OAsis: UNLV's Repository for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity
Not a member yet
24968 research outputs found
Sort by
\u27We Owe, You Know, the World Our Perfection\u27: How the Neurodiversity Paradigm Informs Autistic Women\u27s Self-Perceptions
No full textThis qualitative, phenomenological study examines how autistic women characterize and interpret their experiences, beliefs, and self-perceptions within the framework of the neurodiversity paradigm. Guided by a social constructivist epistemology, this study explores the complex intersections between autistic women’s experiences of diagnostic processes, gendered socialization, and identity formation in autistic women. Through semi-structured interviews with ten autistic women, themes emerged around gender differences between autistic men and women, external versus internal self-perception, diagnostic age and self-perception, sensory overload and its consequences, and the journey from feeling othered to finding one’s place socially. Findings suggest that delayed diagnosis and persistent societal pressures to conform to normative feminine roles significantly distorted self-perception and hinder authentic self-concept development. However, exposure to neurodiversity-affirming discourses—including stimming destigmatization, the use of identity-first language, and the reconceptualization of autism as a strength—has the potential to radically reshape autistic women’s internal narratives. Participants who engaged with neurodiversity frameworks described increased self-compassion, existential clarity, and a reclaimed sense of personal empowerment. This study addresses critical gaps in the literature by amplifying underrepresented voices and synthesizing three previously siloed domains: autistic self-perception, neurodiversity orientation, and women’s gendered experiences of autism. Ultimately, these findings highlight a need for more aware diagnostic practices, increased autistic representation in practitioner roles, and the widespread adoption of neurodiversity-affirming frameworks to support the flourishing of autistic women
Elevating Education: Leveling Up Individual Learning Plans
No full textThis three-article dissertation investigated the effectiveness, implementation quality, and automation of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in promoting college and career readiness. Article 1 analyzed High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 data and found that ILPs did not significantly guide course alignment. Article 2 examined ILP implementation across Nevada high schools, revealing inconsistent quality, limited standardization, and few culturally responsive practices. These findings informed the creation of a new high-quality ILP framework. Article 3 employed a convergent parallel mixed methods design to assess an automated ILP prototype based on this framework. Participants in the automated group reported significantly higher scores in engagement, user experience, and cultural relevance. Thematic and sentiment analyses supported these results, with participants expressing greater confidence, clarity, and motivation. This dissertation expanded the ILP literature by identifying key gaps, creating a new framework, and introducing automation as a scalable, equitable solution for improving implementation
The Cultural Politics of Women\u27s Equality in Victorian England: The Cases of Caroline Norton, Annie Besant, and Clementina Black
No full textThis thesis explores the lives of three Victorian women – Caroline Norton, Annie Besant, and Clementina Black – and their campaigns to improve the status of women in the Victorian Era. Each engaged in the condition of women debate writing in distinctive genres- letter writing, social and political commentary and fiction, respectively. In an era of rising literacy, these middle and upper-class women used the power of the pen to shape how Victorians understood the Woman Question. The first chapter shares Norton’s fight to challenge principles of coverture. Using her writing to reach her high connections, she set the stage for campaigns in support of equal divorce laws and the Married Women’s Property Acts. My next case study follows Besant’s campaigns to allow women to control their own bodies in England and India. Besant faced frequent legal prosecution for publishing pamphlets and works using population theories and birth control. She then turned her attention to women in India, oppressed by the colonial laws held by the British Raj. Finally, this thesis ends with the fight of Clementina Black, who advocated in her writings the benefits of socialism by highlighting the abuses, mistreatments and pay of women in the workplace. Her fiction mirrored depictions of conditions for women in Victorian England and resulted in the expansion of trade unions for women workers. This case study approach considers the lives, campaigns and writing strategies of these three very different women in order to show how changes to women\u27s role in marriage, control over their bodies and status in the workplace took place in the arena of an emergent extra-parliamentary political culture. These campaigns were spearheaded by the women who had the most to lose in an industrial capitalist system that made gender inequality a central feature of Victorian ideology and values
Clinical Benefit Analysis of Modified Motion Management Protocols
No full textRadiation therapy is crucial for treating cancer, using ionizing radiation to target and destroy cancer cells. This radiation is produced by machines like linear accelerators or through natural radioactive decay. Radiation therapy treatment planning involves prescribing doses and contouring target areas. However, managing tumors that move with breathing, such as in the lungs, remains a major challenge. Tumor motion exceeding 5 mm, as outlined in the AAPM’s Task Group 76, can compromise treatment accuracy, risking underdosing the tumor and overdosing healthy tissue. This issue is especially critical in high dose treatments like stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT). TG-76 provides different motion management which include passive methods like 4-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT) imaging and internal target volume (ITV) contouring, which account for tumor motion during planning. Active techniques that directly restrict motion using methods like abdominal compression, breath-hold, or respiratory gating are also outlined in this report. At Utah Valley Hospital, passive methods such as 4DCT and ITV contouring are standard, alongside compression. This project will explore whether Utah Valley Hospital’s current motion management approach is enough to maintain tumor motion within the 5 mm threshold recommended by TG-76. By assessing current practices and exploring potential improvements, technology, and techniques, this project will aim to determine if investing in additional techniques could enhance clinical outcomes
Kealaikahiki by Michael-Thomas Foumai: A Transcription for Wind Orchestra with Accompanying Historical Context, Cultural Significance, and a Discussion of the Transcription Process
No full textThis document includes a transcription of the three movements of Michael-Thomas Foumai’s suite for orchestra, Kealaikahiki. An overview of the historical context of the work; including biographical information about the composer, and the history surrounding the inspiration of the work is included. A detailed explanation of the techniques used in transcribing the work for wind orchestra is also included
New Teachers’ Mentoring Expectations and Experiences: A Qualitative Multiple Case Study
No full textThe purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how the expectations of new teachers, about their mentoring program and their mentoring experiences can be used to improve the structural design and procedures of mentoring programs to better support new teachers. Socio-historical and sociocultural theories were used to guide the study and purposive sampling strategy was used to recruit five participants who were in the first years of teaching. Based on a rich set of data sources which included a pre-interview and a post- interview, the findings revealed that despite the existence of mentoring programs in the participants’ schools, they still experienced challenges. These challenges were in relation to classroom management, working in an autonomous atmosphere, and overall lack of formal structure. Many of these challenges were expected, and meeting these challenges was needed as best efforts for new teachers to grow and improve. Results suggested a need to improve the structural design and procedures of mentoring programs used to induct new teachers in their placement school. The findings presented practical, policy, and theoretical implications
Advanced Literacies in the 21st Century: Examining A Narrative-Based Video Game as A Stealth Assessment for Comprehension
No full textIn our technology-rich 21st Century, the need for valid, reliable, and fair literacy assessments remains pertinent to the field of education. This study defines literacy as advanced literacy where comprehension is considered a holistic product of applying acquired knowledge, skills, or abilities (KSA) to contextualized situations. Conventional assessment methods have traditionally parceled out the construct into its component parts (i.e., vocabulary, phonics, fluency, etc.) as a means of understanding the meaning making process from a traditional literacy perspective. Stealth assessments utilize the Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) framework as a robust method for assessing complex constructs holistically within technology rich environments. Adapting from Shute’s (2011) stealth assessment design, this study operationalized video game behaviors as psychometrically sound measures of comprehension skills by employing McCreery’s et al. (2019) Behavioral Assessment Matrix (BAM).The Behavioral Assessment Matrix for Comprehension (BAM-COMP) was developed to systematically code operationally defined game-play behaviors that could be linked to comprehension. Rounds of expert scrutiny identified eight observable game-play behaviors that demonstrated high inter-observer agreement and acceptable internal consistency, confirming reliability of the instrument. Convergent validity for the BAM-COMP was established through small positive correlations with the well-established external literacy assessment The Woodcock- Johnson IV Tests of Achievement: Reading Cluster (WJ-IV: ACH Reading Cluster). T-tests showed that were significant differences in scores between the two instruments, indicating that practical applications of KSA may be distinctly different than rote knowledge for test taking procedures. Concurrent validity was established through multiple regression analyses by regressing the WJ-IV: ACH Reading Cluster onto the BAM-COMP subscales. The results indicated that the BAM-COMP was a valid measure of comprehension by accounting for 11% of the variance in scores on the WJ-IV: ACH Reading Cluster. Additional regression analyses were conducted by regressing the WJ-IV: ACH subscales Passage Comprehension and Reading Recall onto the BAM-COMP subscales. Results showed that both BAM-COMP subscales were significant predictors of comprehension scores on the WJ-IV: ACH Passage Comprehension subscale and the Reading Cluster omnibus scale, further confirming concurrent validity of the BAM-COMP instrument. BAM-COMP was not a significant predictor of the WJ-IV: ACH Reading Recall subscale. Such results emphasize the importance of how participants may apply comprehension skills within context, and the impact such applications may have on advanced literacies and learning. Fairness of the BAM-COMP was established through four separate two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) examining gaming habits, gender, and reading habits. Results indicated a significant difference in scores on the BAM-COMP for participants with higher reported gaming habits than those with lower reported gaming habits. Pairwise comparisons showed that a distinct threshold of gaming every day may impact scores on the stealth assessment. These results emphasize the BAM-COMP’s potential to fairly and accurately assess comprehension as an experiential behavior regardless of prior reading knowledge or abilities. Taken in aggregate, the results of the study provide empirical evidence that the BAM- COMP can be considered a valid, reliable, and fair assessment of comprehension as a holistic construct. Further, the results offer valuable insight into the nature of comprehension skills as a contextualized experience, and the impact of how applying such skills situationally differs both inter and intra-individually. As such, this study underscores the need for psychometrically sound performance-based assessment models within the field of education
Enhancing Revenue Streams in Hospitality: The Role of AI Chatbots in Cross-Selling Services and Amenities
No full textIn the rapidly evolving landscape of the hospitality industry, guest profitability stands as a cornerstone for sustainable success. As hotels strive to enhance the guest experience, understanding the intricate interplay between communication strategies and guest spend becomes paramount. This research utilized a mixed-methods approach, to explore the nuanced relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot communication and guests behavioral cross-selling intention. The study conducted semi-structured interviews with Hotel and AI Leaders to understand technology integration and applications in hotels and for cross-selling use cases. Choice-based conjoint analysis was simultaneously used to survey participants on willingness-to-pay (WTP) for hotel services offered via AI chatbot communications. This model empowers hotel leadership with the knowledge to adapt AI chatbot communication strategies in order to maximize profitability of their operations. By extending the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003) this study looks to further unravel the intricate dynamics of revenue optimization in the context of AI powered text message interactions within the hospitality industry. The study thoroughly examined the advantages and disadvantages of cross-selling hotel goods and services through AI chatbots, including the types of products that could be effectively cross-sold, the key motivators and challenges of implementing this technology, and its impact on the guest experience. Additional qualitative findings were considered to provide deeper nuanced insights. The study also explored how AI chatbot message attributes influenced guests\u27 WTP. The role of demographics for both interview and survey participants was carefully analyzed to identify key trends and patterns. The study concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of these findings, reviewing limitations, and discussing recommendations for future research in this topic area
In Their Voices: An Exploration of the Experiences of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander Students in Special Education
No full textNative Hawaiians and Pacific Islander (NHPI) groups remain the most underrepresented children in special education, jeopardizing their access to essential academic support. NHPI groups are among the fastest-growing populations in the United States, and these increasing numbers will impact schools and special education specifically. However, there is minimal data on NHPI children in special education. This is problematic, as special educators are responsible for providing appropriate, accessible, and equitable educational opportunities to support their academic journey and to ensure NHPIs’ contributions to the economic growth of the U.S. To better understand the nuances of NHPI cultures, this qualitative exploratory multiple case study examined the schooling experiences of NHPI children in special education. The study included three male secondary students identified with a specific learning disability enrolled in an urban school district. The participants shared their experiences in the resource classroom setting and offered educators advice on teaching and learning with them. The findings indicate that the cultures among Pacific Islanders are unique and diverse and should be interpreted as such. Further research is recommended to identify more NHPI cultures to inform schools and educate policymakers on their varied educational needs
El, A Navigational Assistant Based Upon Echolocation
No full textThis thesis investigates the integration of a parametric speaker with a microphone array to enhance the echolocation of objects. A parametric speaker focuses ultrasonic and audible waves in a specified direction. This endows the parametric speaker with the capacity to focus waves across a wide frequency spectrum enabling adaptation of the frequency to environmental considerations.Beam forming allows one to focus a microphone array in a specified direction. The thesis investigates different microphone array configurations for the purpose of enhancing the echolocation ability of an echolocation device. The primary goal of the thesis is the construction and testing of an echolocation device that uses a parametric speaker and a microphone array. The thesis describes construction parameters as well as potential improvements. Alongside the physical device are algorithms that interpret an echo’s signature that the microphone array captures. The thesis describes the algorithms that it employs. Testing includes measurement of the outgoing beam width, echolocation of a single object within the outgoing beam, and echolocation of multiple objects within the beam. Results indicate successes and failures of the device and associated algorithms. The failures point to improvements for further research