Asian American adolescents, such as Chinese and Korean American adolescents, often language broker for their immigrant parents. This study examines how language brokering influences parent-child relationships and adolescents' psychological adjustment in Asian-American families. Using a two-wave sample of Chinese (n = 237; average age = 14.65, SD = .68) and Korean (n = 262; average age = 14.72, SD = .69) American adolescents, this study examined a culturally relevant conditional mechanism through which language brokering may contribute to lower levels of internalizing/externalizing problems. Results suggested that language brokering for the mother was associated with perceived maternal sacrifice, which was in turn associated with respect for the mother, which was eventually associated with lower levels of externalizing problems (but not internalizing problems) in the adolescents. Moreover, the indirect effect was conditional on the level of mother-child open communication. With a lower level of open communication, the indirect effect of language brokering on externalizing problems became stronger. Results indicate that interventions designed to reduce Asian American adolescent language brokers' externalizing problems can target their perception of parental sacrifice and their respect for parents, and that this approach may be especially effective for adolescents experiencing a low level of parent-child open communication. At the same time, for these families with low levels of parent-child open communication, encouraging more open communication may be an additional way to intervene. / text

Brokering Changes refers to the ways in which teachers broker their compliance with a new literacy knowledge base for adults. This thesis reports a study of twenty-three members of a cohort of adult literacy teachers working in regional, rural and remote communities throughout Central Queensland from 1996 to 2001. It details the performance and recognition work that these teachers did as they negotiated their way through a large curriculum reform as literacy was redefined from something that was negotiated as useful for the learner to something that is named and mandated by the state. The theoretical framework engages with interrelated notions of power, discourse and identity with supporting conceptualisations of ideology, work and pedagogy in the production and exercise of disciplinary power as understood through the thinking of Michel Foucault (1984). The methodological approach deploys James Gee’s (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996a, 1996b, 1997, 1999) particular socio-cultural theory of D/discourse. Spoken, written and observed data are analysed using Gee’s (1993, 1999) interrelated linguistic system’s analysis method. The major finding is that these teachers actively broker the effects of these changes through their professional practices. This study is an important contribution to the literature concerning the professional lives of teachers of adults in an era of fast capital and performance-based government. Significantly, the research provides important insights into the problems faced by teachers who are confronted with the implementation of major curriculum reforms while living far removed from the networks and activities of the system in which they worked.

<p>The emergence of Grid computing infrastructures enables researchers to share resources and collaborate in more efficient ways than before, despite belonging to different organizations and being distanced geographically. While the Grid computing paradigm offers new opportunities, it also gives rise to new difficulties. One such problem is the selection of resources for user applications. Given the large and disparate set of Grid resources, manual resource selection becomes impractical, even for experienced users. This thesis investigates methods, algorithms and software for a Grid resource broker, i.e., a scheduling agent that automates the resource selection process for the user. The development of such a component is a non-trivial task as Grid resources are heterogeneous in hardware, software, availability, ownership and usage policies. A wide range of algorithmically difficult issues must also be solved, including characterization of jobs, prediction of resource performance, data placement considerations, and, how to provide Quality of Service guarantees. One contribution of this thesis is the development of resource brokering algorithms that enable resource selection based on Grid job performance predictions and use advance reservations to provide Quality of Service guarantees. The thesis also includes an algorithm for coallocation of sets of jobs. This algorithm guarantees a simultaneous start of each subjob, as required e.g., when running larger-than-supercomputer simulations that involve multiple resources.</p><p>We today have the somewhat paradoxal situation where Grids, originally aimed to overcome interoperability problems between different computing platforms, themselves struggle with interoperability problems caused by the wide range of interfaces, protocols and data formats that are used in different environments. The reasons for this situation are obvious, expected and almost impossible to avoid, as the task of defining appropriate standards, models and best-practices must be preceded by basic research, proof-of-concept implementations and real-world testing. We address the interoperability problem with a generic Grid resource brokering architecture and job submission service.</p><p>By using (proposed) standard formats and protocols, the service acts as an interoperability-bridge that translates job requests between clients and resources running different Grid middlewares. This concept is demonstrated by the integration of the service with three different Grid middlewares. The service also enables users to both fine-tune the existing resource selection algorithms and plug in custom brokering algorithms tailored to their requirements.</p>

The children of immigrants are often entrusted with the task of interpreting linguistic and cultural information between their native communities and their Anglo American communities, a process called language brokering. Much of the research indicates that the responsibilities of the task positively affect the social and cognitive development of brokers. The present quantitative study examined the social and academic self-efficacy of brokers as they relate to brokering frequency, the ways in which single and dual parent structures affect the bond between the broker and the parent(s), and the ways in which the parent-child bond affects the social and academic self-efficacy of the brokers. There were slight correlation in the results but not a lot of significance.

The term ‘knowledge mobilization intermediary’ (KMI) is used to describe third party organizations whose role between research producers and users is a catalyst for knowledge mobilization (KM) - targeted, systematic efforts to increase connections between research, policy and practice in public services. This study analyzes 44 Canadian KMIs in education exploring types (governmental, not-for-profit, for profit, and membership), organizational features (mission, scope, target audience, size, resources, membership composition) and processes (message, strategies, functions, dissemination mechanisms). This study maps the landscape of research mediation in education and reports on these findings using a multiple-paper format. The introductory chapter sets the stage for the papers by providing the background of the study and introducing the concept of knowledge mobilization. The first conceptual paper provides a typology of KMIs and a framework of knowledge brokering characteristics with seven elements (mission, resources, staff roles, political affiliation, autonomy, message, and linkages). The second paper reports on an approach to measuring and comparing KM efforts of diverse organizations using a common matrix of elements arising from the research utilization literature: KM strategies (products, events and networks) and KM indicators as they relate to strategies (different types, ease of use, accessibility, focus of audience and so on). The third paper outlines what KMIs exist in Canada, their organizational features, and reports on their activities, ultimately providing a typology of brokering strategies utilized in research mediation and a framework of eight major brokering functions used to increase research use and its impact: awareness, accessibility, engagement, capacity building, implementation support, facilitating linkages and partnerships, policy influence and organizational development. The fourth paper presents empirical findings of online practices of KMIs such as blogging and microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, multimedia, share buttons on websites, and RSS feeds. Overall, use of social media is not pervasive and, when it is used, the content is often not research-based. The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings in relation to each research question, summarizes the implications arising from each paper, and makes recommendations for research producers, users and intermediaries across public service sectors.

The term ‘knowledge mobilization intermediary’ (KMI) is used to describe third party organizations whose role between research producers and users is a catalyst for knowledge mobilization (KM) - targeted, systematic efforts to increase connections between research, policy and practice in public services. This study analyzes 44 Canadian KMIs in education exploring types (governmental, not-for-profit, for profit, and membership), organizational features (mission, scope, target audience, size, resources, membership composition) and processes (message, strategies, functions, dissemination mechanisms). This study maps the landscape of research mediation in education and reports on these findings using a multiple-paper format. The introductory chapter sets the stage for the papers by providing the background of the study and introducing the concept of knowledge mobilization. The first conceptual paper provides a typology of KMIs and a framework of knowledge brokering characteristics with seven elements (mission, resources, staff roles, political affiliation, autonomy, message, and linkages). The second paper reports on an approach to measuring and comparing KM efforts of diverse organizations using a common matrix of elements arising from the research utilization literature: KM strategies (products, events and networks) and KM indicators as they relate to strategies (different types, ease of use, accessibility, focus of audience and so on). The third paper outlines what KMIs exist in Canada, their organizational features, and reports on their activities, ultimately providing a typology of brokering strategies utilized in research mediation and a framework of eight major brokering functions used to increase research use and its impact: awareness, accessibility, engagement, capacity building, implementation support, facilitating linkages and partnerships, policy influence and organizational development. The fourth paper presents empirical findings of online practices of KMIs such as blogging and microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, multimedia, share buttons on websites, and RSS feeds. Overall, use of social media is not pervasive and, when it is used, the content is often not research-based. The concluding chapter synthesizes the findings in relation to each research question, summarizes the implications arising from each paper, and makes recommendations for research producers, users and intermediaries across public service sectors.

The emergence of Grid computing infrastructures enables researchers to share resources and collaborate in more efficient ways than before, despite belonging to different organizations and being distanced geographically. While the Grid computing paradigm offers new opportunities, it also gives rise to new difficulties. One such problem is the selection of resources for user applications. Given the large and disparate set of Grid resources, manual resource selection becomes impractical, even for experienced users. This thesis investigates methods, algorithms and software for a Grid resource broker, i.e., a scheduling agent that automates the resource selection process for the user. The development of such a component is a non-trivial task as Grid resources are heterogeneous in hardware, software, availability, ownership and usage policies. A wide range of algorithmically difficult issues must also be solved, including characterization of jobs, prediction of resource performance, data placement considerations, and, how to provide Quality of Service guarantees. One contribution of this thesis is the development of resource brokering algorithms that enable resource selection based on Grid job performance predictions and use advance reservations to provide Quality of Service guarantees. The thesis also includes an algorithm for coallocation of sets of jobs. This algorithm guarantees a simultaneous start of each subjob, as required e.g., when running larger-than-supercomputer simulations that involve multiple resources. We today have the somewhat paradoxal situation where Grids, originally aimed to overcome interoperability problems between different computing platforms, themselves struggle with interoperability problems caused by the wide range of interfaces, protocols and data formats that are used in different environments. The reasons for this situation are obvious, expected and almost impossible to avoid, as the task of defining appropriate standards, models and best-practices must be preceded by basic research, proof-of-concept implementations and real-world testing. We address the interoperability problem with a generic Grid resource brokering architecture and job submission service. By using (proposed) standard formats and protocols, the service acts as an interoperability-bridge that translates job requests between clients and resources running different Grid middlewares. This concept is demonstrated by the integration of the service with three different Grid middlewares. The service also enables users to both fine-tune the existing resource selection algorithms and plug in custom brokering algorithms tailored to their requirements.

abstract: This dissertation explores the technolinguistic brokering experience of adolescents and (im)migrant non-English speaking mothers in acculturating families. By focusing on the performance of cultural intermediation, I examine the dimensions of technolinguistic brokering and their influence upon the Adolescent Language Technology Broker (ALTB) and mother relationship. Additionally, I explore the factors of power present as a result of the complexities of the ALTBs role to connect their mother to the English speaking community. This research uses a qualitative approach to explore concepts of expertise, knowledge, (inter)dependence, relational maintenance and quality, and power in the dialogic cultural relationship. Research indicates that expertise in the form of culture, cultural interactions, multilingual, and relational maintenance and quality contribute to the ALTBs capabilities in building cultural relationships. Moreover, to assist in dealing with power tensions created by differing levels of expertise and knowledge, ALTBs and mothers communicatively construct an (inter)dependent cultural relationship. I highlight practical implications, discuss limitations, and provide recommendations for future directions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Communication 2020

With the growing percentage of immigrant families in the USA, language transition is a common immigrant experience and can occur rapidly from generation to generation within a family. Child language brokering appears to occur within minority language families as one way of negotiating language and cultural differences; however, the phenomenon of children translating or mediating language interactions for parents has previously been hypothesized to contribute to negative outcomes for children, such as role-reversals and parentification, emotional distancing and lack of communication, increased parent-child conflict, and increased internalizing/externalizing disorders. The current study used direct observations of 60 Spanish-speaking parent-child dyads (30 mother-child and 30 father-child) as they worked on a joint academic task in English to explore: (1) child language brokering patterns, (2) parent-child interactions, and (3) the quality of the parent-child relationship. Children included in the study were between the ages of 4 and 10 years. Instruments used included demographic questionnaires, the ARSMA-II, and coding of videotaped interactions for language brokering patterns (frequency and prevalence of both child translations and parental prompts), parent-child relationship quality, parental engagement strategies, and the situational power dynamic between parent and child. Observations, descriptive statistics, correlations, and a hierarchical regression were used to analyze data. Results demonstrated that language brokering occurred at a higher prevalence among the youngest age group than prior studies have suggested, parents actively contribute to child brokering behaviors through parental prompts, and mothers and fathers use different engagement strategies. Findings also demonstrated that child language brokering significantly contributed to the prediction of parent-child relationship quality, with more frequent brokering associated with more positive parent-child relationships. There was no significant correlation with child language brokering frequency and the parent-child power dynamic. Results may have limited generalizability due to the exploratory nature of statistics used, the emotional safety of the observed parent-child joint task situation, and the small sample size and specificity of the sample (primarily rural Mexican two-parent immigrant families with children born in the USA). Implications for practice include: normalization of language brokering as a part of bicultural development, facilitation of insight into changing family roles and maintenance of adaptive power dynamics within a context of change, and the enhancement of parent and child communication strategies.

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