Awang Ahmad

Student Works (2010-2019)

Due to limited exposure and usage of the English language, many secondary school students in rural areas have difficulty in writing a narrative essay. The main reason given is lack of vocabulary. Hence, this research is to find out the student’s performance in narrative essay writing after an intervention in vocabulary acquisition using The Star newspaper as an alternative teaching and learning material. Activities using the newspaper are carried out for six weeks, at a frequency of 2 to 3 times a week. The methods applied in this study are pretest, post-test and interviews. The pre-test and post-test design is …

Smooth Transitions : Increasing Support For Students With Disabilities And Special Needs To Meet Their Post-Secondary Goals, Traci Lynn Alger

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Transitioning from high school into their adult lives can be tumultuous for students with disabilities and special needs. Graduation causes a loss of some services where necessary adult programs may be inaccessible. Through written survey and personal communication with valid local stakeholders, opinions revealed a need for better connections to local educational resources to help students and their caregivers create realistic post-secondary educational goals. The action of this project is important because there are students with disabilities unable to access services for themselves as they are required to function more independently. Each student has different needs and unique goals, requiring …

The College Experiences Of Transgender Students: Creating A Welcoming Environment On Campus, Roxanna Jessica-Dyan Patton

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The number of transgender students on college campuses has been increasing throughout the United States (Schneider,2010). Transgender students face unique concerns in nearly every aspect of campus life. The purpose of this research was to examine the college experiences of transgender students and recommend best practices for making college campuses more welcoming for transgender students. This phenomenological study was conducted using open ended interview questions to collect qualitative data from three transgender students at a large four year public institution in the Midwest. Respondents identified unwelcoming messages in the following areas of campus life: student activities, health services, and through …

Students Are The Major Source For Proliferation Of Corruption In Higher Education In Azerbaijan.1, Volodymyr V Gulyk

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The soviet era brought various diseases to fifteen different countries, but corruption is one of the most dangerous. The aim of the studies described here was to explore student’s opinion and their behavior as a main reason of proliferation of corruption. The author of the article conducted interviews and broadcasted the questionnaire among the students within different background. The results proved that there is significant amount of students, who regularly pay bribes, because they do not study well, or at all.

Medical School Prerequisite Courses Completed At Two-Year Colleges By Medical School Matriculants: An Analysis At The University Of Central Florida, Erin Myszkowski

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many medical school admissions personnel and pre-health advisors advise premedical students not to take the medical school prerequisite courses at two-year colleges because they believe the courses are less academically rigorous than the same courses at four-year institutions (Losada, 2009; Marie, 2009; Thurlow, 2008, 2009a, 2009b). According to this belief, premedical students who complete the medical school prerequisite courses at a two-year college could be at a disadvantage in regard to medical school admission compared to those students who complete the medical school prerequisite courses at a four-year institution. In an effort to analyze these perceptions, this study examined factors …

Capturing The Imagination Of A Distracted Audience, David Paradis

Quidditas

We compete for students’ attention. Surrounded by smart phones, tablets, and laptops, we compete for their attention, sometimes in the classroom but definitely outside of it. To combat this deluge of distractions, assigned readings must contain attractive content. The challenge can be particularly acute in pre-modern history classes, partly because the language and the content of primary sources, even when translated into clear, modern prose, is often unfathomable to readers accustomed to reading Sparknotes or Wikipedia. One potential solution to this challenge is Maurice Keen’s Outlaws of Medieval Legend (rev. ed. New York: Routledge, 2001).

Student Facilitated Anti-Bully Program, Ashley Kiefer

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Minnesota law currently states that each school district should have a policy that addresses all forms of bullying but allows each district to create their own. This past year, the state of Minnesota has begun to scrutinize this legislation with the purpose of studying the extent of bullying in Minnesota schools and developing policies to stop it. Many schools in the state have unfortunately experienced the negative effects of bullying; some such as the Anoka-Hennepin Schools have experienced investigation and lawsuits due to suicides related to bullying (Post, 2012). At Byron Middle School, there has been limited student involvement in …

The Perceptions Of General Education Teachers About The Over-Representation Of Black Students In Special Education, David Roland Grice

Dissertations

Statement of the Problem: There is an over-representation of Black students in special education. Black students are typically referred for special education consideration by the end of the fourth grade. One effort to reduce the large number of referrals in Connecticut was Courageous Conversations About Race. Courageous Conversations About Race is designed to address what educators, families, and other community groups can do to improve teaching and learning across racial lines. It served as a strategy for educators to confront and deinstitutionalize racism. Courageous Conversations About Race is an effective means to address the issues of race in schools/districts where …

Effects Of A Middle Grade Family-School Partnership Program At A Southeastern Charter School, Fayette Nick

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of a middle grade family-school partnership program at a southeastern charter school that served students in kindergarten through Grade 12. In 2009, the state charter school advisory board surveyed parents of students in kindergarten through Grade 8 and found that parental involvement decreased drastically after Grade 5. The state board advised the school to develop a plan of action to increase parental involvement in Grades 6 through 8. It was decided to implement a family-school partnership program in the middle grades. The program was guided by Lueder’s (2011) self-renewing partnership …

False Scents, False Sense, And False Cents: Why Physicians Should Read Sherlock Holmes, Ira Martin Grais

The Texas Heart Institute Journal

No abstract provided.

Impact Of National Board Certification, Advanced Degree, And Socio-Economic Status On The Literacy Achievement Rate Of 11th Grade Students In Arkansas, Merlina T. Mccullough

Student Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Exploring The Relationship Between Facebook, Face-To-Face And Intercultural Communication, Rebecca Schaefer

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

My Capstone Experience/Thesis project seeks to explore and examine the effects of Facebook on communication between American and international students. The use of social media as a means to communicate with others is increasing at an amazing rate. Facebook has become my generation’s favorite way to communicate with friends and family and “to Facebook” has unofficially become a verb that many college students will use. While social media, such as Facebook and Linked-In, may encourage American college students to communicate with international students beyond the classroom and campus, it seems that Facebook is on the way to becoming a substitute …

The Honors Beacon, Issue 01, Fall 2011, Honors Program At Minnesota State University, Mankato

Honors Beacon

Fall 2011 newsletter of the Honors Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

Students With Reading Disabilities Participating In Literature Discussions: A Case Study, Elysha Patino O’Brien

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative case study addressed a lack of research concerning literature discussions for students with learning disabilities in reading. Fourth and fifth grade students with reading disabilities participated in twice-weekly literature discussions, 30- to-60 minutes each, for 12 weeks. The students attended a Title I school and most were Hispanic males. Together, they read and discussed five postmodern picturebooks. The purpose of the study was to understand (a) reader responses to the illustrations, text, and postmodern features of the books, and (b) the individual reader’s response habits. Situated within a sociocultural frame, the theories guiding this study pertained to language …

Open Access Textbooks As A Strategy For Lowering Student Costs, Jonathan Eldredge, Holly Phillips

Open Access Resources

No abstract provided.

The Daily Gamecock, Monday, November 14, 2011, University Of South Carolina, Office Of Student Media

November

No abstract provided.