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An Empirical Investigation into the Transitional Friction of Block-Based Programming Languages
No full textComputers are ubiquitous in our lives, so skilled workers are needed to create the software these devices require to operate. Computer science education, and more broadly, computational thinking are critical to sustaining innovation and economic growth. Much of the research on early computer science education focuses on block-based programming languages, a subset of visual programming languages. The intent behind block languages is to provide novices an introduction into computer science principles and programming in general, but there is a longstanding issue with learners\u27 transitional friction from block-based languages to the more professionally used text-based languages. This makes the current use of block languages predominantly narrow in scope: teaching just the basics of programming. Barring the rare exceptions of using block languages for a full course, most pedagogy utilizes block-based programming for a matter of mere weeks before transitioning to text-based languages. Students initially learning with block modalities typically learn programming fundamentals faster than those who start with text modalities, but the differences tend to level off after the block-based learners transition to text-based programs, which calls into question the benefits of starting in blocks. This transitional friction from block languages to text languages arguably hinders the educational scaffolding required to develop students into professionals, so addressing the sources of this friction is paramount to the educational process.
The first original empirical study is an investigation into the interaction of visual attributes of block-based programming languages, which could help or hinder a programmer\u27s ability to read the program\u27s code. The techniques were applied in a study of 30 professional programmers and 57 students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for a total of 87 participants across four treatment groups. In that first empirical study, we were able to quantitatively determine that colors and color categorization are beneficial for both novices and professionals. We recommend to have block-based programming environments employ a left-margin aligned programming interface with even spacing instead of an open palette. Distinct block shapes appear to be beneficial, although more testing is needed to determine what shapes make most sense. Adding the capability to have comments and line numbers would be beneficial for novices and professionals alike. This analysis lends itself to ongoing development on existing block languages to ease current learners\u27 transition from block languages to text languages.
The second original empirical study is an investigation into the features and functionality, or tools, of an integrated development environment (IDE) for a block-based language. The study particularly focuses on what an IDE needs to have available for developers to be able to perform adequately as well as what types of context-aware capabilities an IDE could have to accelerate development practices. The study consisted of 21 professional programmers and 102 students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for a total of 123 participants, all of whom were in a single group, and we analyzed their responses both together and per experience group. The results indicate that a context-aware IDE for a block-based language would be beneficial; thus, we recommend different sets of tools depending on the programming scenario. One important finding is that, regardless of scenario, developers consistently rated example code as one of the most helpful tools. We began the investigation hypothesizing that novices and professionals might have very different needs. After our survey, however, we noted far more overlap than we expected in terms of the type of information that both groups claimed were helpful. The key contribution of this research project is to investigate the initial key components of a block-based language and accompanying IDE that could scale in utilization from very young learners up through to professional programming activities. If such a language and environment existed, it might reduce the transitional friction between products that the community thought were only for children to those we presume might be only for professionals
Osteoarthritis in the Temporomandibular Joint and Knee Joint: A Macroscopic Study of Cadaver Specimens
No full textIn this study, thirty-one TMJs and twenty-eight knee joints were dissected from seventeen cadaveric subjects aged 69 to 95. Degenerative/osteoarthritic changes on the mandibular condyles, mandibular fossae, and femoral condyles were evaluated macroscopically and assigned a score on a disease severity scale (DSS) from 0 signifying “normal cartilage” to 4 signifying “severe OA”. Osteoarthritic changes were found in all TMJ and knee specimens. The average mandibular condyle DSS score was 2.68 ± 0.96, while the average mandibular fossa score was 2.90 ± 0.76; this difference in scores was significant (P = 0.035). Additionally, the mandibular fossa was equally or more severely degenerated than the mandibular condyle in 87% of the TMJ specimens. The majority of degenerative changes observed in this study were found along the lateral aspects of the TMJ components. No statistically significant correlation was found between TMJ OA severity and subject age or TMJ OA severity and subject gender.
While studies have been published comparing OA in the TMJ to OA in other joints, to the authors’ knowledge the work presented here is the first to directly compare macroscopic degenerative changes in the TMJ to those in the knee joints of the same subjects. The DSS scores of the femoral condyles were found to be statistically comparable to those of the mandibular fossa, while the mandibular condyles were found to be less degenerated than the femoral condyles (P=0.04). Previous studies have shown a weak correlation between degenerative changes in the metatarsophalangeal joints and the TMJs in the same subjects, but no significant correlation or mixed results when comparing the TMJs to the hand or sternoclavicular joints. It is therefore hypothesized that the statistically comparable degeneration found in this study in the temporomandibular and knee joints is due to their load-bearing functions
Voices of Change: Oral Histories of Ethnic Studies Leaders in Racialized Organizations
No full textThis study of implementing California Assembly Bill 1460, or mandatory Ethnic Studies (ES) in the California State University System (CSU), investigates the leadership decisions made within a set of self-governing campuses with varied institutional resources and responsibilities. This research uses an Oral History methodology, which situates personal experiences in history to illustrate how Ethnic Studies staff, faculty, and administrators navigate a racialized organization as they institutionalize a critical race curriculum and mandate within the context of individual campus histories, cultures and governances.
I reviewed the literature and documented the history of the first College of Ethnic Studies, the movement\u27s impact, challenges with sustained implementation in P-20 education, and the Ethnic Studies task force that advocated for the bill to become law. Because AB 1460 requires systemic change, I combined two organizational theories to understand these leaders\u27 navigational efforts and to create a grounded theory for this deductive study. Ray\u27s (2019) theory of Racialized Organizations (RO) calls in the assumption that Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) employees bring culture to organizations. The theory of Distributed Leadership explores the benefits and implications of collective leadership.
This research is unique in that it captures and preserves the Oral Histories of Ethnic Studies Leaders who have implemented the policy because they are connected to a longer arc of the history of the Ethnic Studies struggle. The findings contribute to an essential archive of narratives from ES leaders. They are helpful for educators, administrators, and policymakers seeking to understand how to implement an Ethnic Studies curriculum successfully
Age, Gender, and Sexual Orientation and their Effects on Online Dating Motivations
No full textOnline dating and dating apps are becoming more common as a means to meet a romantic or sexual partner (e.g. Rosenfeld, Thomas, & Hausen, 2019). Previous literature on the motivations for why people use dating apps and how they differ among participants of varying age, gender, and sexual orientation has not allowed for comparisons across these groups, or shows conflicting findings. In order to consolidate existing literature and further explore the topic, I conducted both a meta-analysis and meta-synthesis. The meta-analysis demonstrated a gender difference in the motivation of casual sex, such that men scored higher than women. The meta-synthesis showed that there was a variety of motivations for why people used dating apps, and this may be affected by dating app type and cultural values. Taken together, these findings show a need for more rigorous statistical reporting standards and a possible revisitation of popular scales used for dating app motivations
Understanding the Role of First Year Experience Courses in the Persistence, Retention, and Completion of Latinx HSI Community College Students
No full textThe purpose of this single phenomenological case study was to examine the importance of an FYE or College 101 seminar and why this topic matters to Latinx students’ success. The research took place in a two-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) located in the Southwest part of the United States. The overarching question was: How can First-Year Experiences (FYEs) or college seminars bridge the gap of retention, persistence, servingness and completion for Latinx students in higher education?
A total of 18 Latinx students were interviewed and provided valuable information about their experiences to assert the study findings. Four major themes were created from analyzing the interview transcripts: 1) cognitive factors, 2) social factors, 3) institutional factors, 4) FYE course content and lack of servingness. The findings supported the challenges of Latinx students to fit in a college environment and comply family expectations. The majority of the participants were first generation. Many of them expressed mental health as a major struggle to cope with the demands of school and at home responsibilities. In general terms participants expressed their main struggles with navigational skills, time management skills, sense of belonging, social capital, financial struggles, immigration status, balancing school with work, and student services. The findings also support the lack of curriculum and instruction to serve their needs with a racial/ethnic cultural enhancement perspective.
Another part of the findings reveals that the FYEs may be an important point of intervention to the transition of Latinx college students. Latinx students were exposed to services that assisted them in their academic journey. In addition, the FYE provided the basic skills of college preparedness and navigational skills
Dynamical Studies of Misaligned Circumbinary Disks
No full textBinary stars are common outcomes of the star formation process, with nearly half of Sun-like stars forming as part of a binary pair. The presence of a second star adds additional complexity and dynamical effects to the planet formation process in the surrounding circumbinary disk. In this work, I investigate the behavior of a circumbinary disk using hydrodynamic modeling, specifically in the case where the disk is misaligned to the binary orbital plane. Around eccentric binaries, highly inclined disks can align themselves perpendicular to the binary orbital plane. These polar disks\u27\u27 can produce vortices and spiral arms when the disk viscosity is low. These vortices may accelerate the formation of polar-aligned circumbinary planets. Precession induced from the binary can distort the disk and cause it to warp in three-dimensional space. I examine the behavior of disk warping around a central binary using both analytic and numerical methods, deriving a new criterion for disk breaking. These criteria show consistency with both simulations and observed disks
Excavating the Archives: A Re-analysis of Artifacts Recovered from Catclaw Cave
No full textThe purpose of this thesis research is to a) promote collaboration between archaeologists, federal agencies, and repositories, through museum-based archaeology, b) bring attention to an under-researched region of the Southwest, c) understand the use of Catclaw Cave, d) understand Patayan culture and use of the Lower Colorado River Valley, and e) identify potential trade networks between inhabitants of the Lower Colorado River Valley and other communities in the Southwest. This thesis, which focuses on habitation and lifeways prior to contact with Europeans, is guided by the hypothesis that the Colorado River served as a major trade route for people living in the Southwest. Most re-analysis methods used during this project were non-destructive. They focused on the styles, constructions, or types of ceramic, lithic, faunal, and floral artifacts recovered from Catclaw Cave in order to compare them to other sites in the region
Adverse Childhood Experiences: Why Trafficking Victims End Up Running Away, Getting in Trouble, and Being Homeless
No full textSex trafficking of youth is something that requires people to think deeper as to how they ended up trading sex in the first place. Literature has shown that within adverse childhood experiences, abuse plays a significant factor. There are many types of abuse and a variety of harmful effects it can have on a child that is not only limited to physical and mental health but also to how they grow up and live in the world. Using the life course theory, this current study wanted to apply the concepts to explain how specific adverse childhood experiences in the form of abuse generally, but also specifically with emotional abuse, can have detrimental effects on a child and continue to harm them in adulthood. The current study used secondary data collected from a sample of people who have been sex trafficked to observe how their life experiences of abuse (generally), emotional abuse, and other adverse childhood experiences, along with potential racial/ethnic influences, have a possible relationship as predictors of negative outcomes by running away, homelessness, and juvenile justice engagement that includes being arrested, held in juvenile detention, and adjudicated as a delinquent. Findings confirmed that emotional abuse was significant in increasing the likelihood of those negative life outcomes. Additional findings, limitations, and implications are discussed
Preservice Teachers\u27 PK-12 Educational Field Trip Experiences: Teaching Beyond the Classroom
No full textThe purpose of the study was to investigate preservice teachers’ (PSTs) attitudes and beliefs towards their PK-12 field trip (FT) experiences as students, their memories, influences in their lives, impact on their educational approaches and career choices, as well as how, as future teachers, they would implement FTs to their future students to provide feedback on FTs’ training for preparation programs. Rationale: Anderson et al. (2010) criticized teacher preparation programs’ lack of teacher training to implement educational FTs and contended that instructors’ FTs experiences as students may have influenced the way they plan and carry out educational FTs. John Dewey’s Theory of Art as experience (1934/1959), and Experience and education (1938/2015) supported the theoretical framework for this study. In Chapter Two, the literature reviewed Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) Ecological Model among others and looked at the gap in the literature on three domains: (1) educational FTs, (2) teachers’ attitudes and beliefs, and (3) the multicultural platform and found very difficult to find research addressing multicultural field trips, inclusion, social justice, and diversity just to mention some, as well as in all these three domains. In Chapter Three, the survey methods approach in this study design allowed data gathering from those who share teacher program similarities (Fraenkel & Wallen, 2015). It included twelve (12) Likert scale questions and four (4) open-ended questions. For this study, the fossae were on PSTs and the five (5) research questions on their experience with educational FTs as students, their beliefs and attitudes, their concerns about planning FTs for their future students, the impact FTs had in their lives, studies, philosophy, and careers. After the research proposal was approved, IRB approval was also granted as an exempt study for all participants who were over eighteen (18) and took the survey online following all required protocols. Data gathering started in January 2023 and ended in December 2023. Chapter Four is dedicated to the results of this cross-sectional quantitative survey approach drawing data from 130 PSTs from the Teaching and Learning (T&L) Subject Pool in a large urban research university in the U.S. Southwest. PSTs enrolled in research courses qualified for one (1) research credit in exchange for completing a Qualtrics survey accessed directly from the subject pool. After data was gathered and cleaned, I used JASP descriptive statistics, correlations, and an ANOVA to provide the results. Inductive coding (Thomas, 2006) thematically categorized the four (4) open-ended questions, looking also at chunks of information, allowing for word frequency mapping, and sentiment results related to the RQs. The findings were analyzed in Chapter Five. Among the findings, this study revealed PST\u27s demand to plan and implement FTs for their future students but most of them, don’t are prepared and want to have training to plan, manage, and organize effectively in their future classes. Findings (RQ 1) indicated teachers experience long-term impact from FTs, evidence of gender-specific awareness, and influence on their educational philosophy. FTs’ influence on career decision-making. For RQ 2 (benefits), results point to four specific areas concerning FTs. First, the positive impact on coursework concepts. Second, FTs provide valuable learning space for social communication. Third, FTs provide a valuable learning space for real-world connections. Lastly, FTs provided a valuable learning space for discussions and debates
The Effects of Torso-Borne Loads on Functional Movement Patterns
No full textInternational Journal of Exercise Science 17(7): 975-984, 2024. Functional movement patterns are an important aspect of everyday life, and a growing area of interest for determining the risk of injury and performance ability. Police, military, and fire personnel often carry torso-borne loads that increase the demands on the body while performing occupational tasks. The purpose of this study was to compare movement screen results in both a loaded and unloaded condition to identify potential effects that torso-borne body armor load carriage may have on tactical performance. This provided objective data on the effects that external loads may have on functional movement patterns. Twenty-four physically active participants (11 males, 13 females) volunteered and completed the Fusionetics™ Movement Efficiency Test (FMET) in two conditions: loaded (wearing a 13.5 kg tactical vest) and unloaded, in a counterbalanced order. Participants were video recorded performing these movements and scored later. The overall scores, on a scale of 0 to 100, showed a large, statistically significant decline in functional movement pattern quality from the unloaded to the loaded condition (12.6±7.3 points, p\u3c.001, d=1.8). In the subscales, statistically significant declines (p\u3c.001) were seen in the 2-leg squat (d=0.8), push-ups (d=1.1), shoulder movements (d=2.1), and trunk movements (d=0.9). There was no significant effect of load on the cervical movements or 1-leg squat. Overall, torso-borne body armor loading decreased functional movement pattern quality, suggesting the potential benefit of performing loaded movement screens on tactical athletes