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EXTENDING THE CLASSROOM BOUNDARIES: AN EVALUATION OF ASYNCHRONOUS GRADUATE STUDENT DISCUSSION BOARDS TO BUILD COMMUNITY AND CRITICAL THINKING
Get PDFThe dissertation investigates how Asynchronous Online Discussions (AODs) contribute to community building and critical thinking development among graduate students in asynchronous online courses. Grounded in the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, the research examines the interplay of cognitive, social, teaching, and learner presences to foster collaborative learning environments and enhance analytical reasoning skills in online education. Employing a qualitative design and thematic analysis of surveys and interviews with asynchronous online graduate students, this research reveals the role of AODs in facilitating meaningful interactions that support knowledge construction and critical thinking. Findings indicate that cognitive, social, and teaching presences in AODs operate interdependently to foster both critical thinking and community building. Each presence complements the others: social presence establishes connections, cognitive presence deepens engagement, and teaching presence provides essential structure and guidance. This integrated approach creates a cohesive and effective learning experience. The study reveals insights for developing online pedagogical strategies that promote engaging, critical, and inclusive learning environments, contributing to the optimization of AODs for essential academic and professional competencies in today’s digital landscape.
Keywords: Asynchronous Online Discussions, Critical Thinking, Community of Inquiry, Online Learning, Graduate Educatio
A TEACHER LIKE ME: PERSPECTIVES OF HISPANIC ENGLISH AS A NEW LANGUAGE (ENL) TEACHERS ON THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL REPRESENTATION IN SCHOOLS
Get PDFAs the cultural and ethnic makeup of the United States rapidly evolves, the disproportion of diversity in education is becoming a common phenomenon. This gap is particularly evident on Long Island, New York, where staff demographics are inconsistent with the diversifying student population. This phenomenological study explored how Hispanic English as a New Language (ENL) teachers use their language, customs, traditions, beliefs, and culture to positively impact their Hispanic students. It also examined the benefits of teacher-student cultural and ethnic matching and the challenges Hispanic ENL teachers face in predominantly White-staffed schools. Guided by culturally relevant pedagogy and the concept of ethnic matching, this qualitative study involved in-depth interviews to gather data. The findings revealed that these teachers play a vital role in fostering student engagement, building trust, and improving academic outcomes by integrating their cultural identities into their teaching practices. The study\u27s significance lies in its potential to inform policies and practices that enhance equity and inclusion in educational settings by emphasizing the recruitment, support, and retention of Hispanic teachers
TESTING MEDIATION MODELS OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN THE CONTEXT OF PARENTAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT
Get PDFParental criminal justice system involvement (CJSI) affects a significant portion of our children in a multitude of ways, including increasing the child’s risk for developing antisocial behaviors and, in doing so, perpetuating the intergenerational cycle of criminal offending that uniquely and unjustly afflicts marginalized communities of color and leaves behind what many have termed the ‘hidden victims’ of CJSI. This dissertation aimed to answer two research questions: 1. Does the division into two categories, the aggression, and rule breaking dimensions, provide a superior fitting model than the more commonly used unidimensional measure?; 2. Is it more accurate to model the effects of parental CJSI on aggression, rule breaking, or antisocial behavior in children as mediated by both parental (parenting style or parental monitoring) and peer variables (peer relations or peer delinquency) or only the former? These research questions were answered using data derived from CJSI parents, their children, and geographically-/age-matched controls. These were predominantly families from low-income neighborhoods in the South Bronx. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) and path analyses were used to answer these research questions by comparing different models. The significance of this line of research, and similar lines of research, lay in implications we may derive about the mental health of a significant portion of children affected by parental CJSI. Beyond the importance of targeting this population for research due to their susceptibility to developing antisocial behavior, these children may be the keys to thwarting a raging intergenerational cycle of CJSI that serves to further marginalize our underserved communities, especially minority populations, and communities of color
MECHANISM OF NAPTHENIC ACID BINDING TO DISSOLVED ORGANIC MATTER
Get PDFThe oil sands in Alberta, Canada are being destroyed by oil extraction because remediation methods have proven largely ineffective. One toxic byproduct of oil extraction is a family of cyclical surfactant organic acids known as naphthenic acids (NAs). They are toxic to aquatic life, including fish, frogs, and aquatic birds. It is suspected that NAs bind to humic acid, a major organic component of soil, in dissolved organic matter in natural water, making them difficult to remove by conventional remediation methods. This problem prompts the following question: what is the binding mechanism between NAs and humic acid when dissolved in aqueous solution? Fluorescence quenching experiments were used to deduce the binding mechanism between model NAs and humic acid. Fluorescence quenching refers to reducing the fluorescence intensity of a given substance. The Stern-Volmer method was used to determine if the quenching mechanism is static (binding) or dynamic (collisional) for model NAs. For static quenching, binding constants were calculated to determine the strength of the binding. Our findings show that NA model compounds with more compact structures quench the fluorescence of HA more strongly than the less compact structures. Based on the results, we propose two possible binding mechanisms between NAs and HA for further investigation: nonpolar interactions or polar interactions such as hydrogen bonding and acid-base interactions. Understanding how NAs bind to humic acid in dissolved organic matter may provide insights into new effective remediation methods in the oil sands
Protein Word Detection Using Text Segmentation Techniques
Get PDFLiterature in Molecular Biology is abundant with linguistic metaphors. There has been works in the past that attempt to draw parallels between linguistics and biology, driven by the fundamental premise that proteins have a language of their own. Since word detection is crucial to the decipherment of any unknown language, we attempt to establish a problem mapping from natural language text to protein sequences at the level of words. Towards this end, we explore the use of an unsupervised text segmentation algorithm for the task of extracting biological words” from protein sequences. We demonstrate the effectiveness of using domain knowledge to complement data-driven approaches in the text segmentation task, as well as in its biological counterpart. We also propose a novel extrinsic evaluation measure for protein words through protein family classification
Jeepney Modernization Program: Agencies and Constraints of Informal Transport Sector in Cebu City, Philippines
Get PDFIn the quest to provide a better public transportation system in the Philippines, the government has implemented Department Order 2017-011, the major basis for the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which requires single jeepney operators to join transport cooperatives and limits jeepneys not older than 15 years to operate. However, up to the present, this policy initiative has yet to improve Cebu City\u27s public transport system significantly, and it has already created various forms of exclusion. Anchored on Mayer’s (2014) theory on the problems of collective action and Mosca’s (1939) elite theory, this study assesses the collective agencies of jeepney drivers and operators in Cebu City and the constraints of such agencies in negotiating and shaping policy enforcement of the jeepney modernization program. This study utilizes a qualitative case study design incorporating secondary data with face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions. It illustrates that the combination of the informality of the jeepney transport sector in the country, the prevailing fragmentation within the sector - including divergent views and interests between traditional jeepney drivers and operators and their heterogeneities, and the discordant stances among different transport groups toward implementation vis-a-vis private sector-led groups - constitute as critical factors in constraining the agency of affected stakeholders in their attempts at resistance and collective negotiation actions. It argues that the agency of drivers and operators is effectively overwhelmed by such a lack of coherence and consistent deliberative approaches among its representatives in their negotiations with state institutions, which are bent on advancing neoliberal solutions to urban transport systems. This poses severe implications for what should have been a just transition for the grassroots sector in promoting sustainability
KNOCKING DOWN FLORAL SYMMETRY GENES IN Fedia graciloflora (Caprifoliaceae)
Get PDFThroughout angiosperm evolution, shifts between radial (actinomorphic) and bilateral (zygomorphic) symmetry have occurred repeatedly, often correlating with increased pollinator specialization and diversification. Evidence shows that the transcription factor CYCLOIDEA (CYC) plays a role in establishing the dorsoventral identity of a flower, leading to the formation of bilateral symmetry. Previous work in the lab used Virus-Induced Gene Silencing (VIGS) to transiently suppress the expression of four paralogous CYC genes: CYC2A, CYC2B, CYC3A, and CYC3B, in the non-model organism Fedia graciliflora (Caprifoliaceae), a species with strongly bilaterally symmetrical flowers nested within the more radially symmetric Valerianella. This study investigates the contributions of the CYC2 paralogs in shaping floral morphology by laying out the process of creating a double-knockdown viral vector of FgCYC2A and FgCYC2B using Gibson Assembly. This work establishes a foundation for future studies on the genetic interactions between CYC paralogs and their downstream targets, contributing to a deeper understanding of the evolution of floral symmetry
EXPLORING SCHOOL CHARACTERISTICS AND PHYSICAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AS PREDICTORS OF SELF-EFFICACY AMONG TEACHERS IN VIETNAM
Get PDFLimited data suggests that contextual factors such as school characteristics and physical learning environment have an effect on teachers’ self-efficacy. The present study aims to examine the relationship between these contextual factors and how they affect self-efficacy in a sample of 1,961 teachers in Vietnam who taught Pre-K-12th grade. Self-reported measures were derived from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) measure, and the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale – Short Form (TSES-SF). We evaluated the effects of contextual factors including: grade level, years of teaching experience, school sector (e.g., public school)/school location (e.g., urban), and physical learning environment (classroom type, e.g., a collaborative teaching space) on self-efficacy and sub-dimensions of self-efficacy including self efficacy in student engagement and self efficacy in classroom management. I hypothesized that these school characteristics could influence teachers’ ability to support student learning and to manage students’ behavior. Characteristics including years of teaching experience, school sector, and school location were not associated with self-efficacy. However, grade level taught was a significant correlate of teacher self-efficacy, specifically showing that teachers of younger students (e.g., elementary school) had higher levels of self-efficacy and its sub-dimensions (specifically in student engagement) than teachers of older students (e.g., middle and high school). The immediate physical learning environment was also significantly associated with self-efficacy and its sub-dimensions. Specifically, teachers who spent more time in traditional classrooms had lower self-efficacy than those who were less likely to work in traditional classrooms. Teachers who worked in collaborative classrooms had more total self-efficacy, self-efficacy in student engagement, and self-efficacy in classroom management than those who did not work in collaborative classrooms as often. Teaching outside the classroom (e.g., in hallways) was associated with lower levels of total self-efficacy, and self-efficacy in classroom management but was not associated with self-efficacy in student engagement. Overall, the immediate environment such as the type of classroom and students’ grade level, seems to be more critical for teacher self-efficacy than other broader factors such as school location, or school sector
MODERATION OF COLLECTIVISTIC AMBIVALENCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS BY SPIRITUAL WELL BEING AMONG ASIAN INDIAN AMERICANS
Get PDFThis study examined the moderating role of spiritual well-being in the relationship between collectivistic ambivalence and psychological distress among Asian Indian Americans. A convenience sample of 102 Asian Indian Americans participated in an online survey measuring collectivistic ambivalence, psychological distress, and spiritual well-being, including existential and religious dimensions. Consistent with hypotheses, collectivistic ambivalence positively correlated with psychological distress, suggesting that internal conflicts between collectivistic expectations and individualistic desires significantly impact mental health in this bicultural population. Spiritual well-being significantly moderated this relationship, with higher spiritual well-being mitigating the psychological consequences associated with collectivistic ambivalence. Further exploratory analyses revealed that existential well-being specifically buffered the ambivalence-distress relationship, whereas religious well-being showed no significant moderation effect. These findings highlight existential dimensions of spirituality such as life purpose, meaning, and satisfaction as particularly protective against psychological distress associated with cultural value conflicts. The current study expands the body of research on collectivistic ambivalence by highlighting existential spirituality as a critical coping resource within bicultural contexts, particularly among Asian Indian Americans. Results underscore the importance of culturally tailored mental health interventions that target existential aspects of spiritual well-being to effectively support individuals navigating bicultural identity conflicts and reduce related psychological distress
ASSESSING SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS’ ACCURACY, JUDGMENT, AND DECISION-MAKING IN SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY IDENTIFICATION: A RE-EVALUATION OF THE ROLE OF EXCLUSIONARY FACTORS
Get PDFSpecific learning disability (SLD) is the most identified disability category for students across the United States. In light of its prevalence and implications for the allocation of resources in schools, identification accuracy is critical. However, previous research has remained mixed on school psychologists’ skills regarding identification accuracy, particularly when assessing students who are English Learners (ELs). This is especially problematic considering the historical overidentification of these students, such that many ELs with cognitive and academic scores that resemble SLD are classified as SLD without proper consideration of exclusionary factors that should have precluded the classification. This study aimed to build upon previous research suggesting that school psychologists do not consider exclusionary factors, especially when scores are consistent with SLD. This study investigated the impact of the X-BASS Exclusionary Factors Form (EFF) on SLD identification accuracy. It also analyzed school psychologists’ judgement and decision-making in considering various types of information that influence SLD status. Lastly, this study explored participants’ reported use and perceived ease of use and overall helpfulness of the EFF in SLD identification decisions. One hundred and ten school psychologists across the country participated in a survey that required them to read vignettes of hypothetical students and make a decision about SLD status with or without the EFF. Results indicated that school psychologists were often able to differentiate the importance of qualitative and quantitative information for their hypothetical case, with statistical significance. Results also indicated a positive trend for the impact of the EFF for improving participants’ SLD identification accuracy for a hypothetical EL student, although not statistically significant. Overall, this study highlights that school psychologists may be better able to recognize important information that informs SLD status than previously suggested. It also demonstrates that the EFF may be a helpful tool for school psychologists in recognizing exclusionary factors that influence decision accuracy. Results suggest that it may be worthwhile for future research to further investigate this topic with a larger and more representative sample size