Medieval Irish and computational linguistics

This paper will consider the application of some NLP (Natural Language Processing) techniques to Medieval Irish texts to provide an alternative perspective on linguistic analyses of such texts. Using Táin Bó Fraích as a case study, I present the outcome of some preliminary experiments. The pilot study starts with the creation of an annotated lexicon as a basis of automated text analysis. Linguistic features such as part of speech information are recorded in a machine-readable representation to assist with subsequent linguistic analysis of this well-studied text. Using CELT’s electronic version of Meid’s 1974 edition, I conduct both statistical and linguistic analyses of textual features such as sentence structure, lexical frequency and grammatical types. I use the results of this analysis to raise some tentative suggestions regarding Táin Bó Fraích, and in particular the frequently noted relationship between the two distinct sections. On this basis I hope to make some suggestions about the potential usefulness of applying some NLP techniques to Medieval Irish

Active learning and the Irish treebank

We report on our ongoing work in developing the Irish Dependency Treebank, describe the results of two Inter annotator Agreement (IAA) studies, demonstrate improvements in annotation consistency which have a knock-on effect on parsing accuracy, and present the final set of dependency labels. We then go on to investigate the extent to which active learning can play a role in treebank and parser development by comparing an active learning bootstrapping approach to a passive approach in which sentences are chosen at random for manual revision. We show that active learning outperforms passive learning, but when annotation effort is taken into account, it is not clear how much of an advantage the active learning approach has. Finally, we present results which suggest that adding automatic parses to the training data along with manually revised parses in an active learning setup does not greatly affect parsing accuracy

High School English Language Learners of Latin American Descent Living in Rural Midwestern Communities

A phenomenological study was conducted to examine the experiences of adolescent English Language Learners (ELL) of Latin American descent living in rural Midwestern communities. Participants experienced psychological and social responses related to the major life change of immigrating to a new country and adapting to an alien culture. Challenges experienced by adolescent immigrants involved a chronological and simultaneous process of adaptation, as evidenced by the following stages: (1) apprehension about coming to a new country and fitting in with friends when they started school; (2) adjustment to the new culture and alien environment; (3) cultural bereavement and ambiguous loss. Learning English served as a means of communicating and a key factor in helping the participants adapt to a new culture. Recommendations to address the issues regarding academic and social challenges faced by immigrant students of Latino origin with limited English proficiency included providing a support person such as a home liaison or advocate for the student to increase communication between the school and family, initiating a mentor-tutor program in the school and community, and providing professional development for teachers working with ELL and immigrant students. Recommendations include further research on factors contributing to the academic success of students adjusting to major life changes may help address concerns relating to low academic achievement and high dropout rates among Latino students

ADULT JEWISH WOMEN’S MOTIVATIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN ADULT JEWISH EDUCATION

Although there have been numerous studies on adult education participation and on adult religious education, little is known about Jewish women’s participation in adult education. A key component of the Jewish religion is lifelong learning, which is nurtured in Jewish people from an early age. Research has indicated that Jewish women participate in adult Jewish educational programs at higher rates than their male counterparts, yet there is a lack of research into what motivates them to engage in these learning opportunities. This research study was designed to examine Jewish women’s motivations and participation in adult Jewish educational programs. A survey was designed to identify the motives as well as the characteristics of women who participate in adult Jewish education. This survey was developed using a modified version of Boshier’s Education Participation Scale, Isaac, Guy, and Valentine’s instrument as well as conferring with rabbis and Jewish educational leaders. One of the objectives of the study was to identify adult Jewish women’s most and least important motivations for participation in Jewish-based educational programs. In order to do so, the means for the individual items were calculated and placed in rank order from the highest to the lowest. Another goal of the study was to identify and describe conceptually meaningful dimensions of motivation. This was accomplished by employing an exploratory factor analysis in which a series of models using varimax rotation was utilized. The final question of the study was to determine if there is a relationship between selected background variables and the identified factors. To determine the correlations, both Pearson and t-tests were conducted. Results of this study may assist religious leaders, program directors, and community and national organizations to better meet the needs of adult Jewish women learners. Furthermore, this study may enable them to draw new audiences to their programs and construct new programming with a wider audience appeal. Findings from this study will also broaden our knowledge relative to adult education participation and motivation

Is family environment a mediator of bulimia and child sexual abuse?

Reports concerning the high rate of child sexual abuse in bulimic populations have not generally been supported by empirical investigations. The current study addressed methodological problems that may have accounted for insignificant results, and investigated family environment as a possible mediator of the relationship. Results indicate a significant correlation between bulimia and child sexual abuse within a sample of college women (n = 786). Furthermore, both women with bulimia and victims of child sexual abuse reported families that were low in cohesion and independence, and higher in conflict and control. Family environment did not significantly mediate or moderate the relationship between bulimia and child sexual abuse. However, child sexual abuse mediated the relationship between bulimia and a restrictive/unexpressive family environment

Finding the T in LGBTQ: ESL Educator Perceptions of Transgender and Non-Binary Gender Topics in the Language Classroom

While there is a “T” in the acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ), the focus in both academia and the real world often shifts solely to sexuality. Even though the real world discussion of sexuality (and perhaps academia’s as well) is also much lacking in both attention to all sexualities (not simply heterosexual and homosexual), there is also a distinct lack of awareness about subtleties all along both the sexuality and gender spectrums. Although sexuality can depend on gender to some extent, particularly where limiting prefixes related to the preference for a specific binary gender (such as ‘hetero,’ ‘homo,’ or ‘bi’) occur, gender is separate from sexuality and the two cannot be simply conflated. Once gender is separated from sexuality, the issue of teaching LGBTQ topics in the English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom becomes even more complex. Previous research in the field has focused exclusively on sexuality while using the LGBTQ acronym, which serves as a subtle erasure of gender identities that are not explicitly bound within sexual identity. In the ESL classroom, gender should be problematized so that gender identity is moved from the passive acceptance of an assigned set of performative behaviors to a conscientious decision made by an empowered agent. This battles both cisnormativity (the functioning assumption and cultural framework that all people identify with their assigned sex at birth, which in turn leads to ostracism of those who do not operate in gender normative ways) but also allows all ESL students, regardless of gender identity, to look critically at what defines their gender and what factors go into the construction of any particular gender. Considering that many ESL students are coming from gender constructions present in their own cultures, even if those constructions resemble the Western binary, this is an incredibly feasible option given that scholars, such as Ged (2013), have found that gender identity, like all other aspects of identity, must be renegotiated in the language learning process, with results from the first cultural gender identity that are necessarily different by virtue of being constructed in an entirely difficult culture. This thesis examines the Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) corpus as it relates to non-binary gender identity and sexuality, as well as transgender and nonconforming topics in other disciplines, and suggests several means of opening up and reframing the conversation of gender in the ESL classroom. In addition, a modified replication of Dumas’s (2010) study tool towards measuring educator perceptions in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) classroom was used to poll the opinions of four pre-service and thirteen in-service with regards to transgender and nonbinary topics in the American ESL classroom. This thesis concludes that there needs to be more research completed in the area, that teacher perceptions and their role in the classroom should be studied further to recognize what understandings or misunderstandings regarding gender in America are making their way into the ESL classroom

An Exploration of How Involvement in a Freshman Retention Program Relates to Intention to Complete an Undergraduate Degree

The study examined the relationship of the level and type of involvement of freshman students in the Hawk Link Retention Program, a first-year program at the University of Kansas, to intent to return and graduate. The study found that participants were retained at a high level but that their type and level of involvement were not related to retention

A Subcontinental Reconstruction of Invasion Patterns and Processes for the Past Two Centuries

Understanding large-scale invasion patterns and processes is essential for effective and proactive management of exotic species that have caused significant ecological and economic damages. While many studies have focused on specific habitats and species, my research is aimed at the broad-scale patterns of expansion during the course of the past two centuries. I use long-term herbarium specimens to recreate the spatiotemporal distributions of 29 invasive plant species within the eastern United States. The emerging spatial patterns reveal species’ expansion through a continuum of radial expansion, long distance jump dispersals, and range infilling. This study identifies a set of metrics that is able to quantitatively measure the changing morphology of the spatiotemporal patterns that emerge at macroscales. Utilizing graph and network theory I additionally reconstructed the most plausible processes of the invasion expansion. Results show that invasion is closely facilitated by human activity and there are considerable commonalities of distribution and dispersal patterns among invasive plant species