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- Title
- THE EFFECTS OF DISCOURSE AND JOURNAL WRITING ON STUDENTS' ATTITUDES TOWARDS MATHEMATICS IN A FIFTH GRADE CLASSROOM: AN ACTION RESEARCH STUDY.
- Creator
-
Rose, Anna, Ortiz, Enrique, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The purpose of this study was to investigate how my use of discourse and journal writing affected students' attitudes and conceptions of mathematics in a 5th grade mathematics classroom. The nature of students' strengths and weaknesses with mathematics using discourse and journal writing were described. To show students' attitudes towards the two teaching methods transcription of teacher and student discourse on digital audio recordings, observational notes, journal writing, and pre and post...
Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate how my use of discourse and journal writing affected students' attitudes and conceptions of mathematics in a 5th grade mathematics classroom. The nature of students' strengths and weaknesses with mathematics using discourse and journal writing were described. To show students' attitudes towards the two teaching methods transcription of teacher and student discourse on digital audio recordings, observational notes, journal writing, and pre and post attitude surveys were used. The research approach was qualitative and quantitative. The participants in this twelve-week study were twenty fifth grade students from a private school in central Florida. Through analysis of the data collected, the students showed positive improvement in attitude towards discourse and journal writing in the mathematics classroom. The study supported that discourse and journal writing are important to student learning.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000722, ucf:46616
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000722
- Title
- GENRE AND PERSONA IN ACTIVIST WEBSITES.
- Creator
-
Boreman, Margaret M.F., Bowdon, Melody A., University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study examines six activist websites in terms of genre and persona to identify electronic-text conventions and forms that must be recognizable to site visitors in order for digital activists to effectively communicate. Activist websites already use a number of text forms and visual rhetorical elements to cue the site visitor; many of these text forms are common to the activist websites examined for this thesis and may constitute an identifiable and distinct genre.In terms of persona,...
Show moreThis study examines six activist websites in terms of genre and persona to identify electronic-text conventions and forms that must be recognizable to site visitors in order for digital activists to effectively communicate. Activist websites already use a number of text forms and visual rhetorical elements to cue the site visitor; many of these text forms are common to the activist websites examined for this thesis and may constitute an identifiable and distinct genre.In terms of persona, this study examines the electronic "public self" of activist websites. The arena becomes a metaphor for the virtual world; the rhetors are the activist sites; and the digital discourse is the intertextual debate--the conversation--that occurs among website users, activist sites, and targets. By categorizing activist sites in terms of their primary activities (helping, protest, and revolutionary), we determine which elements of genre repeat according to categories and we ultimately gauge the intensity and type of the outcome that the website rhetor hopes to create in the user. Designers and owners of activist sites have goals which can only be reached by means of effective, well-considered, digital genre and persona.Because many technical communicators and students of technical communication first experience the profession through service-learning for a nongovernmental organization--often an activist organization--this study will help those technical communicators to reconsider their own assumptions about genre and persona and may lead those students to understand the importance of privileging genre and persona when designing and redesigning digital texts. This study provides both experienced and new technical communicators a framework that they can apply to documents in order to (1) cue site visitors to the meaning of electronic texts and (2) construct effective public personas in the digital forum.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2004
- Identifier
- CFE0000087, ucf:46073
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000087
- Title
- PERCEPTIONS OF HOMELESSNESS AND STRATEGIES FOR RECEIVING SERVICES AMONG THE FLORIDA HOMELESS.
- Creator
-
Young, Rebecca, Mishtal, Joanna, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Homelessness is a complex problem replete with profound social distress and suffering, but with few adequate solutions. The homeless are a marginalized population particularly vulnerable to structural forces and policy decisions, including lack of affordable housing, unemployment, systemic inequalities, and lack of adequate social safety net. Perspectives of homeless people are understudied in anthropological scholarship which tends to focus on service providers, with comparatively less...
Show moreHomelessness is a complex problem replete with profound social distress and suffering, but with few adequate solutions. The homeless are a marginalized population particularly vulnerable to structural forces and policy decisions, including lack of affordable housing, unemployment, systemic inequalities, and lack of adequate social safety net. Perspectives of homeless people are understudied in anthropological scholarship which tends to focus on service providers, with comparatively less attention on homeless people themselves who are commonly subjected to medicalizing and criminalizing discourses. Using ethnographic research methods, including participant-observation and interviews with homeless people who pursue food pantry services at Hope Helps Non-profit organization in Oviedo, Florida, this paper examines the experiences of homeless people in Florida, where the issue of homelessness has been acute and is often depoliticized in public discourses. Specifically , it focuses on coping strategies of homeless people in Oviedo, and ways in which they understand their life circumstances and secure necessary services. Findings demonstrate that the Florida homeless view reasons for their homelessness as primarily economic, but rarely critique policies behind low wages or unaffordable housing. The narratives also show that the homeless in this study obtain resources through networking, and despite use of assistance services, view themselves as independent, active agents. Results of this research have potential to improve the way social services for the homeless are structured, and to inform policy relevant to homeless in Florida. Furthermore, this research brings attention to a marginalized problem and population, and considers how particular discourses function to maintain a structurally inadequate system.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFH0004626, ucf:45286
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004626
- Title
- THE CLASH OF THOUGHTS WITHIN THE ARAB DISCOURSE.
- Creator
-
Louai, Chadia, Sadri, Houman, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The Clash of Civilization thesis by Samuel Huntington and the claims of other scholars such as Bernard Lewis reinforced the impression in the West that the Arab world is a homogeneous and rigid entity ready to clash with other civilizations. In fact, some in the West argue that world civilizations have religious characteristics, for that reason the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will be primarily cultural and religious. However, other scholars argue that there is no single...
Show moreThe Clash of Civilization thesis by Samuel Huntington and the claims of other scholars such as Bernard Lewis reinforced the impression in the West that the Arab world is a homogeneous and rigid entity ready to clash with other civilizations. In fact, some in the West argue that world civilizations have religious characteristics, for that reason the fundamental source of conflict in this new world will be primarily cultural and religious. However, other scholars argue that there is no single Islamic culture but rather multiple types of political Islam and different perception of it. Therefore, the monolithic aspect of Islam is no longer a credible argument. Furthermore, they assert that there are many examples of harmonious relations between countries that came from different civilization than those of the same civilization. The Purpose of my thesis is to investigate whether there is actually a diversity and plurality of thoughts within the contemporary Arab discourse. Research was conducted through a qualitative that was made possible during a careful exploration of the biography and the scholarly work of many scholars with diverse cultural tone and beliefs; mainly through Arabic primary sources that were translated by the author. The principal finding was that all tendencies were and are present within the political culture of the Islamic and Arab world, from the extreme left to the extreme right. Yet, the political scene looks chaotic, tense and leaving many important questions unanswered.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2009
- Identifier
- CFE0002949, ucf:47978
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002949
- Title
- AXIS OF IDENTITIES: HOW SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED PERCEPTIONS AFFECT THE FOREIGN POLICY OF NATIONS.
- Creator
-
Torres, Roman, Sadri, Houman, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Contrary to the assumptions of realist theory, this thesis suggests that reality is subjected to social constructions. The national discourse of one country constitutes the context from which societies will generate perceptions and ideas about another society. It is from these socially constructed ideas that states' interests are formed. States interests are what constitute the foreign policy of a country. Given that the United States is the world's hegemon, understanding the process by which...
Show moreContrary to the assumptions of realist theory, this thesis suggests that reality is subjected to social constructions. The national discourse of one country constitutes the context from which societies will generate perceptions and ideas about another society. It is from these socially constructed ideas that states' interests are formed. States interests are what constitute the foreign policy of a country. Given that the United States is the world's hegemon, understanding the process by which countries' interests take shape and evolve will give the United States social awareness and strategic advantage to lead the world's current speedy integration with less volatile rivalries. In order to grasp the factors contributing to the relationship between specific states, some context is needed beforehand. By tracing and comparing historical events in the relations between the United States, Venezuela, and Iran, this thesis examines the constructivist claim that states behavior towards another is directly affected by the social interpretation of their interactions. It is social constructions, not power, what determines if states will view each other as "enemy" or "ally". National identity and worldview ultimately drive state behavior and how countries choose to utilize their capabilities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFH0004419, ucf:45120
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0004419
- Title
- Devising Strategies, Managing Needs: A Multi-Level Study of Homelessness in Central Florida.
- Creator
-
Young, Rebecca, Mishtal, Joanna, Matejowsky, Ty, Reyes-Foster, Beatriz, Donley, Amy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The homeless are a marginalized population vulnerable to structural forces and policy decisions, including lack of affordable housing, systemic inequalities, and lack of adequate social safety net. Homelessness is commonly medicalized (linked to individual deviancy and mental illness) by service administrators and policymakers, causing structural causes to be overlooked. A (")vertical slice(") approach is particularly useful to show perspectives and strategies that affect homelessness from...
Show moreThe homeless are a marginalized population vulnerable to structural forces and policy decisions, including lack of affordable housing, systemic inequalities, and lack of adequate social safety net. Homelessness is commonly medicalized (linked to individual deviancy and mental illness) by service administrators and policymakers, causing structural causes to be overlooked. A (")vertical slice(") approach is particularly useful to show perspectives and strategies that affect homelessness from multiple levels.Using ethnographic research methods, this project explores homelessness in Central Florida from three distinct but interrelated angles: (1) the perspective of homeless persons, (2) the perspective of staff members at Hope Helps, a non-profit organization seeking to help the homeless, and (3) the perspective of policymakers. Methods include participant observation at Hope Helps, interviews with people from each group, and policy document analysis. Specifically, I examine how perceptions and discourses of homelessness affect the strategies of these three groups, and ways in which these strategies intersect. Findings demonstrate that while homeless persons view the reasons for their own homelessness as economic, they perceive other people to be homeless for individualized reasons, including the use of medicalization and criminalization. Many perpetuate rhetoric that blames immigrants, minorities, and other poor persons for the lack of assistance services and jobs available. This greatly reduces homeless persons' ability to collectivize, support each other, and protest for change. Staff at Hope Helps also uses individualized discourses, focusing on helping homeless and low-income persons budget resources, rather than working towards systemic change. Policymakers in Orlando, which in 2009 was considered the third (")meanest city(") in the nation due to criminalization measures, are now focusing on a new Housing First approach, though the efficacy of this approach and their motives remain questionable.This research has potential to make politics behind policies affecting the homeless more transparent. It would further identify a common language and interests, which can serve as the bridge between homeless seeking services, and service providers. Thus, results of this research have potential to improve the way services for the homeless are structured, and to inform policy relevant to the homeless in Florida. Further, it contributes to anthropological literature on discourse and neoliberalism, and how discourse can be used to justify particular policy directions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006202, ucf:51115
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006202
- Title
- Expansive Learning in FYC: Using Linguistic Discourse Analysis to Measure the Effects of Threshold Concepts in Facilitating Generalization.
- Creator
-
Morrow, Allison, Wardle, Elizabeth, Roozen, Kevin, Hall, Mark, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study examines how and if threshold concepts enable expansive learning and generalization. Expansive learning and generalization are part of the highly contested conceptions of transfer, and these specific conceptions offer a more complex conception of transfer that deals with knowledge transformation (Tuomi-Gr?hn and Engestr?m, Beach). One way that we can see expansive learning and generalization transform knowledge is through the teaching of threshold concepts. In the last decade,...
Show moreThis study examines how and if threshold concepts enable expansive learning and generalization. Expansive learning and generalization are part of the highly contested conceptions of transfer, and these specific conceptions offer a more complex conception of transfer that deals with knowledge transformation (Tuomi-Gr?hn and Engestr?m, Beach). One way that we can see expansive learning and generalization transform knowledge is through the teaching of threshold concepts. In the last decade, there has been a movement toward using threshold concepts in FYC's that take up writing studies as their curricula (Wardle and Downs, Dew). Even though using threshold concepts seems to be one interesting way of specifically studying expansive learning and generalization, we have no studies examining whether or not teaching threshold concepts encourages expansive learning. The studies we do have do not seem to offer any methodologies that would enable us to study threshold concepts and generalization. Past methods, such as case studies, interviews, and surveys have included small sample sizes to collect their data from (Wardle, Dively and Nelms, Nowacek). A lot of the transfer data does not actually focus on the writing or the texts themselves or the reoccurring moves that students use in those texts. Linguistic discourse analysis offers a promising avenue for examining the generalization of threshold concepts. Using research methods like linguistic discourse analysis in marriage with the best qualitative methods of transfer, like case studies or interviews, could allow for a larger sample size of data collection and allows for us to see how students use these threshold concepts in their writing. Through linguistic discourse analysis and interviews, this study suggests that students' perceptions of writing change after being introduced to some threshold concepts from the Writing About Writing curriculum. The threshold concepts that students are presented to in the Writing About Writing curriculum at UCF tackles misconceptions and helps students change how they view writing. Once they can change this view, they are able to generalize the knowledge they have into their own writing. If students do not use the exact terminology from the curriculum, they are able to generalize those threshold concepts through using their own language or even through analogies. ?
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005849, ucf:50937
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005849
- Title
- Meme World Syndrome: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the First World Problems and Third World Success Internet Memes.
- Creator
-
Chandler, Robert, Sandoval, Jennifer, Kinnally, William, Walls, Douglas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This thesis applies the theory and method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the ideological components of the First World Problems (FWP) and Third World Success (TWS) Internet memes. Drawing on analytical concepts from CDA and related perspectives, such as multimodal discourse analysis and social semiotics, the paper analyzes the visual and textual elements of a sample of the FWP and TWS memes. The paper argues that the text and images featured in the memes are ideologically...
Show moreThis thesis applies the theory and method of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the ideological components of the First World Problems (FWP) and Third World Success (TWS) Internet memes. Drawing on analytical concepts from CDA and related perspectives, such as multimodal discourse analysis and social semiotics, the paper analyzes the visual and textual elements of a sample of the FWP and TWS memes. The paper argues that the text and images featured in the memes are ideologically salient and discursively construct oppositional binaries between (")us(") and (")them(") in terms of wealth disparity.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004828, ucf:49761
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004828
- Title
- DEVELOPMENT OF SEVENTH GRADE PRE-ALGEBRA STUDENTS' MATHEMATICAL PROBLEM SOLVING THROUGH WRITTEN EXPLANATIONS AND JUSTIFICATIONS.
- Creator
-
Jones, Rebecca, Dieker, Lisa, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In this action research, the interactions of seventh grade pre-algebra students in a mathematics classroom shared their explanation and justification processes through group work. Prior to the start of the study students were given a written pre-test to determine current conceptual thinking in mathematics. Over the next nine weeks, the teacher engaged the students in problem solving activities that included reasoning skills, communication and making connections through discussion with their...
Show moreIn this action research, the interactions of seventh grade pre-algebra students in a mathematics classroom shared their explanation and justification processes through group work. Prior to the start of the study students were given a written pre-test to determine current conceptual thinking in mathematics. Over the next nine weeks, the teacher engaged the students in problem solving activities that included reasoning skills, communication and making connections through discussion with their peers. Following nine weeks of written and verbal discourse, students were provided a post-test to determine changes in their conceptual thinking. Overall students' grades, journal writings and test scores showed positive gains with the greatest changes occurring in written explanations of their conceptual thinking in mathematics.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002180, ucf:47510
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002180
- Title
- CHALLENGING A TRADITIONAL SOCIAL NORM IN A SECOND GRADE MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM.
- Creator
-
Egendoerfer, Lisa, Dixon, Juli K., University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
In an attempt to examine classroom dialogue within a second grade classroom, I encouraged students to participate in mathematics discussions without needing to raise their hands before speaking. I challenged this traditional social norm and established sociomathematical norms as the study progressed. My study showed the effects of this change on the dialogue of students in my classroom. Focus was placed on the participation in classroom discussions when traditional social and...
Show moreIn an attempt to examine classroom dialogue within a second grade classroom, I encouraged students to participate in mathematics discussions without needing to raise their hands before speaking. I challenged this traditional social norm and established sociomathematical norms as the study progressed. My study showed the effects of this change on the dialogue of students in my classroom. Focus was placed on the participation in classroom discussions when traditional social and sociomathematical norms were in place as well as when new norms were established. The study helped determine the effects of student-centered dialogue on conceptual understanding as demonstrated in the students' discussions, participation, and written expression.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2006
- Identifier
- CFE0000946, ucf:46734
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000946
- Title
- DEVELOPMENT OF A SPANISH VERSION OF THE MAIN CONCEPT ANALYSIS FOR ANALYZING ORAL DISORDERED DISCOURSE.
- Creator
-
Simonet, Karla, Kong, Anthony Pak-Hin, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Aphasia is an acquired language impairment caused by damage in the regions of the brain that support language. The Main Concept Analysis (MCA) is a published formal assessment battery that allows the quantification of the presence, accuracy, completeness, and efficiency of content in spoken discourse produced by persons with aphasia (PWA). It utilizes a sequential picture description task (with four sets of pictures) for language sample elicitation. The MCA results can also be used clinically...
Show moreAphasia is an acquired language impairment caused by damage in the regions of the brain that support language. The Main Concept Analysis (MCA) is a published formal assessment battery that allows the quantification of the presence, accuracy, completeness, and efficiency of content in spoken discourse produced by persons with aphasia (PWA). It utilizes a sequential picture description task (with four sets of pictures) for language sample elicitation. The MCA results can also be used clinically for targeting appropriate interventions of aphasic output. The purpose of this research is to develop a Spanish adaptation of the MCA by establishing normative data based on native unimpaired speakers of Spanish. In the pilot study, thirty-eight unimpaired Spanish participants were recruited by previous student researchers. Each participant was asked to complete a demographic questionnaire and a short form of the Cognitive Linguistic Quick Test was administered to rule out any unidentified language problems. The MCA was then be administered to participants and their oral description was audio recorded for later orthographic transcription. A total of 81 unimpaired participants that consisted of different genders, ages (young, middle-aged, and older groups), levels of education (high versus low), and dialect origins (e.g., Spain, Puerto Rico, Columbia) were recruited in the main study to establish a more balanced set of data. One person with aphasia (PWA) was recruited for this study. Based on the collected normative samples, the essential information was identified for each participant. A dialect-specific scoring criteria including target main concepts and lexicons of the Spanish-MCA were developed. The Spanish-MCA was conducted to test the validity of the assessment battery. In the current study, a preliminary set of data using the MCA scoring criteria has been established. Similar to findings in Kong and Yeh 2015, the results of the Spanish-MCA showed age and education did impact discourse performance. Results from one-way ANOVA revealed statistical differences between age groups and education levels of the unimpaired participants recruited. The groups of participants with a higher education conveyed more AC concepts compared to the other dialect groups. To compare data for PWA, it is suggested that a larger sample size of PWA be recruited to validate the Spanish-MCA.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFH2000553, ucf:45622
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH2000553
- Title
- Macrolinguistic Analysis of Discourse Production in people with Aphasia, individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Survivors of Traumatic Brain Injury.
- Creator
-
Eaton, Stephanie, Kong, Anthony Pak Hin, Wilson, Lauren Bislick, Rosa-Lugo, Linda, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study examined the macrolinguistic features of three genres (single picture description, sequential picture description, and story retell) of discourse samples collected from participants with acquired communication disorders (including two speakers with aphasia, two with mild cognitive impairment, and two with traumatic brain injury) and unimpaired controls (n=6). Comparisons were made to investigate group and genre differences. Standardized assessment scores of cognitive and linguistic...
Show moreThis study examined the macrolinguistic features of three genres (single picture description, sequential picture description, and story retell) of discourse samples collected from participants with acquired communication disorders (including two speakers with aphasia, two with mild cognitive impairment, and two with traumatic brain injury) and unimpaired controls (n=6). Comparisons were made to investigate group and genre differences. Standardized assessment scores of cognitive and linguistic evaluations were collected and correlated to features of macrolinguistic discourse analysis.Participants with acquired communication disorders performed best on the story retell discourse task compared to single picture description and sequential picture description. Significant measures for story retell task include lexical efficiency, time efficiency, and Main Concept score. No significant difference was found on performance between single-picture description task and sequential picture description for participants with acquired communication disorders. The Main Concept Analysis presented with the strongest correlation to macrolinguistic features of analysis. These preliminary findings suggest that main concept score is a predominant indicator of the overall informativeness and macrostructure of a speaker's discourse.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007799, ucf:52341
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007799
- Title
- EFFECTS OF DISCUSSION AND WRITING ON STUDENT UNDERSTANDING OF MATHEMATICS CONCEPTS.
- Creator
-
Roicki, Joseph, Ortiz, Enrique, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
For this action research project, I wanted to examine my practice of teaching mathematics. Specifically, I encouraged students to improve their communication skills during my math class through daily discussion and writing tasks. After establishing a class set of sociomathematical norms, the students solved problems provided by the Every Day Counts: Calendar Math program and used verbal and written formats to describe their problem solving methods and reasons. My study showed the effects of...
Show moreFor this action research project, I wanted to examine my practice of teaching mathematics. Specifically, I encouraged students to improve their communication skills during my math class through daily discussion and writing tasks. After establishing a class set of sociomathematical norms, the students solved problems provided by the Every Day Counts: Calendar Math program and used verbal and written formats to describe their problem solving methods and reasons. My study showed the effects of using discussion and writing to help students develop their conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas. Focus was placed on the quality of daily discussions and written tasks both at the beginning of the study and continually as the study progressed. Through daily discussions, monthly written assessments, and student interviews, the study helped to determine the importance of developing students' mathematical communication skills and building conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002026, ucf:47627
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002026
- Title
- Multiculturalism as Reported by the European Online Press: A Qualitative Study on the Manifestation of Othering Discourses.
- Creator
-
Chakrabarti, Shomik, Musambira, George, Sandoval, Jennifer, Hastings, Sally, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
This study critically examined how issues of multiculturalism and Muslim immigration are discursively constructed within the English language European online press. Through the use of a frame analysis as well as a more focused discourse analysis, an examination was undertaken to uncover how (")us(") versus (")them(") perspectives were manifest within a public discourse. A total of 132 articles from The Daily Mail, Le Monde Diplomatique, Dutchnews.nl, Spiegel Online and The International...
Show moreThis study critically examined how issues of multiculturalism and Muslim immigration are discursively constructed within the English language European online press. Through the use of a frame analysis as well as a more focused discourse analysis, an examination was undertaken to uncover how (")us(") versus (")them(") perspectives were manifest within a public discourse. A total of 132 articles from The Daily Mail, Le Monde Diplomatique, Dutchnews.nl, Spiegel Online and The International Herald Tribune were selected using a systematic sampling method based on the results of a search query for multiculturalism at each news site. The analysis of the data corpus revealed the news media's depiction of multiculturalism and Muslim immigrants as not wholly negative on the surface but under closer scrutiny revealed discursive and linguistic techniques that consistently marginalized and (")othered(") them. The themes found in the data corpus also illuminated a trend of the subordinated population as lacking proper representation and always being spoken for by the news media.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2015
- Identifier
- CFE0005587, ucf:50241
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005587
- Title
- Using Hashtags to Disambiguate Aboutness in Social Media Discourse: A Case Study of #OrlandoStrong.
- Creator
-
DeArmas, Nicholas, Vie, Stephanie, Salter, Anastasia, Beever, Jonathan, Dodd, Melissa, Wheeler, Stephanie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
While the field of writing studies has studied digital writing as a response to multiple calls for more research on digital forms of writing, research on hashtags has yet to build bridges between different disciplines' approaches to studying the uses and effects of hashtags. This dissertation builds that bridge in its interdisciplinary approach to the study of hashtags by focusing on how hashtags can be fully appreciated at the intersection of the fields of information research, linguistics,...
Show moreWhile the field of writing studies has studied digital writing as a response to multiple calls for more research on digital forms of writing, research on hashtags has yet to build bridges between different disciplines' approaches to studying the uses and effects of hashtags. This dissertation builds that bridge in its interdisciplinary approach to the study of hashtags by focusing on how hashtags can be fully appreciated at the intersection of the fields of information research, linguistics, rhetoric, ethics, writing studies, new media studies, and discourse studies. Hashtags are writing innovations that perform unique digital functions rhetorically while still hearkening back to functions of both print and oral rhetorical traditions. Hashtags function linguistically as indicators of semantic meaning; additionally, hashtags also perform the role of search queries on social media, retrieving texts that include the same hashtag. Information researchers refer to the relationship between a search query and its results using the term (")aboutness(") (Kehoe and Gee, 2011). By considering how hashtags have an aboutness, the humanities can call upon information research to better understand the digital aspects of the hashtag's search function. Especially when hashtags are used to organize discourse, aboutness has an effect on how a discourse community's agendas and goals are expressed, as well as framing what is relevant and irrelevant to the discourse. As digital activists increasingly use hashtags to organize and circulate the goals of their discourse communities, knowledge of ethical strategies for hashtag use will help to better preserve a relevant aboutness for their discourse while enabling them to better leverage their hashtag for circulation. In this dissertation, through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Twitter discourse that used #OrlandoStrong over the five-month period before the first anniversary of the Pulse shooting, I trace how the #OrlandoStrong discourse community used innovative rhetorical strategies to combat irrelevant content from ambiguating their discourse space. In Chapter One, I acknowledge the call from scholars to study digital tools and briefly describe the history of the Pulse shooting, reflecting on non-digital texts that employed #OrlandoStrong as memorials in the Orlando area. In Chapter Two, I focus on the literature surrounding hashtags, discourse, aboutness, intertextuality, hashtag activism, and informational compositions. In Chapter Three, I provide an overview of the stages of grounded theory methodology and the implications of critical discourse analysis before I detail how I approached the collection, coding, and analysis of the #OrlandoStrong Tweets I studied. The results of my study are reported in Chapter Four, offering examples of Tweets that were important to understanding how the discourse space became ambiguous through the use of hashtags. In Chapter Five, I reflect on ethical approaches to understanding the consequences of hashtag use, and then I offer an ethical recommendation for hashtag use by hashtag activists. I conclude Chapter Five with an example of a classroom activity that allows students to use hashtags to better understand the relationship between aboutness, (dis)ambiguation, discourse communities, and ethics. This classroom activity is provided with the hope that instructors from different disciplines will be able to provide ethical recommendations to future activists who may benefit from these rhetorical strategies.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2018
- Identifier
- CFE0007322, ucf:52136
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007322
- Title
- THE EFFECTS OF PROBLEM SOLVING STRATEGY INSTRUCTION, JOURNAL WRITING AND DISCOURSE ON 6TH GRADE ADVANCED MATHEMATICS STUDENT PERFORMANCE.
- Creator
-
Wittcop, Melissa, Ortiz, Enrique, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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There are two purposes to this study. The first was for me, as a teacher, to try something new in my instruction and grow from it. The second purpose of this study focused on the students. I wanted to see what level of performance in problem solving my students are at currently, and how the use of journaling and discourse affected the students' problem solving abilities. A problem-solving unit was taught heuristically in order to introduce students to the various strategies that could be...
Show moreThere are two purposes to this study. The first was for me, as a teacher, to try something new in my instruction and grow from it. The second purpose of this study focused on the students. I wanted to see what level of performance in problem solving my students are at currently, and how the use of journaling and discourse affected the students' problem solving abilities. A problem-solving unit was taught heuristically in order to introduce students to the various strategies that could be used in problem solving. Math journals were also used for problem solving and reflection. Classroom discourse in discussion of problem solving situations was used as a means of identifying strategies used to solve the problem. Explanations and justifications were then used in writing and discourse to support students' solution and methods. An analytic problem-solving rubric was used to score the problems solved by the students. These scores, along with explanations and justifications, and discourse were used as data and analyzed for common themes. The results of this study demonstrate overall improvement in student performance in problem solving. Heuristic instruction the students received on strategies in problem solving helped to improve their ability to not only select an appropriate strategy, but also implement it. This unit, along with the problem solving prompts solved in the journals, helped to improve the students' performance in explanations. It was discourse combined with all the previous instruction that finally improved student performance in justification.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2008
- Identifier
- CFE0002075, ucf:47592
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0002075
- Title
- CRACK MOTHERS, CRACK BABIES, AND BLACK MALE DOPE DEALERS: PRODUCTIONS OF DEVIANCE DURING AMERICA'S CRACK COCAINE PANIC IN THE 1980S.
- Creator
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Yandow, Chantelle, Schippert, Claudia, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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A moral panic erupted during the 1980s among the American public when stories about crack cocaine saturated the media. In this thesis I analyze how discursive productions of deviancy operated in the CBS news documentary: 48 Hours on Crack Street (1986) and other print news sources at that time. Three salient characters that appear in news media discourse during the panic are "crack mothers," "crack babies," and "Black male dope dealers." The news media frightened the public with such...
Show moreA moral panic erupted during the 1980s among the American public when stories about crack cocaine saturated the media. In this thesis I analyze how discursive productions of deviancy operated in the CBS news documentary: 48 Hours on Crack Street (1986) and other print news sources at that time. Three salient characters that appear in news media discourse during the panic are "crack mothers," "crack babies," and "Black male dope dealers." The news media frightened the public with such representations (among others) and the public urged politicians to get tough on drug crime to control the so-called crack cocaine plague. Politicians responded with omnibus drug reforms that established mandatory minimum sentences and the controversial 100:1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. The enforcement of the draconian drug laws that were passed in response to the crack cocaine panic continues to be a contributing factor to America's current prison crisis. Moreover, the laws are enforced in ways that disproportionately punish the poor and African-Americans. I conclude that the criminal disenfranchisement of millions of people since the 1980s relates to the media's representation of the crack cocaine "epidemic" and the legislation that was passed to control illicit drugs such as crack cocaine.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFH0003822, ucf:44758
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFH0003822
- Title
- Building Unity Through State Narratives: The Evolving British Media Discourse During World War II, 1939-1941.
- Creator
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Cook, Colin, Lyons, Amelia, Solonari, Vladimir, Larson, Peter, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The British media discourse evolved during the first two years of World War II, as state narratives and censorship began taking a more prominent role. I trace this shift through an examination of newspapers from three British regions during this period, including London, the Southwest, and the North. My research demonstrates that at the start of the war, the press featured early unity in support of the British war effort, with some regional variation. As the war progressed, old political and...
Show moreThe British media discourse evolved during the first two years of World War II, as state narratives and censorship began taking a more prominent role. I trace this shift through an examination of newspapers from three British regions during this period, including London, the Southwest, and the North. My research demonstrates that at the start of the war, the press featured early unity in support of the British war effort, with some regional variation. As the war progressed, old political and geographical divergences came to the forefront in coverage of events such as Prime Minister Chamberlain's resignation. The government became increasingly concerned about the grim portrayals of the Dunkirk Evacuation in the press, as Britain's wartime situation deteriorated. I argue that as censorship and propaganda increased, newspapers fell into line, adhering to state narratives and uniting behind a circumscribed version of the events that molded a heroic presentation of Dunkirk. Censorship from the government came in various forms, often utilizing softer methods such as the control of information flow and warning publications, which complied in order to appear patriotic and avoid further suppression. My analysis of these papers indicates that this censorship and unity of the press continued during coverage of the Blitz, as the media discourse became more cohesive and supportive of the government's goals.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2019
- Identifier
- CFE0007794, ucf:52334
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0007794
- Title
- AN INQUIRY INTO DISCOURSE CHOICES AS INDICATORS OF GENDER ATTITUDES IN A NON-PROFIT CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN BUSINESS.
- Creator
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Kruger, Dawn, Marinara, Martha, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This paper is an inquiry into the discourse styles of men and women who work together in a conservative Protestant Christian business. Many conservative Protestant Christian churches teach that the Bible forbids women from holding positions of authority over men. Yet in the communications department of this particular business, women fill the top three management positions, supervising a mixed-gender staff of 15. Research has shown that men and women subconsciously use language markers that...
Show moreThis paper is an inquiry into the discourse styles of men and women who work together in a conservative Protestant Christian business. Many conservative Protestant Christian churches teach that the Bible forbids women from holding positions of authority over men. Yet in the communications department of this particular business, women fill the top three management positions, supervising a mixed-gender staff of 15. Research has shown that men and women subconsciously use language markers that indicate personal attitudes toward the same and the opposite genders. This research project draws on that information while it analyzes the oral and electronic discourse of the communications staff. The purpose of this study is to observe whether or not the traditional teachings of conservative Protestant Christian churches has influenced the attitudes of these men and women with regard to women in positions of authority over men in a Christian business. Two staff meetings and a lunchroom conversation were audio taped and transcribed to note oral discourse patterns. One hundred and eleven emails were examined to mark patterns of written discourse. This data was then evaluated against published research in the area of gendered discourse markers. The results indicate that two of the three women in leadership positions over men were comfortable with their positions of authority, but the third woman's discourse patterns showed signs of insecurity. Furthermore, the men in the department did not indicate signs that they seek to exercise power over women, nor did they show signs of difficulty in submitting to the authority of the women. The women staff members, however, showed definite indications of being insecure in a mixed group, and of being meekly subordinate to anyone in authority over them. These results, while helpful, are not definitive in that they do not account for the possibility of other influencing factors, such as personality types, job roles and expectations, age differences, or church teachings on meekness and submission to authority. However, the results of this research indicate that some conservative Christian men are ready for and able to embrace the concept of having women in positions of authority over them, even in a Christian environment, and a few conservative, Christian women are ready to step into those positions. Also from this research it could be concluded that, on the average, conservative women struggle more with the shift of authority than men do. More research would need to be done to address that question fully.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2005
- Identifier
- CFE0000631, ucf:52852
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0000631
- Title
- Crossing Literate Worlds: Exploring How Students With Rich Identities as Writers Negotiate Multiple Writing Contexts.
- Creator
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Shrum, Autumn, Wardle, Elizabeth, Wallace, David, Scott, John, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study investigated the literate identities of college students who engage in various school and non-school writing practices simultaneously. In case studies of three student writers, the researcher seeks to explore how the discourse community roles, self-perceptions, negotiation of multiple writing processes and development of authority impacted the students' identities as writers. Triangulated research methods included weekly interviews with the student participants, observation of the...
Show moreThis study investigated the literate identities of college students who engage in various school and non-school writing practices simultaneously. In case studies of three student writers, the researcher seeks to explore how the discourse community roles, self-perceptions, negotiation of multiple writing processes and development of authority impacted the students' identities as writers. Triangulated research methods included weekly interviews with the student participants, observation of the students in their writing classrooms and analysis of the students' school and non-school texts over one semester. Students experienced several conflicts and synergies between contexts. Main findings indicated that writing across many academic and extra-academic settings during a short time period may alter self-perceptions, encourage or discourage the repurposing of writing processes, and limit the development of authority. Implications for teachers and researchers of college-level writing center on awareness of the literate lives of students beyond classroom walls. Future research questions are raised regarding the transfer of writing-related knowledge as it may occur in students with strong literate identities.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2011
- Identifier
- CFE0004167, ucf:49061
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004167
