ScholarSpace
ScholarSpace is an open-access, digital institutional repository for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa community. ScholarSpace stores the intellectual works and unique collections of the UH at Mānoa academic community and also provides a permanent web location for those accessing these resources.
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Recent Submissions
Blended extensive reading program for EFL classes: Insights and reflections from learners
(University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center, 2025-07-15) Tosun, Zeynep Yadigar; Gönen, S. İpek Kuru
This study investigates the impact of a seven-week extensive reading (ER) program integrated with a blended learning modality (face-to-face and online) on tertiary-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. In a mixed-methods research design, it investigated whether the systematic blended ER program affected learners’ reading attitudes and explored their views of the program. The quantitative data from a pre- and post-test questionnaire revealed a significantly positive change in the participants’ reading attitudes. The qualitative findings gathered through weekly reflective logs and semi-structured interviews highlighted the program’s contribution to the participants’ reading practices. The participants faced some challenges, mainly due to problems with digital reading. The findings primarily revealed that the blended ER offered valuable opportunities for EFL learners and enhanced their second and foreign language (L2) reading experiences in numerous ways. The findings offer valuable implications for educators, L2 practitioners, and program designers for future implementations of ER programs.
United States Apology and Reparations for Its Role in the Jeju 4.3 Tragedy: Healing the Persisting Wounds Across Generations
(2024) Pettit-Toldeo, Miyoko T.
Healing Intergenerational Wounds in Present-Day Jeju Redress: United States-South Korea-Jeju Support for the Jeju 4.3 Trauma Healing Center
(2024-12-30) Pettit-Toledo, Miyoko T.
Interview Buddy: Refining language skills through personalized, automated interviews
(Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2025-07-10) Gunkel, Lucas
This paper presents Interview Buddy, a custom GenAI-powered chatbot designed to emulate oral proficiency interview formats such as the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Peace Corps Language Proficiency Interview (PCLPI). Developed as part of a three-month hybrid internship, Interview Buddy seeks to address the resource and scalability challenges inherent in personalized verbal language assessments by providing an accessible, automated training tool. The system integrates uploaded knowledge repositories, JSON-based behavioral instructions, and a phased interview ap- proach incorporating climbing and spiraling ques- tion difficulty. Quality assurance testing across multiple languages revealed both the potential of the system and several key limitations, including memory constraints, hallucinated content, and sequencing errors. To address these challenges, the paper explores potential solutions such as models with larger context windows, external memory management through a Flask microserver, and integration with workflow automation tools like n8n. While there is considerable room for refinement, Interview Buddy represents a promising step toward scalable, technology-driven solutions for language proficiency assessment.
Exploring Brazilian Portuguese Meanings
(Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2025-07-09) Rivera, Arianna
This report outlines my internship experience where I focused on a vital resource for Portuguese Flagship students: an interactive chatbot that aids with word choice. My custom GPT facilitates learning about vocabulary nuance in a fun and interactive way trained on specialized linguistics data. The work described in this paper was supported through a Spring internship sponsored by the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Faculty supervision of this work was provided by Dr. Rachel Mamiya Hernandez and Dr. Richard Medina.