University at Albany, State University of New York
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Connecting Research to Policy and Practice: A Case Study of a White Paper Collection in an Institutional Repository
Get PDFThe Transition From Topic-Prominence To Subject-Prominence In Chinese Learners’ Acquisition Of English As A Foreign Language
Get PDFABSTRACT The present study investigates the transition from topic-prominence (TP) to subject-prominence (SP) in Chinese EFL learners’ acquisition of English syntactic structures. Chinese and English are categorized as typologically different languages, Chinese being a topic-prominent language and English being a subject-prominent language. Previous research suggests that Chinese EFL learners’ English syntactic production is characterized with Chinese TP features, which constitute a major source of production errors, and that these features tend to decrease while the English SP features increase as learners’ proficiency levels go up. However, the questions of how these TP features develop in the acquisition process and what factors might influence their developmental process remain under-researched. The present study addresses the research gaps by employing the mixed methods that involve a cross-sectional study which compares the performances of a pre-intermediate group and an advanced group, a longitudinal study which examines performances of the pre-intermediate level learners throughout one academic year, and individual interviews with longitudinal group participants. The study addresses the developmental process with the socio-cognitive approach to communication and second language acquisition and employs the noticing hypothesis as a theoretical framework to explore the factors that influence the transition. Findings of the study show that there is a general descending trend of the TP-SP transition, and that the various TP features exhibit different developmental paths. Factors that affect the transitional process include awareness and motivation, frequency of exposure, instructional strategies and task demands, perceptual salience, and skill level. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of Chinese EFL learners’ acquisition of English syntactic structures and the improvement of EFL curriculum and instruction in Chinese universities
Understanding the short-term and long-term academic outcomes of college students displaced by natural disasters: a statistical case study
Get PDFThis study seeks to understand the effectiveness of impact mitigation strategies developed to assist college students displaced by institutional closure following a natural disaster. A case-study approach focuses on a subset of students displaced by Hurricane Katrina, who enrolled at Syracuse University for the Fall 2005 semester. The study found that Katrina students who availed themselves of this opportunity resided in zip codes with relatively high household incomes when compared to non-Katrina transfer students and therefore were likely to be from households of higher socioeconomic status. The study also found that there was no international student representation in the sample of students who transferred to Syracuse University as Katrina students; and that Katrina students engaged in study abroad experiences at higher rates than their non-Katrina counterparts. Overall, the study found no significant difference in academic outcomes for Katrina transfer students when compared to non-Katrina transfer students. This finding suggests that tuition waiver strategies are effective at mitigating the negative impacts of natural disasters on academic outcomes. The study did find that Katrina students seem to progress toward degree completion at faster rates than their non-Katrina counterparts, which is consistent with them having a higher socioeconomic status. The study highlights the importance of what was not found in the data. In particular, disadvantaged and international students, who are considered to be relatively more vulnerable to natural disasters, seem to not be able to engage in tuition waiver opportunities offered to displaced students as evidenced by their lack of representation in the data. Tuition waiver strategies are therefore effective at mitigating the impact of natural disasters on academic outcomes only for a subset of displaced students
Evaluating effects of teleconsultation on knowledge and implementation of self-monitoring with students with autism spectrum disorder
Get PDFThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teleconsultation on knowledge and implementation of self-monitoring interventions with students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in a general education classroom setting. Participants were special education teachers employed at a public elementary school in the Capital Region of New York State, who work with at least 1 student with a disability classification of Autism. It was hypothesized that participants’ knowledge of self-monitoring interventions with students with ASD would increase following participation in a virtual in-service training, and that participants would report greater implementation of self-monitoring interventions with their elementary-age students with ASD after receiving virtual follow-up consultation. The study found that participants’ knowledge of self-monitoring interventions with students with ASD increased following their participation in a virtual in-service training. Additionally, participants reported greater implementation of self-monitoring interventions after virtual follow-up consultation
Black Boys’ Experiences Navigating Middle School English Language Arts: A Multiple Case Study Of Youths’ Dynamic Literacies
Get PDFSince 1980, there has been an increase in the achievement gap, which adversely impacts Black boys academically, behaviorally, and attitudinally. This educational problem is partly due to the deficit lens United States schools use to position Black boys and their literacy practices, further contributing to the “education debt” (Ladson-Billings, 2006, p. 5) and perpetuating inequities. Black boys’ literacy experiences in the K-12, particularly in sixth grade, a transitional year between elementary and middle school, have been under-researched. I conducted a four-month multiple case study to investigate the literacy-related experiences of three sixth-grade Black boys under the instruction of a Black male teacher. Data sources included 12 audio-recorded and transcribed semi-structured interviews, ongoing ethnographic interviews, 12 classroom observations, and classroom artifacts (e.g., lesson plans and assignments). I maintained a researcher’s journal to minimize bias given my emic positionality as a teacher in the school and a colleague of the teacher participant.Using constant comparative analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967), I conducted open, axial, and selective coding. Six major findings emerged: 1) The teacher prioritized developing positive, productive, and meaningful relationships with his Black boys by relating to their experiences, meeting them where they were, and being responsive to their needs. 2) He then utilized sophisticated discussion protocols and established clear routines that gave the Black boys access to literacy learning. He differentiated and scaffolded instruction by embedding opportunities for the boys to work collaboratively with their peers. 3) Deep reflection on his identity as a Black man and teacher, including his experiences and practices, contributed to the teacher’s instructional philosophy rooted in his conviction. 4) These instructional practices and approaches were grounded in a sophisticated understanding of the boys’ literacies, which drew on not only school-based assessments but also student engagement, experiences, and class involvement. 5) The Black boys’ grades provided only one view of literacy learning, reflecting their understanding of the content at particular moments. Other data sources showed the boys actively participated in their learning, self-assessing, seeking assistance, revising writings, and utilizing resources to succeed. 6) Outside school, they engaged in sophisticated literacy practices that entertained, communicated, built knowledge, and supported their language development. These practices appeared historically under-recognized and unleveraged in school-based literacy learning. Findings suggest that the role of the teacher is critically important in improving the experiences of Black boys in school. Teachers must improve their capacity to develop cooperative communities and use sophisticated instructional practices to engage Black boys in schools, actively drawing on their literacy practices. District and school leaders must foster and deepen discussions about race, equity, and inclusion among staff through meaningful professional development opportunities. Keywords: Black Boys, African American teacher, literacy learning, student outcomes, resource theories, culturally relevant, culturally sustaining, culturally responsiv
Connecting Nothing With Nothing: Tracing Fugitive Subjectivity In Modernist Monologues
Get PDFThis dissertation approaches metaphysical isolation and the delineation of the subjective self in Ford Madox Ford’s The Good Soldier, T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and Samuel Beckett’s Molloy and The Unnamable. Each monologue, whether in novels or poetry, discussed herein illustrates a process of isolating, of bracketing, losing the world in order to regain it, erasing the self in order to find it. To address these renditions of subjectivity, they are considered in relation to T.S. Eliot’s concept of Impersonality, as well as Existential and Phenomenological models of the subject
Association of prenatal exposure to air pollutants with select birth defects using the case-cohort approach
Get PDFBackground: Annually, 3-5% of infants are born with birth defects in the United States. In New York State (NYS), air pollution, specifically ozone (O3) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), is detectable at levels that affect human health. Air pollution is associated with poor birth outcomes and contains components that are suspected to cause oxidative stress, which is one mechanism by which birth defects are formed.Methods: This study investigated the relationship between the development of select birth defects (oral clefts, craniosynostosis, and clubfoot) in singleton live births in NYS between 2002 and 2015 and weekly peak and average concentrations of O3 and PM2.5 at the mother’s residence using modeled air pollution data and single-pollutant distributed lag logistic models. The second analysis incorporated green space at various buffers using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). The third analysis explored multi-pollutant models. Results: O3 most greatly affected risk of clubfoot around conception in the single- and multi-pollutant models. PM2.5 most greatly affected risk of clubfoot around weeks 3, 8, and 12 of pregnancy in the single- and multi-pollutant models. O3 most greatly affected risk of cleft lip with or without cleft palate around conception in the single- and multi-pollutant models. PM2.5 most greatly affected risk of cleft lip with or without cleft palate just after conception in the single-pollutant model and week 12 of pregnancy in the multi-pollutant model. O3 most greatly affected risk of cleft palate around conception in the single- and multi-pollutant models. PM2.5 most greatly affected risk of cleft palate in month 2 of pregnancy in the single- and multi-pollutant models. Including green space slightly altered the effect of O3. O3 most greatly affected risk of craniosynostosis around weeks 7-8 of pregnancy in the single- and multi-pollutant models. PM2.5 most greatly affected risk of cleft palate around conception in the single- and multi-pollutant models. Green space slightly altered the effect of PM2.5. Conclusion: O3 and PM2.5 affected the risk of all birth defects evaluated. In multi-pollutant models, these effects were altered for clubfoot, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and craniosynostosis. Including green space altered these effects for cleft palate
Enhancing the impact of infrared satellite observations on data assimilation through aerosol-aware framework
Get PDFAerosol radiative effects, both direct and indirect, have been extensively studied in climate projection and numerical weather prediction. However, the aerosol impacts on radiance in the context of data assimilation (DA) have received less research attention. In modern DA systems, thermal infrared (IR) radiance observations have been extensively assimilated since the mid-1990s. Prior studies have shown pronounced reduction of brightness temperature (BT) at the IR window region due to the presence of aerosols. Despite its effects on IR radiance, aerosol information is not considered in most DA systems.Without considering the aerosol impacts on radiance, the representation errors arise from the inconsistent aerosol representations among the numerical model, radiance simulations, and observations, especially over aerosol-laden regions. To constrain the effects of aerosols in DA systems, a common approach is to reject the observations with aerosol contamination. Alternatively, this dissertation introduces an aerosol-aware framework to assimilate aerosol-affected (i.e., hazy-sky) IR observations, so-called hazy-sky IR radiance DA. It extends the current assimilated dataset (clear-sky only) to include the hazy-sky observations instead of rejecting them. The overarching goal of this PhD research is to advance IR radiance DA by enhancing the use of hazy-sky observations. To accomplish it, two phases were conducted in this dissertation. First, the aerosol impacts on the radiance simulation and the analysis from the clear-sky framework were investigated. Second, an aerosol-aware framework including the observation processing and error characterization for hazy-sky IR observations was developed. Overall, dust aerosols result in the strongest cooling effects of BTs during IR window region compared to other aerosol types. Warmer first-guess departures were produced due to the cooler BTs and then assimilated. Consequently, the hazy-sky IR radiance DA provides warmer analyzed temperatures at surface and lower atmosphere. It also induces displacement to horizontal wind over the Tropic. In synoptic scale, it shows neutral results compared to baseline. Promisingly, it shows a better agreement with sea surface temperature measurements during episodic dust transport given a limited amount of assimilated hazy-sky IR data. Future work is needed to further enhance the quality control and the bias correction of the aerosol-aware framework
Bookending The Germ Cell To Maternal Transition: Dynamics Of Gene Regulation In Drosophila Oogenesis
Get PDFThroughout the process of oogenesis, spanning from flies to humans, germ cells undergo a remarkable transformation, transitioning from a mitotic to a meiotic cell cycle. This intricate journey involves highly specialized cellular processes and culminates in the establishment of a maternal contribution, which plays a crucial role in promoting proper embryogenesis. Despite the significance of these transitions, their regulatory mechanisms have remained largely elusive, until now
Three Essays In Health Economics
Get PDFThis dissertation undertakes a comprehensive examination of some market characteristics of the Medicare Part D program and their subsequent effects on the welfare of Medicare beneficiaries. Additionally, it delves into the realm of health behavior, with a specific focus on sleep patterns and their associated outcomes. This dual focus provides a holistic understanding of both the economic and behavioral aspects influencing the health and well-being of individuals