Faculty Mentor

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Carlos Rodriguez

An Analysis of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden

Naruto (2002-2007) and its sequel Naruto Shippuden (Naruto: Shuppuden 2007-2017) are Japanese anime series that are considered one of the most popular worldwide. These fantasy series involve interesting characters who engage in multiple adventures that range from easy to dangerous level depending on the characters' rankings. In this comparative essay the two series are analyzed for the topics and themes in their narratives, as well as analyzed through several different lenses: feminism, narrative studies, cultural studies, media studies, and genre studies. Some of the characters that this paper will indulge in are the main characters of the show: Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. “Naruto Uzumaki, is a loud, hyperactive, adolescent ninja who constantly searches for approval and recognition, as well as to become Hokage, who is acknowledged as the leader and strongest of all ninja in the village.” Sasuke Uchiha is the last remaining Uchiha after his entire clan got annihilated by his older brother. “His years of seeking vengeance and his actions that followed become increasingly demanding, irrational and isolates him from others, leading him to be branded as an international criminal. After learning the truth of his brother's sacrifice, later proving instrumental in ending the Fourth Shinobi World War, and being happily redeemed by Naruto, Sasuke decides to return to Konoha and dedicate his life to help protect the village and its inhabitants.” The paper will also mention some of the other important characters in the show as well. Over the course of twenty years, anime TV series have reimagined the way people view cartoons with a traditional hero. This analysis is an examination of how these series have changed and challenge conventional depictions of young adolescent boys and their narratives.

https://dominican-edu.zoom.us/j/95176247327?pwd=UkpicThPOFNqc2w1WTFZcnB2SjN2Zz09

Undergraduate; Day Program

Stranded California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) Data Analysis

Our research team is examining skull and dental pathology of the California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) in the Ray Bandar collection at California Academy of Science (CAS); which has nearly 3000 skulls on record. We aim to compare and contrast skull morphologies with dental pathologies to try and find any correlations. Morphometrics included: lateral total length, maxillary width, mandible length, and total height of the skull. Teeth are examined for abnormalities, such as abrasion, periodontitis, and fractures. In order to avoid a biased sample, we need to sample equally among sexes and age classes within this collection. The objective of this project is to examine the age and sex ratios of the data collected on the skulls examined between Fall 2022 to present and compare it with the CAS database. It is hypothesized that our sampling ratio will closely match the CAS ratio. By comparing the numbers between the two catalogs, we can become more selective in our future skull subsampling and only choose skulls that will help us maintain an accurate sample group, not dissimilar from the CAS collection.

Undergraduate; Day Program

How do Black Congressional Members Frame the Issue of Gun Violence? An Analysis of Twitter Posts, Speeches, and Press Releases from the 117th Congress

Black Americans are disproportionately affected by gun violence. In fact, in 2022 Black Americans were projected to be ten times more likely than White Americans to die by gun homicide. As outlined by the United States Constitution, one of the responsibilities of Congress is to represent people within their district by developing and voting on legislation that protects constituents by making their communities safer. It is the responsibility of Congress to address the issue of gun violence because it is an issue that jeopardizes the safety of many American communities, as there are roughly 100,000 victims of gun violence each year. Research has shown that the race of a Congressional member impacts how they frame issues that constituents face in their districts, especially issues that disproportionately affect minority groups. Most scholarship focuses on whether minority Congressional officials are more concerned with minority issues. Through researching Black Congressional members’ communication surrounding gun violence, this thesis will fill a gap in the literature by focusing on how Black Congressional members specifically frame the issue of gun violence, an issue that disproportionately affects Black American citizens. This thesis asks the question of how members of the 117th Congress, who identify as Black, frame the issue of gun violence. Using content analysis, this thesis will analyze speeches, press releases, and social media of Black members of the 117th Congress. This thesis will contribute to the literature about how racial identity affects how elected officials frame issues, specifically issues that pose more of a threat to people of color. The results of this thesis suggest that Black Congressional members are more likely to frame the issue of gun violence as it pertains to the Black community if they represent an urban district that suffers from gun violence at a higher rate than the national average.

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https://sites.google.com/view/solena-ornelas?usp=sharing

https://dominican-edu.zoom.us/j/92921308451

Education (MS) and Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Preparation Programs

Community and Safe Spaces for English Language Learners in Bilingual/Dual Immersion Settings

This qualitative study explores teachers' understanding of English Language Learners and newcomer students' need for a sense of belonging and safe spaces in a bilingual/dual immersion classroom. The goal was to identify some best practices for teachers to create an inclusive classroom for multilingual students. This research uses the lens of two frameworks, Acompañamiento (Sepúlveda III, 2011) and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. According to Sepúlveda III (2018), Acompañamiento is a response to globalization where there is a need to understand a student's humanity and the need to be part of a community. Acompañamiento is about engagement with one another without goals and objectives. This framework provides a foundation for educational projects (Sepúlveda III, 2011). Culturally Responsive teaching is an approach where teachers seek to understand how students' backgrounds can be used to enhance their learning (Chung, Shih, & Cheng, 2020).
This study seeks to address the gap in the literature surrounding creating these inclusive spaces for English Language Learners and Newcomer students in the bilingual/dual immersion setting. The literature reviewed found centers around creating community and spaces in high schools. This study addresses community building and safe spaces in bilingual/dual immersion classrooms, where research is limited.
Data was collected through 45-60 minute individual interviews with bilingual/dual immersion teachers. All the participants interviewed are from Golden Valley TK-8 School and teach within various grades. The data was analyzed using an open coding process. The data analysis is in progress; however, preliminary findings show the most effective strategies of creating community and safe spaces for ELL students in Bilingual/Dual immersion settings are the importance of getting to know students, understanding home language as an asset, and creating “mirrors and windows” in the classroom. The findings have important practice implications for elementary teachers.

https://dominican-edu.zoom.us/j/92921308451

Education (MS) and Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Preparation Programs

Education as a Source of Hope: An Examination of Teacher Beliefs and the Lack of Support for Children with Chronic Health Conditions

As survival rates increase, more children with chronic health conditions are returning to K-12 classrooms after receiving medical treatments. Research has shown that many teachers believe that students with chronic health conditions should not have to worry about school while they are going through treatment (Irwin & Elam, 2011; Legislative Alliance for Students with Health Conditions, 2017). Research also suggests that many schools are violating the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 by withdrawing students from the district due to chronic absenteeism (Eaton, 2012; Wilkie, 2012). The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore and examine the ways in which teachers and schools are supporting students with chronic health conditions, as well as the experiences of teachers who have witnessed inequities impacting these students. An initial survey was sent out to elementary school teachers from a local Bay Area school district, in order to examine the relationship between the beliefs of teachers and the level of support for students with chronic health conditions. Three hospital teachers were also interviewed from a Northern California hospital. Data was analyzed through an open coding process to identify themes and patterns. The findings from this study indicate that teachers benefit from shifting their perspectives from a parent centric way of thinking to student centric, in order to understand the benefits of continuing education during medical treatment. Findings also suggest the need for awareness about the normalizing aspects of education in a hospital setting. By identifying the obstacles that are preventing students with chronic health conditions from receiving the education they have a right to, teachers can better support these students during treatment and their re-entry back into the classroom.

https://dominican-edu.zoom.us/j/92921308451

Education Studies

Improving Collaboration with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Parents of Students with Extensive Support Needs

The purpose of this research is to understand how to improve collaboration between schools and culturally and linguistically diverse parents of students with extensive support needs who receive special education services. Previous research defined collaboration as a conceptual construct in which principles of shared respect and responsibility are applied to practice (Emmons & Zager, 2018). The collaboration between families and schools is legally mandated but not explicitly explained to teachers or parents how to succeed in engaging respectfully with all families (Cheatham & Lim-Mullins, 2018). The increased complication of supporting nondominant, culturally and linguistically diverse families in addition to the complexity of extensive support needs of many students in special education add additional barriers to successful and balanced collaboration (Harry, 2008). The reviewed research does not address the multifaceted aspects of collaboration and how CLD parents struggle to feel like an integral part of the team, especially those parents of students with extensive support needs (Olivos, Gallagher, & Aguilar, 2010). The goal for this study was to understand how to achieve equitable collaboration that improves student outcomes. This qualitative study surveyed five Spanish speaking parents (four women and one man) and eleven teachers (four men and seven women) and included interviews with two parents (one man and one woman), all from the same non-public school. The findings document how collaboration is defined by parents and teachers and that communication is a building block for collaboration. Findings also highlight barriers to collaboration and effective strategies for equitable collaboration. This project’s findings are significant in that there are implications for equity of collaboration between parents and schools with a concentrated focus on the CLD parents of students with extensive support needs.

https://dominican-edu.zoom.us/j/96101345485?pwd=alpSWXY0bFAzb28vYkhkQ0FlVVNzZz09

Education (MS) and Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Preparation Programs

Mathematical Identities and Tracking: An Exploration of Efficacy in Children and Women”

This study seeks to understand the impact of elementary school placement exams and mathematics tracking on women and girls in STEM. “Tracking” is an institutionalized education method developed in the 1960s and 1970s in which schools sort their students into smaller class-sized groups based on their observed achievement (Domina et al. 2016). Too often, when students test onto the lower track, they are confronted with a sense of futility and a lack of self-efficacy (Domina, Hanselman, Hwang & McEachin, 2016; Houtte, Stevens, 2015). Further, in STEM disciplines, students who identify as female report lower self-efficacy rates than those who identify as male (Hand et al. 2017). Girls typically form during their elementary school years a dislike and disinterest in mathematics across their academic careers and into adulthood (Tang, 2019; Carter, 2020).

This comparative mixed methods study included student surveys with students in Kindergarten, pre-ability-based testing and students in 4th grade, who have tracked into ability levels, and interviews with several adults who identify as female, some who serve as educators, some who have been tracked, and who provided mathematics biographies. The questions were based on the following central questions: (1) How do mathematics placement tests and tracking impact student math identity and self-efficacy? (2) What perceptions do students and professional educators have about ability-based learning groups and tracking? (3) How does mathematics tracking in elementary school impact lifelong mathematical success?

The findings show that most children have positive experiences with mathematics during their early childhood before placement into ability-based groups. The findings also show that most individuals have a lowered self-efficacy level during algebra or college mathematics. Findings also indicate that professional educators and individuals who identify as female believe ability grouping is beneficial for assessment but harmful to self-efficacy and the sense of self. Lastly, the findings suggest mathematics tracking in elementary school should promote a variety of learning styles in a scaffolding style rather than an exclusionary grouping of perceived ability.

https://dominican-edu.zoom.us/j/96101345485?pwd=alpSWXY0bFAzb28vYkhkQ0FlVVNzZz09

Education (MS) and Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Preparation Programs

Creating equitable and inclusive online learning environments

This study seeks to examine educational learning environments with a focus on new platforms of learning, course design, equity, inclusion, and user interface (ex: seeing impaired, cultural differences, gender) that includes the perspectives of students with disabilities. The evolution of learning from singular multi-age classrooms through institutional schools and into dynamic online platforms has radically reshaped the educational ecosystem (Sarkar, 2020), and calls for a deeper understanding of inclusive learning practices to meet the needs of diverse students (Philips & Salem, 2021). Adams (2017) also outlines how the aesthetic interface of each learning environment impacts the quality of learning. Currently, however, there is a lack of existing integrative research that looks at user design through the lens of inclusion, people with disabilities, and cultural difference.

This qualitative research project included three elementary students in grades two and three. The research took place in the resource center and those who participated, created digital posters based on a unit done around inclusion. Additionally, the researcher conducted interviews with 3 three adult educators at the school around inclusive learning practices and online educational platforms.

The research participants recognized that there are equity gaps within online educational platforms, and that the cost of entry creates significant differences in the dynamics that different communities can access, and the amount of additional support materials instructors have to produce to make the technology practical for use in particular settings. The participants additionally distinguished that the way in which an online educational platform is designed matters to students with disabilities and the educators who teach them, with color, language adaptations and text to speech and speech to text functionalities highlighted. Lastly, students want to feel a sense of inclusion both in person and on digital platforms, which occurs through their interests, senses of feeling in relationship to their peers and seeing reflections of their identity in color and design. Through this understanding educational online platforms can be effectively designed in ways in which this demographic of students can succeed.

https://dominican-edu.zoom.us/j/96101345485?pwd=alpSWXY0bFAzb28vYkhkQ0FlVVNzZz09

Education (MS) and Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Preparation Programs

Movement and Mindfulness in the Transitional Kindergarten Classroom

This study aimed to assess the impact of mindfulness activities, yoga, and kinesthetic movement on students’ self-reported mood, feelings of wellbeing, and levels of calmness and attention. Research suggests that meditation and mindfulness can help students regulate emotions and accordingly decrease levels of stress and increase feelings of wellbeing in the classroom (Dariotis, Mirabal-Beltran, Cluxton-Keller, 2016). Mindfulness has also been shown to increase executive functioning in young children. Kinesthetic movement, including yoga and repetitive movements, has also been shown to increase cognitive functioning in young children, especially in regards to executive functioning (Zeng, Ayyub, Sun, Wen, Xiang, & Gao, 2017).
This qualitative study was conducted with three classes of the first year of a new program for TK classroom students, who in this research, participated in a sequence of mindfulness and yoga activities over three weeks. Students reflected on their experiences in post-exercise drawings and focus groups. The classroom teachers also participated in interviews. The major findings are that many students felt more ready to learn and calmer after and during the mindfulness, movement, and drawing exercises. To exemplify this, students rated themselves as more calm on average through lower numbers on a scale of 1-5. More students drew themselves as being rainbow or “ready to go” after the activities. Additionally, many students showed improved peer relationships throughout the day following the experiences. Finally, the exercises brought the students comfort that some described as being comparable to “a hug from mom.” The significance of these findings are that these practices should be integrated into the transitional kindergarten classroom so students can feel comfortable, calmer, and have improved emotion regulation and peer interactions.

Sting of the Gall Wasp - Readings

My presentation includes readings of passages from my novel, Sting of the Gall Wasp, the development of which is part of my thesis. The novel is a dark fantasy story inspired by medieval illuminated manuscripts and explores themes of progress, fear, shame, and creativity.

Marianne Rogoff, PhD.

The Craft of Creative Confession

The Craft of Creative Confession
In Consideration of the Five Approaches of Literary Criticism, Wilber Scott

In making a commitment to complete an MFA in Narrative and Poetic Medicine, I decided that my thesis would be a full-length lyrical memoir in the company of what I have termed, ArtPoems. I considered the audience of this visual and literary art. Whom might they be? Diverse readers engage a body of work with conscious and unconscious approaches to critiquing its merit (Wilber Scott’s Five Approaches). I further considered my creative approach through the lens of the average reader—critic. Alongside my authentic voice, I have chosen to be mindful of Scott’s Sociological Approach to critique and how this awareness informs my thesis collection.

I began my memoir in reverse chronological order beginning with my current, sixth decade (2015 – present). However, mentors and classmates encouraged me to begin with my first decade (1960 through 1970), to afford readers the opportunity to develop a concern for, a curiosity about, or a sustained interest in the primary character (sociological empathy). I adopted their insight.

Is the Sociological Approach one of merit for the artist/memoirist? I crave to power forward with unvarnished volume — to parlay the six decades of my hypervigilance turning challenges into opportunities through a fractured resilience. With classic duality, it is exciting, as much painfully vulnerable, to amass a cathartic body of work, intended for a critical audience who is equally interested in finding themselves, with nuanced reprieve. I am mindful of their vested attention and the critics (positive and negative) to be experienced. Society, the formidable audience.

I will read my ArtPoem, titled Despite DNA, and a portion of my first chapter to inspire your own truth-telling — because art, in all forms, is medicine!

“Literary criticism should arise out of a debt of love.” —GEORGE STEINER