The Social Side of the Internet

Presents survey findings on Americans' level of participation in voluntary groups by type of group, demographics, and Internet and social media use, as well as views on the role of the Internet in group connections, activities, and accomplishments

Assessing the Cell Phone Challenge to Survey Research in 2010

Updates an analysis of the complexity of including cell phone samples in surveys and issues of non-coverage bias. Examines weighted estimates from landline, cell, and combined samples; demographic and other characteristics of each group; and implications

Investigating the utility of ultrasound visual biofeedback in voice instruction for two different singing styles

Smith, Kristen J. Investigating the Utility of Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback in Voice Instruction for Two Different Singing Styles. Unpublished Master of Arts thesis, University of Northern Colorado, 2021. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential utility of incorporating real-time visual biofeedback using ultrasonography to teach important concepts of vocal pedagogy to voice students. Exploration of innovative teaching tools, such as ultrasound visual biofeedback (U-VBF) in singing instruction, may contribute to bridging the gap between voice science and pedagogy by providing alternative ways to improve students’ kinesthetic awareness, clarify complex topics in voice physiology and acoustics, and create a common dialogue between different professionals specializing in voice. The primary research questions addressed in this study were: (a) To determine the current knowledge and attitude among voice teachers regarding use of visual biofeedback in singing instruction; (b) To determine voice teachers’ interest in learning about technology, specifically U-VBF; (c) To identify external variables that influence voice teachers’ perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of U-VBF; and (d) To determine voice teachers’ attitudes of using U-VBF in teaching after viewing an instructional video. Methods: A pre-post survey design was adopted to assess perceptions, attitude, and interest of professional voice teachers regarding use of U-VBF before and after viewing of an instructional video on the use of ultrasound to teach concepts, such as vocal timbre, for two different singing styles: musical theater and opera. Multi-sampling methods were used to recruit professional voice teachers across the U.S. and abroad. Survey data were collected between February and April 2021. Following assumptions made by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) regarding user technology acceptance and behavior, data based on a final sample size of 56 participants were analyzed via descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of qualitative data. Results: Despite being largely unfamiliar with U-VBF, most participants initially expressed high expectations, believing it to be helpful in singing instruction, but difficult to use. Those who expressed more positive opinions regarding use of U-VBF in singing instruction also expressed higher levels of interest in using it in their teaching. Perceived usefulness, ease of use and interest of U-VBF were not found to be prominently related to select external variables. While perceived usefulness of U-VBF slightly declined post-viewing of the instructional video, perceived ease of use and participants’ opinions of effective use increased. Interest in the use of U-VBF as well as likelihood to use U-VBF marginally increased after viewing the video. Conclusions: These findings agree with the assumptions made by the TAM regarding associations between familiarity, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and interest. Comparison between the rankings for perceived usefulness of U-VBF pre- and post-viewing of the instructional video suggests a general sense of uncertainty among voice teachers regarding use of U-VBF in singing instruction. While teachers conveyed high levels of interest, opinions of U-VBF to teach vocal pedagogy concepts slightly declined following viewing of the instructional video, suggesting a lowering of expectations. However, increased perceptions regarding ease of use indicated high levels of believed self-efficacy in using U-VBF. Understanding the relationships between perceived usefulness, ease of use, and interest can shed insight on whether voice teachers would adopt U-VBF as a supplementary tool in singing instruction

“It’s all to do with the breath”: (Un)Sound in M. NourbeSe Philip’s “The Ga(s)p” and Zong!

Abstract Diving into the politics of radical hospitality, the acceptance of alterity, and the erasure of black women’s bodies in “The Ga(s)p” (2018), m. NourbeSe Philip demonstrates reciprocal breath as a thread of connection that is central to human existence. Throughout this essay, Philip counters prominent, male-centric theories on receptive bodies through the emphasis on the ubiquity of contingent respiration. Philip contends that this “process of shared breath … and dependency becomes useful as a model of community and connectedness in a more female-centred, embodied symbolic universe” (36). Philip enacts this theory on the page in her book-length poem Zong! (2008).             Using the court report of Gregson v. Gilbert as a source text, Zong! grapples with the November 1781 massacre of 150 Africans aboard the slave ship Zong on its passage from Ghana to England. Zong! is an erasure poem of 173 pages with movements that Philip describes as “the bones” and “the flesh.” The linguistic material of the poem and its arrangement reflect corporeality and respiration; the textual fragments are physically separated on the page—leaving room for breath. The body and breath of Zong! extends beyond the page to performance. In theory and praxis, Philip uses challenging linguistic material and arrangement to inscribe the body on the page; consequently, she causes the reader to interrogate their positionality and their relationship to the body, to language, and to performance.   Keywords: erasure, erasure poetry, body, performance, breath, respiration, reciprocity, positionalit

THE IMPACT OF A POVERTY SIMULATION ON BACCALAUREATE NURSING STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES

Poverty is an ongoing issue in the United States, with major implications for the health of U.S. citizens. In order to provide compassionate care, nurses must understand their own attitudes towards those living in poverty. The purpose of this study was to evaluate for possible changes in attitudes towards poverty in junior level BSN students after a poverty simulation intervention. Participants were surveyed using the Yun and Weaver’s Short Form Attitudes towards Poverty (SFATP) tool, which looks three factors of poverty attitudes: personal deficiency, stigma, and structural perspective. The Adult Learning Theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. This theory focuses on four components of the adult learner: adults need to be a part of the teaching, immediate relevance to one’s life/job is needed, the experience provides learning, adult learners will be able to feel like they are solving the problem. Results were analyzed using independent t-test analysis, after completion of questionnaires called the Short Form Attitudes towards Poverty (SFATP) survey. No statistical significance was found when comparing control and intervention groups with the smaller student participant numbers in this study. However, when comparing a larger cohort of students, significant changes in attitudes were seen in the areas of Stigma and Structural Perspectives. Recommendations for further research include ongoing data collection with a larger group of participants as well as analysis of Qualitative data

Integrating implementation fidelity and learning improvement to enhance students’ ethical reasoning abilities

Examples of demonstrable student learning improvement in higher education are rare (Banta, Jones, & Black, 2009; Banta & Blaich, 2011). Perhaps because outcomes assessment practices are disconnected from pedagogy, curriculum, and learning improvement. Through partnership with the Madison Collaborative, the current study aimed to bridge this disconnect. Specifically, researchers applied implementation fidelity methodologies (O’Donnell, 2008) to an academic program, under the guiding framework of the Simple Model for Learning Improvement (Fulcher, Good, Coleman, & Smith, 2014). In doing so, researchers helped faculty create and elucidate an ethical reasoning educational intervention and accompanying fidelity checklist. Both were well-aligned with a University-level ethical reasoning performance assessment tool, the ER-WR. Implementation fidelity methodologies were applied within a diverse group of courses during the fall 2016 semester (e.g., courses for general education, major requirements, electives, etc.). Fidelity data indicated the extent to which the ethical reasoning intervention was implemented with high fidelity. Outcomes assessment data were collected and integrated with fidelity data to determine the effectiveness of the implemented ethical reasoning intervention. Results provided evidence of statistically and practically significant improvements in students’ ethical reasoning skills. In addition, results suggested that specific features of the ethical reasoning intervention positively influenced students’ ethical reasoning abilities. This study provides an example of how assessment practices can be effectively integrated with curriculum and pedagogy to demonstrate learning improvement

Assessing ethical reasoning skills: Initial validity evidence for the Ethical Reasoning Identification Test

Employers, policymakers, parents and other stakeholders value ethical reasoning (ER) skills. Thus, to help students actively engage in the ER process, stakeholders at James Madison University (JMU) redefined ER, implemented campus-wide ER interventions, and created the Ethical Reasoning Identification Test (ERIT-1) to measure students’ ability to engage in a lower-level step of the ER process. The current study examined the factor structure and reliability of the ERIT-1. Confirmatory Factor Analysis results provided support for a unidimensional factor structure, meaning stakeholders can report and analyze total scores for the ERIT-1. ERIT-1 scores also demonstrated good reliability. Correlation analyses provided initial external validity evidence for ERIT-1 scores, indicating that the ERIT-1 and the SAT verbal reasoning test measure substantively different constructs. In addition, the ERIT-1 was sensitive to slight differences in ER training. Specifically, students experiencing a 75-minute ER intervention tended to perform better on ERIT-1 items compared to students that experienced no ER intervention. Overall, the ERIT-1 demonstrated great potential for assessing ER student learning outcomes. Future research should continue building upon this base of validity evidence. For instance, researchers should collect additional known groups validity evidence from students who received stronger doses of ER interventions

The Mediating Role of Processing Speed in Reading-Related White Matter Tracts and Word Reading Skills of Adult Survivors of Childhood Brain Tumor

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between word reading and white matter (WM) integrity in the reading system and test a theory-based moderated mediation model such that relationship of WM integrity with word reading is mediated by processing speed and indirect effect is moderated by group. Thirty-seven adult survivors of childhood brain tumor and typically developing adults participated (mean age=24.19(4.51) years, 62% female). Tractography identified the WM tract for three reading system connections. Fractional anisotropy of the IFOF and PT-OT tracts were significantly correlated with word reading in survivors (r=.55, .46, respectively;

Fisheries co-management and the Tahltan First Nation: From the Aboriginal fisheries strategy to a treaty regime (British Columbia)

For several years now, the Canadian Federal government’s Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy has provided a means for substantial co-management of fisheries resources by First Nations. Unfortunately, there is a widespread lack of understanding of the Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy (AFS) by all interested parties. This study examines the AF S agreement of the Tahltan First Nation of Northwestern British Columbia and other fisheries co-management agreements in place in B.C. It does so by comparing them with the provisions and process of development of comprehensive claim based co- management agreements elsewhere in Canada. It also offers an assessment of aboriginal fisheries co-management arrangements and provides insight into sustainable aspects of the regimes. Evaluation criteria were derived from a 1994 study by McDaniels, Healey & Paisley that outlined objectives important in guiding the design of fisheries co-management initiatives involving First Nations in B.C. The most successful agreements and claims analyzed included the following achievements: Aboriginal rights were respected, fisheries co-management regimes were community-based, the community’s economic well-being had improved, trust and cooperation had been built between parties, technical expertise had been developed, participation occurred at both a local and regional level, and adaptive learning was taking place. This assessment also suggests that successful fisheries co-management regimes do not require ratification in treaties. The Tahltan Aboriginal Fisheries Strategy is a good example, although it could still be further improved. Recommendations for improvement included: the development of a strategic plan; block funding or a trust fund; improved training programs; recognition of a more traditional leadership system; active participation at the watershed level; and improving and supporting local commercial fishery activities

Corpus Callosum and Word Reading in Adult Survivors of Childhood Posterior Fossa Tumors

Adult survivors of childhood posterior fossa tumors can experience reading difficulties related to white matter integrity. Previously, reading was shown to be related to cortical white matter tracts, however information transfer across the corpus callosum (CC) may also play a role in reading. The current study used both macro- and microstructural measures of the WM structure of the corpus callosum. The current study examined how white matter volume and fractional anisotropy (FA) in five divisions of the CC was related to degree of neurological risk and reading skill, and tested two mediation models predicting reading. Participants included 20 adult survivors of childhood posterior fossa tumor and 23 healthy controls. Volume and FA were measured in five divisions of the mid-sagittal corpus callosum. Total intracranial vault was used as a covariate in volume analyses. FA was reduced in CC1 and volume was reduced in each subregion in survivors. Volume but not FA was related to degree of neurological risk. Results identified that reduced volume in CC1 and CC5, and FA in CC5 appear to be specifically related to reading skill in line with the cortical reading regions that connect in these subregions of the CC. Mediation models indicate that processing speed is the mechanism by which volume is related to reading skill. These findings have implications for addressing processing speed in reading interventions in survivors and provide insight into the interhemispheric connections in the reading network