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Examining the educational and career pathways of DACA recepients through testimonios
No full textThe purpose of this study was to examine through testimonios how the experiences before, during, and after entry into the U.S. educational school system impacted the educational and career pathways of DACA recipients. The participants were three DACA recipients of Mexican descent who attended public schools after arriving in the United States as minors. A qualitative narrative inquiry design was selected to explore and conduct three testimonios with each participant to capture their lived experiences near a major city in Texas. Data collection methods included testimonios consisting of three virtual interviews with each participant and letters written to their younger selves. Data was analyzed using inductive coding and thematic analysis methods. The findings revealed that experiences in public schools had little impact on their educational and career pathways. The seven themes identified were: (a) emotional testimonios, (b) la familia, (c) weight of responsibility, (d) societal jaulas, (e) future views, (f) legal framework, and (g) coyolxauhqui imperative. The implications suggest that existing laws, policies, and regulations can influence DACA recipients' educational and career pathways. Additionally, implications indicate that a person’s resilience, grit, and familial support system partly impact their educational and career pathways
Examining the Influence That Early College High School Has on Minority Students
No full textThis qualitative phenomenological study examined the influence of Early College High School (ECHS) programs on the academic success, engagement, and overall educational experience of minority students in a suburban school district in Southeast Texas. As educational systems strive to address persistent achievement gaps and expand postsecondary opportunities for underserved populations, ECHS programs have emerged as innovative models that integrate rigorous college-level coursework into the high school curriculum. While the benefits of ECHS participation are increasingly documented, limited research exists regarding how minority students personally experience these programs and perceive their impact on academic and personal development.
This study focused on the lived experiences of 10 minority students, including current seniors of an integrated ECHS program housed within a comprehensive high school. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically using inductive coding. The theoretical framework guiding the study was rooted in Student Engagement Theory and Tinto’s Model of Student Retention, emphasizing academic and social integration as predictors of student persistence and success.
Findings revealed that ECHS participation fostered academic achievement by cultivating resilience, discipline, and college readiness. Students credited the program with increasing their confidence and expanding their postsecondary aspirations. However, participants also expressed the emotional and logistical challenges of managing dual academic expectations. Limited time for extracurricular involvement emerged as a recurring theme, with some students noting a sense of isolation from peers in traditional high school tracks. Nonetheless, strong relationships with teachers, peer cohorts, and family members were consistently identified as key support systems that enhanced motivation and academic engagement.
The study concludes that ECHS programs can serve as powerful vehicles for promoting educational equity when coupled with relational support, culturally responsive instruction, and opportunities for holistic student development. Implications for practice include the need to prioritize student well-being, increase flexibility for extracurricular participation, and enhance communication between schools and families. These findings offer practical insights for educators and policymakers seeking to strengthen ECHS models and expand their reach among historically marginalized student populations
Effects of Dynamic Bimodal Congruence on Affect and Recognition Memory
No full textThe exploration of dynamic bimodal stimuli is used in understanding how we respond to combined auditory and visual stimuli, such as a positive image paired with a positive sound (e.g., the image of a baby paired with birds chirping), or the pairing of a positive image with a negative sound (e.g., the image of a baby laughing paired with a siren sound). This congruence and incongruence of bimodal stimuli is often used to examine multisensory and affective experiences and cognitive functions. Although findings are inconclusive, the pairing of affective auditory and visual stimuli congruently and incongruently has been found to influence affective perception and neurophysiological processing. Additionally, it is known that there are neural differences recognition memory processes related to affective auditory and visual stimuli, however there is disagreement in the literature regarding the influence of audiovisual stimulus congruence of affective stimuli on recognition memory. The current thesis aimed to examine the influence of affective dynamic bimodal stimuli congruence on self-reported affect perception, recognition memory, and examine the neurophysiological indicators of these porcesses. Experiment 1 aimed to analyze how the congruency (congruent, incongruent) of affective video and auditory stimuli influences self-reported valence and arousal. Additionally, Experiment 1 aimed to analyze if affective stimuli congruence would influence recognition memory of visual stimuli and auditory stimuli. Experiment 2 aimed to analyze if neurophysiological indicators of affective processing, examined through electroencephalography (EEG) differ when presented with visual and auditory stimuli played congruently and incongruently. Additionally, this aim analyzed neural differences in affective processing when presented with bimodal stimuli of varying valence (i.e., negative, positive). Significant differences were found between presented stimuli valence, congruence, and modality in terms of affective perception and recognition memory performance, such that positive congruent stimuli had the most pleasant overall valence scores. Additionally, recognition memory performance was significantly better for visual stimuli as compared to auditory stimuli, with positive congruent visual stimuli having the highest corrected hit rate. Additionally, the display of negative incongruent stimuli invoked the highest neural activation in the left hemisphere. This work may aid in the understanding of how multisensory experiences influence affect, memory, and neurophysiology
Spatial Variation in Molecular Markers of Human Fecal Pollution in Tributaries of Western Galveston Bay
No full textMany estuarine systems are chronically contaminated with fecal material, as assessed by fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). These FIB counts cannot resolve the source of the contamination, particularly in coastal systems that receive significant input of waste from multiple sources. Western Galveston Bay receives input from tributaries that are coupled to mixed-use watersheds in the Houston-Galveston area. These watersheds include suburban communities with high numbers of on-site sewage facilities (OSSF), which are a suspected source of fecal contamination. Culture-independent microbial source tracking (MST) methods, including metagenomic analysis and amplification of source-specific markers, can identify the source of fecal contamination in aquatic systems but these molecular methods are rarely applied to water quality monitoring. In this study, we used digital PCR and high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to identify human-specific markers across tidal and non-tidal waters of the Houston-Galveston area.
Enterococcus spp. and crAssphage, a human-specific bacteriophage, concentrations were
quantified via dPCR. DADA2 was used to process reads generated by high-throughput sequencing, and SourceTracker2 was used to estimate the proportion of fecal sources. Enterococcus spp. counts were elevated in tidal sites and crAssphage were elevated in non-tidal sites. Multivariate analysis suggested that crAssphage abundance and dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations were linked to bacterial community structure in nontidal sites. Non-tidal sites also showed relatively high human-associated taxa and metabolic functions and SourceTracker2 suggested a low but detectable contribution from human waste in these water bodies. This suggests that human waste, perhaps from failing OSSF, is likely partially responsible for elevated FIB counts in the non-tidal areas of tributaries to Western Galveston Ba
The Effect of Mindfulness Training and Expressive Writing on Complex Emotion Language
No full textAn experience of emotion is the synthesis of past experiences, sensory information, and social influence. Cognition is an essential component of recognizing and responding to experiences of emotion. With more than 500 words to communicate emotion in the English language, there is great range and interpretation how individuals label their experiences of emotion. Mindfulness is a metacognitive strategy that allows an individual to appraise their present moment experience from a decentered perspective. Expressive writing, as observed in the Expressive Writing Paradigm (EWP), is a cognitive task that offers participants an opportunity to label, structure and organize emotional experiences. This study hypothesized that a single mindfulness training and repeated instances of expressive writing would increase the number of complex emotion words generated. Undergraduate participants (n = 213) were randomly assigned to practice either 10-minutes of mindfulness training or a 10-minute active control (distraction) training, immediately followed by a modified form of the Trier Social Stress Test; TSST. Participants practiced a “thinking technique” for five minutes, followed by three minutes of speech preparation, given a choice to give the speech or opt out, and then completed part one of the EWP. Participants completed parts two and three of the EWP and follow-up measures at one- and two- weeks following the study. Findings were null, indicating that neither the mindfulness intervention nor the expressive writing task increased participant production of complex emotion words. These results suggest that a brief mindfulness intervention may not be sufficient to elicit the metacognitive processes necessary to increase insight and subsequently the number of complex emotion words. Further, results suggested that the total number of words written was the most significant predictor the number of complex emotion words written.
Analyzing the Progression of Language Development through Story Dictation in Prek-4 Students
Full text linkDeveloping vocabulary and literacy in early childhood is crucial for academic success, with Tier 2 vocabulary playing a vital role in both comprehension and expression. This study focuses on analyzing the progression of Tier 2 vocabulary through story dictation in Prek-4 classrooms. The primary research questions addressed are: (1) Is there evidence of an increase in Tier 2 vocabulary words over one academic year in a Prek-4 child’s story dictation? and (2) Is there an increase in the number of dictated words over the course of the academic year in each of the Prek-4 student stories?
Using quantitative approach, this research analyzes story dictations from 17 students, ages 4-5, to assess the frequency and contextual use of Tier 2 vocabulary. The study uses statistical analysis to evaluate the growth of Tier 2 vocabulary within the transcribed stories dictated by the students.
Key findings indicate a significant increase in the use of Tier 2 vocabulary, with quantitative data demonstrating statistical growth in vocabulary levels over the academic year. However, data also showed a decrease in the use of Tier 2 vocabulary towards the end of the year, suggesting that while initial gains were notable, maintaining vocabulary growth required ongoing reinforcement and support. Structured story dictation practices can effectively enhance students’ linguistic abilities, supporting their academic development and lifelong learnings.
This research contributes to the field of early childhood education by deepening our understanding of vocabulary development and informing pedagogical practices aimed at improving literacy skills in young learners. By highlighting the impact of integrating Tier 2 vocabulary within story dictation sessions, educators can refine their instructional strategies to better support students’ linguistic growth and academic success
Identifying and Supporting Students Who Experience the Incarceration of a Parent in Texas
Full text linkParental incarceration is a significant and under-researched issue that profoundly impacts children’s academic, emotional, and social development. Through a descriptive phenomenology methodology, this study focuses on the experiences and perspectives of educators, social workers, and administrators in Texas schools concerning students with incarcerated parents. Drawing upon Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as the theoretical framework, the research explores the multifaceted challenges these children face, including stigmatization, mental health struggles, and academic setbacks, from the perspectives of the educators, administrators, and social workers who work with these students every day. The study also explores the participants’ perspectives on using the Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights to support these students. This research aims to uncover gaps in the current identification process of students who experience the incarceration of a parent and the support that schools currently offer. Findings from this study will provide actionable insights for improving educational policies and practices to address the unique needs of this student population
The Impact of Strategic Planning on Organizational Performance
Full text linkThis mixed-methods study aimed to investigate the relationship between strategic planning and the organizational performance of Texas public school systems. Strategic plans from a purposeful sample of 44 public school districts in a southeast region of Texas were evaluated. Accountability ratings and enrollment data from the Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) 2022 Accountability Report database were also collected for sample districts. The qualitative phase of the study included the analysis of data collected during interviews with 10 strategic planning practitioners, superintendent or assistant superintendents, who participated in strategic planning efforts within one of the districts in the sample. Quantitative findings indicated that no statistically significant relationship existed between overall strategic plan quality and district accountability scores, nor did the size of a district moderate the relationship between overall strategic plan quality and district accountability scores. Analysis of individual strategic planning components suggested that a statistically significant relationship existed between two, strategies for refining a plan and appendices, of the 10 planning components and the accountability scores of a district. Qualitative data suggested that planning practitioners view strategic plans as a mechanism for guiding the direction of a district, believe the plan must remain student-centric, and that stakeholder engagement is vital throughout the planning process. Further, interview data indicated that practitioners consider resource constraints and call for flexibility during strategic planning implementation
Accelerating Large Language Model Training Through GPU Task Prediction Models
Full text linkLarge Language Models (LLMs) are advanced artificial intelligence systems capable of processing and generating human-like text. They underpin various applications, such as chatbots, translation tools, and content generation systems, demonstrating their transformative potential in technology and communication. However, the training of LLMs is resource-intensive, requiring massive computational power, particularly from GPUs. Current training methodologies face inefficiencies, with bottlenecks in GPU task performance leading to prolonged training times and increased resource consumption. This research addresses these challenges by studying existing LLM training techniques and identifying key overheads. We propose a novel GPU task performance prediction model that anticipates and optimizes task execution times. By integrating this prediction model into LLM training workflows, we aim to significantly reduce training time while maintaining model quality. This research is expected to enhance scalability, improve resource utilization, and make cutting-edge language models more accessible to researchers and industries alike. By integrating the GPU task performance prediction model into the training workflow, this study achieved a substantial improvement in computational efficiency. Specifically, training time was reduced by approximately 3.33× times compared to traditional heuristic-based configurations. This reduction highlights the value of predictive performance modeling in minimizing overhead, maximizing resource utilization, and significantly accelerating the fine-tuning process of large language models without compromising model quality
Factors Which Influence Faculty Perceptions and Usage of Open Educational Resources in the Classroom
Full text linkOpen Educational Resources (OER) became an influential asset to the educational community as it offered free online textbooks to students during its abrupt transition from face-to-face to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred in the 2020-2021 academic year. Faculty members were previously adjusting to the rapid increase of enrollment of online courses prior to the pandemic, so the urgent usage of any online resources was already a challenge for non-OER faculty users. This mixed-method study examined the motivational factors which can influence faculty members’ perception and usage of OER in the classroom and sought to determine if there was a difference between the financial needs of students enrolled in OER courses versus non-OER courses. To determine the motivational factors, a survey was distributed to the Behavioral Science and Social Science Department at a large Gulf Coast Community College (GCCC), and faculty members from this college volunteered to participate in an interviewing process pertaining to the subject matter. Using a Likert scale (strongly disagree to strongly agree) to rate the seven motivational factors, the overall findings suggested that having immediate access on the first day of class was the highest-rated motivational factor for faculty usage of OER in the classroom. All OER users benefit from immediate access, including faculty (academic freedom/flexibility) and students (accessibility with mobile devices and laptops) because having OER resources provides users with anytime, anywhere accessibility. Additionally, to determine the quantitative outcome of study, the financial aid variances (gender, OER user, 1st generation, and age) consisted of archival data which was received from the Institutional Research & Data Science Department (IRDS) from the large GCCC. The results from this study indicated there was a statistically significant relationship between students enrolled in OER courses vs non-OER courses when considering the financial aid variances. Overall, faculty were motivated by having immediate access to a free textbook (OER) that is equivalent to a costly publisher textbook and students, especially those with societal disadvantages (social class, race, disabilities sex, age and sexual orientation), can meet their SLOs consistently without cost