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The Linguistic Nature of ESL/EFL Reading Textbooks: A Corpus Analysis
No full textThe purpose of this dissertation is to investigate linguistic variation within ESL/EFL reading textbooks and between EAP reading textbooks and lower-division university textbooks. Specifically, within ESL/EFL reading textbooks, lexical, lexico-grammatical, and formulaic variation was measured within series of textbooks, across textbooks at the same proficiency level, across the various proficiency levels, and across text types. The research of this study was based on a corpus of 563 ESL/EFL reading textbook passages representing five complete series and five proficiency levels. Additionally, a subcorpus containing high-level ESL/EFL reading textbooks represented EAP reading textbooks, which was compared to a corpus representing university textbooks used in the first two years of university containing text excerpts from a variety of disciplines. To assess lexical variation, I calculated the normed number of word types per textbook, high frequency vocabulary coverage, and general academic vocabulary coverage. An additional keyword analysis was conducted to identify salient semantic themes. The lexico-grammatical analysis consisted of mapping the corpora onto the first three dimensions from Biber’s (2006) lexico-grammatical study of university language. Formulaic variation was assessed by identifying lexical bundles and comparing structural and functional distributions across levels. I found that in most cases, textbooks series did not have complete incremental progression, meaning textbooks did not become more linguistically from book to book within a series although there was generally progression from the lowest to the highest textbook. Additionally, intra-level inconsistency was observed as books of the same level varied linguistically. An interaction effect was observed between textbook publisher and proficiency level as it appeared that each publisher adhered to a different standard for leveling books. Text type was also found to be an important factor, which interacted with proficiency level. That is, informational texts tended to be more linguistically challenging than non-informational texts, and informational texts progressed across proficiency levels whereas non-informational texts tended to be more linguistically homogeneous and displayed less variation across levels. Moreover, considerable linguistic gaps were observed between EAP reading textbooks and lower-division university textbooks with EAP reading textbooks being less linguistically complex. These findings can be used to inform educators in their textbook selection process as they strive to match learners with appropriate texts. Furthermore, materials designers can use the findings to inform future textbook iterations
An officer’s perspective: law enforcement and implicit bias training
No full textAs the twenty-first century has shown, more specifically, the year 2020, structural racism has been and continues to be deeply embedded in the United States and its various institutions of power. Implicit bias has come to be found as one of the various factors that enables structural racism throughout the United States to continue, especially within the institution of policing. In order to help combat the effects of implicit bias in law enforcement officers, implicit bias trainings were developed. Implicit bias trainings are often “presented as an effective, research-based strategy for guiding people to encounter, reflect on, and ultimately shift their own potential for biased action” (Jackson 2018:47). Although implicit bias trainings have been and continue to be implemented within most police departments across the country, little is known about how law enforcement officers understand, perceive, or interact with them, nor do researchers know law enforcement officers’ personal opinions and attitudes towards them. This research project allowed me to explore the question: how are implicit bias trainings perceived by one precinct of California law enforcement officers? Through an analysis of ten in-depth interviews with California law enforcement officers, I found two main themes. The first was the importance of community. The second was a deeper look into the impact of law enforcement officer training and education. Based on these themes and the sub-themes within them, it seems that implicit bias awareness is still in its infancy at this point in time in the United States and more research is needed to establish its efficacy in dismantling structural racism
Is exercise-induced redox signaling affected by aging?
Get PDFRedox signaling dysfunction is a key characteristic of aging cells and tissues and has wide ranging cellular and physiological effects. Exercise is one of the best tools available to promote healthy aging and reduce disease burden, however some evidence suggests exercise is not as effective in older populations. This is likely driven by redox signaling dysfunction because of the critical involvement of redox signaling mechanisms in exercise adaptations. In this work, I have used several studies in humans and mice with multiple methods to elucidate the mechanisms of Nrf2-mediated redox stress response to exercise and the effects of aging on this response. I demonstrate that exercise induced Nrf2 activation is impaired in older compared to younger adults, and that exercise training only partially reverses these effects. Redox stress responses to a non-exercise stressor, a forearm ischemia-reperfusion challenge, is not different between ages, but exercise training does improve the response compared to controls in humans. Finally, acute contractile stimulation of skeletal muscle increases Nrf2 signaling within the muscle, and high intensity stimulation activates Nrf2 in contralateral unstimulated muscle, but low intensity stimulation does not. These effects appear to occur through inhibiting the negative regulator, Keap1. Taken together, these data indicate that exercise is a powerful inducer of the redox stress response transcription factor, Nrf2, but that aging impairs our ability to respond to an acute exercise bout. Future work should aim to discover and utilize therapeutics that act synergistically with exercise to restore redox homeostasis and redox signaling function
Debt sentence: a Critical Race Theory analysis of student loan default
No full textStudent loan debt is the second highest consumer debt type in the United States, second only to mortgage debt (Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2020). With an average federal loan balance of 1.4 trillion in student loan debt. As of March 2020, 19% of borrowers were in default, representing nearly eight million people who owe more than $170 billion to the federal government (Ma et al., 2020). While aggregate educational debt is alarming, rates of borrowing and default are higher amongst students of color and are particularly pronounced among Black borrowers (Douglas-Gabriel, 2019; Goldrick-Rab et al., 2014; Miller, 2017).
The majority of research on student loan debt and default is quantitative in nature. Very little qualitative research exists about the experiences and outcomes of students in default, presenting a clear gap in the literature. This qualitative study employed a Critical Race Theory framework to understand and humanize the experiences of Black student loan borrowers who have defaulted on a federal student loan. Data was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and artifact elicitation with 11 participants.
A composite majoritarian story of default was crafted based on multiple sources of data in order to portray current public perceptions and assumptions about student loan borrowers and defaulters. The composite majoritarian story is juxtaposed to five counterstories created based on the lived experiences of study participants. While the majoritarian narrative attributes student loan default to laziness, irresponsibility, and entitlement, stereotypes rooted in anti-Black racism, the counterstories provide an intimate and in depth look into the lives of borrowers who embodied hard work, responsibility, and adversity as they navigated interlocking systems of oppression including racism, sexism, classism, ableism, and homophobia. The counterstories invite the reader to reexamine the racist assumptions embedded in the majoritarian narrative of default. Additionally, findings include five themes that emerged from the data which highlight a strong college-going culture amongst participants, the impossible “choices” borrowers are routinely faced with making, the pervasiveness of doublespeak in the student loan discourse, the lifelong financial, emotional, physical, and intergenerational impacts of student loan debt, and the salience of participants’ multiple marginalized identities.
The results of this study shed light on the systemic racism entrenched in the financial aid system and call for its liberatory transformation. Indeed, the student debt crisis is an economic and racial justice issue that requires our urgent attention
Integrative Methods to Improve Ecological Restoration
No full textThough restoration ecology faces countless challenges associated with climate change and unprecedented environmental degradation, transdisciplinary problem solving offers a path forward. By integrating restoration science and environmental policy, we explore diverse opportunities to promote forward-looking restoration strategies. We investigate drivers of plant performance in a common garden environment for species prioritized for restoration in the southwestern United States, including two perennial grasses and one perennial forb. Through this work, we consider pathways to support the persistence of native plant communities in novel environmental scenarios. With the knowledge that social and political dynamics are also essential for determining restoration outcomes, we address social challenges at the restoration-policy interface, including collaboration and community engagement, incentive structures, divergent perspectives and values, and transboundary knowledge sharing. We investigate these challenges in view of limitations of existing domestic policy in order to synthesize suggestions to support restoration progress. Together, these transdisciplinary approaches offer an opportunity to holistically address restoration challenges
Immigrant Perceptions of Police: From Nigeria to Arizona
No full textPolicing is a crucial piece of almost all democratic societies. In line with the meaning of democracy as a governance system, citizens expect institutions such as law enforcement agencies to be equitable and fair in their engagements with the people they serve. Criminologists describe fairness in processes as “procedural justice.” Recent scholarship on citizen perceptions of police testifies to the importance of procedural justice in policing. Most of these studies are quantitative in their approach and methods. However, one issue has received little attention from criminologists: demographic changes concomitant with African immigrants' continuous growth in the United States and what that means for policing. To contribute to the scarce literature on police-African immigrant relationships, I adopt a qualitative approach to explore Nigerian immigrants’ perceptions of policing in Phoenix, Arizona. I interviewed eleven immigrants face-to-face to better understand their experiences and perceptions of policing. Thus, this thesis seeks to answer two questions: (i) what are Nigerian immigrants' perceptions of police in Phoenix, Arizona and how is that influenced by their perceptions of police in Nigeria? (ii) what factors determine the crime reporting behavior of Nigerian immigrants in Phoenix, Arizona?
Studies show that immigrants carry their experiences with police in their home countries to their new environments, and these experiences impact their perspectives on police in those environments. Guided by this empirical evidence, I explored Nigerian immigrants' perceptions of policing in Nigeria as well as Phoenix. Respondents emphasized that procedural justice does not exist equally in policing in Nigeria but is instead driven by the social status of citizens. Similarly, socioeconomic status is deterministic of police effectiveness at fighting crimes and crime reports. Generally, these unfavorable perceptions about policing in Nigeria pose significant challenges to police-citizen relationships and police effectiveness at crime control. Immigrants in this study have more favorable perceptions of procedural justice for police in Phoenix, Arizona. However, procedural justice and crime reports are given racialized conceptualizations, which limit the perceptions of full fairness from African immigrants.
Contrary to most studies on policing, instrumental factors, such as perceptions of police performance and perceived consequences of immigrant actions as witnesses of crimes or during police encounters, seem to be more relevant to Nigerian immigrants. Instrumental decisions of immigrants regarding crime reports demonstrate that their home countries' experiences may indeed impact their perceptions of police in Phoenix, Arizona. This finding suggests that police-African immigrant relationships might improve if police departments first understand the policing experiences immigrants bring to their communities, and demonstrate respect, fairness, and neutrality to all minority groups.
From the data, here are some policy implications. Consistent with other immigrant studies, immigrants in this research study show extreme fear of the police, so they try to avoid police contacts. This fear negatively affects any needed relationship immigrants can have with the police. Therefore, I suggest that police departments in immigrant communities should organize public forums to educate immigrants on the roles and procedures of the police. Immigrants will be more empowered and willing to collaborate with the police without fear. Legal socialization scholars, such as Rick Trinkner (2012), have increased calls regarding this initiative. Secondly, most immigrants seek to integrate into U.S societies; therefore, police departments should take an interest in understanding home-country policing perceptions of immigrants. Such an understanding will enable the police in Phoenix to find evidence-based solutions on how to begin and form effective partnerships with immigrants
Increased burn severity and simulated climate warming drive shifts in ecosystem function and understory plant traits one year post-fire in northern Arizona
No full textA changing climate and altered fire regimes in the semi-arid southwestern U.S. have led to questions regarding future forest composition and ecosystem processes. Forests that are fire adapted and have been historically shaped by fire are at risk of conversion to non-forest ecosystems by uncharacteristically severe fires. Trait-based plant ecology provides a means of assessing the impacts of varying levels of disturbance on community composition and ecosystem function and can be used to predict community trajectories. The aim of this study was to quantify the effects of increasing burn severity and simulated climate warming on two ecosystem functions and three plant functional traits, approximately one year post-fire in a northern Arizona Pinus ponderosa forest understory. Plots were established along a burn severity gradient including unburned, low, and high burn severity areas. Open-top warming chambers were employed to produce just over 1°C of warming. We found that the interaction of high burn severity and simulated climate warming significantly increased decomposition rates, decreased community weighted mean (CWM) trait values for leaf dry matter content, and increased specific leaf area of a dominant C4 bunchgrass (Muhlenbergia montana). Additional significant effects were observed according to severity alone. Our results indicate potential for divergent community composition, structure, and ecosystem functioning over time in response to disturbance and warming. Our results indicate that herbaceous and shrub understory communities after future high severity fires may be on novel successional trajectories. Our conclusions support ongoing efforts to reduce the likelihood of high severity fires in this region, and provide information on trait expressions and species that may prove useful in future post-fire restoration efforts. Given the projected increase of high severity fires in the southwestern U.S., understanding the combined effects of climate warming and high burn severity will be critical for successful proactive land management
The political economy of the new extractivism and revolutionary strategies in Ecuador and Venezuela
No full textThe ‘new’ extractivism is a ‘new’ scramble in resource rich regions that refers to the rise in export growth and investment in extraction of natural resources ostensibly aimed at addressing poverty and ‘growth’ by following neoliberal policies. The mega-open pit mining in the Ecuadorian Copper Mining Belt (CMB) and the Venezuelan Orinoco Mining Belt (OMB) is deepening the ‘open veins’ in Latin America. Global commodity booms and China’s increasing economic position are cited to justify the ‘new’ extractivism’s accelerating rates of exploitation and sustained by an on-going extractive mentality. Anti-movements argue any purported social benefits do not outweigh the economic and environmental consequences, therefore, extractivism is simply unsustainable. In this study, I focus on the anti-extractivist efforts aiming to suture the colonial ‘open veins’. I argue that in the 21st century the new extractivism is better understood as extractive imperialism promoting a (re)colonization in Ecuador and Venezuela. Drawing from globalization-era Marxism and anti-colonial scholarship, I focus on how progressive Latin American states compared to neoliberal states are doing extractivism and how they answer to their anti-extractivism movements. Many argue that the ways in which leftist states extract natural resources remain controlled from the metropoles of imperial states and reproduce the same neoliberal model as before, ‘but with a human face’, referring to the new developmental states. Evidence suggests that revolutionary strategies are flourishing in Venezuela during a post-neoliberal moment with better state assistance in conflict mining zones than in Ecuador during its return to post-neoliberalism. Internal class dynamics indicate that the state, when pressured by the global extractive regime to increase its dependency on intensifying extractivism, will attempt to manage and manipulate with criminalizing of dissent and spatial organizing to divide the left. Using a case study and ethnographic methods, I find that these dynamics gave rise to a (neo)anti-extractivism that is characteristic of a trans-solidarity that includes radical decolonization approaches to settler-colonial infrastructure in conflict areas that work with marginalized socialist/communist political groups. This evidence suggests that a people’s alternative includes the localized resistance utilizing and fostering trans-solidarity relationships, ‘dissident friendships’ and multiple levels
Systems theory analysis of low-income high school students affording college dual credit
No full textDual credit has become a recent phenomenon in high schools and early college high school programs. The growing popularity of dual credit requires an increase in collaborative efforts between secondary and postsecondary entities. State and local policies are expanding to reflect the growing popularity, but little research exists on the complex interconnectedness of the two entities. This study was conducted to examine the complex system of dual credit financial policy and how that information is disseminated to low SES students affording financial access to dual credit. Dual credit classes are offered at a reduced cost, giving students the opportunity to earn college credits with significant savings, while also lessening the time to degree attainment. In further examination, this study will look at policy as it guides equitable access for students taking dual credit courses, including low-income students. Despite reduced cost and scholarship opportunities, the cost of the class, fees, and textbook remain a barrier for some low SES students. The researcher conducted a qualitative case study of administration and faculty who work with dual credit at an accelerated high school in Texas. The study was built with the guiding question, “What financial opportunities are available for low-income students to gain financial assistance while taking dual credit courses, and how is that information being disseminated?” This question further analyzed the institutional financial policies and procedures in place to advise students of financial opportunities for taking dual credit courses. The theoretical framework of this study utilized systems theory to unpack the complex interconnectedness of the program between the high school and college. As this study sought to understand the interconnectedness of the dual credit system between the high school and college, data were collected using interviews. The interview questions were written after review of PEIMS data. The findings from this study indicate that students at the site of the case study are responsible for the payment of dual credit courses. The only financial opportunity available to cover the cost of tuition is the Free Reduced Grant, which is only offered to those who qualify for free or reduced lunch. This grant does not cover the cost of textbooks or additional fees associated with dual credit courses. This information is documented in the Memorandum of Understanding, which is posted on the College and Career Readiness website. Jean High School shares this information at eighth grade recruitment meetings. For those interested, communication becomes an on-going piece with email and parent meeting nights.
Keywords: dual credit, low SES, Accelerated, equitable acces
The impact of teacher and student attitudes on math performance of fourth- and sixth-grade students in rural Arizona
Get PDFThe purpose of this research is to determine if there is any difference between teacher and student attitudes regarding academic achievement in math in three school districts of different socioeconomic status. The socioeconomic status of each school included in the study was determined based on the free and reduced lunch count of the school. A further research question assesses whether there is any difference between teacher attitudes and student attitudes concerning impact on the math performance of fourth- and sixth-grade students. The three school districts selected in rural Arizona are in one of the three categories measured by the free and reduced lunch count: 65% or less, 65–80%, or 80% and above.
This research had limitations regarding smaller sample size resulting from a requested focus on only K–8 schools. This was a condition, following my prospectus that limited my sample size dramatically. Additionally, COVID-19’s impact the following year effected sample size, as some students left their school due to job loss in the family. Nevertheless, the surveys were distributed to all three K–8 schools with small class sizes. The surveys were returned by 21 out of 40 students that attended the school in the 2019–2020 school year.
All six teachers that had taught at the schools during the school year prior to conducting the study participated. The Galileo math data were taken from the August–December benchmark tests in the 2019–2020 school year. The six teachers completed a 14-item survey about their attitude towards math using a Likert scale based on the following: 1 — Strongly Disagree, 2 — Disagree, 3 — Somewhat Disagree, 4 — Somewhat Agree, 5 — Agree, 6 — Strongly Agree. Further, the teachers were asked three interview questions designed to gain additional insight into their attitudes. The 30 students completed a 34-item survey using the following Likert scale: 1 — Strongly Disagree, 2 — Disagree, 3 — N/A, 4 — Agree, 5 — Strongly Agree. The study applied a Mixed-Methods Design.
The survey responses from the teachers’ and students had some common themes and many of those themes were positive. The fourth-grade males responded that, overall, they understand math and the fourth-grade females felt that My math teachers have always been nice to me. The responses showed that the fourth-grade females’ socioemotional connection to their teacher is more important than their understanding of math. The sixth-grade males responded that My math teachers have always said that there can be more than one way to solve a problem correctly and sixth-grade females said that My math teachers have always been nice. These answers demonstrate once again that the females surveyed feel it is important to connect with their teacher.
The common themes among the interviewed teachers were Teachers do not have to be naturally good at math to teach math and students can be successful in any socioeconomic environment. The teachers appeared positive toward any student regardless of their socioeconomic status. The researcher was not able to conduct any tests concerning correlation in student and teacher attitudes and math performance due to an insufficient sample size to test the related hypotheses statistically for significance