Translanguaging in EFL Settings

This Capstone seeks to ask how can teachers embed a translanguaging pedagogy into an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) setting? It was born out of the author’s realization that the majority of the literature surrounding the topic of translanguaging practices took place in English as a Second Language (ESL) settings in Western countries. To adequately adopt the translanguaging framework into the classroom, one must understand not only translanguaging pedagogy but translanguaging theory as well. Translanguaging theory is the view that people, particularly bi/multilinguals have one complete linguistic system, which they draw from strategically in order to communicate. In covering both linguistic and pedagogical theory of translanguaging, this Capstone also heavily addresses other key influences on the practice in EFL settings; the monoglossic ideology, English’s role in linguistic imperialism, English’s promise of access to wealth, prestige, and participation in the global workforce; and circles of English and World Englishes. Translanguaging in EFL settings, when fully implemented, recognizes and honors the home language, discusses English’s role in the world, and provides choice in the English variety taught. This Capstone project was designed to teach educators in countries where English is not the home or majority language the translanguaging framework and several translanguaging practices. The goal is to begin the process of shifting beliefs and practices surrounding language from one of a monoglossic stance to one a translanguaging stance, while simultaneously honoring local language and cultural practices

A high-order discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for a quadrature-based moment-closure model

The Euler equations are a system of nonlinear partial differential equations that prescribe the evolution of mass density, velocity, and pressure of a gas in thermodynamic equilibrium. In order to extend the validity of the Euler equations beyond thermodynamic equilibrium, equations for higher moments must be added to the system. The core difficulty with expanding the Euler system is that every new moment evolution equation that is added requires knowledge of the next moment. This problem is known as the moment-closure problem. In this work we study a particular strategy for closing the moment hierarchy: quadrature-based moment-closures. In particular, we review existing approaches that close the moment hierarchy by assuming that the underlying distribution is the sum of two delta functions, two Gaussian distributions, or two B-splines. Next we develop a closure based on three delta functions (tri-delta), where one of the delta functions is located at a prescribed location. This leads to a Gauss-Radau-type quadrature rule. We derive exact formulas that relate the positions and weights of the three delta functions to the primitive variables: mass density, velocity, pressure, heat flux, and kurtosis. We also derive exact conditions that simultaneously guarantee that the underlying system of partial differential equations remain hyperbolic and that the inversion problem from primitive variables to Gauss-Radau quadrature weights and points is solvable. Furthermore, we prove that the region in solution space for which these conditions are satisfied is convex. Finally, we develop a high-order discontinuous Galerkin finite element method to solve this system with a moment-realizability limiter that guarantees that the numerical solution remains in this convex hyperbolic/moment-realizable region

Impacts of Concurrent Enrollment Offerings on Minnesota High School Programming: A Qualitative Exploration of High School Administrator Perceptions.

Concurrent enrollment plays an increasingly important role in dual credit program options throughout Minnesota public schools. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to discern any shared phenomenon among public high school administrators in schools where concurrent enrollment is offered. This dissertation was framed by two research questions: 1) Share your rationale for why your school is offering concurrent enrollment courses. 2) From your perspective, how does concurrent enrollment participation impact your student body? A qualitative, constructivist, phenomenological study was conducted using semi-structured interviews across a mix of seven rural and urban Minnesota school districts. The participants included seven administrators with job titles ranging from Counselor to District Superintendent. The study’s theoretical framework was grounded in Perna & Thomas’ Integrated Conceptual Model of Student Success (2008), which incorporates schools as a component of the framework’s integral contextual layers through which students integrate and navigate. This model assists in providing a visual framework of the ingredients necessary for student success during and after, high school (Taylor, 2015). The findings yielded that participants perceived: a) concurrent enrollment provides students with access and opportunity to college-level rigorous coursework and that exposure of that level of rigorous coursework better prepares a student for success after high school, regardless if college credit is earned while taking the course, b) that offering concurrent enrollment was necessary to the financial viability of the school, and c) there is a direct impact on accreditation and staffing resources when offering concurrent enrollment

The efficacy of narrative therapy approaches with self-injurious clients

This study was undertaken to determine the efficacy of narrative therapy approaches with self-injurious clients. Self-injury is an issue gaining momentum, particularly among adolescent clients. Narrative therapy is a therapeutic technique that has gained popularity globally in the last several decades, due to its movement away from the expert mentality in mental health care. Both self-injury and narrative therapy are issues with limited research available. Fourteen clinicians trained in narrative therapy approaches were interviewed in a qualitative research design. The results of twelve of the interviews were utilized in the findings and two interviews were not included in the studies\u27 findings due to the ineligibility to the participant sample. Questions were asked to clinicians about the methods of self-injury within their client population, the demographics of the self-injuring clients, benefits of the narrative therapy approach, and narrative therapy efficacy and general comments. Major findings of this study indicate that narrative therapy is a beneficial and efficacious approach to treatment with self-injurious clients. Narrative therapy\u27s client centered, empowering, non-pathologizing stance suits a self-injuring client, who has often been the recipient of treatment modalities that treat the client as the problem

LIFTING AS WE CLIMB: EXPERIENCES OF BLACK DIVERSITY OFFICERS AT THREE PREDOMINANTLY WHITE INSTITUTIONS IN KENTUCKY

Recently, colleges and universities across the country have created executive level positions responsible for institutional diversity. The origins of this work within higher education lay in the civil rights movements and its consequences for desegregation of higher education. Early diversity officer positions usually resided within student affairs. However, as the responsibilities of these offices have changed, the reporting lines have also changed such that diversity officers are now commonly situated within academic affairs. This exploratory study examines these administrative positions responsible for diversity at southern white institutions. The research takes an in-depth look at how these positions have shifted over time and how people who hold these positions understand their work. This study presents an analysis of nine personal narratives of diversity officers at three predominantly white institutions in Kentucky from the early 1970s to the present. Counterstories, or stories that challenge majority accounts, are used to elicit the experiences of the black diversity officers. The analysis uses critical race theory to begin telling stories that have been muted. Pigeonholing and its relevance to the counterstories of the administrators are discussed to contextualize the administrators’ experiences at predominantly white institutions. The shift in responsibilities and reporting lines and changes in required credentials resulted in tensions, including intraracial tensions, among the diversity officers. Despite the tensions between generations of officers, these administrators shared a common interest in racial uplift. This was evident as they discussed what attracted them to positions responsible for diversity. In the past, scholars writing on black diversity officers suggested that the positions were the result of tokenism; however, administrators holding these positions view themselves and their roles as an opportunity to help others on their educational journeys

Efficacy of a Cognitive Training Program for Individuals with Moderate Cognitive Impairment: Evaluating Cognition

The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of a cognitive training program among those with moderate cognitive impairment. A total of 23 individuals participated in the study and were randomly assigned to a wait-list control group or a cognitive training program that consisted of 24 cognitive classes for a total of 12 weeks. The cognitive training classes aimed to activate the six primary cognitive domains impacted with dementia, reaction time, attention, memory, language, visual-spatial skills, and executive functioning. All participants were evaluated with a battery of neurocognitive assessments pre-and post-treatment. The findings tentatively support the use of a structured cognitive training program for individuals with moderate dementia. Specifically, the cognitive areas that improved among those who received the cognitive training classes included verbal and visual memory recognition, learning, simple attention, complex attention, executive functioning, and visual memory recall. Furthermore the treatment group showed stabilization between pre- and post-treatment in general cognitive functioning, visuospatial skills, and verbal memory. The implications of the current study gives further support for the use of a cognitive training intervention for individuals with moderate stage dementia

Controlled transitions between orbits in nonlinear systems

In recent years, several methods of controlling chaotic systems have been developed and implemented. The main idea in each method is to stabilize on an orbit around a chaotic attractor, which generally has a dense set of unstable periodic orbits. One such control scheme repeatedly applies a sequence of controls to a double scroll oscillator. Most control sequences result in the stabilization of an approximate unstable periodic orbit regardless of initial condition. These stabilized periodic orbits are called chaotic unstable periodic orbit-lets (cupolets). Due to the nature of cupolets, it is possible to switch between cupolets, and thus periodic orbits, by changing from one control sequence to another. Switching between orbits is a continuous and smooth transition, but may involve significant chaotic transients. We will present three methods of transitioning between cupolets and suggest some applications of this procedure. The first method involves applying the second control sequence at a location on the first orbit. The second method is a zero-length transition which can be used if two cupolets intersect. The third method is applicable when transitioning between non-intersecting cupolets. This method switches between intermediate cupolets in an efficient controlled manner in getting from one cupolet to the next

You Are So Mine

Creative Writin