Theses and Dissertations from UMD
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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM
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Item Moderating Effects of Difficulty on Individual Differences' Prediction of Intensive Second Language Proficiency Attainment(2024) Pulupa, Catherine Maria; Hui, Bronson; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The United States government is perennially in need of employees with proficiency in critical foreign languages to communicate with foreign counterparts and maintain relationships worldwide. In order to fulfill this need, the government devotes significant resources training federal employees to advanced levels of language proficiency through intensive courses aimed at developing communicative language skills that reflect the work that employees will perform in their work advancing the interests of the United States abroad. Notable proportions of employees fail to meet proficiency goals at the end of training, and little is known about what learner individual differences drive whether or not employees will meet their proficiency goals in order to perform their work on behalf of the United States. To this aim, the current investigation utilizes multiple analyses to explore and explain the interrelationships between learner individual differences, language difficulty, and proficiency attainment throughout training. The investigation constitutes two related analyses. First, a path-analytic approach examines associations between a cognitive (aptitude) measure and non-cognitive (motivation, familiarity with curricula, previous advanced second language learning) measures with student proficiency achievement throughout training. A second analysis builds on the first: the path-analytic model incorporates a measure of difficulty of the language studied by the students to determine how difficulty influences language learning and ultimate attainment within the context of individual differences in L2 speaking and reading. Results demonstrated consistent influence of language aptitude on proficiency attainment, and notable influences of previous L2 acquisition and the alignment of training to individuals’ language use goals. L2 difficulty moderated the relationships between individual differences and proficiency assessment scores during several points in training. The findings support an understanding of adult L2 acquisition that more fully considers learners’ goals and previous L2 experiences and consideration of the impact that difficulty can have on individual learners’ abilities to achieve target proficiency goals.Item INVESTIGATING INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES’ PREDICTION OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY OUTCOMES: A LATENT GROWTH CURVE MODELING APPROACH(2023) Rhoades, Elizabeth Rogler; Gor, Kira; Clark, Martyn; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Although decades of research within the field of second language acquisition have been dedicated to investigating the impact of individual differences on second language learners’ success, longitudinal research focused on individual differences and their impact on adult second language acquisition is extremely limited. Additional longitudinal research on individual differences is necessary to further our understanding of the nature of the process of adult second language acquisition. This area of research is also critical to the U.S. Government and the Department of Defense as thousands of military service members work in language-related positions, and these service members’ maintenance of high levels of language proficiency is critical for our nation’s national security. The current study used a longitudinal design to investigate the impact of individual differences such as general cognitive ability, language aptitude, and attitude toward learning assigned second language (L2) on military service members’ language proficiency outcomes. Latent growth curve modeling (LGM) was used to model participants’ initial proficiency levels and growth trajectories, and measures of cognitive ability, language aptitude, and attitude toward learning assigned L2 were used to measure the impact of these individual differences on language proficiency outcomes. Additional variables including GPA, age, education level, number of language training hours, billet type, and sex were also included in the analyses. The results from the four phases of analyses support the conclusion that the predictive value of individual difference factors on language proficiency outcomes differ not only by DLI Language Difficulty Category, as suggested by previous research, but also by language and even language modality.Item Simply (neuro-)stimulating: The effects of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation on phonological and lexical tone learning indexed by behavior and pupillometry(2021) Pandza, Nicholas Balint; Gor, Kira; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Mandarin lexical tone learning has repeatedly been identified as a difficult linguistic feature for non-native speakers of tonal languages like English, even for native English learners of Mandarin at high proficiencies (e.g., Pelzl et al., 2019b). Sound perception training has been shown to help native English speakers perceive lexical tone differences, but acquiring lexical tone as a feature still remains difficult, even after as many as 18 training sessions (Bowles et al., 2016; Chandrasekaran et al., 2010; Li & DeKeyser, 2017; 2019; Liu & Chandrasekaran, 2013; Wang et al., 1999; 2003; Wong et al., 2011; Wong & Perrachione, 2007). While much of the tone learning literature has focused on different training interventions to overcome learning plateaus, another type of intervention that could augment learning is non-invasive neurostimulation. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a type of safe, non-invasive neurostimulation that delivers electrical current to the ear canal that has been shown to enhance cognition and learning (e.g., Jacobs et al., 2015). This dissertation investigated taVNS and its potential impact as tool to enhance Mandarin tone learning. Participants in three groups, peristim taVNS, priming taVNS, and a sham taVNS control participated in a double-blind two-day Mandarin phonological and lexical tone training study. Behavioral data including accuracy and reaction time were collected, as was physiological data in the form of pupillometry due to its ties both to cognitive effort and the most well-studied taVNS mechanism of action, the production of norepinephrine. Active taVNS groups received stimulation before or during multiple training and testing tasks across the two days. This body of work revealed: (1) priming and peristim administrations of taVNS differentially facilitated vocabulary learning of words with Mandarin tone, (2) priming and peristim administrations of taVNS differentially facilitated learning of new phonological tone categories, and (3) the effects of individual differences were substantially and differentially impacted by priming and peristim administrations taVNS, all results compared to a sham control. The evidence herein supports the potential of taVNS as a practical treatment intervention for enhancing language learning and reveals a number of considerations for its use and implementation to be explored in future research.Item THE ROLE OF RULES, EXAMPLES AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN THE ACQUISITION OF DECLARATIVE AND PROCEDURAL SECOND LANGUAGE KNOWLEDGE(2016) Kachinske, Ilina; DeKeyser, Robert M.; Second Language Acquisition and Application; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The relevance of explicit instruction has been well documented in SLA research. Despite numerous positive findings, however, the issue continues to engage scholars worldwide. One issue that was largely neglected in previous empirical studies - and one that may be crucial for the effectiveness of explicit instruction - is the timing and integration of rules and practice. The present study investigated the extent to which grammar explanation (GE) before practice, grammar explanation during practice, and individual differences impact the acquisition of L2 declarative and procedural knowledge of two grammatical structures in Spanish. In this experiment, 128 English-speaking learners of Spanish were randomly assigned to four experimental treatments and completed comprehension-based task-essential practice for interpreting object-verb (OV) and ser/estar (SER) sentences in Spanish. Results confirmed the predicted importance of timing of GE: participants who received GE during practice were more likely to develop and retain their knowledge successfully. Results further revealed that the various combinations of rules and practice posed differential task demands on the learners and consequently drew on language aptitude and WM to a different extent. Since these correlations between individual differences and learning outcomes were the least observed in the conditions that received GE during practice, we argue that the suitable integration of rules and practice ameliorated task demands, reducing the burden on the learner, and accordingly mitigated the role of participants’ individual differences. Finally, some evidence also showed that the comprehension practice that participants received for the two structures was not sufficient for the formation of solid productive knowledge, but was more effective for the OV than for the SER construction.Item Pro-Environmental Behaviors in the Workplace: Is Concern for the Environment Enough?(2012) Nag, Monisha; Ostroff, Cheri; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Although there has been some research on corporate social responsibility and sustainable practices in organizations, individuals' pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) in the workplace have not received much attention. A primary goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of the factors related to PEBs in the workplace and to further our understanding of the relationship between environmental attitudes and PEBs within the organizational context. Contextual factors, including psychological climate for PEBs, perceptions of leader support for PEBs, home climate for PEBs, and role overload, as well as individual differences, including individuals' norms regarding the environment and sense of guilt repair for failing to act in an environmentally responsible manner, were examined. Moreover, two types of PEBs were distinguished: PEBs easily engaged in and PEBs that require a cost to self. A commons dilemma perspective was applied to better understand the relative importance of contextual and individual difference variables in relation to the different types of PEBs, and which factors are more likely to influence individuals' environmental attitude - PEBs relationship in the workplace. Results suggested that psychological perceptions of climate for PEBs, perceptions of home climate for PEBs, and personal norms regarding the environment were most strongly related to the extent to which individuals engaged in both types of PEBs in the workplace. Guilt repair was positively related to the extent to which individuals were willing to engage in PEBs at work despite incurring a cost. Finally, psychological perceptions of climate for PEBs and role overload adversely affected the relationship between individuals' environmental attitude and PEBs at work.Item DEVELOPMENTAL AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN REWARD PROCESSING ACROSS CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE(2010) Kirwan, Michael Louis; Fox, Nathan A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Adolescence is a developmental period characterized by maturation across multiple domains. This maturation is not without difficulties, however, as adolescents also display increased negative mood, conflict with parents, and risk-taking behaviors. Increased risk-taking is thought to be the byproduct of changes in reward circuits in the brain, and while a solid foundation of research has provided evidence for changes in reward processing during adolescence compared to adulthood, little is known about the changes that occur from childhood into adolescence. The current study addresses this gap in the literature with an investigation of changes in behavioral performance on a reward-processing task using a cross-sectional sample of children and adolescents. Three primary findings emerged from this study. First, adolescents displayed faster reaction times than 8-year-olds. Second, subjects responded faster and more accurately on trials with greater potential rewards. Finally, individual differences were related to reward sensitivity, reaction times, and response accuracies.Item School-Related Apathy in 8th- and 10th- Grade Students: A Mixed-Method Exploration of Definitions, Construct Independence, Correlates, and Grade-Level Differences(2007-04-26) Riconscente, Michelle Maria; Alexander, Patricia A; Human Development; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research-based and folk conceptualizations of school-related apathy were explored in 309 8th- and 10th- grade Catholic school students and their teachers. Definitions, construct independence, and relation to select individual and group differences including grade level were examined. Findings indicated that while some independence exists among the set of five constructs assessed--adolescent apathy, amotivation, apathy syndrome, disengagement, and work avoidance--substantial overlap is present that can inform development of a more parsimonious conceptualization of students' lack of school motivation centered on perceived relevance and a general attitude of interest. Results also demonstrated only moderate levels of agreement between research-based and teacher identification of students low on school-related motivation; however, both approaches indicate that approximately 1 in 4 students manifests markedly low school-related motivation. Relations of several individual and group differences to conceptualizations of school-related apathy were documented in expected directions. Implications of the findings for educational research and practice are discussed.