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Exploring Emergent Literacy Profiles of Multi-Language Learners: Profiles from a Computer-Adaptive Universal Screener
No full textUnderstanding the strengths and weaknesses of early readers is vital for their future reading success and proper placement, especially for students with specific learning disabilities. This need is particularly significant in U.S. public schools, where Multi-Language Learners (MLL) must acquire the foundational language skills required for English-Proficient Speakers (EPS). The Response to Intervention (RTI) framework, a tiered instructional model, is crucial in identifying and supporting struggling readers. RTI focuses on recognizing emergent literacy risk profiles related to oral and written language development, which can indicate a student's likelihood of experiencing reading difficulties in the future. However, limited research has explored these potential emergent literacy risk profiles among MLLs. To address this gap, this study analyzed computer-adaptive universal screening data for emergent literacy skills collected from 7,241 first-grade students in 118 elementary public schools. Among these students, 771 were designated as Spanish-speaking MLLs. The classifier variables, which include letter knowledge, vocabulary, phonological awareness, alphabetic decoding, and spelling, were used to create profiles using Latent Profile Analysis for EPS and MLLs. In addition, profile membership was used as the predictor for future reading comprehension. The outcome of the LPA showed heterogeneity within the language groups. Moreover, profile membership was a good predictor of later reading comprehension for both language groups.Ph.D
Tech Bro Messiahs: How Tech Billionaires are Spearheading late-stage Reactionary Politics
No full textFar-right tech billionaires are advancing a new form of reactionary ideology, one hostile to democratic power. Silicon Valley tycoons Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and Peter Thiel are actively pushing for a techno-capitalist political and economic order, one where the capitalist can operate in the market unimpeded from outside interests such as the state, and even democratic concerns that would only get in the way of their work. These tech oligarchs insist innovative minds like theirs are at the center of creating a brighter future, and thus deserve not just the immense wealth and power they currently hold in liberal America, but the larger concentrations of power they will inevitably receive in their ideal world without regulations, worker power, or elections. The three billionaires are notable agents in a larger reactionary movement produced by liberalism seeking to dismantle liberalism, calling into question the nature and viability of the liberal order
“Death Is but the Next Great Adventure:” Harry Potter and the Art of Dying Well
No full textSince its publication in 1954, The Lord of the Rings has served as a foundational text of fantasy literature. Tolkien’s correspondence reveals that he regarded his novel as both a Christian text and a meditation on death and deathlessness. As such, the novel serves a similar function as an ars moriendi—a medieval guidebook on how to die well by emulating Christ’s model. Although Middle-Earth is a decidedly pre-Christian setting, The Lord of the Rings nonetheless espouses a Christian ideal that a good death is not a matter of how one dies but why one dies. Those who lay down their lives in defense of others or for the sake of a better tomorrow are posited as heroes, whereas those who live selfishly and ignore all chances of redemption die ignominious deaths. Tolkien, then, positions the quest for deathlessness as a rejection of what it means to be human and dramatizes this rejection by having those characters who gain immortality unnaturally become warped and twisted by the endeavor into grotesque caricatures of their former selves.
J. K. Rowling has downplayed the influence of The Lord of the Rings on her Harry Potter series (1997-2007), yet while there are few cosmetic similarities to Tolkien’s novel beyond the broadest of strokes, the two works are remarkably similar thematically. Intentionally or not, Rowling’s Harry Potter novels are an even more overt example of a modern ars moriendi. Rowling foregrounds death and the pursuit of deathlessness from the very beginning of the series by having these ideas be not only thematic issues but also the primary drivers of the plot. Like Tolkien, Rowling’s view of death is shaped by an explicitly Christian perspective, and the various examples of good deaths that serve as lessons for both Harry and the reader reinforce the notion of selflessness and love as positive forces. Where Rowling differs from Tolkien is that she integrates her examination of an ignoble death with the quest for deathlessness into a single, salient example—Lord Voldemort—but still, she follows Tolkien’s model by having his quest for immortality bring about physical changes that leave him unrecognizable as a human being. Similarly, Harry himself serves as the most explicit example of a good death, for by the end of the series, he becomes a Christ-like figure, willingly going to what he believes will be his death for no other reason than because it will spare others from suffering and torment.Ph.D
Transmission of Traditional Lao Folk Music from Central Laos to the United States of America
No full textSignificant changes have been made to folk music from Central Laos and Laotian diaspora communities in America due to factors of globalization, nearing the end of the Vietnam War. Multiple cultural factors such as language barriers, new values, and traditions affected the instrumentation of songs and brought about new techniques within the Laos music scene. It was further enhanced through Western instrumentations when Laotians migrated to the United Sates of America.
This study examines the changes of Central Laos folk music in the United States after generations of Laotians immigrated to the country after the Vietnam War, and how these new traditions became part of Laotian Americans’ reformed cultural identity. My analysis consists of comparisons between the Laotian music of Central Laos and Laotian American music. This research focused on lam, a folk singing genre. I highlighted critical differences between traditional and popular Lao music, regarding musical elements such as tonal inflections, tempo, rhythmic structure, and instrumentations. By noting these differences in each song, my analysis provided a detailed view on the process of oral transmission and how a new cultural environment might affect oral tradition. My studies is intended to bring awareness to the preservation of folk music and the recognition of how music functions as an integral cultural connection in a dispersed community
Black Political Engagement and Political Progress in 21st Century Panama: Afro Panamanian Cultural Organizations and Celebrations as Political Resistance Toward Societal Progress
No full textAfro Panamanian civil society organizations facilitate the pride and confidence of its members. This community began to organize in the 20th century to create a sense of belonging for its community members. In the 21st century, Black-led civil society organizations are finally receiving a response from the Panamanian government to develop the community. Through newsletters, social media, newspapers, nonprofit organizations, and cultural celebrations this community attempts to produce fundamental changes in terms of political positions, job opportunities, and education
ESSAYS ON COMMUNITY CHOICE AGGREGATION, CORRUPTION, RELIABILITY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY INVESTMENT IN THE U.S. ELECTRIC INDUSTRY
No full textThis dissertation explores topics in public choice such as direct democracy, representative
democracy, and corruption and applies them in the context of energy economics, particularly the
electricity sector. The first chapter looks at direct democracy and representative democracy in the
context of electricity provision. In some states of the U.S., electricity is provided by a
mechanism called Community Choice Aggregation program or CCA. CCAs work in different
ways in different states. In Illinois, CCAs adopted a direct democracy approach where
communities can vote on which electric provider to choose electricity from; whereas in
Massachusetts, CCAs decide the rate via the method of representative democracy where people
do not get to vote on the provider of electricity. My study shows that direct democracy approach
helps the customers by reducing the rate of electricity. The second chapter looks at corruption
and how it can impact the efficiency and reliability of electricity services. The study aims to
examine whether states with more incidence of corruption in the U.S. have less efficient and less
reliable electricity services, or not. I measure the efficiency of electricity services in terms of
blackouts. I do not find any evidence of the impact of corruption on electricity efficiency.
However, I found that GDP per capita and population have a significant positive impact on
outages. Additionally, I did not find any evidence of corruption impacting reliability of electricity
services. I found, however, that states with large population size have less reliable electricity
services. The third chapter considers the impact of investment in renewable energy in electricity
production on corruption. I found that large investment in renewable energy in the U.S.
electricity production has no impact on corruption. However, corruption has a persistent effect,
and, thus, states with high corruption tend to have more corruption in the future.Ph.D
Degradation of Environmental Pollutants and Biochemical Components via Chlorine Dioxide or Ozone Treatment
No full textChlorine dioxide (ClO2) can be used as a disinfectant in medical and food applications and for wastewater treatment. The susceptibility of contaminants in aqueous solution to breakdown by ClO2 directly generated in solution from its precursors or via fumigation with ClO2 gas were compared. The direct ClO2 treatment method is better suited to wastewater treatment, whereas the fumigation method would be helpful for sterilizing equipment and facilities. Fumigation is less effective than the direct ClO2 method; it has the added benefit of disinfecting hard-to-reach places, including crevices and porous materials. Tobacco-related chemicals such as nicotine, benzyl alcohol, and N-nitrosodimethylamine were treated with ClO2 gas for 1 to 2 hours via direct treatment and 6 hours using the fumigation treatment. GC-MS analysis of ClO2-treated samples showed that nicotine is the most susceptible to ClO2 degradation, whereas benzyl alcohol is the most resistant. When treated with ClO2 via the direct method for 2 hours, nicotine was degraded to below the minimum detection limit, N-nitrosodimethylamine was degraded by 57.2%, and benzyl alcohol by 27.1%. The reaction kinetics and rate order for the reaction between benzyl alcohol (BA) and ClO2 followed a rate law of r = - 0.113 · [ClO2]1 · [BA]1.5. It is the first order with respect to ClO2, but the presence of water complicates the reaction order for benzyl alcohol. The industrial pollutant 2-chlorophenol was also studied using the direct treatment method with ClO2. The direct analysis in real-time-mass spectrometry (DART-MS) and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to study the effects of ClO2 gas on tryptophan, tyrosine, and peptides as well as the trace levels of degradation by-products not amenable to GC-MS analysis. The degradation of chemicals by ozone was also studied, especially for those less susceptible to degradation with ClO2. The pros and cons of oxidative degradation of chemical constituents using ClO2 and ozone will be discussed.M.S
An Exploration to Uncover How Boys & Girls Clubs Help Youth Flourish
No full textChildren in America face with many problems ranging from financial insecurity,
malnourishment, behavioral issues, and educational struggles. Though counseling and
tutoring are incredible resources to help children in need, they are often expensive and not
a viable option. Boys & Girls Club is a national organization that sought to solve this
problem by offering an after-school program at a low cost and engaging children through
educational and creative programming. In my research, I contacted five directors at various
Boys & Girls Clubs in Middle Tennessee and obtained permission to tour their clubs and
interview them. I interviewed each participant with an audio recorder, and they walked me
around their clubs and told me about the programs they offer. I determined that the children
of Boys & Girls Clubs feel at home, and the environment and the programs allow them to
flourish into healthy young adults
Abortion Affirmation in State Legislatures: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Abortion Policy Nationwide
No full textThe years of 2021-2023 present a unique perspective on the abortion debate, as it contains a year directly before, during, and after the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center Supreme Court decision. During this timeframe, 49 states enacted legislation regarding abortion, some ranging from abortion bans, beginning with banning abortion from the point of conception to legal protection of all abortion procedures throughout pregnancy. In this study, I performed a qualitative content analysis of all U.S. state level abortion policies passed between 2021-2023 and found that abortion restrictions remove bodily autonomy and perpetrate gender inequality by eliminating choice and limiting women’s healthcare, while abortion affirmative states expand bodily autonomy and choice by allowing choice and women’s healthcare to remain intact.M.A
HOW DOES PARTICIPATION IN DUAL ENROLLMENT AFFECT STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF COLLEGE READINESS AND COLLEGE DECISION-MAKING? A PHENOMENOLOGICAL CASE STUDY
No full textABSTRACT
As states and higher education institutions continue to face headwinds in attempting to develop and refine initiatives targeting student success metrics and enrollment management objectives, dual enrollment programs have become increasingly prevalent nationwide. Stakeholders have turned to these early postsecondary programs based on their potential to enhance college readiness, as well as a means for recruiting undergraduates. Given their expansion in Tennessee and other states and the corresponding investment of institutional and state resources, it is timely to consider how participation in dual enrollment could affect students’ perceptions related to those aims.
Utilizing an interpretive framework of pragmatism and a theoretical framework grounded in Iloh’s Model of College-Going Decisions and Trajectories, this phenomenological case study attempted to identify shared themes regarding self-perceptions of college readiness and effects on college decision-making among students who had the lived experience of participation in the Dual Enrollment program at Middle Tennessee State University during the 2022-23 and/or 2023-24 academic years.
Three primary findings emerged from the data: enhanced readiness due to exposure to campus processes, structure, and resources; a lack of evidence of dual enrollment as a determinant of matriculation decisions; and unfamiliarity with the dual enrollment institution despite proximity among students. Implications include recommendations for policies that afford students increased opportunities to participate in on-campus college experiences; increased collaboration between program administrators and faculty; and streamlining of undergraduate admissions policies for participants.Ed.D