Recommendations for achieving generalized instructional outcomes often overlook the capacity for generative learning. We sought to demonstrate how decontextualized and logically organized instruction would lead to derived and contextually appropriate recombinative generalization and arbitrarily applicable relational responding (AARRing) in…

In this dissertation, I investigate how people navigate ambiguity in everyday speech, with a focus on quantifier-negation sentences. Combining corpus analysis, behavioral experiments, and computational modeling in the Rational Speech Act framework, I explore preferred interpretations of quantifier-negation and examine the contexts and prosodies…

F0 contours convey multiple types of information, including lexical and post-lexical meanings, as well as affective and socio-indexical indicators. This dissertation investigates the interaction between lexical tone and sentence-level intonation in Thai, focusing on how sentence position influences the acoustic realization and perceptual…

Individuals with vision loss must be able to be safe and independent in their home and community. According to the American Foundation for the Blind, over 10 million Americans are coping with vision impairment or blindness. Technology has opened the doors for most individuals including individuals that are blind or visually impaired making the…

One accreditation-mandated outcome of social work education is to increase students' understanding of social injustice and prepare them to work to reduce such injustices. This has been called critical consciousness (CC). This study explored the relationship between mindfulness as a pedagogical tool to support CC development in social work…

A person's reading performance is the result of a combination of various factors. The current study was to investigate the influences of student and school background characteristics on student overall reading achievement. A sample of 2,922 tenth-grade students from 140 schools was included in this study from the Programme for International…

Student-teacher relationship quality (STRQ) influences a variety of student outcomes, including academic, social, and behavioral functioning (McGrath & Van Bergen, 2015). Less is known about the importance of STRQ for preschool students with disabilities. Many studies are conducted with school-aged, typically developing students (Ansari et…

This study used mixed methods to investigate the relationships between parental leave policy components and academic achievement measured by TIMSS and PIRLS. Qualitative document analysis was used to analyze the policy documents and available literature on all the parental leave policies that had been implemented early enough to potentially affect…

This dissertation presents three studies that examined issues related to the production and the perception of pitch in a tone language. The first study examined linguistic contexts that may modulate consonant-induced pitch perturbations (CF0) in a tone language. Previous studies have produced mixed findings regarding the role of linguistic…

The under-representation of Blacks in the actuarial profession has persisted for decades. However, to date, little theory-driven research has been conducted to examine variables that may influence the career choice behavior of Blacks pursuing an actuarial profession. The purpose of this research was to identify and examine the relationships among…

This study explored the relationship between a superintendent's leadership style and their strategic planning and change management process using a qualitative methodology with a case study design. Purposeful sampling methods were used to identify 13 superintendents from the Southwest and Midwest regions of the United States. The participants were…

This study addressed the question: Is there a relationship between teacher qualifications and school context on reported professional development (PD) outcomes? Data was collected from archived PD for state funded grants awarded in 2006 in the state of Missouri. Seven of the 14 PD programs were selected for this study. A sample of teacher…

Calls for educational technology integration over more than thirty years have taken on new urgency in an era of computerized assessments for accountability. As Internet Communication Technology (ICT) becomes more widely available, the digital divide is evolving into a digital use divide, characterized by differences between students' productive…

In an attempt to better understand the role of relationship between the use of English indefinite article and L1 transfer in L2 countability judgments by speakers of non-classifier languages, the current study investigates how Saudi EFL learners judge noun countability in English. The current study aims to find; (1) if countability judgments…

Organizations these days are facing a number of challenges that affect their performance and productivity. As workplaces become more challenging to employees, employee engagement and turnover become critical concerns for management. Drawing on insights from the Job Demand-Resource model, this study explores the relationships between key…