Education Commons^™

Effective Multicultural Instruction: A Non-Color-Blind Perspective, Franklin T. Thompson

Teacher Education Faculty Publications

The reason why the Trayvon Martin murder trial and similar court cases create a philosophical rift in our nation is due in part to flaws in the delivery of multicultural education. Traditional multicultural instruction does not prepare citizens for the subtleties and complexities of race relations. This study investigates critical strategies and practices that address multicultural missing gaps. I also seek to fill a void in the literature created by a lack of student input regarding teaching strategies that encourage lifelong learning. Students (N = 337) enrolled at a Midwestern university were asked to rate the efficacy of selected instructional …

The Effect Of Barium On Perceptions Of Taste Intensity And Palatability, Angela M. Dietsch, Nancy Pearl Solomon, Catriona M. Steele, Cathy A. Pelletier

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Barium may affect the perception of taste intensity and palatability. Such differences are important considerations in the selection of dysphagia assessment strategies and interpretation of results. Eighty healthy women grouped by age (younger, older) and genetic taste status (supertaster, nontaster) rated intensity and palatability for seven tastants prepared in deionized water with and without 40 % w/v barium: noncarbonated and carbonated water, diluted ethanol, and high concentrations of citric acid (sour), sodium chloride (salty), caffeine (bitter), and sucrose (sweet). Mixed-model analyses explored the effects of barium, taster status, and age on perceived taste intensity and acceptability of stimuli. Barium was …

3d Dynamic Visualization Of Swallowing From Multi-Slice Computed Tomography, Andrew K. Ho, Mark A. Nicosia, Angela Dietsch, William Pearson, Jana Rieger, Nancy Solomon, Maureen Stone, Yoko Inamoto, Eiichi Saitoh, Sheldon Green, Sidney Fels

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Human swallowing and its disorders (dysphagia) are still poorly understood, and yet many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) need to be trained to recognize correct, incorrect, and potentially dangerous swallows. The anatomy of the head and neck region is notoriously complex and difficult to visualize and study. Currently, training programs that teach SLPs to recognize swallowing disorders use artistically derived animations of swallowing, rendered at fixed viewpoints, to help students visualize the anatomy of the head and neck region.

This work improves on these animations by using state-of-the-art medical images to create a dynamic, interactive, 3D simulation of human swallowing. Images of …

Characterization Of Sex-Based Differences In The Mechanical Properties Of Human Finger Glabrous Tissue Using A Fiberoptic Sensor, Lalit Venkatesan, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

TAC-Cell is a custom-built somatosensory stimulator that delivers pneumatic cutaneous tactile inputs to virtually any skin target on the body and by virtue of its non-ferrous materials is compatible with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain scanners. In this study, we describe the method to measure apparent skin displacement induced by TAC-Cell stimulation of the glabrous surface of the distal phalanx of the index finger. Specifically, we studied the effect of four servo controller input voltages (0.4V to 1.0V) on resultant skin displacement among eighteen, neurotypical adult male and female participants. A fiberoptic displacement sensor, commonly used …

Amplitude-Integrated Eeg And Range-Eeg Modulation Associated With Pneumatic Orocutaneous Stimulation In Preterm Infants, Steven M. Barlow, Priya Jegatheesan, Sunshine Weiss, Balaji Govindaswami, Jaehoon Lee, Austin Oder, Dongli Song

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background—Controlled somatosensory stimulation strategies have demonstrated merit in developing oral feeding skills in premature infants who lack a functional suck, however, the effects of orosensory entrainment stimulation on electrocortical dynamics is unknown.

Objective—To determine the effects of servo-controlled pneumatic orocutaneous stimulation presented during gavage feedings on the modulation of aEEG and rEEG activity.

Methods—Two-channel EEG recordings were collected during 180 sessions that included orocutaneous stimulation and non-stimulation epochs among 22 preterm infants (mean gestational age = 28.56 weeks) who were randomized to treatment and control ‘sham’ conditions. The study was initiated at around 32 weeks post-menstrual age (PMA). The raw …

The Impact Of Interface Design During An Initial High-Technology Aac Experience: A Collective Case Study Of People With Aphasia, Aimee R. Dietz, Kristy S.E. Weissling, Julie Griffith, Miechelle L. Mckelvey, Devan Macke

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this collective case study was to describe the communication behaviors of five people with chronic aphasia when they retold personal narratives to an unfamiliar communication partner using four variants of a visual scene display (VSD) interface. The results revealed that spoken language comprised roughly 70% of expressive modality units; variable patterns of use for other modalities emerged. Although inconsistent across participants, several people with aphasia experienced no trouble sources during the retells using VSDs with personally relevant photographs and text boxes. Overall, participants perceived the personally relevant photographs and the text as helpful during the retells. These …

Frequency-Modulated Orocutaneous Stimulation Promotes Non-Nutritive Suck Development In Preterm Infants With Respiratory Distress Syndrome Or Chronic Lung Disease, Steven M. Barlow, Jaehoon Lee, Jingyan Wang, Austin Oder, Sue Hall, Kendi Knox, Kathleen Weatherstone, Diane Thompson

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background—For the premature infant, extrauterine life is a pathological condition which greatly amplifies the challenges to the brain in establishing functional oromotor behaviors. The extent to which suck can be entrained using a synthetically patterned orocutaneous input to promote its development in preterm infants who manifest chronic lung disease is unknown.

Objective—To evaluate the effects of a frequency-modulated orocutaneous pulse train delivered through a pneumatically-charged pacifier capable of enhancing non-nutritive suck (NNS) activity in tube-fed premature infants.

Methods—A randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of pneumatic orocutaneous stimulation 3x/day on NNS development and length of stay (LOS) in the NICU …

Modulation Of Eeg Spectral Edge Frequency During Patterned Pneumatic Oral Stimulation In Preterm Infants, Dongli Song, Priya Jegatheesan, Sunshine Weiss, Balaji Govindaswami, Jingyan Wang, Jaehoon Lee, Austin Oder, Steven M. Barlow

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Background—Stimulation of the nervous system plays a central role in brain development and neurodevelopmental outcome. Thalamocortical and corticocortical development is diminished in premature infants and correlated to electroencephalography (EEG) progression. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of orocutaneous stimulation on the modulation of spectral edge frequency, f_c=90% (SEF-90) derived from EEG recordings in preterm infants.

Methods—Twenty two preterm infants were randomized to experimental and control conditions. Pulsed orocutaneous stimulation was presented during gavage feedings begun at around 32 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). The SEF-90 was derived from 2-channel EEG recordings.

Results—Compared to the control …

Reading Acceleration Training Changes Brain Circuitry In Children With Reading Difficulties, Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus, Jennifer J. Vannest, Darren Kadis, Nicole Cicchino, Yingying Y. Wang, Scott K. Holland

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Dyslexia is characterized by slow, inaccurate reading. Previous studies have shown that the Reading Acceleration Program (RAP) improves reading speed and accuracy in children and adults with dyslexia and in typical readers across different orthographies. However, the effect of the RAP on the neural circuitry of reading has not been established. In the current study, we examined the effect of the RAP training on regions of interest in the neural circuitry for reading using a lexical decision task during fMRI in children with reading difficulties and typical readers. Methods: Children (8–12 years old) with reading difficulties and typical readers …

Phonological And Lexical Influences On Phonological Awareness In Children With Specific Language Impairment And Dyslexia, Kelly Farquharson, Tracy M. Centanni, Chelsea E. Franzluebbers, Tiffany Hogan

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Children with dyslexia and/or specific language impairment have marked deficits in phonological processing, putting them at an increased risk for reading deficits. The current study sought to examine the influence of word-level phonological and lexical characteristics on phonological awareness. Children with dyslexia and/or specific language impairment were tested using a phoneme deletion task in which stimuli differed orthogonally by sound similarity and neighborhood density. Phonological and lexical factors influenced performance differently across groups. Children with dyslexia appeared to have a more immature and aberrant pattern of phonological and lexical influence (e.g., favoring sparse and similar features). Children with SLI performed …

2014 Academic Affairs Annual Report, University Of Maine

General University of Maine Publications

The University of Maine academic affairs annual report

2014 Action Plan For Retention And Graduation, Jeffrey Hecker

General University of Maine Publications

Report from work group charged with collecting data and evaluating best practices leading to incremental improvement of retention rates, graduation rates, and student success at the University of Maine.

Academic Affairs Annual Report 2014, University Of Maine

General University of Maine Publications

The 2013–14 year was remarkably productive for UMaine’s faculty, with well over 1,000 journal articles, books and other scholarly works published. There were 571 proposals submitted and 363 grants awarded in fiscal year 2014, with over $43 million in total research awards, and over $95 million in total research expenditures. Teaching productivity was also significant, with over 255,000 student credit hours taught and 1,957 degrees granted.

Studying The Looping Cycle In Early Childhood Public Education: A Multiple Case Study Analysis, Katherine Allsopp Thomas

All ETDs from UAB

STUDYING THE LOOPING CYCLE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD PUBLIC EDUCATION: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY ANALYSIS KATHERINE ALLSOPP THOMAS CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT This study addressed the nature of the looping cycle in early childhood public education in central Alabama. In addition, factors were explored that influence a teacher's decision to loop as well as the reasons behind why the practice is not more prevalent in early childhood public education. The purpose of this research was to describe the nature of the looping cycle for early childhood public education teachers in central Alabama in order to understand why looping …

Understanding The Described Experiences Of Court Judges, Court Appointed Special Advocates (Casa) Volunteers, Department Of Human Resources Caseworkers, And Foster Parents, Mitsy Collier Wilbourne

All ETDs from UAB

UNDERSTANDING THE DESCRIBED EXPERIENCES OF COURT JUDGES, COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) VOLUNTEERS, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES'CASEWORKERS, AND FOSTER PARENTS MITSY COLLIER WILBOURNE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to identify the described experiences of court judges, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) volunteers, Department of Human Resources' caseworkers, and foster parents in the southeastern United States to enhance the early childhood educational needs and development of children in out-of-home care. The study was designed with cases so various perspectives were examined. Children who were neglected and abused, specifically those who must be removed from their parent's …

How Children Quantify Area, James Wilder

All ETDs from UAB

The Common Core State Standards (2010) requires the quantification of area with the formula for a rectangle, length multiplied by width. More specifically, according to the Standards, third graders are to find the area of a rectangle by tiling it and showing that the area is the same as it would be from multiplying the side lengths. Is this a realistic expectation for third graders? The present study focuses on how children quantify area after receiving instruction on length x width, when asked to compare two rectangles having different dimensions. Fourth, sixth, and eighth graders were interviewed to find out …

Exploring The Impact Of Youth Participation In Community Service On Health Behaviors, Kymber Nigel Williams

All ETDs from UAB

Although the majority of adolescents in the United States are considered healthy, they continue to engage in a myriad of health risk behaviors that may manifest into adulthood. The prevalence of adolescent health risks is well documented. Prosocial behaviors (i.e., community service, volunteerism) may contribute to reducing risky health behaviors among adolescents, but this connection has yet to be solidified. Previous research has suggested that volunteerism may have beneficial and developmental outcomes for adolescents. However, the relationship between adolescent community service participation and improved physical health outcomes has not been fully explored. The purpose of this study is to examine …

Effective Professional Development Of Teachers: A Guide To Actualizing Inclusive Schooling, Trisha Sugita

Education Faculty Articles and Research

This article examines how inclusive education activities can be facilitated through coaching as a means of professional development. A review of literature on effective professional development practices is discussed, and a recent study focused on individualized peer coaching is examined.

Cooperative Extension Aroostook Farm Centennial Webpages, University Of Maine Cooperative Extension

General University of Maine Publications

Screenshots of webpages celebrating the centennial anniversary of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension's Aroostook Farm.

University Of Maine Social Media Policy, University Of Maine Division Of Marketing And Communications

General University of Maine Publications

Screenshot of the University of Maine's Social Media Policy.

Signature And Emerging Areas Of Excellence Webpages, University Of Maine

General University of Maine Publications

Screenshots of the University of Maine webpages regarding the Signature and Emerging Areas of excellence in research and education at the University of Maine announced by UMaine Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Jeffrey Hecker.

University Of Maine Common Data Set, 2013-2014, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment

General University of Maine Publications

The Commons Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in higher education and publishers to develop a core set of clear, standard data, and definitions regarding student cohorts. The Common Data Set includes information in the following categories:

• General information about the institution
• Data on enrollment, persistence, and graduation categorized by gender, ethnicity, and financial aid status
• Application and selection policy
• Freshmen academic profile
• Transfer student data
• Student life features
• Annual student expenses and financial aid
• Instructional faculty and class sizes
• Disciplinary areas and degrees conferred

OIRA maintains an archive of the Common Data Set for …

Full-Time Equivalent Faculty Statistics, 2013-2014, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment

General University of Maine Publications

Data pertaining to Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) faculty by college and academic unit.

Student Learning Outcomes College Of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Office Of Institutional Research And Assessment

General University of Maine Publications

No abstract provided.

Perceptual And Instrumental Assessments Of Orofacial Muscle Tone In Dysarthric And Normal Speakers, Angela M. Dietsch, Nancy Pearl Solomon, Laura A. Sharkey, Joseph R. Duffy, Edythe A. Strand, Heather M. Clark

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Clinical assessment of orofacial muscle tone is of interest for differential diagnosis of the dysarthrias, but standardized procedures and normative data are lacking. In this study, perceptual ratings of tone were compared with instrumental measures of tissue stiffness for facial, lingual, and masticatory muscles in 70 individuals with dysarthria. Perceptual and instrumental tone data were discordant and failed to discriminate between five dysarthria types. These results raised concerns about the validity of Myoton-3 stiffness measures in the orofacial muscles. Therefore, a second study evaluated contracted and relaxed orofacial muscles in 10 neurotypical adults. Results for the cheek, masseter, and lateral …

Testing Of The Vocalog Vocal Monitor, Jeff Searl, Angela M. Dietsch

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Objective. To elucidate capabilities and limitations of the VocaLog, a device marketed to log-calibrated dB sound pressure level (SPL). Study Design. The study design varied depending on the experiment. All were prospective. Some were case series, and others were cohort studies without controls.

Method. Experiments were conducted to determine (1) whether the VocaLog logged phonatory activity and silence when it should, (2) if nonphonatory activities were detected, (3) correlation of VocaLog dB values to an external sound level meter (SLM), and (4) accuracy of phonation time (PT) and speaking time (ST) estimates from the VocaLog.

Results. Silence and phonatory activity …

Supporting Narrative Retells For People With Aphasia Using Augmentative And Alternative Communication: Photographs Or Line Drawings? Text Or No Text?, Julie Griffith, Aimee R. Dietz, Kristy S.E. Weissling

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine how the interface design of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device influences the communication behaviors of people with aphasia during a narrative retell task.

Method: A case-series design was used. Four narratives were created on an AAC device with combinations of personally relevant (PR) photographs, line drawings (LDs), and text for each participant. The narrative retells were analyzed to describe the expressive modality units (EMUs) used, trouble sources experienced, and whether trouble sources were repaired. The researchers also explored the participants’ perceived helpfulness of the interface features.

Results: The participants …

The Influence Of Audibility On Speech Recognition With Nonlinear Frequency Compression For Children And Adults With Hearing Loss, Ryan W. Mccreery, Joshua Alexander, Marc A. Brennan, Brenda Hoover, Judy Kopun, Patricia G. Stelmachowicz

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Objective—The primary goal of nonlinear frequency compression (NFC) and other frequency lowering strategies is to increase the audibility of high-frequency sounds that are not otherwise audible with conventional hearing-aid processing due to the degree of hearing loss, limited hearing aid bandwidth or a combination of both factors. The aim of the current study was to compare estimates of speech audibility processed by NFC to improvements in speech recognition for a group of children and adults with high-frequency hearing loss.

Design—Monosyllabic word recognition was measured in noise for twenty-four adults and twelve children with mild to severe sensorineural hearing loss. Stimuli …

Treating Myofunctional Disorders: A Multiple-Baseline Study Of A New Treatment Using Electropalatography, Alana Mantie-Kozlowski, Kevin M. Pitt

Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders: Faculty Publications

Purpose: This study assessed the benefit of using electropalatography (EPG) in treatment aimed at habilitating individuals with nonspeech orofacial myofunctional disorders (NSOMD).

Method: The study used a multiple-baseline design across 3 female participants who were referred for an evaluation and possible treatment of their NSOMD. Treatment sessions were 30 min and provided twice weekly. Participant 1 received 8 treatments, Participant 2 received 6 treatments, and Participant 3 received 4 treatments. The patterns of sensor activation produced when participants’ tongues made contact with the electropalate during saliva swallows were compared with the patterns of age-matched peers. Individualized goals were developed on …

Teacher Support Mediates Concurrent And Longitudinal Associations Between Temperament And Mild Depressive Symptoms In Sixth Grade, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Patrick Pössel, Stephanie Winkeljohn Black, Kate Niehaus

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

The combination of changes occurring at the transition to middle school may be a catalyst for the onset of depressive symptoms, yet teacher support at this transition is protective. Research points to certain temperamental traits as risk factors for developing depressive symptoms. This study examines student reports of teacher support and teacher reports of student–teacher relationship (STR) quality as mediators of associations between child temperament (i.e. negative emotionality at age 4½ : and emotional reactivity in elementary grades) and depressive symptoms in sixth grade. Results indicate (a) negative emotionality predicted emotional reactivity and depressive symptoms; (b) emotional reactivity predicted depressive …