Digital Commons Network^™

Elementary Students’ Perceptions Of Peers As Audience, Christina N. Lorelli

Michigan Reading Journal

Abstract

This pilot study, grounded in sociocultural theory, humanizing pedagogy, and dialogic theory, examines how fourth-grade students perceive their peers as their primary audience. It explores how writing becomes a social and relational act that enhances purpose, voice, and identity. As a teacher-researcher in a rural Pennsylvania district, I collaborated with other teachers to build a community of writers as students shared, discussed, and received feedback on their work. Responsive surveys with students revealed key themes: 1. Sharing writing with peers boosts student motivation and involvement; 2. their writing becomes more meaningful, fostering a sense of ownership; and 3. quality …

From Talk To Science Literacy: Using Structured Student Talk To Support Newcomer Multilingual Learners In High School, Matthew W. De Boer, Rui Niu-Cooper

Michigan Reading Journal

Newcomer multilingual learners (MLs) often experience significant barriers to oral participation in secondary classrooms, despite the central role of talk in language development, academic learning, and community belonging. Research indicates that while comprehension skills may continue to develop, opportunities for structured oral expression are frequently limited, particularly in teacher-led instructional settings. This article examines how intentional Structured Student Talk (SST) routines can support newcomer MLs in transitioning from classroom silence to meaningful participation. Drawing on interactionist theories of language development, cognitive load theory, and affective filter research, the article argues that oral language must be explicitly scaffolded within content instruction …

Introducing The Michigan Reading Journal’S Incoming Editorial Team, Mihyun Han, Kristen L. White, Nicole R. Peterson, Amy Croel-Perrien

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

Full Issue: Volume 58, No. 3

Michigan Reading Journal

No abstract provided.

Intent Gravity Engines, Johny Manuel-Devadoss, Joanna Johnson, Jayden Jack Johnson

Defensive Publications Series

Contemporary recommendation architectures optimize short-horizon behavioral objectives such as click-through rate, retention, conversion probability, watch-time maximization, and engagement persistence. While these systems achieve high efficiency in immediate interaction optimization, they systematically fail to model longitudinal human development, identity continuity, aspiration stabilization, and temporally coherent cognitive evolution. Existing recommender systems operate under an implicit assumption that preferences are stationary or slowly drifting latent variables inferable from interaction sequences. This assumption becomes increasingly invalid in high-dimensional socio-cognitive environments where users are not static consumers but dynamically evolving agents whose identities emerge through recursive interactions between cognition, social exposure, emotional state transitions, epistemic …

The Impact Of Response Latency On Perceived Level Of Intelligence And Likability Of Autistic Speakers, Brinley Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine how turn-taking latency and speaker or listener gender affect the perceived intelligence and likability of the speaker across autistic speakers. In addition, the overarching goal of this research is to help speech-language pathologists (SLPs) better provide support and strategies to autistic individuals to improve their social and professional lives. Neurotypical English speakers (20 male and 20 female) were recruited to listen to a series of conversational speech samples collected from a group of eight autistic adults (four male and four female). In each sample, autistic individuals responded to a series of everyday …

Visualization And Marker-Less Tracking Of User-Defined Pre-Processed Mri Articulator Data Using Deep Learning, Michael De George

Student Theses

This thesis presents a comprehensive framework for the automated tracking and visualization of articulatory movements based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. A well-known data analysis tool for markerless pose estimation, known as DeepLabCut, is investigated for this purpose. The performance of this tool is enhanced through the design and implementation of a pre-processor. DeepLabCut is a markerless pose estimation toolbox based on deep learning, which overcomes the issue of making manual annotations frame-by-frame. Limitations from manually marking the MRI images are addressed by implementing transfer learning with convolutional neural networks to achieve accurate, user-defined articulator tracking without markers. Current …

Environmental Impact And Environmental Justice Of Oil Palm: A Discourse Analysis On Social Media In Indonesia, Rijal Ramdani, Obed Asamoah, Eloy Sinai Leriand

Forest and Society

Drawing upon the environmental impacts of oil palm and environmental justice frameworks, this study critically analyses what issues associated with the negative image of oil palm on social media, particularly Twitter (currently X) and Facebook addressed by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and research institutes in Indonesia. We applied the discourse analysis method, and we mined the data from seven Twitter and Facebook accounts, namely 1) WWF Indonesia, 2) Sawit Watch, 3) Yayasan Fortasbi, 4) Greenpeace Indonesia, 5) AMAN, 6) WALHI and 7) CIFOR representing the right-based NGOs, environmental justice NGOs, and research institute in Indonesia. The research shows that the environmental …

Indonesia Spatial Planning Criteria Promotes 70% Terrestrial Protected Areas In Papua, Devi Manuhua, San Afri Awang, Wahyu Wardhana, Lies R. W. Faida

Forest and Society

Papua is renowned as a world-class tropical wilderness, rich in both floristic and linguistic diversity. Proactive efforts to protect this region have been implemented by Indonesian government through a land allocation policy designating at least 70% of the area as protected. However, the extent to which protected areas (PA) criteria are implemented at a spatial scale remains very limited. Therefore, this study aims to link multi-criteria PA policies with Papua's landscape conditions, focusing on land allocation for the expansion of terrestrial PA at a spatial scale. Geographic information system (GIS)-multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method played a crucial role in analyzing PA …

Between Code And Context: Empowering Qualitative Researchers To Leverage Ai With Rigor And Responsibility, Tito Dimas Atmawijaya

The Qualitative Report

Diana Garcia Quevedo and Josue Kuri’s AI for Qualitative Research: A Hands-On Guide for Management Scholars (2026) offers a timely and accessible introduction to leveraging large language models (LLMs) for qualitative analysis in management research. Organized into two parts—theoretical foundations and hands-on applications—the book equips researchers with both conceptual understanding and practical programming skills to integrate AI tools responsibly into their analytical workflows. Garcia Quevedo, whose research at ESCP Business School centres on gender, entrepreneurship, and AI-driven qualitative methods, and Kuri, a principal scientist with extensive expertise in AI and network systems, provide a unique interdisciplinary perspective. This review examines …

Exploring Speaking Skills Among Upper-Secondary School Students In Rojava: A Qualitative Inquiry Of Challenges And Strategies, Civin Abdulrehman Segvan, Karwan Mustafa Saeed

The Qualitative Report

In Rojava region, the interplay between sociopolitical factors and educational infrastructures complicates the landscape of English language speaking skills development among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. This qualitative study explores the factors that hinder EFL students from developing their English-speaking skills. It primarily aimed at reporting teachers’ voices on the challenges in the context of Northeast Syria (NES) known as Rojava. To this end, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven EFL teachers and two English educational supervisors (EES) to explore the challenges facing students in the context of this study. Using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase thematic analysis, …

Songs For A Burning World: Youth-Led Storytelling Through Vr And 360° Opera, Toby Young, Lucinda Jarrett, Misha Myers

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Songs for a Burning World is a youth-led, co-created immersive opera realised through 360° film, VR, and dome exhibition. Developed through extended online workshops with young participants across twenty countries, the project mobilises operatic voice and sound-led XR practices to articulate climate experience as lived, situated, and plural. Youth and community members are positioned as authors and co-researchers, shaping narrative, sonic material, pacing, and modes of address, rather than contributing testimony to pre-existing frames. Their songs, spoken texts, field recordings, and visual material form both the content and the method of the work, foregrounding embodied knowledge about the climate crisis …

Building Cultural Wealth: A Look Into The 40x40 Council’S Rise East Plan, Camille L. Batiste

Master's Theses

This research began as an effort to understand how community-based organizations in neighborhoods that have experienced generational economic disinvestment address the financial and cultural wealth gap in their communities. With the 40x40 Council and its work in East Oakland serving as the case study, it is evident how this organization mobilizes to reverse the impact of cultural erasure and wealth exclusion, helping Black residents not just live, but thrive. With an enriched understanding of how the 40x40 Council frames its approach, implements its vision, and develops its longevity, the Rise East Plan utilizes an alternative wealth-building strategy that centers community, …

Exploring Imagined Identities And Communities Among Learners Of English As A Lingua Franca: A Qualitative Narrative Inquiry, Özge Kuru, Enisa Mede

The Qualitative Report

Exploration of imagined identities and communities has been recognized as critical aspects in learning English as a foreign language. These two aspects perspectives differ as to how learners view themselves with respect to others through narratives and how they practise the language not only face to face but also in virtual interactions. This study aimed to explore how being a participant in virtual communities of practice affect the identity construction among English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) learners coming from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds (Jenkins, 2006). Specifically, we tried to find out how three Turkish ELF learners positioned themselves …

Dual Identification: How Organizational Culture Impacts Educational Access For Student With Intersecting Language & Dis/Ability Identities, Kara M. Piastrelli

Doctoral Dissertations

Educating multilingual learners (MLLs) in the K–12 setting has been, and continues to remain, a complex challenge. Students with intersecting language and dis/ability identities often face organizational barriers that interrupt equitable access to curriculum, language acquisition, and educational opportunities. While previous research has largely focused on racial disproportionality within special education, limited research has examined the intersection of multilingual learners within special education and the organizational systems that shape their educational experiences. This study sought to examine how organizational culture shapes the implementation and expression of institutional policies and practices related to multilingual learners with dis/abilities, specifically in relation to …

Do The Effects Of Ethnocentrism And Cosmopolitanism Depend On Countries-Of-Origins? An Empirical Study Of U.S. Consumers, Thomas Tanner, Ronda Mariani

Atlantic Marketing Association Proceedings

No abstract provided.

Book Review: #Metoo And The Politics Of Transnational Feminism, Muhammad Umer Azim

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Cyberfeminism And The Digital Divide: A Study Of The #Metoo Movement In Assam, India, Uddipana Kalita

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article examines how cyberfeminist politics in India are shaped by a layered digital divide, focusing on the #MeToo movement in Assam (Northeast India) as a regionally situated site of feminist voices, exclusion, and contested recognition. While digital visibility has enabled new forms of public naming and solidarity, this paper argues that visibility does not automatically translate into justice, as participation and audibility are structured by uneven access, device control, language hierarchies, and policing of credibility. This study is guided by two research questions: 1) How does the digital divide shape who can participate and be recognized within the #MeToo …

Nazneen In Ali’S Brick Lane: Achieving Agency Through A Multimodal Praxis Of Care, Sarani Ghosal Mondal

Journal of International Women's Studies

Monica Ali’s novel Brick Lane (2003) is not a definitive portrayal of a geographical location but rather a narrative centered on Nazneen, a Bangladeshi immigrant, and her transformational journey from a silent, passive figure into a self-reliant, successful seamstress. Following her marriage to an older man named Chanu, Nazneen relocates from a remote village in Bangladesh to Brick Lane in London. Her progress towards independence is shaped primarily by her friendship with Razia, a fellow immigrant, and partly by her affair with a young activist, Karim. Additionally, she receives emotional support from her sister, Hasina, which is conveyed through letters …

Girls On Screens And Boys In The Streets: Afrobeats Dance, Gender, And Waithood In Lagos, Nigeria, Gali Kinkulkin, Moshe Morad, Lynn Schler

Journal of International Women's Studies

The global success of the musical genre of Afrobeats has generated substantial scholarly interest in the experiences of singers and musicians within the industry. Scholars of this genre have examined an array of topics, including cultural identity, gender disparities, socioeconomic impact, and the global music industry. However, few studies focus on the experiences of Afro dancers despite the critical role of dance in the genre’s international popularity; those that do centralise dance concentrate primarily on how women dancers navigate an industry that both empowers and objectifies women. This study departs from these earlier studies by examining the lived experiences of …

Special Issue Editors’ Introduction: 11th World Conference On Women’S Studies, Jyoti Rupa Deka, Jaypee S. Yongco, Noma Mguni

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

The Interpretive Force Of Alexander Hamilton’S Early Expositions Of Presidential Power, Michael Stokes Paulsen

Pepperdine Law Review

The most important, rightly influential, early interpretations of the Constitution on presidential power concerning matters of war, peace, and foreign affairs flowed from the able pen of Alexander Hamilton in three sets of pseudonymous public essays: as “Publius” in The Federalist (1787–1788); as “Pacificus” (1793–1794); and “Camillus” (1795–1796). As Publius, Hamilton expounded a broad understanding of presidential constitutional power generally and of presidential power in war and foreign affairs specifically, including an essentially plenary Commander-in-Chief power over the conduct of authorized war (but with no constitutional power to initiate war: that power being explicitly and exclusively assigned to Congress). As …

Automated Message Resurfacing Based On Interrogative Intent Detection In Electronic Communications, Piyush Goyal

Defensive Publications Series

A common issue in electronic communication is the failure to respond to messages once the unread status is removed. This often occurs when a message containing a direct inquiry is opened but not immediately addressed, causing the communication to be buried by subsequent correspondence. To address this, the disclosed technology employs on-device natural language processing to detect interrogative syntax and intent at the time a message is accessed. If a request or question is identified, a contextual interface element is displayed, allowing for a single-action commitment to follow up. At a scheduled time, the message is automatically resurfaced to the …

The Whisper Web: A Mail Intelligence Framework For Semantic Coordination In Communication Systems, Johny Manuel-Devadoss, Joanna Johnson, Jayden Jack Johnson, Deepthi Prasad

Defensive Publications Series

This paper introduces The Whisper Web, a communication intelligence framework designed for post-static digital correspondence ecosystems operating under conditions of planetary-scale coordination complexity. Unlike conventional email systems that treat messages as isolated immutable payloads exchanged between endpoints, the Whisper Web reconceptualizes communication as a continuously evolving semantic biosphere composed of dynamic probabilistic entities known as Whisper Units. Each Whisper Unit functions as a compressed socio-semantic organism capable of propagating influence through adaptive trust topologies, negotiation-energy fields, obligation gradients, institutional resonance maps, and multi-agent predictive coordination networks.

The proposed framework abandons the traditional paradigms of inboxes, message queues, folders, labels, and …

Improving Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Student Confidence In Evidence-Based Practice, Courtney Olson, Carla Tierney-Hendricks

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is widely acknowledged to be beneficial and necessary for the treatment of patients. However, a gap between evidence-based practice research and use is present. One way to improve EBP implementation is by focusing on incorporating explicit EBP instruction at the graduate student level. This study describes the development of a series of learning modules based on key EBP principles in order to increase graduate student confidence in EBP. Twenty-four first-semester graduate students were followed over the course of 8-weeks, with one group of twelve students receiving structured supplemental learning and the other group receiving only their traditional …

Real-Time Instruction Internalization For Large Language Models, Brenden Smith

Theses and Dissertations

For the end user, Large Language Models (LLMs) are programs that process natural language inputs into natural language outputs. In popular usage, this tends to take the form of conversation: a user asks a question, provides information, or gives instructions, and the LLM (hopefully) replies in a manner we would expect of an informed and compliant person. While convenient and intuitive for users, this natural conversational format encourages the misconception that LLMs are learning from conversations, when they do not. This work presents the benefits and practicality of a language model paradigm that meets this user expectation -- that is, …

Literature Review: Exploration Of Dance As Both A Formidable Method Of Research, And Form Of Therapy In Processing Culturally Traumatic Events, And Its Potential Intersections With What Is Socially Understood As “Civil, Rights, Movement”, Juanita Ramey

Expressive Therapies Theses

The goal of this thesis is to examine the civil rights movement in sociopolitical and embodied contexts. Positioning dance as a method of data collection, analysis, and interpretation; as well as a competent means of trauma-informed intergenerational healing. It builds upon the principles of arts-based research, dance/movement, therapy, polyvagal theory, and the body as an informed living archive of social experiences. Somatic resilience and embodied activism as seen as a vital part of the fight for humanitarian relief and social change. This is seen in the exploration of cultural understanding of civil, rights, and movement etymologically in the overcurrent of …

Models, Agency, And Expectations: A Mixed-Methods Study Of How Character Develops In Middle School, Aaron J. Schwindt

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This explanatory sequential mixed-methods study investigated how character develops among middle school students at an international school recognized as a "National School of Character." Despite significant investment in character education (CE), a lack of formal evaluation exists, particularly regarding the process of development during the critical middle school years, a period of intense neurological and social change. Grounded in Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this study aimed to (1) understand how character develops, (2) compare development before and after program enhancements, and (3) assess the program's impact on discipline. Phase 1 collected Character Growth Index (CGI) survey data from students …

Geometric Structure In High-Dimensional Representations: Theory And Applications To Language, Jiayi Chen

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

This thesis develops a geometric perspective on high-dimensional representations, motivated by applications to language. Rather than treating representations solely as inputs to predictive models, we view them as structured objects whose geometry encodes meaningful information. In particular, we argue that such representations exhibit organization at multiple scales: at a global level, metric and clustering structure capture relationships such as genre, authorship, and discourse; at a local level, geometric quantities such as intrinsic dimension and curvature describe how these relationships vary across the space.

To study these phenomena, we combine empirical analysis with theoretical development. On the empirical side, we examine …

Stablecoins, Geopolitical Shocks, And Imperfect Arbitrage: A Case Study Of Türkiye, Vincient Arnold

Master in Public Policy Theses

On March 19, 2025, a key Turkish opposition political figure was unexpectedly arrested on what were presumed to be politically motivated charges. In response, the lira depreciated sharply. Meanwhile, Türkiye has a large and active dollar stablecoin market. Using a time series dataset of trade-frequency Tether vs. lira trading, I exploit this natural exogenous geopolitical risk-off event to investigate the response function of stablecoin traders active in Türkiye to this shock. I find that the shock is associated with a large (5.33% ) abnormal depreciation of the lira. Further, I show that the shock is associated with an abnormal widening …