Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Language Ideologies In Saudi Elementary English Education: Efl Teacher’S Perspectives And Experiences, Ghanem Saad S Alghuwainem

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how Saudi elementary English teachers understand and enact language ideologies in a period of rapid educational change and national reform. Using a comparative case study of five teachers in Al-Ahsa, the study triangulates semi-structured interviews, classroom audio recordings, and teaching materials to compare stated beliefs with observable practice. The analysis is guided by the theories of English hegemony and language and gender ideology, which together illuminate how global linguistic hierarchies are localized through teachers’ beliefs and practices. Findings reveal that teachers occupy an ideologically complex position as they balance the national push for English proficiency under Vision …

Too Much Of A Good Thing? Can Students Be Too Behaviorally Engaged, Rosemary Louise Odem

Theses and Dissertations

Student engagement in school is a key determinant of students’ academic success. Student engagement is commonly conceptualized as a meta construct comprised of three dimensions: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement (Fredricks, 2015). Behavioral engagement, the focus of this study, is defined by positive conduct, involvement in learning and academic tasks, and participation in school-related activities (Fredricks et al., 2004). Some researchers have suggested that psychological strengths, like engagement, can be overused and result in maladaptive consequences (Niemiec, 2019; Oishi et al., 2007). This study addressed this notion using archival data from a sample of 422 students from one Southeastern US …

A Qualitative Study Exploring Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices Supporting African American Male Readers, Rhonda Douglas Sumter

Theses and Dissertations

Despite decades of educational reform, African American male students continue to experience persistent disparities in reading achievement. This qualitative case study explores the beliefs and pedagogical practices of three elementary educators identified as effective in supporting the reading development of African American males. Drawing on the frameworks of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995) and Critical Race Theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2012), the study seeks to illuminate how educators affirm students’ identities, maintain rigorous expectations, and create responsive learning environments that foster academic success.

Data sources included in-depth teacher interviews and classroom observations. Thematic analysis revealed three interconnected practices across cases: …

Parental Attitudes And Expectations Regarding Piano Study For Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Lin Zhong

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates parental attitudes and expectations regarding piano study for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Although music has been recognized for its therapeutic and educational benefits among individuals with ASD, research examining these outcomes from the perspective of parents has been limited. This study focuses on in-depth interviews with nine parents of children with ASD enrolled in the Carolina LifeSong Initiative, a specialized piano program serving students with diverse developmental disorders.

The interviews explored parents’ motivations for initiating piano study, expectations for both musical and non-musical outcomes, and observations of their children’s growth and challenges through music. Parents reported …

Computational Analogies In The Era Of Large Language Models, Amarakoon Mudiyanselage Thilini Wijesiriwardene

Theses and Dissertations

Analogical reasoning is an important part of human cognition requiring the integration of abstract reasoning, pattern recognition, and background knowledge. Despite significant advances in language modeling, the capacity of current methods to accurately identify, model, and evaluate analogies remains fundamentally underexplored.

Analogies enable individuals to perceive deep similarities between superficially different situations. Effective analogy-making requires integrating knowledge about the external world with abstract reasoning and pattern recognition capabilities. While current language models (LMs), trained on massive textual corpora using autoregressive or masked objectives, achieve impressive performance across Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks such as text generation, summarization, and classification, their …

Teaching With Nature: Place-Based Learning And Outdoor Education Toward Healing In The K-2 Setting, Isaac Hart

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

Outdoor education and place-based learning hold rich histories and futures. This project at large set out to explore the stories and possibilities of outdoor education and place-based learning within the K-2 landscape. The research question being addressed in this project is: How can we use meaningful place-based learning and outdoor education in the K-2 setting as a means of healing relationships with schooling and with the rest of the natural world? Through personal and professional framing, an exploratory literature review, an educator resource toolkit project, and a reflective conclusion, this work presents outdoor education and place-based learning as having myriad …

Unleashing The Research Superpowers Of Ap Students, Lindsey Douglas, Suzanne Rook Schilf, Camille Cooper, Jennifer Groff

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Effective Practices In Working With Academic Coaches, Tracia M. Forman, Jessica M. Sanchez

Health & Biomedical Sciences Faculty Publications

As online education grows, instructional teams with academic coaches have become increasingly valuable in higher education. Coaches play crucial roles in fostering student engagement, supporting active learning, and delivering timely feedback, particularly in large online courses. Recent mixed-method research examined effective coach integration into online instructional teams by analyzing faculty characteristics, behaviors, preferences, attitudes, and knowledge. The study identified successful strategies and best practices for faculty-coach collaboration, providing actionable insights for instructors. This research expands our understanding of how team-based approaches can enhance educational quality in virtual environments, contributing meaningfully to ongoing discussions about online teaching effectiveness and the strategic …

Civil Appeals Mediation Program 2024 Mediation Colloquy: 50 Years Of Building Bridges Through Appellate Mediation

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

On December 17, 2024, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and its CAMP program hosted Justice Sotomayor to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of CAMP. During the Colloquy, the 50th Anniversary CAMP documentary video was premiered.

Signs & Symbols, Fall 2025, Illinois State University, Department Of Sociology And Anthropology

Signs & Symbols

Newsletter of the Illinois State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology. An email newsletter version of this document is available at https://web.archive.org/web/20260223203547/https://news.illinoisstate.edu/newsletters/signs-symbols-fall-25/.

Irf6 Regulates Adherens Junction Proteins And Inflammatory Cytokines In Salivary Acinar Cells And Its Expression Is Elevated In Sjӧgren’S Syndrome, Vi Pham, Antonio Hernandes Chaves Neto, Julia Zheng, Mary Elmeniawi, Krishna Kumar Kookal, Muhammad F Walji, Mary C Farach-Carson, Walid D Fakhouri

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of Interferon Regulatory Factor 6 (IRF6) function in regulating adherens junction proteins and inflammatory cytokines in human salivary acinar cells and Sjögren's syndrome biopsies.

Design: We used mouse model, salivary cell lines, and human salivary gland (SG) biopsies to investigate IRF6 function in SG cellular integrity and immunomodulation.

Results: In Irf6-null mice, we observed myoepithelial cell detachment from acinar cells of major SGs, and the acini were remarkably disorganized compared to wild-type littermates. At the molecular level, the acinar differentiation markers E-cadherin and MIST1 were markedly reduced in Irf6-null embryonic SG, while the proinflammatory cytokines, …

Feasibility And Usage Of A Virtual Assistant Device In Cognitively Impaired Homebound Older Adults, Matthew Nunez, Prisha Patel, Lindsey Ulin, Leslie Kian, Martin Cominsky, Jason Burnett, Jessica L Lee

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Social technology in older adults can improve self-rated health; however, there can also be difficulties using it. Our study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptance of virtual assistant device (VAD) use in cognitively impaired homebound older adults. 52 newly referred Meals on Wheels clients aged 60 and older were recruited for a three-phase study: 6 weeks of meals alone (control), followed by 6 weeks of meals+Alexa Echo Show 8 (AES8) basic usage, and lastly 6 weeks of meals+AES8 advanced usage. Technology acceptance with the AES8 was significantly higher by the end of the study and participants anecdotally enjoyed playing …

Assessing Compliance With Evolving Exposure Standards: Respirable Crystalline Silica (Rcs) Exposure In Western Australian Mining, Adelle Liebenberg, Kiam Padamsey, Kerry Staples, Matthew Oosthuizen, Marcus Cattani, Andy Mccarthy, Jacques Oosthuizen

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The link between occupational exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) and silicosis, a potentially fatal respiratory disease, has been well-established, leading to global reductions in RCS Exposure Standards (ES). In Western Australia (WA), RCS data have been collected by the Department of Energy, Mining, Industry Regulation and Safety (DEMIRS) from 1986 to 2024 (n = 144,141). These results were analysed to assess the impacts of recent changes to the ES on compliance. Findings suggest that the WA mining sector, regardless of commodity type, is compliant with RCS exposures as assessed against the 0.05 mg/m³ ES (2019). Laboratory technicians, exploratory …

I’M Here Whether I Like It Or Not: A Focused Ethnographic Description Of Transition Into Residential Aged Care, Stacey Scott, Annette Raynor, Julie Dare, Jennifer Grieve, Leesa Costello

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Transition into residential aged care (RAC) is a challenging process, often characterised by vulnerability, fear, and isolation. This study aimed to provide a contextualised description of transition within a care-facility in Australia to deepen our understanding of this major life event. A focused ethnography was conducted, which included formal interviews with residents during their first 6 months of living in RAC. The findings provide an account of the participants’ views on acceptance, highlight the challenges of loss, and showcase the coping practices new residents used. This paper provides a type of report card for the sector, which reveals that there …

Rapid Discrimination Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis And Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria Disease Via Interpretive Machine Learning Analysis Of Routine Laboratory Tests, Jia Wei Tang, Xue Song Xiong, Ting Ting Huang, Yu Lu Zhang, Lin Fei Yao, Wen Wen Zhang, Yun Yun Xie, Quan Fa Liang, Zhi Xuan Tan, Kun Jiang, Xin Liu, Liang Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives Rapid discrimination of infections caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is crucial in clinical settings. Despite overlapping clinical and radiological features, the two require markedly different therapeutic approaches and public health responses. Current laboratory methods are time-consuming and complex, underscoring the urgent need for a simple and efficient diagnostic tool to inform public health decision-making. Methods Demographic, haematological and biochemical data were collected from two hospitals in Jiangsu province, China, between December 2018 and October 2024. A total of 400 patients were included in the training cohort, with 66 patients used for external validation. Six machine …

University Of San Diego Magazine Fall 2025, Publications Department

University of San Diego Magazine (1992- )

Beauty, Goodness and Truth; Dear Toreros; Around Alcalá Park; At The Edge of It All; Faith In Action; Torero Spotlight; Torero Athletics; Toreros Making Waves; In Memoriam; Leading With Love

The Obsession With Staying On Track Is Holding Singapore Students Back, Kenneth T. Goh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) and Academic Director of SMU’s Business Families Institute Kenneth Goh, reflected on a former student who built a successful e-commerce business while studying, using his story to challenge Singapore’s “linear progression fallacy”. He argued that the education system reinforces this narrow view and stressed the need to value adaptability, experimentation, and creativity over rigid achievement. He called for reforms, concluding that Singapore should nurture a generation that values exploration and flexibility over simply staying “on track.”

Women Peacebuilders At Risk: Analysis Of Threats Received In 2024, Briana Mawby, Arenne Taylor Flanders

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This policy brief is drawn from the 2025 annual Women Waging Peace report, which serves as a guide for policymakers and funders and draws directly from the recommendations and priorities of women peacebuilders around the world. These findings have been provided by peacebuilders across countries, conflict contexts, types of peacebuilding work, and across age, sexual orientation, education level, disability and migration status. This report leveraged the perspectives and experiences of 106 women peacebuilders from 43 countries to identify peacebuilding priorities for 2025, reflect on the challenges and achievements of 2024, and provide the following recommendations for how international partners can …

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping From The Diaspora (Case Study: Afghanistan), Sveto Muhammad Ishoq

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This case study examines the challenges, tactics and tools of Afghan women activists in the UK in their peacebuilding efforts for Afghan women and girls post-Taliban takeover. It shows how operating from exile, these activists employ innovative strategies to amplify Afghan women’s voices, advocating internationally and providing support despite facing complex security, funding, and community unity issues.

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacebuilding From The Diaspora, Elena B, Stavrevska, Sveto Muhammad Ishoq, Shadi Rouhshahbaz, Kay Soe, Briana Mawby, Carolyne Komen

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

Diaspora communities have long played critical roles in peacebuilding efforts in their countries of origin, yet the contributions of women within these communities remain significantly underexplored and underappreciated. This report seeks to address this gap by focusing on the unique roles, challenges and contributions of women in diaspora-led peacebuilding initiatives. Women in the diaspora — often navigating complex identities and facing distinct challenges — are vital actors in promoting peace, reconciliation and social change in their homelands.

Drawing on a comprehensive review of literature, research interviews, and detailed case studies, this report provides a nuanced understanding of how diaspora women …

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping From The Diaspora (Case Study: Burma/Myanmar), Kay Soe

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This case study highlights the role and strategies of Burmese/Myanmar’s women in the diaspora in the US in contributing to political transformation in their homeland. It shows how through advocacy, mobilization, women’s networks and different types of organizing, these women navigate structural and cultural challenges, leveraging their diasporic networks and unique perspectives to support democratic ideals and envision an inclusive, federal future for Burma/Myanmar.

Building Peace From Afar: Women-Led Peacekeeping From The Diaspora (Case Study: Iran), Shadi Rouhshahbaz

Kroc IPJ Research and Resources

This case study examines how young Iranian women, at home and abroad, envision Iran’s futures, their role in change-making and the challenges they face. It shows how their aspirations reflect lived experiences and the limited civic spaces within which they champion change, and the difficult choices they face about leaving or staying, while their visions for Iran’s future transcend current insecurities, offering images of a more equitable society that may inspire meaningful, feminist-led transformation.

Vegetation Dynamics And Land-Use History During The Holocene In Corsica (Western Mediterranean): Regional Patterns And Local Landscape Transformation In Changing Coastal Ecosystems, Jordi Revelles, Ralph Fyfe, Matthieu Ghilardi, Andrés Currás, Federico Di Rita

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The archaeoecological research conducted in Corsica underscores the critical role of integrating palynological studies from sedimentary deposits to reconstruct past human-environment interactions. This approach sheds new light on evidence of farming activities and redefines archaeological territories and human occupation temporalities. Understanding the influence of human activities on coastal ecosystems requires outlining natural and climatic dynamics at a regional scale while evaluating landscape transformations at local scale, where human imprints are clearly evidenced. To achieve this, we applied quantitative methodologies to disentangle regional pollen loading from local vegetation signals. The Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA) was employed as an advanced tool to …

Knowledge-Driven Interpretative Conditional Diffusion Model For Contrast-Free Myocardial Infarction Enhancement Synthesis, Shuo Li

Faculty Scholarship

Synthesis of myocardial infarction enhancement (MIE) images without contrast agents (CAs) has shown great potential to advance myocardial infarction (MI) diagnosis and treatment. It provides results comparable to late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) images, thereby reducing the risks associated with CAs and streamlining clinical workflows. The existing knowledge-and-data-driven approach has made progress in addressing the complex challenges of synthesizing MIE images (i.e., invisible myocardial scars and high inter-individual variability) but still has limitations in the interpretability of kinematic inference, morphological knowledge integration, and kinematic-morphological fusion, thereby reducing the transparency and reliability of the model and causing information loss during synthesis. In …

Improving The Discussion Of Suicide Prevention: A Quality Improvement Project, Chelsea Reynolds, Alyssa Zeitouni, Kathryn Stephenson

Clinical Practice in Athletic Training

Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States and the third leading cause of death in this age group worldwide.1,2 Suicide prevention is understandably a growing focus in pediatrics. Currently, at the Children’s Hospital Outpatient Clinic, that is staffed by pediatric resident physicians, suicidal ideation is screened for using a PHQ-9 screen. However, at the time this study was initiated and completed, the TEEN screen was utilized. After the screening is performed, regardless of type, it is up to the provider to address these findings in a safe and effective manner. The goal …

The Role Of Scientific, Critical, And Creative Thinking Skills In Equipping Students With Problem-Solving Skills: A Field Study Among A Sample Of Sultan Qaboos University Students, Noureddine Chebbi, Wafa Al Mamaria, Suleiman Zakaria

Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies

The ability to think scientifically, critically, and creatively is essential for students to meet the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The current study sought to assess the sources and level of acquisition of scientific, critical, and creative thinking skills by Sultan Qaboos University students, and to determine the impact of these skills on their problem- solving abilities. The study random sample consisted of 384 male and female students selected from all colleges of Sultan Qaboos University. Study data was collected automatically via an electronic platform specifically developed for the study. Descriptive and correlational analyses were used to assess skill …

Frameworks And Life Cycle Assessment For Reinforced Concrete Bridges For Sustainability In Transportation, Yu-Fu Ko, Jessica Gonzalez

Mineta Transportation Institute

Bridge structures are critical components of California’s transportation network, with reinforced concrete (RC) bridges being among the most widely used. Extending the lifespan of these structures can lead to significant reductions in environmental impacts. However, California’s frequent seismic activity has repeatedly exposed the vulnerability of existing RC bridges, highlighting the urgent need for seismic retrofitting and maintenance to improve infrastructure resilience against earthquakes and to increase sustainability. This research used detailed computer simulations known as nonlinear finite element models, which are highly detailed computer models, incorporating section damage indices to predict damage and assess structural deficiencies in RC bridges during …

Review Of Victor Fan, “Cinema Illuminating Reality: Media Philosophy Through Buddhism”, Teng-Kuan Ng

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

This is a book review of Victor Fan, Cinema Illuminating Reality: Media Philosophy through Buddhism (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2022)

A Holistic Inquiry Of Intelligent Speed-Assist Technology: Safety Impacts, Technology Implementation, And Challenges, Sahar Ghanipoor Machiani, Nusheen Baradaran, Arash Jahangiri

Mineta Transportation Institute

Speeding is a leading contributor to roadway fatalities in the United States, and California consistently ranks among states with the highest number of speed-related crashes. Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology has emerged as a solution aimed at mitigating this issue by notifying drivers of speed limits and, in some cases, intervening and lowering the speed to the posted speed limit. This work presents a comprehensive investigation into ISA system safety benefits, implementation challenges, and public perception, with a focus on California drivers. This study utilized a multi-method approach. A literature review explores the history, regulatory barriers, and international trails of …

Wildfire Emergency Response And Evacuation Framework Using Drones: Phase I, Hovannes Kulhandjian

Mineta Transportation Institute

Wildfires are escalating in frequency and severity due to climate change, posing increasing threats to human life, infrastructure,and ecosystems. Traditional wildfire management systems struggle to respond effectively to rapidly evolving fire conditions. This research presents a novel, AI-powered Wildfire Emergency Response and Evacuation Framework that integrates autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, AKA “drones”), multi-sensor data fusion, and machine learning (ML) for real-time fire detection, evacuation planning, and search and rescue (SAR) operations. Central to the system is the Dynamic Wildfire Response Algorithm (DWRA), a hybrid decision-making framework combining AI-driven techniques including reinforcement learning (RL), genetic algorithms (GA), and deep learning …