Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Corrections Around The World: An International Survey Of Oral Corrective Feedback, Andrew Bashford, Dr. Mark Tanner

Journal of Undergraduate Research

English teachers’ primary goal is to help their students use English as a means of communication, self-expression, and transaction. Of course, learning a second language is not a spontaneous process: it requires study, practice, and meaningful feedback. In fact, one of the teacher’s most essential roles is that of providing feedback to students, often in order to correct errors and guide the students’ learning. This current study deals with the feedback that teachers provide when their students make errors in speaking—oral corrective feedback, or OCF. While much work has been done to investigate the most effective ways of giving OCF …

Learning Armenian And English Pronunciation, Anna Mcconner-Hughes, Dr. Wendy Baker-Smemoe

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of this study is to examine the learning of English consonants by native Armenian speakers. In particular, we examined how the native Armenian speakers perceive and produce English voiced and voiceless ‘th’ sounds (as in the words thy and thigh (/ð/ and /θ/ in IPA)). These sounds are difficult for learners to acquire, in part because they are often confused with each other. The results of this study will help us better understand the relationship between first and second language sound systems and will hopefully lead to training materials to help native Armenian speakers better learn English.

Evaluation Of An Academic Library's Liquid Designed Website, Holt Zaugg, Vera Terekhova, Brian Rennick

Faculty Publications

Objective: When the AAA Library (BBB) at CCC released a new website with same-look capabilities for computers, tablets, and smartphones, we undertook a summative assessment to review website features and to determine baseline measures of website access via device and patron group.

Methods: The study used a mixed methods approach using three levels of assessment (focus groups, an online survey, and a usability test), with each level informing the subsequent level.

Results: The website changes were well-received by the overwhelming majority of patrons. Device usage was associated with the type of task for which patrons were accessing …

A Pragmatic, Step-By-Step Guide For Qualitative Methods: Capturing The Disaster And Long-Term Recovery Stories Of Katrina And Rita, Loren D. Marks

Faculty Publications

This paper commences with candid warnings about the difficulties of publishing and funding qualitative research along with a brief discussion regarding why these difficulties persist. The paper then provides a methodological tour of the qualitative portion of the Louisiana Healthy Aging Study (LHAS), a mixed-method study of psychological health, coping, and adjustment during the immediate and longer term aftermath of the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Next, I provide a proven, pragmatic guide to navigate through a qualitative research project from development to completion. A guide for doing solo qualitative (“monk/nun in a cell”) work is provided (Table 1) but …

Collectivistic Coping Strategies For Distress Among Polynesian Americans, G. E. Kawika Allen, Timothy B. Smith

Faculty Publications

Previous research has shown that psychological services designed to assist clients in coping with stressful or traumatic events are more effective when aligned with clients’ cultural values, practices, and worldviews. However, limited research is available regarding the preferred coping strategies of Polynesian Americans. In examining collectivistic coping styles and their association with previous distress among 94 Polynesian Americans, we found that participants were highly likely to use family support and religion/spirituality to buffer the initial and residual effects of impairment attributable to distressing events, and private emotional outlets, such as psychotherapy, very infrequently. The use of private emotional outlets was …

Establishing The Viability Of The Multidimensional Quality Metrics Framework, Tyler A. Snow

Theses and Dissertations

The Multidimensional Quality Metrics (MQM) framework is a new system for creating customized translation quality assessment and evaluation metrics designed to fit specific translation needs. In this study I test the viability of MQM to determine whether the framework in its current state is ready for implementation as a quality assessment framework in the translation industry. Other contributions from this study include: (1) online software for designing and using metrics based on the MQM framework; (2) a survey of the typical, real-world quality assessment and evaluation practices of language service providers in the translation industry; and (3) a measurement scale …

Navajo Nation Brain Drain: An Exploration Of Returning College Graduates' Perspectives, Quintina Ava Adolpho

Theses and Dissertations

American Indian tribes face the phenomenon known across the world as the brain drain. They invest millions of dollars in educating their members, only to have little return on their investments. Many nation members leave reservations to get postsecondary education but never return, contributing to the brain drain. Those who get education off the reservation and choose to return are the exceptions to this rule. Although there is an abundance of literature regarding the brain drain across the world, there has been little research done with American Indians. In order to begin to understand the brain drain phenomenon this study …

The Language And Cross-Cultural Perceptions Of Deception, Brent Logan Laing

Theses and Dissertations

While much research has shown that some linguistic features can indicate a person is lying, this line of research has led to conflicting results. Furthermore, very little research has been done to verify that these supposed linguistic features of deception are universal. In addition, few studies have researched the cross-cultural perceptions of deception, which knowledge could greatly improve the detection of deception across cultures. The current study addresses these gaps in the literature by analyzing and comparing truthful and deceptive discourse of eight native English-speaking Americans and eight non-native English-speaking Ghanaians. The discourse was elicited in one-on-one interviews where each …

The Effects Of Varied Opportunities To Respond Embedded In A Group Contingency Program, Teresa Donna Bolt

Student Works

This study investigated the effects of using a group contingency program with three students with disabilities in a small group special education setting. These students exhibited both academic and behavioral difficulties. With the use of Class Wide Function-Related Intervention Team (CW-FIT) students increased their active engagement and correct responses, as well as decreased their disruptive behaviors; however, these behaviors did not maintain over time. CW-FIT with high opportunities to respond showed an even greater improvement than CW-FIT with low opportunities to respond. Increased opportunities to respond resulted in higher levels of active engagement and correct responses and decreases in disruptive …

Longitudinal Association Between Self-Esteem In Adolescence And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Older Adults: A Cohort Study, John Anthony Blue Star

Student Works

Background: Posttraumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD) is less common in older adults than in younger adults, and little is known about specific risk factors for PTSD in older adults. We investigated the association between self-esteem in late adolescence and PTSD in older adults. Method: Using a cohort design, 1,436 individuals who had been assessed approximately 40 years earlier in their junior and senior year of high school with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were evaluated for PTSD using the PTSD Checklist (PCL-17). Results: Fully controlled logistic regression models indicated that lower self-esteem in late adolescence predicted PTSD in the overall sample of …

Teaching Practice And Motivation Among Albanian And Japanese Missionaries, Rebekah Susan Hoopes

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between the use of motivational strategies by Albanian and Japanese teachers and the observed and reported motivation of missionaries at the Missionary Training Center (MTC) for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Provo, Utah. The aim of this study was to collect baseline data about the motivational strategies already employed by teachers in the Albanian and Japanese areas of the MTC and to explore the relationship that the teachers' use of these strategies has with the motivation of the respective missionaries. The data for this study was collected from seven teachers and …

Process Feedback In Group Psychotherapy: A Qualitative Inquiry Into Leader Implementation Of Gq/Oq Feedback, Sean Cameron Woodland

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores what it means to “Act Upon” measure-based feedback in the group therapy context. Eleven group leaders at three college counseling centers were provided feedback completed by their group members using the Group Questionnaire (GQ) and the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45). Researchers selected two a priori ways in which the feedback could be “acted upon”: via GQ Use and GQ Value. Leaders reported their use and value of the feedback using two data sources—weekly leader slips and end-of-term debrief interview transcripts. Both sources of data were content analyzed across several phases of coding. The resultant categories are intended to …

Grave Matters: A Presentation And Comparative Analysis Of The Late Classic Burials From Guajilar, Chiapas, Mexico, Shelley Lorraine Wells

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to identify the possible origins of the peoples who immigrated into the archaeological sites of Guajilar and Lagartero, located in the upper Grijalva River Basin region in southern Chiapas, Mexico, during the Late Classic period (AD 650-900). First, I present the Late Classic burial data from both sites according to four basic descriptive criteria: burial location, grave type, burial type, and grave goods. Then, I conduct a comparative analysis of the burial practices found at these two sites based on these criteria so that patterns in burial practices can be identified. Following the comparative analysis between Guajilar …

Adolescents' Perceptions Of Homophobic Language: Implications For Bullying Prevention, Benjamin M. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

Large scientific studies have recognized homophobic language as a national concern (American Association of University Women [AAUW], 2001; Kosciw, Greytak, Diaz, & Bartkiewicz, 2010). Concerning perceptions of homophobic language use, quantitative studies were mostly conducted in specific areas of the United States and qualitative studies have largely approached the issue with the theory of masculinity. The current study proposed to approach the study actively challenging all assumptions about homophobic language use. This study assimilated 20 adolescents' perceptions of homophobic language, using a hermeneutic qualitative methodology. This study found that in addition to policing masculinity, homophobic language was used to police …

English To Asl Gloss Machine Translation, Mary Elizabeth Bonham

Theses and Dissertations

Low-resource languages, including sign languages, are a challenge for machine translation research. Given the lack of parallel corpora, current researchers must be content with a small parallel corpus in a narrow domain for training a system. For this thesis, we obtained a small parallel corpus of English text and American Sign Language gloss from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We cleaned the corpus by loading it into an open-source translation memory tool, where we removed computer markup language and split the large chunks of text into sentences and phrases, creating a total of 14,247 sentence pairs. We …

Predictive Validity Of The Look, Joy Wiechmann Cox

Theses and Dissertations

The LOOK, an iOS app, is a viewing time measure used to assess sexual interest. The measure is based on the assumption that sexual interest can be assessed by the amount of time a participant spends looking at an image. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability of the LOOK, a newly developed viewing time instrument, to accurately screen and diagnose individuals with deviant sexual interest. The profiles of known sexual offenders were compared to norm-referenced profiles of an exclusively heterosexual, non-pedophilic, male, college student population. Researchers were not able to find a fair constant multiplier that …

Effectiveness Of A Parent Health Report In Increasing Fruit And Vegetable Consumption Among Preschoolers And Kindergarteners, Sanita Lisa Hunsaker

Theses and Dissertations

Patterns of fruit and vegetable consumption begin in childhood and persist into adulthood. Educating parents regarding appropriate dietary requirements for preschoolers is critical to supporting their appropriate growth and development. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a parent health report (including information about the child's fruit and vegetable consumption and recommendations regarding how to increase fruit and vegetable consumption) resulted in a greater fruit and vegetable intake in preschoolers and kindergarteners. Results from both the open trial and the randomized-controlled trial suggest that the parent health report may be a beneficial tool to increase vegetable consumption in …

Social Withdrawal And Internalizing Problems In Emerging Adulthood: Does Parenting Matter?, Stephanie Shea Luster

Theses and Dissertations

The first purpose of this study was to investigate the direct effects of three subtypes of social withdrawal (shyness, social avoidance, and unsociability, respectively) on internalizing outcomes (depression, emotional dysregulation, and self-worth, respectively) in emerging adulthood and to examine these effects by gender. A second purpose was to examine if parenting moderates (i.e., exacerbates or buffers) the main effects of social withdrawal on internalizing outcomes. Participants included 790 undergraduate students from four universities in the United States (Mage = 19.61, SD = 1.85, range = 18–29; 243 males, 547 females) and their mothers. Regression analyses established that shyness was associated …

Assessing Validity Of A Screener For Social, Emotional, And Behavioral Concerns: Analyzing Gender Differences In A Middle School Population, Kimberly Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

Systematic screening for social, emotional, and behavioral concerns (SEBC) identifies at-risk students and provides information to guide interventions that may prevent negative outcomes (Glover & Albers, 2006; Kauffman, 1999; Severson, Walker, Hope-Dolittle, Katochwill, & Gresham, 2007). However, the screening process may be influenced by the gender of the student (Young, Sabbah, Young, Reiser, & Richardson, 2010). This study further examined the influence of student gender on screening by assessing the congruency of gates one and two of a screening process based on student gender. Participants included 59 middle school teachers who nominated at-risk students on the Teacher Nomination Form (TNF; …

International Student Support Groups: Understanding Experiences Of Group Members And Leaders, Nathaniel W. Page

Theses and Dissertations

A multi-site qualitative study explored the group experiences of 6 group leaders and 10 group members who participated in 7 different university counseling center international student support groups. Data collection and analysis phases followed the process of hermeneutic interpretation articulated by Kvale and Brinkmann (2009), which resulted in nine major themes and ten sub-themes organized into four sections: (a) Recruitment and group design, (b) Experiences of group members, (c) Experiences of group leaders, and (d) Additional considerations. Implications for international student support groups are discussed.

What's Good About Failing Schools?, Maika Malualelagi Tuala

Theses and Dissertations

Education policies tend to target failing schools that are often located in disadvantaged communities. However, the use of high-stakes testing to identify and punish failing schools has become increasingly controversial. An overemphasis on test scores to determine school quality has led to unintended consequences and overshadows other valuable school-based resources that parents feel meaningfully contribute to students' academic experiences. To better understand how low-SES parents describe their children's low performing schools, I interviewed 92 families in an under-served community. Through these interviews I illuminate the school-based resources that contribute to school quality. In fact, these additional elements were often more …

Depression Symptoms And Marital Quality In Vietnam-Era Veterans: Does The Presence Of Higher Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms (Ptss) Matter?, Kevin L. Stott

Theses and Dissertations

Using data from 617 Vietnam-era veterans, this study aimed to better understand the relationships between depression symptoms, post-traumatic stress symptoms, and overall marital quality. Results indicated that depression symptoms and PTSS each had a negative relationship with marital quality when considered individually. The association between depression symptoms and marital quality persisted when PTSS was accounted for. However, the significant association between PTSS and marital quality dropped out. Further, PTSS did not moderate the association between depression symptoms and marital quality. The current study suggests tha tdepression symptoms and PTSS overlap in relation to marital quality among Vietnam-era veterans, with depression …

Exploring The Effects Of Depression And Physical Activity On Pattern Separation Performance, Michelle I. Nash

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive performance declines in depression and increases with physical activity. These changes may in part be due to changes in the level of neurogenesis (the generation and survival of adult-born neurons), which decreases with depression and increases with physical activity. Pattern separation (the formation of distinct neural representations of incoming information through orthogonalizing similar patterns of activation) has also been linked to neurogenesis. This project explores pattern separation within these two populations through three experiments.Experiment 1. Previous research has found impaired pattern separation among individuals with higher depression scores, but who have not been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). …

Passing Or Failing Of Symptom Validity Tests In Academic Accessibility Populations: Neuropsychological Assessment Of “Near-Pass” Patients, Thomas Jeffrey Farrer

Theses and Dissertations

There is overwhelming evidence that the presence of secondary gain is an independent predictor of both performance validity and neuropsychological test outcomes. In addition, studies have demonstrated that genuine cognitive and/or psychological conditions can influence performance validity testing, both in the presence and absence of secondary gain. However, few studies have examined these factors in a large sample of academic accommodation seeking college students. The current study examined base rates of symptom validity test failure, the possibility of a “Near-Pass” intermediate group on symptom validity tests, the influence of diagnoses on performance indicators, and whether performance validity differed for “Near-Pass” …

A Controlled Comparison Of Errorless And Errorful Learning In Individuals With Moderate-To-Severe Traumatic Brain Injury, Joseph Edward Fair

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence and sequelae of moderate-to-severe (M/S) traumatic brain injury (TBI) are significant and pervasive problems, and effective rehabilitation techniques are key. Errorless learning is regarded as a useful tool for memory impairments; however, the efficacy of errorless learning in a M/S TBI population is unclear. The primary goal (aim 1) of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a single session of errorless vs. errorful learning in a group of M/S TBI survivors and matched controls. A secondary goal (aim 2) was to investigate the neural time course of errorless learning in participants with M/S TBI by analyzing …

The Effects Of Varied Opportunities To Respond Embedded In A Group Contingency Program, Teresa Donna Bolt

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of using a group contingency program with three students with disabilities in a small group special education setting. These students exhibited both academic and behavioral difficulties. With the use of Class Wide Function-Related Intervention Team (CW-FIT) students increased their active engagement and correct responses, as well as decreased their disruptive behaviors; however, these behaviors did not maintain over time. CW-FIT with high opportunities to respond showed an even greater improvement than CW-FIT with low opportunities to respond. Increased opportunities to respond resulted in higher levels of active engagement and correct responses and decreases in disruptive …

Identifying Knowledge And Understanding Of Learning Disabilities In High School Students Classified With Learning Disabilities, Kylie Ann Roth

Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that students with learning disabilities know little about their condition. The purpose of this study was to investigate the depth and breadth of high school students' understanding of their learning disabilities. Using semi-structured individual interviews, the researcher collected, transcribed, and analyzed data to determine 12 participants' knowledge of learning disabilities, about how they learn, and about their potential to succeed in school and adult life. Results indicate varying levels of self-knowledge and varying perceptions of future success.

Cultural Models Of Latino Immigrant Parent Knowledge Of Their Children's Specific Learning Disabilities, Harriet Faith Welling

Theses and Dissertations

The author investigated shared cultural models among nine Latino immigrant parents of children with specific learning disabilities aged 6-12 years old. Interview questions addressed what participants thought it meant to be educated, their descriptions of specific learning disabilities, and their reports of effective teaching methods for their children. Although many varying themes emerged from the interview data, three distinct cultural models surfaced from the data on education and disability. Implications include cultural beliefs informing IEP content, knowledge of cultural models enabling increasingly open communication between school and home, and culturally sensitive classroom instruction.

Botheration And Recognition Of Prescriptive Rules, Sara D. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Passions flare up around the use and “misuse” of prescriptive rules. Where there is variation in language use, language judgment usually follows—attaching value judgment to linguistic variants forms the foundation of prescriptive ideology in English. Prescriptive attitudes prevail among speakers and writers of English, who feel some pressure to use these forms to avoid a negative judgment. This study surveyed American English speakers using Mechanical Turk to determine which types of rules—spelling, syntactic, morphological, and lexical—bother people the most and inspire the harshest judgments when violated. The surveys asked participants to identify a violated prescriptive rule in a sentence, found …

Longitudinal Association Between Self-Esteem In Adolescence And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Older Adults: A Cohort Study, John Anthony Blue Star

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Posttraumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD) is less common in older adults than in younger adults, and little is known about specific risk factors for PTSD in older adults. We investigated the association between self-esteem in late adolescence and PTSD in older adults. Method: Using a cohort design, 1,436 individuals who had been assessed approximately 40 years earlier in their junior and senior year of high school with the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were evaluated for PTSD using the PTSD Checklist (PCL-17). Results: Fully controlled logistic regression models indicated that lower self-esteem in late adolescence predicted PTSD in the overall sample of …