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THE EFFECTS OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND LANGUAGE DIFFERENCE ON SPECIFIC COGNITIVE TEST PERFORMANCE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN
Get PDFPrevious research has established a high correlation between socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity. Historically, indicators of SES are often patterned by race, with African American children generally being the highest percentage of children living in poverty. The implication of childhood SES to brain development lies in its evident relationship to cognitive ability as measured by cognitive assessments, particularly in the area of language. The present study investigated the influence of language on performance of African American children when compared to normative performance on the WISC-V, a common and widely used cognitive assessment tool. Test creators claim to have included SES as a stratified variable that is highly controlled for in normative samples of cognitive assessments. However, although low SES groups may be included in the norm sample, the norm sample is likely representative of middle-class SES, based on the average of all SES groups. Given that differences in language development in children of the same age leads to significant differences in performance (Cormier et al., 2022; Ortiz, 2018), the assumption that stratification of SES provides adequate representation may be questionable. Results from the present study indicated that both SES and language differences were statistically significant and showed a medium to large effect size in terms of performance. These findings highlight the explicit role of SES and language as variables that should not be so easily overlooked by test developers. Considering what we know about the implications of SES and language on child development, using norms derived from current stratification procedures may well represent inappropriate practice. These findings are of considerable value for school psychologists when selecting assessment tools, such as the Ortiz PVAT or the KABC-II, that may be more appropriate for use with African American and other culturally, linguistically, and socio-economically diverse children
GENDER, SEX, AND THE BODY IN MEDIEVAL ARMENIA
Get PDFThis dissertation investigates textual representation of the body, gender, and sexuality in Armenian chronicles produced between the fifth and eleventh centuries CE. In so doing, it reconstructs the development of Armenian somatology between Zoroastrian and Islamic suzerainties. Specifically, the dissertation examines the modalities by which the body functioned to medieval Armenian cognition as the locus of identity and alterity through the deployment of such devices as the following, to each of which is devoted a chapter: masculinity, femininity, archetypes of sexual morality, legislation of sexual conduct, sexual experientiality (in both temporal and eschatological dimensions), anatomy, and violence. As such, the body operated visibly in medieval Armenian subjectivity as a definitionally ethnicized object whose value was mediated by its gender assignment (and conformity thereto), carnal continence, spiritual obedience, and corporal vulnerability. The dissertation asserts in conclusion that medieval Armenian traditors directly positioned native purity, articulated as the containment of carnal impulsions and rejection of sensory excess, against foreign intemperance and incontinence. These inclinations to be contained included those not only sexual but dietetic, emotional, and even verbal. In this way, these auteurs operationalized the body to dissimilate Armenian ipseity from intrusive exogeneity. This research finds, secondarily, that the genre of medieval Armenian historical writing was characterized by a pervasive but tacit prohibition against direct acknowledgment of the female body, discussion of which is instead conspicuously (and often awkwardly) displaced onto the more socially acceptable male body or else onto an insentient object of analogy. Finally, the dissertation situates medieval Armenian medical consciousness within a broader regional context, considering it alongside contemporaneous Greek, Persian, and Arabic somatological discourse
PERCEPTIONS OF MENTORING KINGS AND EFFECTS OF THE HOCHMAN METHOD ON HIGH SCHOOL BOYS OF COLOR
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the Hochman Method’s Sequence for Notetaking Instruction on male high school students of color. This method of notetaking was an integral part of the curriculum offered by the Mentoring Kings Initiative, a critical mentoring program providing formal and informal mentoring to male students of color. Specifically, the study explored how bolstering the Hochman Method’s explicit notetaking instruction with critical mentoring and culturally responsive pedagogy intrinsic to the Mentoring Kings Initiative affects student comprehension, self-efficacy, and notetaking mastery. Perceptions of the Mentoring Kings Initiative among these male high school students were also analyzed. Data were collected from ten male students of color in grades nine to eleven who were members of a College & Career Preparatory Institute (CCPI) located within a not-for-profit organization based at a large urban high school in New York City. Interpretive Phenomenology and document analysis were used to effect data analysis of interview and notebook data. Results indicate that the Mentoring Kings Initiative and its various components: the Hochman Method’s Sequence for Notetaking Instruction, the Mentoring Kings University, the Mentoring Kings Notebook, and the Mentoring Kings Online Modules were perceived favorably by research participants. However, the Hochman Method’s Sequence for Notetaking Instruction did not completely facilitate the notetaking and comprehension abilities of the high school boys of color. Recommendations include 1) conducting further notetaking studies to deepen the pool of existing research 2) providing students with explicit notetaking instruction for each component of the Hochman Method: keywords, phrases, abbreviations, and symbols to aid comprehension and application of, and proficiency with, each, and 3) utilizing and referring to the Hochman Method as a culturally relevant literacy tool
AN INVESTIGATION OF HOTEL BOOKING CANCELLATION USING MACHINE LEARNING APPROACHES IN PYTHON
Get PDFThis work will be focusing on the hotel industry and how to develop an efficient bookings management system. There are 119,390 observations and 32 variables provided by two distinct hotels, one located in a city and the other in a resort. Multiple machine learning and Python techniques will be used on a jupyter notebook Python file. This work is extremely useful since the recent pandemic (Covid-19) has greatly impacted the hotel industry. Reducing the number of canceled reservations system will possibly allow the organizations to gain a competitive advantage. However, the most adequate booking system for a hotel might not be for any other. Thus, being something that changes both demographically and seasonally
AN INVESTIGATION INTO ORTHOGRAPHIC PROCESSING DEFICITS IN SCHOOLS
Get PDFOne of the most significant educational milestones in a child’s development is learning how to read and write. Phonological and orthographic processing skills are essential in the development of reading and writing. Currently, research exists that provides insight into school psychologists’ knowledge of phonological processing’s impact on reading and writing development and how deficits in this area are evaluated. However, very little is known about the overall level of familiarity school psychologists have with the construct of orthographic processing and how deficits are evaluated at the school level. The following study investigated the knowledge school psychologists have regarding orthographic processing. This study examined 197 school psychologists practicing throughout the United States on their training, assessment practices, and their overall knowledge of the concept of orthographic processing. Exploratory analyses highlighted that while School Psychologists are familiar with the construct of orthographic processing, their level of knowledge and confidence with identifying deficits in students is restricted due to many variables that involve lack of training and resources. Implications for graduate training programs, school districts, and continuing education programs are discussed
“SLAVE GUYS O NOT SLAVE GUYS:” TRACING COLONIALISM AND RESISTANCE IN THE HAWAIIAN PIDGIN BIBLE
Get PDFOn the one hand, colonial-era Bibles represented powerful rhetorical devices for imperialists; on the other hand, Bibles offered a voice of justice that baited hope in marginalized readers. During the U.S. settler colonial movement, Bibles equipped U.S. missionaries with the authority to force assimilation practices, including the extermination of indigenous languages with English-only laws. In Hawai\u27i, English-only policies functioned to not only dispossess indigenous populations of their native languages, land, and sense of belonging, but they also began a century-plus tradition of monolingualist policy in the U.S. that continues into the present day. Such policies, along with standardized English ideologies throughout the U.S., intended to endanger rather than preserve Hawaiian pidgin. The study will examine the agency that Hawaiian pidgin inherits from Da Good An Spesho Book, the Hawaiian Pidgin English translation of the Bible. It will analyze the implications such authority has on power dynamics in a monolingual-forward nation in addition to an extensive breakdown of the interconnections between settler monolingualism, translation, postcolonial Bible criticism, and the historical development of Hawaiian Pidgin English. Furthermore, this thesis will conduct a textual analysis of the introductory statements, discourses of oppression and resistance through the term freedom,” and its translation to “slave guys no moa, and issues of copyright authority in Da Good an Spesho Book. Finally, this thesis will examine the translation values behind the Hawaiian Pidgin Bible. Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Hawaiian Pidgin Bible observes the translation standards of the Forum of Bible Agencies International. Analyzing certain aspects of these standards as presenting a modern post-colonial Bible “translation theory,” and their application of such “theory” via the Hawai\u27ian Pidgin Bible, this thesis will ultimately draw claims on the contradictions between this exemplification of postcolonial Bible translation theory and its practice in Da Good An Spesho Book
Al-SULAMI’S KITAB AL-JIHAD: SPIRITUALIZING AL-JIHAD AL-ASGHAR TO MOTIVATE THE MUSLIM UMMAH TO JIHAD
Get PDF‘Ali ibn Tahir al-Sulami’s Kitab al-Jihad, The Book of the Jihad (1105), translated by Niall Christie, is a publicly dictated call to jihad in which al-Sulami attempts to motivate his listeners to go and fight against the Franj who have invaded Muslim lands and captured Jerusalem during the First Crusade. This paper examines how al-Sulami emphasizes the importance of al-jihad al-asghar through the merging of the ‘lesser’ and ‘greater’ jihads, which ultimately leads to him theorizing a reconfigured idea of jihad where he spiritualizes military jihad. Furthermore, this paper focuses on the literary choices al-Sulami makes while using Qur’anic verses and hadith to prove the importance of prioritizing al-jihad al-asghar during this particular time when the Muslim ummah is being attacked by the Franj. Al-Sulami’s speech, or rather the limited parts we have access to, may be seen as a “guidebook” for the Muslims going to jihad, for he includes various instructions regarding jihad. In addition, by making a distinction between individual jihad versus militaristic jihad, al-Sulami clarifies who bears responsibility for jihad, while also encouraging his audience of the religious significance of fighting against the Franj and defending Islam and its lands. He also includes stories, specifically battles, from the life of the Prophet and merges them with Qur’anic verses to show his readers the importance of military jihad
SLEEP AND ACADEMICS AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: ROLE OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING AND SLEEP HYGIENE
Get PDFSleep is a vital human function, critical to health across the lifespan. However, college students report significant disturbances in sleep quality and sleep hygiene (ACHA, 2019; Moulin & Chung, 2016). The consequences of poor sleep include lower cognitive and executive functioning abilities (Honn et al., 2019; Whitney et al., 2015) and poorer academic performance (Okano et al., 2019). Given the prevalence of these issues and the deleterious consequences, several sleep hygiene interventions have been developed for college students. However, the effectiveness of sleep hygiene education is not fully supported (Dietrich et al., 2016), and the role of individual characteristics that impact treatment effectiveness (i.e., executive functioning ability) has not been studied. The present study will examine the role of executive functioning in sleep quality and sleep hygiene, which may highlight the need for executive functioning supports within sleep educational programs. Executive functioning allows individuals to engage in health-promoting behaviors (Hall & Marteau, 2014), though limited research is available on its contribution to sleep-specific health behaviors. Given that executive functioning deficits (Sheehan & Iarocci 2019) and sleep problems (Hayley et al., 2017) independently predict lower academic achievement, it is crucial to understand the relationship among these three factors to better understand how to support college students and promote academic success
THE CONTEMPORARY NOVEL AS THEOLOGY: HOW NARRATIVES OF CONVERSION EXPERIENCE IN LITERATURE EXPOSE THE REALITY OF LIVED BELIEF
Get PDFTo think of the human life as a walking, talking, living and breathing poem radically changes the way we view our day-to-day experiences. A strong tie exists between the written word and the human aesthetic experience, especially concerning religion, a tie that has existed since literature’s inception. Many great philosophers, psychologists, historians, and theologians alike have attempted to grasp what truly composes a religious experience and what gives these experiences meaning. Herein lies the dilemma: religious experience escapes concrete explanation, yet is felt and expressed by every person, albeit in an array of different ways. Religious experience is beyond the capacities of language, yet it requires language to be discovered. Literature, however, bridges the existing gaps by diving deep into human souls and bringing the inexpressible to the surface. This power is most evident in conversion stories, from the apostle Paul to Saint Augustine, from TS Eliot to Bob Dylan and beyond. Conversion experiences, whether a slow, arduous process or a dramatic “ah-ha” moment, exemplify what it means to believe on a profound and innate level. Additionally, there is an evident connection between the conversion experience to personal trauma. The discord between what a traumatized individual experiences daily and what they believe in that moment can lead to the “ah-ha” moment of transcendence that brings religious change. In this thesis, I closely analyze the conversion stories recorded in Things Fall Apart and The Color Purple, paying special attention to trauma, to showcase literature’s ability to tackle naked truths regarding what it means to be a human in ways that theology alone falls short. I explore what exactly it is about literature that allows readers to gain a deeper understanding of the human experience of belief. I prove that the power of literature lies in its ability to bring us closer to the divine and in the examples it provides of spiritual journey. Through the stories we read and characters we encounter, we are reminded of the profound beauty and complexity of the world and of the living theology that comprises what we believe
ON THE IMPORTANCE OF TRUE PEER NORMS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF ENGLISH LEARNERS: A VALIDATION STUDY OF THE ORTIZ PICTURE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION TEST
Get PDFTraditional efforts in aiding English learners (ELs) to achieve better test performance such as modifications to the testing process or the use of native language or nonverbal tests are problematic and disregard the unique language developmental experiences of ELs (Ortiz & Wong, 2022). The Ortiz Picture Vocabulary Acquisition Test (Ortiz PVAT; Ortiz, 2018), an assessment of English receptive vocabulary, incorporates ELs’ proportion of lifetime exposure to English (LEE) in test norms to allow for true peer comparison, thus ensuring test fairness in measurement and score interpretation. The current study aimed to add to the existing validity evidence for the test and to provide support for the use of true peer norms which account for LEE when assessing ELs’ English receptive vocabulary development in an archival dataset comprising a sample of ELs from the New York City metropolitan area. Results indicate that performance on the Ortiz PVAT was not affected by gender nor home language spoken, suggesting that the Ortiz PVAT measures receptive vocabulary in English in a fair manner, irrespective of one’s gender or heritage language. LEE significantly correlated with receptive vocabulary, such that higher LEE was associated with better performance on the Ortiz PVAT. Furthermore, significant differences in standard scores based on the English Speaker (ES) norms with a medium effect size was found between the groups of EL with low or medium levels of LEE and the ES sample but not when their test performance was compared to the EL normative sample when LEE is accounted for. Lastly, an additional 18% of the variance in Ortiz PVAT raw scores was accounted for by LEE above and beyond age, and LEE was found to exert more influence on the variance in raw scores compared to age. Results from the current study provide further support for existing validity evidence for the Ortiz PVAT and contribute to the knowledge base regarding test fairness for ELs, specifically in the establishment of the importance of true peer comparison with LEE accounted for in the valid and defensible evaluation of ELs’ language abilities