College of Arts, Celtic Studies and Social Sciences - Doctoral Theses
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Item Linguistic and sociolinguistic development in L2 speaking: a comparison between Chinese ESL learners in different learning contexts(University College Cork, 2023) Mu, Di; Howard, MartinThe aim of this longitudinal comparative study is to examine the impact of learning contexts on second language learners' linguistic and sociolinguistic development in speaking. To achieve this purpose, comparisons were made between the learning outcomes of two groups of Chinese ESL (English as a Second Language) learners studying in a SA (study abroad) or an AH (at home) learning environment over a three-month period. Specifically, the learning outcomes were assessed through linguistic development measured by grammatical accuracy and syntactic complexity in spoken English as well as sociolinguistic development measured by three indicators, namely -ing/in alternation, -t/d deletion, and use of contractions in spoken English. In addition, the quantitative correlations between the learners' linguistic and sociolinguistic development as well as between their linguistic/sociolinguistic development and different types of influencing factors (individual, contextual, stylistic, and linguistic) were explored in order to further analyze and compare the similarities and differences between the learners in the two learning contexts. A total of 16 SA learners and 10 AH learners participated in the research and completed pre-interview questionnaires, sociolinguistic interviews and reading aloud tasks at the beginning and end of the three-month study. By analyzing the data collected from the three instruments, this study provided answers to the four research questions. For the first question regarding linguistic development, it was found that neither group of learners made statistically significant progress over three months, but the comparison between the two groups at different time points showed that the AH context was overall more favorable to the acquisition of grammatical accuracy, and the SA context was generally more beneficial to the acquisition syntactic complexity. Similar results were obtained for the second question concerning sociolinguistic development—no statistically significant progress was observed in both groups over the three-month period, but the comparison between the two groups at the two time points indicated that the SA context in general provided greater benefits to the acquisition of -ing/in alternation in conversation and -t/d deletion in reading, as compared to the AH context. The third question explored the quantitative correlation between linguistic and sociolinguistic development. The findings revealed that the correlation between linguistic and sociolinguistic development was relatively low for learners in the SA group, while relatively high for learners in the AH group, suggesting that the SA learners’ sociolinguistic development was more independent than the AH learners. The last question examined the quantitative correlations between linguistic/sociolinguistic development and four types of influencing factors. The results suggested that all four types of factors, i.e. gender, contextual factors, speech style, and linguistic factors, exerted some extent of influence on L2 learners’ linguistic or sociolinguistic development, although the degree of influence varied between the two groups and/or between the different indicators. Despite some limitations, this study provided some pedagogical implications and suggestions for L2 acquisition researchers, university language learners and university language teachers.Item The emergence of postpartum pathology: sixteenth century discourse on postpartum depression(University College Cork, 2023) Cronin, Laura; Harris, Jason; Irish Research CouncilThis thesis constitutes the first detailed study of the learned medical engagement with postpartum mood disorders through analysis of the evolution of postpartum pathology in the Western Latin print tradition of the sixteenth century (c.1550 – 1603). Historical overviews of these phenomena have typically omitted the progress which occurred during this period, in favour of a synopsis that passes from the works of Hippocrates (c.460 BCE – c.375 BCE) straight to the scholarly advancements of the nineteenth century. This thesis emends that omission and examines the extent to which postpartum insanity was recognised, discussed, categorised, and treated by early modern learned physicians by engaging with theoretical texts in addition to clinical case studies. It therefore investigates the connection between postpartum women and their experiences of insanity as interpreted by medical professionals of the sixteenth century. This thesis finds that while the interpretation of postpartum insanity was certainly not a uniform concept, or unequivocally recognised as a distinctly puerperal phenomenon, the documenting and collating of examples of mental alienation that had an indisputable connection to the maternal body increased significantly during this period and evolved to reflect contemporary knowledge at different stages of the century.Item Processes and collaboration in French subtitling: a translator-centred analysis of two production contexts(University College Cork, 2024) Caseres, Sevita; Silvester, Hannah; Noonan, Mary; Irish Research Council; University College CorkThis thesis investigates the roles, tasks, and interactions of subtitlers in two distinct French subtitling contexts: fansubbing and industry subtitling. Audiovisual translation (AVT) has traditionally been analysed from a product-oriented perspective (Beuchert, 2017), while this thesis takes a sociological approach. Adopting a Translator Studies paradigm (Chesterman, 2009), this research project explores processes and collaboration in English-French subtitling production, placing emphasis on the concepts of community and production networks. The primary research question explores how the translators’ processes, practices, and collaboration patterns compare between fansubbing and industry subtitling. This research is based on two different datasets from two case studies. The first provides a comprehensive examination of fansubbing, non-professional collaborative translation performed by fans in online communities, utilising covert netnography – a form of online ethnography – in a French fansubbing community. The second case study focuses on industry subtitling, involving seven subtitlers in the French AVT industry working for cinema and Video on Demand (VOD) platforms. Employing a human-centred approach, this study includes introductory and retrospective semi-structured interviews as well as non-participant observations of each subtitler’s workday. The investigation uncovers the translators’ workflows and interactions within their production networks by examining collaboration with fellow translators and other agents – an aspect rarely explored in AVT research. This approach enables a comparative examination of subtitling processes. It identifies three primary workflows within the fansubbing community, and outlines the individual subtitling habits and processes of industry subtitlers, differentiating between two distinct production and distribution workflows in the French industry. The study also delves into the intricacies of collaboration in subtitling practices, shedding light on cooperation, communication methods, challenges, and the evolution of both environments over time. The findings of the first case study allow for the categorisation of four collaboration areas within the fansubbing community. In the second case study, three collaboration areas emerge within industry subtitling processes. The analysis extends to the translators’ community collaboration in each distinct context, both within the fansubbing community and within ATAA (Association des Traducteurs/Adaptateurs de l’Audiovisuel), the French association for audiovisual translators. While the benefits of community collaboration are evident in the case of fansubbing, in the industry, the increased vulnerability of subtitlers’ working conditions coupled with the lack of recognition for their pivotal role in the cultural industry, emphasises the essential need for a deeper understanding of the current social dynamics governing the subtitling profession. This understanding is crucial to address challenges to effective collaboration, which in turn can impact working conditions and, ultimately, subtitle quality (Abdallah, 2011). This leads to an innovative comparative thematic analysis of these aspects between both environments, providing a contemporary perspective on subtitling practices in two different production contexts. The study contributes to awareness of an overlooked profession and encourages learning from different types of translators, fostering a more comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of subtitling in varied settings.Item Embodiment in teacher education: widening the field(University College Cork, 2024) Murphy, Paula; Hall, Kathy; O'Gorman, RoisinIn recent years, there has been an increased interest in and acknowledgement of the embodied nature of teaching and learning within the field of education. While such understandings have also become more evident within the literature on teacher education, the dialogue between research and practice in this domain is still in its infancy. Furthermore, in light of traditional dualistic influences within this field, there is evidence that the role of more embodied modes of engagement in the education of teachers is becoming a theoretical point of concern. This is particularly evident within a number of probing texts on the role and nature of aesthetic education and identity formation in the teacher education process. In view of such considerations, this doctoral study explores the ways in which principles and practices from the field of somatic education may support the professional development of student teachers in the context of an arts education module at Dublin City University (DCU). As such, it contributes to a relatively new dialogue between three complementary fields of enquiry – somatic education, arts education, and teacher education. The methodological approach to the study is qualitative in nature and reflects an ontological and epistemological orientation that is grounded in embodied and situated principles of enquiry. More particularly, it entails a phenomenological case study approach to three iterations of a new and evolving module on embodiment, which I facilitated with student teachers over a two-year period. It also includes a complementary engagement with the principles of autoethnography, aesthetic-based research and somatic education itself. While the data for analysis included engagement with content from a range of sources to include reflective journals and post-module questionnaires, one of the most significant features of the data collection process was a series of in-depth interviews which drew on aesthetic and embodied modalities informed by the somatic education tradition. This research thereby seeks to contribute to and extend modalities of engagement within the phenomenological and aesthetic-based research traditions from an embodiment perspective. A thematic analysis approach was used to review the data and generate the findings for the study. These indicate that the dedicated somatic emphasis of the module was linked with a newfound somatic awareness and responsivity in participants, which seemed to generate perceptual and dispositional shifts in the areas of artistry, reflection, identity, and relational attunement. From a teacher education perspective these represent significant features of an effective teacher’s tacit engagement within the professional space, and are complex to teach due to their interaction with issues of personhood and disposition. In light of such ambitions, this study affirms the significance of the arts in the teacher education process, and more particularly it supports the inclusion of an enhanced somatic emphasis within this domain.Item The role of micronutrients and impact of fortified foods in the diets of teenagers in Ireland(University College Cork, 2024) Walsh, Niamh M.; Walton, Janette; Kehoe, Laura; Flynn, Albert; Cashman, Kevin; Coffey, Aidan; Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, IrelandDuring the teenage years, adequate micronutrient intake is crucial for physical and cognitive development. Strategies to meet high nutritional needs can involve food based dietary guidelines (FBDG) or fortification of foods and recommendations for nutritional supplements. The aims of this thesis were to estimate current micronutrient intakes in the diets of teenagers in Ireland, investigate the dietary determinants of vitamin D and calcium and examine the role of fortified foods in teenagers. The analyses for this thesis were based on data from the National Teens’ Food Survey II (NTFS II), a nationally representative study which collected data on food and nutrient intakes of 428 teenagers (13-18y) in the Republic of Ireland between 2019-2020. Dietary data were collected using weighed food diaries and nutrient intakes were estimated using UK and Irish food composition data. Mean daily intakes (MDI) and usual intakes of food groups and nutrients were estimated using SPSS©. The prevalence of inadequate and excess intakes were estimated using estimated average requirements (EAR) and the tolerable upper intake level (UL). Dietary determinants of vitamin D and calcium intake were investigated by examining the food groups and consumption patterns which contributed to the difference in intakes between the high and low intake groups. A fortified food consumer was defined as someone who consumed fortified foods at least once during the recording period. A large proportion of teenagers in Ireland had inadequate intakes of micronutrients, particularly vitamin D (94%), calcium (51%), vitamin C (48%), and zinc (48%). There was little risk of excessive intakes with few exceeding the UL for folic acid (4%), copper (<1%), and zinc (<1%). The key sources of micronutrients included natural animal and plant sources and fortified foods, with supplements contributing to 0-6% of intakes. Considering the dietary determinants of vitamin D intake, 100% in the low intake group had intakes