Digital Commons Network^™

A Collostructional Approach To The Concealed Passive Construction In English, Rok Sim, Jungsoo Kim

Faculty Publications

This study investigates the English concealed passive construction (CPC), as in the car needs washing, using authentic corpus data. While previous research has explored certain aspects of the CPC, little attention has been given to strongly associated matrix verbs (or verb types) and interactions between matrix verbs (or verb types) and other elements of the construction. To address these issues, we apply three types of collostructional analysis, and our findings indicate that no single, straightforward pattern emerges with respect to real-life grammatical properties of the CPC. We then show that the well-known distinction between raising and control constructions, formalized …

Addressing Failing Water Systems: A Qualitative Protocol For Intervention Research On Water Insecurity, Patrick Thomson, Melissa Beresford, Jobayer Hossain, Cara Jacob, Carolina Jordão, Oswaldo Medina-Ramírez, Sophie Neems, Daniel Salcedo Serrano, Dave White, Amber Wutich

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

It is increasingly acknowledged that high income countries do not enjoy universal drinking water coverage, with pockets of water insecurity persisting close to areas that have had high-quality, centralized water provision for half a century or more. The reasons behind this are complex, and effective ways to improve water security in these areas defy simple prescriptions. Nuanced measures that disaggregate the different facets of water insecurity are especially important as we attempt to understand and, crucially, improve water security in high-income countries.In this paper, we describe a qualitative protocol for assessing water insecurity at the household level in a study …

Lived Experiences Of Teachers Implementing Student-Centered Learning: A Phenomenological Study, Jennifer R. Knowlton

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of teachers implementing student-centered learning (SCL) in high schools in the southeastern United States. The theory guiding this study was Deci and Ryan’s Self Determination Theory, as it was a framework for understanding what factors help or hurt psychological well-being, autonomous extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation. This study sought to answer the central research question: What are teachers lived experiences implementing student-centered learning (SCL) in high schools in the southeastern United States? This qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology research focused on SCL high school teachers across the southeastern United …

Infusing Indigenous Knowledge Into Eurocentric Educational Systems In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Hermeneutical Phenomenology, Assane Ba Faye

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study is to explore the lived experiences of participants from Mills Elementary School and the Kao-Kao School District (pseudonyms) regarding the integration of pre-colonial traditional pedagogies into post-colonial Eurocentric education systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The guiding theory for this research is Jean Piaget’s constructivist theory, which emphasizes active learner involvement and knowledge development based on prior experience. The main research question asks: What are the lived experiences of community members at Mills Elementary School and the Kao-Kao School District (pseudonyms) concerning the effects of incorporating Indigenous pedagogies into Eurocentric education systems in sub-Saharan Africa? …

A Quantitative Quasi-Experimental Study To Determine The Effectiveness Of Ufli And Iready Interventions For Third Grade Struggling Readers, Vada Kehrer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study was to determine whether there is a significant difference in the growth in reading proficiency among third-grade struggling readers receiving different reading intervention programs: the University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) or i-Ready curriculum-based interventions. The study is important because the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has reported a concerning decline in literacy rates, particularly among students with dyslexia. The persistence of decline in reading proficiency stresses the urgent need for effective reading interventions. This study contributes to the existing literature on reading intervention programs for struggling readers. The sample included …

From Divine Absence To Eternal Presence: Reframing The Jeremianic Temple-City Abandonment Motif From Its Ancient Near Eastern Roots To Its Fulfillment In Christ As The Ultimate Yahwistic Temple, Patrick Stewart

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation offers a canonical-theological and comparative study of temple destruction, divine absence, and the logic of return by tracing a five-stage “temple-city abandonment” motif across two corpora: the Sumerian City Laments (and related balag̃ material) and the biblical canon. The Sumerian laments depict the catastrophic loss of temple and city within a deterministic world where divine decisions often appear opaque, emotionally volatile, and only tenuously repairable through ritual lament and reconstruction. By contrast, the biblical narrative interprets the same crisis within a covenantal grammar: Jerusalem’s fall is grounded in articulated covenant breach, responsibility is named and confessed through prophetic …

Exploring Factors Influencing Autistic Children And Young People’S Access To Dental Care In Southwest England: A Qualitative Study Of Children, Parents, And Dental Professionals, Jo Erwin, Sarah Neill, Tara Vassallo, Robert Witton, Louise Peters, Isaac Vassallo, Abigail Nelder, Martha Paisi

Peninsula Dental School

Background: Autistic children and young people (CYP) experience inequalities in oral health. They are at higher risk of dental caries and periodontal disease and are more likely to have teeth extracted under general anaesthetic than their non-autistic peers. Poor oral health among autistic CYP results from multiple factors, including sensory sensitivities, communication differences, and difficulties accessing appropriate dental care. This qualitative study explored factors influencing autistic CYP’s access to dental care from the perspective of CYP, parents/carers, and dental health professionals (DHPs). Methods: A qualitative design using semi-structured interviews was adopted. Purposive sampling was used to recruit autistic CYP, parents/carers, …

A Multimethod Study Of The Barriers Of Women In The General Schedule 15 Grade And Senior Executive Staff Experience In Promotion At The Department Of Veterans Affairs, Terry Michael Acie

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this research study was to discover why the female executive employee population is experiencing a gap in representation in senior management at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The scholarly literature addressing federal disparities across the gender demographic identified several issues such as underrepresentation, social equity, pay equity, turnover intention, job satisfaction, and diversity as primary barrier drivers preventing or slowing female promotion. The issues are rarely investigated in an intersecting manner which plausibly could create several hurdles women must navigate to obtain a promotion and decrease their representation in executive service. The theoretical approach used is …

Student Anxiety And Lassitude In A Foreign Language Learning Classroom: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study, Mcgraham Anyanwu

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The problem is that university students studying French in Nigerian schools as a foreign language experience anxiety because of communication apprehension, test anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study is to explore how university students studying French as a foreign language describe experiences of anxiety and lassitude with French language learning at University Alpha in Nigeria. The central research question guiding this study is: How do university students studying French in Nigeria describe their experiences of anxiety and lassitude in a foreign language learning classroom? The theory guiding this study is Krashen’s theory …

A Qualitative Case Study Of Teachers’ Responses And Adaptation To How They Transitioned From Traditional Classrooms To Partial Or Full Virtual Learning Environments Post Covid-19, Kaprice L. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the responses and adaptation process for public school teachers in a southern state that transitioned from traditional classrooms to full or partial online learning environments post-COVID-19. The theory that guided this study was the Theory of Adaptation of Educators Teaching Technology-Based Courses, which theorizes that educators experience phases of transformation visioning, learning, rationalizing and doing, and modernizing that foster resilience and adaptability within evolving educational landscapes (Pinatil & Ramos, 2023). Guided by the social constructivist paradigm, the study examined how teachers adjusted instructional strategies, demonstrated emotional resilience, and integrated technology …

The Psychometric Use Of Word Embeddings, Thomas Benjamin Lyle Wasden

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This quantitative study examined the feasibility of categorizing individuals by English-language competency using word embeddings derived from language samples obtained from these individuals and by viewing word embeddings as a psycholinguistic construct. Word embeddings have been shown to be a versatile tool for performing a large number of important natural language processing (NLP) tasks, as well as a plausible model for some processes in the human mind, including processes within the domain of psycholinguistics. This research seeks to build upon previous research by showing that word embeddings may shed light on the underlying neural representation of semantic entities being acquired …

The Intervention Effects Of Self-Leadership And Motivation On The Second Language Motivation Mechanism In Tanzanian Form 5 Students: A Static-Group Study Using Structural Equation Modeling, Euna Kim Park

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quantitative, static-group study was to determine the effect of the intervention among high school newcomers in the English-medium instruction (EMI) context in Tanzania. Tanzanian adolescents have difficulty adapting to the transition to secondary school, as the language of instruction is not their native language. Four high schools in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania participated in the study, with 381 participants in the intervention group and 373 in the control group. The intervention group attended self-leadership training and second-language (L2) motivation workshops, while the control group did not. After the intervention, the two groups completed surveys using …

Sacred Space, Divine Presence, And Covenant: A Theological Trajectory From Eden To The Indwelling Spirit Across The Pentateuch And The Book Of Joshua, William C. Merry

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation thesis is that sacred space, divine presence, and covenant are a theological triad that gives form to the canonical progression from Eden through the Pentateuch into Joshua and finds its eschatological orientation in the indwelling Spirit. The project as a whole, and its treatment of Genesis–Deuteronomy and Joshua in particular, maintains that the presence of God is never conceived independently of a covenantal relationship and is thereby always concretized, i.e., spatialized in and through the site or locale of the sacred space: Eden, the tabernacle, the land, and the sanctuary at Shiloh. Each of these stages in the …

Manufacturing Main Street: How Historic Plant City Main Street Revitalizes Its Community And Simulates The Commons, Emily Burke

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Community has remained a central concern to sociology since its founding, even as industrialization, globalization, and digital media have transformed how social ties are formed and maintained. Small American downtowns once anchored civic and social life, but have faced destabilizing events like globalization, the rise of e-commerce, and the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, many small cities have turned to the national nonprofit Main Street AmericaTM to help them revitalize their downtowns. Although research on small cities is limited compared to large urban centers, emerging literature highlights post-COVID opportunities to renew physical and local shopping on main street (small city downtowns). …

The Role Of Parent Involvement In Enhancing Pediatric Speech And Language Therapy, Katie Lynch, Kenneth Bleile

Research in the Capitol

As speech-language pathologists we provide speech and language therapy for children in a variety of settings. It is crucial to include the client’s family in therapy because family involvement has been shown to promote generalization of skills learned in therapy to a child’s typical environment. Despite this, there are a variety of barriers that exist for families as they try to support their child’s speech and language goals. A literature review will be conducted in an effort to understand how speech-language pathologists can gain an understanding of these barriers and work to understand how vital family involvement is in pediatric …

Modeling And Control Of A High-Quality Electro-Hydraulic Actuator Driven Via An Induction Motor Under Intelligent Indirect Vector Control, Aws Hassan, Jamal Mohammed, Walaa Hashim

Engineering and Technology Journal

Due to its excellent energy efficiency and broad speed range, the variable-speed electro-hydraulic drive is an appealing driving principle in many contemporary industrial applications. A primary control of linear motion is via a variable-speed electric motor driving a hydraulic actuator via a constant displacement pump. One of the most commonly used controllers for the speed control of induction motors is the Proportional Integral (PI) type. However, the traditional PI controller has some disadvantages, such as the high starting overshoot, sensitivity to controller gains, and sluggish response due to sudden disturbance. An intelligent controller based on PI Fuzzy logic set theory …

Investigation Of The Level Of Adoption Of The Lean Philosophy In Small And Medium Enterprises Using Integrated Fuzzy Assessment Model Based On Fuzzy Dematel / Fuzzy Topsis, Zainab Al-Baldawi, Allaeldin Kassam, Sawsan Al-Zubaidi

Engineering and Technology Journal

Lean Production is a continuous improvement philosophy derived from the Toyota Production System (TPS) aimed at improving the operational efficiency and performance of companies. Although the Lean philosophy has been widely applied in large enterprises, its implementation and adoption in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has remained relatively underexplored. In this paper, a fuzzy assessment model has been proposed that integrates Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (Fuzzy DEMATEL) and Fuzzy Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (Fuzzy TOPSIS) to aim to investigate the level of implementation and adoption of the lean philosophy in SMEs through …

Servo And Regulatory Response Of An Industrial Fluid Catalytic Cracking (Fcc) Unit Under Fuzzy Logic Supervisory Control, Princewill Josiah, Ipeghan Otaraku, Benson Evbuomwan

Engineering and Technology Journal

A self-tuning hierarchical controller in which a Fuzzy logic controller supervises the control actions of a conventional PID has been proposed, implemented and presented in this paper. The controller has been applied to a control study of Fluid Catalytic Cracking unit (FCCU) riser temperature, and regenerator temperature respectively. Comparison between the performance of the proposed Fuzzy-PID controller and the conventional PID was made in simulation studies of regulatory and servo performances of the two controller types. Six performance measures: Percent overshoot (OS), settling time (ST), integral absolute error (IAE), integral square error (ISE), integral time absolute error (ITAE) and integral …

Supplier Ranking In Dental Sector Using Integrated Fuzzy (Ahp-Topsis), Asma Mohammed Ali, Allaeldin Kassam

Engineering and Technology Journal

Choosing a suitable supplier of materials and equipment in the healthcare sector is essential because it directly affects the patient's health and the organization's effectiveness and quality of services. Moreover, studies on supplier ranking are few in the field of health, particularly in the dental sector. For this purpose, an integrated fuzzy (AHP-TOPSIS) model has been developed for supplier ranking in the dental sector. The F-AHP is used to evaluate the importance of criteria, and then the F-TOPSIS method is applied to the supplier ranking process. A real case study is conducted on dental composite filling suppliers. Six evaluation criteria …

Ecotourist And Picnic Area Assessment Using Ahp Analytical Tools In Sulaimani– Tourism Region, Iraq, Awa Ahmad, Ako Hama, Imzahim Alwan

Engineering and Technology Journal

Renovation of the naturally existing area for ecotourist and investments that attracting site-visitors, picnickers and tourists for Iraq, Kurdistan Region, Sulaimani need to promote a reliable decision-making technique so as to raise the level of the tourist-based economy. In this study, the most available public well known and recognized tourist and picnic area by the people and associated governmental directories were studied and assessed for their tourism reliability and capacity. The study area of this research covered tourist area and they were forty-three (43) locations and all the related data collected, analyzed and categorized as main and sub-main criterions. The …

Swot-Based Assessment Of The Maintenance Management Of The Wastewater Treatment Plants In Iraq, Reem Al-Attar, Faris Al-Ani, Mahmoud Al-Khafaji

Engineering and Technology Journal

In Iraq, due to WWTPs being old and outdated, an evaluation of the maintenance management is needed to highlight the points of weaknesses and strengths of the plants. In this paper, the strength, weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis model is designed with the Delphi Technique and Liker-scale and applied to the old Rustumiya project in Iraq (ORP). The design and application of this model are based on the design, operation and maintenance drawings and reports, and field visits to the ORP. In addition, three rounds of the questionnaire were sent to more than 80 experts varied in qualification and …

Improving Machine Learning Performance By Eliminating The Influence Of Unclean Data, Murtadha Ressan, Rehab Hassan

Engineering and Technology Journal

Regardless of the data source and type (text, digital, photo group, etc.), they are usually unclean data. The term (unclean) means that data contains some bugs and paradoxes that can strongly impact machine learning processes. The nature of the input data of the dataset is the most important reason for the success of the learning algorithm. More than one factor influences machine learning results in a specific task. The characteristics and the nature of the data are the main reasons for the algorithm's success. This paper generally examines data processing entered into an algorithm to learn machines. The paper explains …

Building Capacity, Changing Teaching Practices: Insights From A Professional Development Program For Educators In A Low-Income Country, Caroline Havery, Mary Kililo, Julie Dopsie, Mary Roroi, Di Brown, Ali Moloney, Lisa Townsend, Amanda Neill, Michele Rumsey, Chris Rossiter, Thelma Ali

Pacific Journal of Health

Background

Building capacity of health professional educators in low- and middle-income countries can improve population health outcomes through upskilling the health workforce. However, education programs must respond to local contexts and challenges including participants’ needs and expectations, language difficulties, and resource limitations. This paper evaluates a program for nursing and community health worker educators in Papua New Guinea.

Methods

This qualitative descriptive study was designed and implemented using a collaborative partnership approach. It comprised six focus groups with 26 educators who were program participants. Thematic analysis examined participants’ perceptions of the program and their implementation of change projects.

Results

Four …

Time Invariant Variables In The Mundlak And Hausman-Taylor Panel Data Models, Badi H. Baltagi, Long Liu

Center for Policy Research

This paper shows that the classic augmented Mundlak (1978) regression yields the between estimator for time-invariant variables. It is well known that the estimates of the time varying variables yield the fixed effects estimates. While the latter are consistent for this correlated random effects model, the between estimates are not. The between estimator is consistent only when the Hausman (1978) test does not reject the null based on between versus fixed effects. An alternative modified Hausman and Taylor (1981) estimator is proposed. Monte Carlo experiments are performed to compare various estimators under a correlated random effects as well as a …

The Collaborative Development Of Core Vocabulary In International English-Medium Early Childhood Teacher Education, Muhammad Qureshi, Kay Gallagher, Michael Bowles, Jenny Eppard

All Works

This paper serves as a guide for the development of contextually relevant word lists and word guides for English-medium early childhood teacher education programs internationally. Such resources are particularly important for English-medium programs in higher education settings where English is typically a second or foreign language for students, and where limited vocabulary knowledge can curtail learning. In the context of an undergraduate early childhood teacher education program at an English-medium university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a rapidly modernizing Gulf state with a new interest in early childhood education, language, and content teachers co-developed word lists for Arabic-speaking students …

On The Origins Of Modern East Asia: Knowledge And The Economic Transformation Of Japan And China In The Late 19th Century, Debin Ma, Jared Rubin, Weiwen Yin

ESI Working Papers

This paper revisits the old thesis of the contrasting paths of modernization between Japan and China. It develops a new analytical framework regarding the role of knowledge acquisition (propositional vs. prescriptive) and political centralization as the key drivers behind these contrasting paths. Our model and historical data highlight how the introduction of these elements contributed to Meiji Japan’s decisive turn towards the West and Qing China’s lethargic response to Western imperialism. Our analytical framework, developed from a comparative historical narrative and quantitative data, sheds new light on the importance of knowledge acquisition in enabling developing countries to reach the world’s …

Measuring What Matters: Specifications Grading And Latin* Students’ Mathematics Identity, Luis Miguel Fernández, Mayra Ortiz Galarza, Cristina Villalobos, Martha Asare

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This study examined Specifications Grading, an alternative grading system emphasizing clearly defined learning outcomes and revision, and mathematics identity among 846 Latin* Calculus I students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Mathematics identity, comprising competence/performance, recognition, and interest, was measured at the beginning and end of the semester. Repeated-measures analyses indicated stable competence/performance and recognition alongside declines in interest. Specifications Grading was associated with increased mathematics identity, and multilingual students experienced smaller declines than their peers overall.

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Este estudio examinó la calificación por especificaciones, un sistema de evaluación alternativo que enfatiza resultados de aprendizaje claramente definidos y oportunidades estructuradas de revisión, …

Aging In The Shadows: Szekler Cemeteries And The Case For Recognizing Elderly Populations In Bioarchaeology, Katie M. Mcgrath

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The study of aging in past populations lies at the intersection of bioarchaeology and paleodemography, offering insight into both biological processes and lived social experience. Despite this potential, older adults are often rendered “invisible” in skeletal assemblages due to methodological and cultural biases. This thesis addresses this gap through a rare, community-based study of aging among the Székely population of Transylvania. By integrating osteological analysis of individuals (11th–19th centuries) from the archaeological Papdomb church cemetery with demographic data derived from the modern cemetery headstones (ca.1850–present), this research examines patterns of aging, longevity, and elder visibility across a culturally and spatially …

Patient And Healthcare Professionals' Perceptions Of Educational Tools To Reduce Urine Culture Contamination In Outpatient Clinics: A Qualitative Study., Ashley Collazo, Trenton M Haltom, Johanan Luna Rodriguez, Kiara Olmeda, Azalia Mancera, Fabrizia Faustinella, Michael K Paasche-Orlow, Zach Landis-Lewis, Roger Zoorob, Barbara W Trautner, Larissa Grigoryan

2020-Current year OA Pubs

OBJECTIVE: Iteratively develop educational tools (instructional video and flyer) to improve midstream clean catch (MSCC) urine sample collection using patient and healthcare professionals' input.

DESIGN: Multi-method qualitative study.

SETTING: Outpatient clinics in Houston, Texas, United States.

PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients recruited from public and private clinics (

METHODS: Twelve patient interviews and three focus groups with HCPs (May 2024-November 2024). Interviews discussed patient experiences using the educational tools to guide urine specimen collection. Focus groups elicited HCPs' perspectives on the comprehensibility and utility of the tools in their respective clinics. We identified themes using directed content analysis.

RESULTS: We garnered insight …

Reliability Of Chatgpt-Based Essay Scoring: A Teacher–Ai Comparison In Economics Education, Ramadzan Defitri Pratama, Khresna Bayu Sangka, Cicilia Dyah Sulistyaningrum Indrawati

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

Essay assessment in economics education plays an important role in measuring students' conceptual understanding and higher-order thinking skills, but is often hampered by subjectivity and teachers' workload. This study aims to analyze the reliability and level of agreement between teacher assessments and the ChatGPT-based automatic essay grading system (EsyGrade). The study uses a quantitative approach with a comparative reliability study design involving 60 high school students in grades 10 and 11. Data were analyzed using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Pearson's correlation, and paired sample t-test. The results show that EsyGrade has a very high level of reliability and is …