Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Literacy Components'

There is concern about lack of financial literacy and need for financial literacy education, but little or no attempt to understand their nature. Three questions were asked: 'What is financial literacy?', 'What is financial literacy education?' and 'What might be the components of an effective financial literacy curriculum?'. Adopting an inductive grounded theory approach and a pragmatist philosophy, in association with real-world organisations such as the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), the Financial Services Authority (FSA), and the National Research and Development Centre for adult literacy and numeracy (NRDC), empirical data was collected from surveys, observation and interviews. This was the first time that: perceptions of financial advisers in England on financial literacy were systematically analysed; financial literacy education provision in England was examined using the FSA framework; financial literacy education for financial literacy providers was the subject of a study; a financial literacy curriculum was categorised using the FSA's baseline survey areas; and financial literacy curriculum components were explored within a new synthesis of 'Competency Based Action learning (CoBAl)'. It was found that often financial literacy was misunderstood, financial literacy education interventions ineffective, financial literacy practitioners unqualified, and financial literacy curricula simplistic. Public policy needs to be directed towards developing a more rigorous and aspirational form of financial literacy education that would facilitate more effective outcomes. Financial literacy is more than information or capability; it is the demonstration of competencies in actual performance in the financial world. Financial literacy educational interventions need to be multidimensional and set within the framework of adult learning and not that of children learning within a formal educational system. A financial literacy curriculum that synthesises components relating to knowledge, skills and attitudinal competencies with action learning in the real-world context is likely to lead to the generation of more effective financial experiences.

The purpose of this study was to examine the existing research on early literacy and the types of approaches used in schools at the time of this writing. Although researchers could not agree on which types of reading programs are the most effective, there was a large amount of research supporting the work done in 2000 from the National Reading Panel, emphasizing the importance of the five components of reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The study site historically used a traditional Balanced Literacy program, and reported proficiency scores in the 30th percentile overall. This research study investigated phonemic awareness and phonics as important components of a total literacy program, focusing on one supplementary program, Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words (SIPPS). SIPPS, combined with a traditional Balanced Literacy program, was implemented over a period of five years in a suburban, Midwest elementary school. Results indicated that overall reading achievement improved over the five year implementation, with the most significant growth occurring in the first grade. Growth was slow and not significant from year-to-year, but did improve in all subgroups, including Black students and the free-and-reduced-lunch subgroup. Given the importance of early literacy acquisition, future studies should investigate other supplementary programs available to identify the most effective programs for student achievement.

Background: Low health literacy is a significant problem affecting our country.  While the associations between low health literacy and poorer health outcomes have been well documented (Berkman et al., 2011), the literature lacks evidence of effective strategies to address health literacy in the context of health behaviors such as diet and physical activity (PA). Likewise, few interventions have reported on how health literacy status influences performance and engagement in the intervention. Two potential intervention strategies include the teach back method or teach to goal approach and interactive voice response (IVR) technology. These strategies hold promise as a means of improving health literacy and reaching vulnerable, low health literate populations, but these strategies have not been widely explored in the literature (Paasche-Orlow et al., 2005; Baker et al., 2011; Schillinger et al., 2009; Bennett et al., 2012; Piette et al., 1999). Primary Aims: This research was embedded in a larger trial, Talking Health, which is a 6-month, 2 group randomized controlled trial to determine the effects of a health behavior intervention on reducing sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in Southwest Virginians. The primary aims of this study were to examine the associations between health literacy status and 1) number of rounds of teach back needed to reinforce key concepts, 2) proportion of correct answers on the first round of teach back, 3) level of intervention engagement (i.e., completion rates for teach back call, IVR calls, and small group classes), and 4) perceptions of the intervention components. Methods: The data reported represent the first 3 cohorts of the Talking Health trial including participants in Lee, Giles, and Pulaski Counties. Eligibility requirements included being 18 years or older, English speaking, consuming at least 200 calories per day from SSB, able to participate in moderate intensity PA, and having reliable access to a telephone. Data were collected at baseline and at the 6-month follow-up assessment. Health literacy was assessed using the validated Newest Vital Sign. Participants were randomized to a behavioral intervention aimed at decreasing SSB consumption (SipSmartER) or to a matched-contact control group targeting PA (Move More). Both groups participated in 3 small group education sessions, received a live teach back call, and 11 supportive IVR calls. Participants completed a summative evaluation at the 6-month follow-up, which captured their perceptions of the intervention components. ANOVAs were used to measure differences in outcomes by health literacy status, randomized condition, and interactions. Results: Of the 125 enrolled participants, 92.0% were Caucasian, 76.8% were female, 29.6% had d high school education, 64.0% had <$25,000 annual household income, and 32.8% had low health literacy skills. Eighty-five participants (68.0%) completed the teach back call. The overall model when looking at the degree to which health literacy status and randomized condition predicted the number of rounds of teach back needed to reinforce key concepts was significant (F= 8.323, p < 0.001). Out of 3 possible teach back attempts, participants in the low health literacy category required a significantly higher number of teach back attempts as compared to those with high health literacy (F= 16.769, p <0.001), and participants randomized to Move More required a significantly higher number of teach back attempts compared to SipSmartER participants (F=7.296, p= 0.008). Similarly, the overall model when looking at the degree to which health literacy status and randomized condition predicted the proportion correct on the first round of teach back was significant (F= 9.836, p<0.001), such that those with higher health literacy status  (F= 19.176, p< 0.001) and those randomized to SipSmartER condition answered a significantly higher proportion of questions correct (F= 9.783, p= 0.002). Intervention engagement including completion of the small group education sessions, the live teach back call, and the IVR calls did not vary significantly across randomized condition or literacy levels. Low health literate participants had a significantly higher overall perceived satisfaction with the IVR, as compared to high health literate participants (F= 5.849, p= 0.020). However, perceptions of other intervention components (e.g., small group sessions, teach back call, personal action plans, drink diaries/exercise logs,) were similar among participants with low and high health literacy status and across randomized conditions.   Conclusion: These data confirm the importance for multiple teach back opportunities and additional exposure to health information to ensure participant comprehension of key intervention content"in particular for those with lower health literacy. This research also supports that IVR is an effective approach to reaching vulnerable, low health literate populations. Future research should investigate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of utilizing teach back methods delivered using automated technologies. Future research also is needed to determine how teach back performance are related to other study factors such as retention, engagement, and health outcomes.
Master of Science

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Florida, 2000.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 83 p.; also contains graphics. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 79-82).

The incorporation of sustainability education and sustainable practices in higher education serves several purposes. It prepares students for work in sustainability-focused professions, fosters environmentally responsible behavior in individuals, and helps to reduce the ecological impacts of the operational aspects of educational institutions. However, contemporary definitions of sustainability, which consider social, political, ecological, and economic influences on the environment, complicate educational initiatives. Distinct educational departments often consider sustainability through their specialized lens. Trans-disciplinary initiative must be enacted in order for sustainability education to reach its full potential. This paper outlines the results of an electronically administered faculty sustainability curriculum inventory as well as an electronically administered university-wide sustainability literacy survey that were conducted at Southern Illinois University. The relationship between individual values and perceived importance and knowledge of sustainability components are examined within the context of the Value-Belief-Norm theory. While response rates for both surveys were relatively low, the faculty curriculum inventory survey was useful in identifying faculty members with an interest in sustainability education. These individuals could potentially work to spearhead curricular initiatives across the university. The survey also provided information that was used to create a sustainability course database and profiles of faculty members with an interest in sustainability education. Results for the literacy survey indicate that respondents' perceived importance of sustainability components exceeded their knowledge of those components in every case. Respondents rated components grouped under both energy systems and individual integrity as very important or extremely important to a sustainable university community. However, all components were rated at or above relatively important. Ecocentric, altruistic, and traditional individual values served as reliable predictors of respondents' perceived importance of sustainability components. These results should encourage further research of the motivations for sustainability incorporation on a campus community when considered within the framework of behavioral models such as the Value-Belief -Norm Theory or the Theory of Planned Behavior.

National and international studies indicate that the preparation of teachers to teach reading is inconsistent across universities worldwide. Teacher preparation programmes lack rigorous research based findings and recommendations point to the fact that evidence–based research and integrated approaches should be incorporated to address this inconsistency. There is a need for a comprehensive curriculum to guide pre–service teachers toward a coherent knowledge base for the effective teaching of reading as teachers do not have an understanding of what to teach or how to teach it. Literature identifies that the inclusion, and explicit teaching of the five reading literacy components (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary knowledge and text comprehension) form the essential components which should be instructed to enable teachers to teach reading. This study analysed a teacher preparation programme to identify what reading literacy components are taught as well as how the reading literacy components are taught within the programme. The results reflect that the reading literacy components are included haphazardly within the teacher preparation programme and there is no evidence–based research incorporated. It is clear that the pre–service teachers are not taught “how” to teach the reading literacy components as the science of reading is not focused on in the teacher preparation programme studied. The findings of this study support the literature base requiring teachers to be equipped with a disciplinary knowledge base to teach reading. Furthermore, teachers should be provided with a rigorous, research–based curriculum which will enable them to become expert reading literacy teachers who will be well prepared to implement research–based programmes and practices.
Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

I denna undersökning studerades en grupp gymnasieelevers kunskapsutveckling i samband med ett kursmoment, bestående av fyra olika delmoment, som konstruerades som en del av denna undersökning. Eleverna som deltog i undersökningen går för tillfället i årkurs 1 på Naturvetenskapsprogrammet och den kurs som eleverna läste och som kursmomentet genomfördes i var kemi 1. Kursmomentet genomfördes med målsättning att utöka elevernas kunskaper inom utvalda ämnesområden från ämnesplanen i kemi, men också med syfte att skapa förutsättning för eleverna att utveckla Scientific Literacy samt stärka sin förmåga att kunna diskutera och att ta ställning i olika samhällsfrågor med naturvetenskapligt innehåll. Detta undersökes genom att dels låta eleverna besvara en enkät där de själva fick ta ställning till sin egen kunskapsutveckling efter att de hade deltagit i kursmomentet, men även genom att granska deras kunskaper i samband med rättningen av den hemuppgift som eleverna utförde som sista del av momentet. I uppgiften efterfrågades att eleverna dels skulle beskriva olika kemiska analystekniker, men också att redogöra för potentiella lösningar till olika miljöproblem utifrån principer för hållbar utveckling. De slutsatser som kunde dras utifrån undersökningen var att kursmomentet hade gett förutsättningar för eleverna att stärka sina kunskaper och förmågor inom de efterfrågade ämnesområdena. Dock framkom också att viss bearbetning av de olika delarna av momentet behöver genomföras för att ytterligare stärka korrelationen mellan utförandet av kursmoment och de mål som det var avsett att uppnå. Både under och efter genomförande av kursmomentet analyserades även den didaktiska process som ägt rum i samband med arbetet. Utifrån detta kunde slutsatser presenteras angående hur man som kemilärare kan resonera kring organisering av arbete och planering av tidsåtgång, om man önskar utforma ett liknande kursmoment eller vill använda det som ligger till grund för detta arbete
In this research, the knowledge development of a group of high school students during a course component was studied. The course component, which consisted of four separate parts, was developed for this investigation. The students who participated in the investigation are all in year one in high school, and study at the Science programme. The course component was included in their chemistry course. The course component was developed to increase the students’ knowledge within selected topics from the curriculum, however, also to offer the postulation to develop Scientific Literacy, as well as to increase their ability to discuss societal issues while including a scientific perspective. To be able to carry out the investigation, two different data selections were accomplished. One where the students responded to a survey, where they had to reflect upon their own knowledge development, and another, where their subject knowledge was examined during the assessment of an assignment that they had to carry out as the last part of the course component. The instructions for the assignment was to first describe different analytical tools used in chemistry, and secondly, to narrate different solutions on how to deal with environmental issues, using a perspective of sustainable development. The conclusion drawn from this research is that the course component provided the students the opportunity to increase their knowledge and their strengthen abilities within the requested subject areas. However, it also emerged from the study that, if the different parts om the course component were to be adjusted, the result might have been more successful and the correlation between the course component and the main purposes for it to be carried out might had been stronger. The didactical process that has been carried out during this work has also been analysed. Hence, suggestions about how to reflect upon time requirements and work organisation if one, as a teacher, wishes to either implement this course component in their own tutoring, or do something similar, is presented in the end of this report.

Parenting education, combined with adult basic education and early childhood education, makes the Even Start program a unified family literacy program which helps to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and low literacy. Research studies have shown that the Even Start program has positive effects on its participants. Even though some of the effects are not explicitly tied to parenting education, they are closely related to parenting education. This study investigated the effectiveness of parenting education as perceived by its participants. The purposes of this study were to identify Even Start program participants’ perceptions of parenting education, to explore issues related to parenting education, and to identify the impact of parenting education as perceived by the program participants. The interviewed parents considered parenting education an important component of the Even Start family literacy program. Findings in this study revealed how the participants used what they had learned in the parenting classes, incorporating their improved literacy skills to facilitate the growth of the whole family. According to the study participants, parenting classes provided a safe and comfortable environment for the parents to learn or validate their parenting practices, to identify themselves with each other, to build up a network of support system, and to practice their literacy skills in a context related to their everyday life. Since their participation in the parenting education, the study participants reported attainment of new insights about being a good parent, better communication with their children and other family members, improved education experience for their children, prolonged parenting values and practices, and improved family relationships. Using Bronfenbrenner’s ecology model to look at the family literacy program, parenting education appeared to be the linkage between all components.

The Simple View of Reading (SVR; Gough & Tunmer, 1986) provides a conceptual framework for describing the processes involved when readers comprehend text and strong evidence for the SVR comes from factor analytic studies showing dissociation between decoding and comprehension skills. The aim of the present study was to investigate if pre-decoding and comprehension components exist in Canadian English-speaking pre-readers (n = 36) with the use of Principal Components Analysis and to create a parent literacy questionnaire that contains parent literacy practices that may predict children's pre-decoding and comprehension skills. All children were administered a battery of pre-reading measures and parents completed a literacy survey. Principal Components Analysis demonstrated that listening comprehension and pre-decoding measures loaded as distinct components. The findings provide support for the SVR framework. No clear patterns were identified between parent literacy practices and children's pre-reading skills. Further work is needed with a larger and more representative sample.

Multisensory components have been used across various educational approaches for many decades; however, the specific contribution of multisensory components is not well documented or explained, especially from an embodied education approach. Thus, an investigation of the effectiveness of adding a multisensory component (i.e., sandpaper letters) to an early literacy skills intervention (i.e., modified Road to the Code program; Blachman, Ball, Black, & Tangle, 2000) was conducted. To accomplish this, a multiple-baseline multiple-sequence design was used with six kindergarten students identified as needing remediating instruction, comparing instruction with and without the multisensory component while keeping instructional time constant. It was hypothesized that participants would show greater gains in early literacy skills (i.e., naming letters, segmenting words into phonemes, and decoding phonetically regular words) following the intervention with the multisensory component, compared to the intervention without. The addition of a multisensory component (i.e., sandpaper letters) was time efficient and simple to implement, and appeared to result in differential growth for at least some students. Given that the addition of a modest multisensory component appeared to assist some students in improving their early literacy skills, results were consistent with theories of embodied cognition and suggested that a more robust multisensory intervention could be worth developing and researching further.
Education, Faculty of
Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of
Graduate

Acompanha: Ensinando e aprendendo sobre a produção de energia elétrica: componentes de ludicidade e alfabetização científica (Produção técnica)
A busca pelo saber-fazer, como agir e aprender a ser demarca a importância de buscarmos novos conhecimentos a respeito de temas que se fazem presentes no seio da sociedade, no caso especifico desta pesquisa - a energia elétrica, no intuito de podermos enfrentar os desafios interpostos pela realidade em que vivemos. As novas tecnologias e as mudanças na produção de bens, serviços e conhecimentos exigem que a escola possibilite aos alunos integrarem-se ao mundo contemporâneo, buscando dar significado ao conhecimento escolar mediante a contextualização, o incentivo ao raciocínio e a capacidade de aprender. Dentre os conteúdos de Ciências, a temática Energia Elétrica destaca-se como ferramenta imprescindível para a compreensão de diversos conceitos da Ciência. Diante disso, pensou-se numa maneira mais dinâmica e atrativa de trabalhar o tema, com atividades lúdicas e envolvendo os alunos com o uso das tecnologias. Assim, ao embarcarmos com o olhar investigativo sobre o exposto, esta pesquisa objetiva “Analisar se as atividades lúdicas centradas no processo da alfabetização científica conduzem para o ensino aprendizagem de conceitos de Ciências sobre a temática Energia Elétrica”. Para atender este objetivo esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida com alunos do quinto ano, do turno matutino da Escola Municipal Theresa Gaertner Seifarth, localizada no município de Carambeí, no estado do Paraná, fundamentada nos processos da aprendizagem significativa, na ludicidade e na alfabetização científica. No que diz respeito ao delineamento da pesquisa, ela se encontra centrada nos parâmetros de uma pesquisa aplicada, exploratória, qualitativa e como um estudo de caso. Os dados foram coletados a partir de um questionário para compreensão dos conhecimentos prévios do aluno. Após o levantamento dos dados, foi criada uma sequência de atividades lúdicas e durante a aplicação do produto realizaram-se algumas observações e, por fim, o jogo, para verificação da aprendizagem, principais objetos de estudo deste trabalho. No intuito de proporcionar um aporte metodológico para o ensino de ciências no ensino básico foi elaborado um produto educacional, denominado de “Ensinando e aprendendo sobre a produção de Energia Elétrica” em forma de sequência didática, tendo a ludicidade como base estrutural. Na aplicação deste produto pôde-se perceber que atividades diferentes e prazerosas estimulam a curiosidade e dedicação dos alunos, pois estes ficam envolvidos e interagem o tempo todo, favorecendo sobremaneira o desenvolvimento do pensamento, configurando-se como estratégias para tornar o ensino mais dinâmico, de modo que os alunos adquiram o conhecimento necessário, além de contribuir para seu desenvolvimento social, emocional e intelectual.
The search for the know- how to act and learn to be demarcated the importance of seeking new knowledge about issues that are present in society , in the specific case of this research - the electricity , in order to be able to face the challenges brought the reality in which we live. New technologies and changes in the production of goods, services and knowledge require that the school allows students to integrate into the modern world, seeking to give meaning to knowledge through the school context, the interdisciplinarity and the incentive to reason and the ability to learn. Among the science content, the Energy theme stands out as an indispensable tool for understanding various concepts of science. Therefore, it was thought a more dynamic and attractive way to work the theme, with fun activities and involving students with the use of technology. So, as we embark on investigative look at the above, this research aims to "examine that recreational activities focused on the process of scientific literacy lead to the teaching and learning of science concepts on the topic Electricity". To meet this objective this research was developed with fifth graders , the morning shift of the Municipal School Theresa Gaertner Seifarth , in the municipality of Carambeí in the state of Paraná, based on the processes of meaningful learning, playfulness and scientific literacy. As regards the study design, it is centered on the parameters of applied research, exploratory, and as a qualitative case study. Data were collected from a questionnaire for understanding of prior knowledge of the student. After the data collection, was created a series of fun activities and during application of the product took place some observations and ultimately the game to check the learning, the main objects of study of this work. In order to provide a methodological approach to science education in primary education has been prepared an educational product, called "Teaching and learning about the production of Electricity" in the form of didactic sequence, and playfulness as a structural basis. The application of this product could be seen that different and pleasurable activities stimulate curiosity and dedication of the students, because they are involved and interact all the time, greatly promoting the development of thought, configured as strategies to make more dynamic teaching, so that students acquire the necessary knowledge, and contribute to their social, emotional and intellectual.

The objectives of this study were to gain an understanding of how practicing teachers believe they are prepared to meaningfully and critically integrate technology into their classroom practices; and to understand how practicing teachers recruited those beliefs into their teaching practices. This included gaining an understanding of what they believed led to their engagement in the critical dimensions of technology use in their teaching practices. This mixed-methods study contained two phases. In Phase 1, 58 graduate students in a College of Education completed a newly developed Critical Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (C-TPACK) survey containing likert-scale and open-ended questions. A subset of four graduate students, who were also practicing teachers, participated in Phase 2 of this study where lesson plans, observations, and interviews were analyzed. The findings indicated that limited training in and exposure to C-TPACK during teacher education coursework and professional development (PD), uncertainty about students’ critical digital literacies (CDL), the teachers’ varying understandings of CDL, resource limitations and restrictive school policies posed barriers for the teachers’ recruitment of CTPACK to their practices. These findings showed the importance of tying critical theory to technology in education coursework and PD programs. This study proposes the use of a theoretical framework that prioritizes critical theory, namely the C-TPACK framework, when analyzing teachers’ technology integration practices. KEYWORDS: TPACK, C-TPACK, critical digital literacy, digital literacy, teacher education, professional development

La tesis que presentamos se centra en la importancia que la ilustración como categoría semiótico-discursiva establece en las colecciones literarias de novela corta, que triunfan en España en los años iniciales del siglo XX. En los cinco primeros capítulos, se plantean aspectos significativos del mundo de la imagen ilustrada: una aproximación al decurso histórico de la ilustración, a su consideración como medio de comunicación de masas, y a su relación con las disciplinas artísticas clásicas como pintura y la literatura. También se realiza un análisis generalizado del ámbito y el mercado en que tiene lugar el auge de las colecciones de novela corta en sus diferentes variantes. El capítulo VI se dedica a un estudio semiótico centrado en las consideradas siete grandes colecciones de novela corta: El Cuento Semanal, Los Contemporáneos, La Novela Corta, El Libro Popular, La Novela Semanal, La Novela de Hoy y La Novela Mundial.
The thesis that we defend is focused on the importance of the illustration, considered as a semiotic-discursive category, within the literary collections of short novel, those who had triumphed in Spain at the beginning of the twentieth century. In the first five chapters, we propose some significant aspects regarding the world of the illustrated image: an approach to the historic course of illustration, to its consideration as one form of mass media, and to its connection with the classic artistic disciplines such as painting and literature. Moreover, we carry out a general analysis of the cultural realm and market in which the different varieties of short novel collections reach their peak. Chapter VI is devoted to a semiotic study that is focused on the seven greatest short novel collections: The Weekly Tale, The Contemporaries, The Short Novel, The Popular Story Book, The Weekly Novel, Today's Novel and The Worldly Novel.

L'essor du numérique et la multiplication des supports (smartphone, tablette tactile)ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives en matière d'écriture. Dans ce monde où textes, images et sons s'entrecroisent au fil des réseaux et au gré de l'interactivité, la fiction littéraire peut-elle trouver une voie qui lui permette de préserver sa richesse tout en bénéficiant des apports du numérique ? Comment l'auteur littéraire peut-il concevoir et agencer ses matériaux narratifs afin de toucher efficacement des lecteurs disposés à franchir le pas du numérique ? Quels sont les fondements d'une narration multimodale utilisant au mieux les potentiels du texte, de l'image et du son, dans toute leur complémentarité, pour servir une fiction littéraire destinée à un large public ? Ces questions sont abordées, tant du point de vue de l'auteur que de celui du lecteur, dans une approche transdisciplinaire à la fois théorique et expérimentale.

This research investigated whether completing an introductory GIS course affects college students' spatial literacy as defined by spatial habits of mind, spatial concepts and thinking skills, and critical spatial thinking. This study employed three tests (spatial habits of mind inventory, spatial concepts and skills test, critical spatial thinking oral test) to measure students' performance on these three elements. Furthermore, this research investigated the relationship among the components. Pre- and post-tests were conducted at the beginning and the end of the 2010 fall semester, and Texas A&M undergraduate students participated in the research. The following four research questions were examined. The first research question investigated whether GIS learning improves spatial habits of mind (n = 168). Five sub-dimensions of spatial habits of mind (pattern recognition, spatial description, visualization, spatial concept use, and spatial tool use) were identified. Overall, GIS students' spatial habits of mind were enhanced. However, variations existed when considering students' performance by dimension. The second research question explored whether GIS learning affects students' understanding and use of spatial concepts and thinking skills (n = 171). This research found that the GIS course was beneficial in improving students' spatial cognition. Students increased their understanding of key spatial concepts and applied conceptual understanding into wider contexts with advanced spatial thinking skills. The third research question examined the effects of a GIS course through interviews on the three sub-dimensions of critical spatial thinking: data reliability, spatial reasoning, and problem-solving validity (n = 32). The quantitative analyses indicated that participants developed their ability regarding these three sub-dimensions of critical spatial thinking. In particular, their ability to assess data reliability and problem-solving validity improved, an effect not likely to be enhanced by other coursework. Findings from qualitative thematic analysis confirmed these quantitative outcomes. The final research question probed the relationships among the three components of spatial literacy. Pearson?s correlation coefficient, a 3D space (termed "score space" in this study), a test for independence, and an exploratory factor analysis suggested that the three components are positively correlated. However, more research is necessary to confirm the results reported in this study.

碩士
國立臺灣師範大學
特殊教育研究所
90
The purposes of this study were to examine the changes and traits of literacy ability of students with word recognition difficulties (RD in short)、handwriting difficulties (HD in short) and literacy difficulties (LD in short), and to analyze the relationship between their cognitive components, word recognition and handwriting. The sample of this study included 37 second or third graders. All students with normal IQ were divided into four groups, on the basis of the result of the Basic Literacy Test. The four groups were normal students (NS in short), RD, HD and LD. All the participants were measured their cognitive abilities included attention, working memory, sequential memory, Zhu-Yin-Fu-Hao recognition, phoneme blending, radical recognition, and mental lexicon. The main findings of this research were stated as follows: 1. The literacy ability traits of each subtype: RD group was with normal character-copy, but poor word recognition performances, and the performances of character- writing were influenced by word recognition in the group. HD group was with poor character-copy, but normal word recognition, and the character- writing was affected by character-copy. LD group was with poor word recognition and handwriting, so their literacy abilities were significantly poor. 2. The relationship between word recognition and handwriting: Besides composition, Chinese handwriting was defined to include character-copy and character-writing. Character-copy could affect character-writing performances, on the other hand, character-writing could also affect character-copy productions. Besides, character-copy could not be affected by word recognition, character-copy could not affect word recognition either. 3. The relationship between literacy and cognitive abilities: (1) The relationship between word recognition and cognitive abilities: The phoneme blending was correlated with word recognition in RD, HD and LD group. Furthermore, in HD group, word recognition was also correlated with working memory and sequential memory. (2) The relationship between handwriting and cognitive abilities: The relationship between writing and cognitive abilities was not significant in this study. But according to the case analysis and the inferences from reference discussion, the poor character-copy performances of low handwriting group might be related to the working memory, visual-motor integration and attention. According the aforementioned findings, the limitations of this study, and the recommendations to research and practical implementations were made.

Abstracts in English, Sotho and Shona
Environmental Education (EE) in formal education was introduced because of environmental degradation globally, with the aim of developing an environmentally literate citizenry. However, the ultimate goal of EE, that of developing an environmentally literate citizenry, remains a dream while the planet continues to deteriorate. This study explored the environmental literacy level of both teachers and leaners, with a focus on rural primary schools. The study examined the effectiveness of the components of knowledge, attitude and skills in developing environmental literacy in schools. The study further explored how these components promote practices and lifestyle changes towards sustainable behaviour. A qualitative multiple case study design, guided by the interpretivist paradigm, was employed to conveniently sample three cases consisting of 3 teachers and 18 learners. Data was generated through observations, document analysis, as well as face to face and focus group interviews from purposefully sampled Grade 7 educators and learners. The findings revealed both nominal and functional environmental literacy levels amongst teachers and learners. These findings are attributed to a lack of teacher’s expertise in teaching EE content for the development of environmental literacy, the content integration approach of EE in the Department of Basic Education’s Continuous Assessment Policy System (CAPS) curriculum, the focus of the CAPS curriculum on mostly, the knowledge component of EE and a lack of a framework on how EE content should be taught. Lastly, the findings can also be attributed to the rural context in which the study took place, which poses challenges to sustainability lifestyles and practices. The study recommends reorientation of the curriculum to include environmental science as a subject in an integrated curriculum. The findings also recommend the inclusion of environmental policy in schools to guide lifestyle and practices towards sustainable behaviour.
Thutotikologo lefapheng la thuto e hlamilwe ka lebaka la go tlhagala ga tikologo lefaseng ka bophara ka maikemišetšo a go aga setšhaba seo se rutegilego mabapi le tša tikologo. Efeela maikemišetšo a magolo a thutotikologo e sa ntše e le toro mola seemo sa tikologo lefaseng ka bophara se tšwela pele le go hlagala. Maikemišetšo a sengwalwa se ke go nyakišiša maemo a thutotikologo ya barutiši le barutwana, go lebeletšwe kudu dikolo tša fasana tša dinaga magaeng. Sengwalwa se nyakišiša dikarolo tše tharo tša maemo a thutotikologo, e lego tsebo, maikutlo le bokgoni, le gore di hlohleletša bjang thutotikologo, ga mmogo le netefatšo ya maitshwaro le bophelo bjoo bo hlohleletšago tlhokomelo ya tikologo. Qualitative multiple case study design yeo e hlahlilwego ke intepretive paradigm e somišitswe go kgetha dikheisi tše tharo, moo barutiši ba bararo le barutwana ba lesome seswai ba tšerego dinyakišišong tše. Dintlha tša dinyakišišo di kgobokeditšwe ka go tšea temogo ya tikologo le diphaphoši tša dikolo, tshekatsheko ya melaotheo le dipoledišano magareng ga barutiši le barutwana ba mphato wa bo šupa. Dinyakišišo di humana seemo sa fase le sa magareng dithutong tša maemo a tikologo dikolong. Seemo se sa thuto ya tikologo se fegwa godimo ga tlhokego ya bokgoni le tsebo ya barutiši go ruta dithuto tša tikologo, molaotheo wa dithuto sekolong o lebeletše feela lefapha la tsebo, mola o sa bontšhe gore tsebo yeo e swanetše e rutwe bjang. Gape go humanega gore maemo a bophelo dinaga magaeng a fa mathata netefatšatšong ya bophelo le maitshwaro ao a hloleletšago tlhokomelo ya tikologo. Thuto ye e šišinya mpshafatšo ya lenaneothuto le kelo ka go tsenya thuto ya mahlale a tikologo go lenaneothuto le kelo yeo e kopanego. Dinyakišišo di šišinya gape go akaretša leano la tikologo dikolong go hlahla mokgwa wa bophelo le setlwaedi go mekgwa ya tsheketšo.
Pfundo ya zwa mupo kha pfunzo dzi funzwaho zwikoloni yo vha hone nga murahu ha u vhona uri mupo u khou tshinyala nga zwivhuhulu u mona na Ḭifhasi Ḭothe, tshipikwa hu u bveledza vhadzulapo vho funzeaho kha zwa mupo. Fhedzi ha, zwi kha ḓi tou vha muḬoro musi Ḭifhasi Ḭi tshi khou bvelaphanda na u tshinyala. Ngudo/pfunzo iyi yo kona u bveledza vhadzulapo vho funzeaho siani Ḭa zwa mupo kha vhoṱhe, vhadededzi na vhagudiswa. Ngudo iyi yosedzesa kha zwikolo zwa murole wa fhasi kha vhupoha mahayani. Ngudo iyi yo ṱolisisa zwiitisi zwihulwane zwo ṱu ṱuwedzaho vhuvha iyi tevhelaho savhuvha na vhukoni ha u bveledzisa pfuzo ya mupo zwikoloni. Maitele mandzhi a ṱhoḓisiso o rangelwaphanḓa nga vhasedzulusi vhane vha ṱoḓou ḓivhesa shango samusi Ḭo ḓisendeka kana u ṱuṱuwendzwa nga vhupfiwa ha muthu ene muṋe, vho vha hone u itela u sumbhedza milandu miraru ine ya khou kwana vhadededzi vhararu na vhagudiswa vha fumalo. Ngudo iyi yo bvelaphanda na u ṱoḓisisa uri zwiitisi izwi zwi ṱuṱuwendza hani zwithu zwine zwa tshinyadza mupo na u shandukisa matshilele na u tikedza vhudifari. Ngudo i sengulusahao mafhungo o fhambanaho nga vhunzhi, yo rangwa phanḓa nga vhaṱo ḓisisi vhane vha na divhithela Ḭa u pfesesa zwine zwa khou itea dzangoni nga vhuphara, vho vha vho runwa u leludza kha u tia ṱhoḓisiso ya tsedzuluso tharu. Mafhungo o kuvhanganywaho o wanuluswa nga u tou sedza fhedzi, nga u sengulusa manwalwa, u vhudzisa vhathu vho tou livhana navho zwifhaṱuwo, na nga u fara nyambedzano thwi na vhadededzi vha murole wa gireidi ya sumbe na vhagudiswa vhahone. Tsedzuluso dzo wana zwauri ngudo/pfunzo ya zwa mupo a i khou tou dzhieleswa nṱha na u vhonala zwavhu ḓikha vhadededzi na vhagudiswa. Mawanwa a tsedzuluso a khou tou ombedzela uri vhagudisi a vha na vhukoni ha u funza vhana divhamupo kha silabasi ya CAPS. Zwi tou vha khagala u ri zwikolo zwa mahayani zwi na thaidzo nnzhi dza u londota mupo na vhudifari. Ngudo I khou themendela u shandukiswa ha kufunzele na u katelwa ha ngudo ya mufhe sat hero ine ya vha na u ṱumekanya vhupo hoṱhe ha ngudo ya bwa mufhe. Mawanwa a khou ita na u themendela uri hu une na u fatelwa ha ndayotelwa ya mufhe zwikoloni u itela u eletshedza kutshilele na maitele uri hu vhe na vhuḓifani bavhuḓi kha mufhe.
Educational Studies
M. Ed. (Environmental Education)

The dissertation is a study to determine which program, Reading First or Bay State Reading Initiative, will demonstrate the greatest gains in reading for students in grades K–3 using a 3-Tier Reading Model. The findings from this study are intended to provide pertinent information on which best practices work in increasing student achievement for reading. Education reform continues to be a hot topic at all levels within the United States. With the spending of billions of federals, state and local dollars, the persistent talk of accountability is ongoing. Since NCLB inception, the year 2014 when all students need to reach proficiency in statewide standardized tests in mathematics and reading, continues to be a threatening time period. With each state setting its own definition and determination of what proficiency is, it is measured by the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). This AYP measurement will determine each school's progress incrementally until it reaches 100% in 2014. 48% of all schools in Massachusetts failed to make their AYP in 2004. It is predicted that by 2014, 90% of schools in Massachusetts will not reach its APY obligation (MassPartners for Public Schools, 2005). With the pursuit of reaching AYP, the search is still on for what best practices work in increasing student achievement. This study utilizes a mixed method research design; including quantitative analysis of the reading scores, a qualitative analysis of teacher and administrator perspective on the effectiveness of each program and a financial cost-effectiveness comparison of the two programs. The quantitative research design includes comparing DIBELS and GRADE results of two elementary schools for students in grades K–3 each of which uses a different reading program. School A uses the Houghton Mifflin Reading Series for their core reading curriculum while School B uses Scott Foresman Reading Street. In addition to comparing the aggregate scores of each school to each other, a number of sub-groups will also be compared. These groups will include low income students (students who receive free and reduced lunch), students with limited English proficiency (LEP), and special education students. Mean comparisons will be utilized to identify which program produces the best results. In order to identify strengthens and weaknesses of each approach a questionnaire will be utilize to obtain this information from teachers and the administrators who took part in implementing both programs. In these times of tight budgets and difficult decisions on how to meet the needs of all students it is imperative that cost effectiveness is examined between the two programs. Which of these two programs will provide the greatest gain? How much will that gain cost? Which program will reap the best results for the least amount of money? References MassPartners for Public Schools (2005, June 1). Facing reality: What happens when good schools Are labeled "failures?". In NCLB's AYP requirements (1/7). Retrieved April 12, 2009, FromMassPartners:http://www.resultsforamerica.org/calendar/files/exec_summaryAYP.pgf

Second language (L2) learners are a growing population in Canadian school systems, and acquisition of literacy skills is critical to their success in Canadian society. While much research has been devoted to writing development in first language (L1) learners, text-level writing remains relatively underexplored in L2 populations. The present study sought to address this gap by considering the relative contributions of component oral language and word-level literacy skills to writing in elementary students speaking English as a first (EL1) or second (EL2) language. A sample of 124 kindergarten students (56 EL1, 68 EL2) and 112 grade three students (51 EL1, 61 EL2) completed a battery of standardized measures assessing oral language, word-level literacy, and writing skills. An ordinary least squares (OLS) regression-based mediation path analysis was used to test associations among oral language, word-level literacy, and writing skills in each group. Results indicated that word-level literacy skills had a significant direct effect on writing in all groups, but that oral language had no significant direct effect on writing in any groups. Instead, the effect of oral language on writing was significantly mediated by word-level skills in the kindergarten EL1 and EL2 groups, and the grade three EL1 group. The indirect effect of oral language on writing through word-level skills was not significant in the grade three EL2 group. Despite this, no significant differences in variable associations were found between EL1 and EL2 groups in either grade. Oral language skills were additionally found to have a significant effect on word-level literacy skills in the kindergarten EL1 and EL2 groups and the grade three EL1 group; the significance of this effect in the grade three EL2 group was unclear. Results of this study are discussed in relation to existing literature, and existing theories of L1 and L2 writing.
Graduate

This Master's Thesis deals with the Morning Letter from the program Step by Step as a possible tool for developing reading literacy. The theoretical part deals with the definition of reading literacy, the individual components and its anchoring in the Framework Education Program for Elementary Education. Thesis compares the key competences set out in the Framework Education Program for Elementary Education with reading literacy and explains their relationship and the importance of their equal development. It also describes one of the key program in this area, the program Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking, and its methods of developing reading literacy. It also deals with program Step by Step and the development of reading literacy as its component. Thesis focuses mainly on the Morning Letter as a possible reading strategy. The practical part is based on observations and interviews with teachers from the program Step by Step and their experience with Morning Letters and which forms of them are confirmed to be useful and how is perceived its overlap in reading literacy. It also includes a set of Morning Letters applied in mainstream class and their analysis and reflection in terms of reading literacy. Based on this analysis thesis it also contains a few designs of Morning Letters emerging...

碩士
國立屏東教育大學
華語文教學碩士學位學程
101
The purpose of this study is the effects of the Teaching Strategy of Chinese Radicals for 18 Basic Level (elementary school) Students, base on the collected from 15 radical lessons in eight weeks. The researcher designed a set of components learning materials (15 most frequently used radicals and components of Chinese characters) for students as the subject of experimental teaching. The contents of the teaching are divided into two units of “The relevant parts of people" and "Nature's related components". The teaching strategy is the method of Character-Focus teaching, to confer the students’ Chinese radicals learning process. The effect and changing of this study are Chinese characters component analysis, Character literacy and learning results. For more understanding students experienced through "The method of Character-Focus Teaching" after Chinese radicals learning, is it Significant progress of radicals’ recognition and used or not. Researcher designed 40 questions for Pre-Test and Post-Test. Including 4 parts: One is form of a Chinese character. Second is form of a Chinese character and phonetic value of a character. Third is form of a Chinese character, phonetic value of a character and meaning of a character. Fourth is form of a Chinese character and phonetic value of a character. According to the result of Pre-Test, researcher divided all students into 3 groups, Group A is High achievement group. Group is The achievement group. Group C is Law achievement group to be the study of Chinese radicals. And in this regard the effectiveness of teaching and learning outcomes assessment study on children. The results showed that: 1. The implementation of "Chinese character component teaching" on Second graders in a language school effectiveness of literacy might be effective. 2. Implementing the "Chinese character component teaching" on the country's second graders literacy learning have a positive impact. 3. Teachers in the implementation of "Chinese character component teaching", significantly enhance the effectiveness of teaching

This study focused on multilingualism as the primary linguistic cognitive objective of investigation. An integrative approach focused on second language linguistics in order to acquire a background in the cognitive foundations of language and research methodology and theoretical models for the study of phenomena, such as language planning in multicultural societies and language and ethnic diversity. To design cognitive reading methods, a literature survey was conducted regarding the latest developments in the theories pertaining to cognitive formulas of the second language learner. A quantitative experimental study was conducted, data gathered was scrutinised and a cognitive reading programme was experimentally administered to twenty primary school learners. The responses were coded, the data captured and statistically computed. Conclusions indicated that cognitive reading materials were practical, valid and reliable. Cognitive formulas hold the potential of contributing to the understanding of cognitive reading development in second language proficiency in the Foundation Phase of schooling.
Teacher Education
M. Ed. (Didactics)

Dissertação de Mestrado em Ciências do Desporto, Especialização em Jogos Desportivos Coletivos
O objetivo deste estudo foi examinar os efeitos da literacia motora e do modelo de aprendizagem diferencial na aptidão motora e na aprendizagem de habilidades técnicas e táticas do jogo de basquetebol. Setenta e seis estudantes da Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (idade 20.4 ± 1.9 anos) de ambos os géneros, voluntariaram-se para participar neste estudo, tendo sido divididos aleatoriamente em dois grupos: grupo de controlo e grupo experimental. A aptidão motora foi avaliada através do Illinois Agility Test, as habilidades técnicas foram avaliadas com base no Taco Bell Challenge e os indicadores de desempenho tático (bem e mal sucedidos) foram quantificados durante um jogo reduzido de 4 contra 4. O estudo teve uma duração total de 16 aulas, incluindo pré e pós teste. As aulas do grupo experimental diferenciaram-se pela inclusão de tarefas centradas no foco atencional com base na imprevisibilidade e exigências de adaptação. Os resultados indicaram que o grupo experimental teve uma melhoria mais significativa na agilidade comparativamente com o grupo de controlo. Constatámos igualmente que os estudantes pertencentes ao grupo experimental diminuíram as suas ações mal sucedidas executadas durante o jogo reduzido. Globalmente, podemos aferir que o modelo de ensino baseado na aprendizagem diferencial prepara os jogadores para afinar/harmonizar os estímulos relevantes através do desenvolvimento do comportamento adaptativo de forma a superar as restrições do ambiente, conduzindo desta forma a uma melhor condução das decisões do jogo.
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a physical literacy and differential basketball training program in motor and game skills learning. Seventy-six college male and female students (age 20.4±1.9 years) were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. The motor skills were assessed using Illinois Agility Test, technical abilities were evaluated by Taco Bell Skills Challenge and successful and unsuccessful performance indicators were quantified during a 4-on-4 full-court basketball game. The study lasted sixteen classes including pre and posttest. Globally, the program classes could be characterized by attentional breadth, large unpredictability and adaptation demands. The results indicated that experimental group had a better improvement in agility capacity comparatively to the control group. Also, was noted that experimental students decreased their unsuccessful actions performed during the game. Overall, this program prepares the players to attune the relevant stimulus through the development of adaptive behaviors to overcome environment constraints, leading to best game decisions.

The diploma thesis is focused on the grammar teaching in the context of a literary work. The aim of the thesis is to introduce possible positives coming out of the combination of the two relatively remote parts of the foreign-language teaching that are grammar as a language component and the development of a reading skill thanks to the presence of the literary text. The theoretical part firstly deals with the phenomena of presence of a literary text in an educational process. Second part focuses on grammar and especially the way of teaching it with the help of a literary text. The last part states the reasons of the choice of a particular novel - Les Misérables. The practical part of the work deals with worksheets where we want to demonstrate how to work with the text in favour of both - grammar and reading skill - in the same time. Key words: grammar, reading, literary text, V. Hugo, Les Misérables, language components, language skills