Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Tutor Development'

The procedural problem of this action research study was to develop a parent tutor program to teach parents how to work more effectively with the homework process. The review of literature examined (a) parent involvement, (b) parent education, (c) homework, and (d) curriculum development. A formative evaluation methodology involved four phases: (a) development, (b) implementation, (c) assessment, and (d) revision. The researcher used two curriculum software packages, Peaks CourseBuilding Software and PEAKSolutions LessonBuilding Software™. developed by PEAKSolutions and Vogler in 1989, to prepare a curriculum resource guide containing leader (counselor) guidelines, syllabus, and nine lesson plans. A foundation was provided by a selfhelp book on minimizing the homework hassle entitled Parents as Tutors, written by Vogler and Hutchins in 1988. Six elementary counselors formed an advisory panel to provide formative evaluation/validation of the program during the development and revision phases. The subjects were groups of parents who volunteered to participate in parent tutor groups at three elementary schools in southwest Virginia. Four instruments were designed and used in the formative evaluation process. One was a questionnaire completed by the advisory panel. The others were completed by the participants at the beginning, during, and at the end of the parent education groups. All parents who completed the parent tutor program indicated they experienced positive involvement in the homework process for themselves as well as benefits for their children. Conclusions related to parent participant goals for and problems with the homework process, reasons for parent group attrition, leader role and parent group strategies, and the importance of evaluative data. Recommendations were provided for parent tutor groups and future research. A counselor oriented parent tutor curriculum resource guide including a syllabus and nine comprehensive lesson plans with fieldtested revisions are included in the dissertation.
Ed. D.

This study examines the perceived intellectual and dispositional takeaways for high school alumni who had been peer tutors in their secondary context. The research question which drove this study was, “What abilities, values, and skills do tutors develop from their experience as peer tutors and how, if at all, have they used those abilities, values, and skills in their lives beyond high school?” The findings come from the completed surveys of 63 high school tutor alumni who all tutored at a large, public suburban high school with a diverse population, and who represent a cross-section of the school’s population. The survey was adapted from one made available by the Peer Writing Tutor Alumni Research Project (PWTARP), a national project which seeks to better understand the developmental process of students who engage in the work of peer tutoring during their undergraduate university experience. I collected this data between 2010 and 2013 in my role as the program coordinator and although I knew these tutors very well, their responses were anonymous. Participants named 25 skills, abilities, and values they developed. Participants also indicated, through the survey’s four Likert-scale questions, that they found their tutor experiences were important or influential to their development after high school. This study used the grounded theory method of initial and focused coding for analysis of the data generated by the survey’s open-ended responses. These responses generated 180 pages of text. During the analysis 132 initial codes were applied to 2,231 excerpts from the survey responses. The 132 initial codes were grouped into 34 focused codes. These focused codes were further consolidated into 11 categories that describe the learned skills, innate abilities, and developed values of respondents. These analytic categories are descriptive in nature and constitute the major findings of this study. These categories include writing, reading, collaboration, adaptability, patience, perseverance, confidence, maturity, leadership, bravery, and joie de vivre.

Intelligent Tutoring Systems are notoriously costly to construct, and require PhD level experience in cognitive science and rule based programming. The purpose of this research was to ease the development process for building pseudo-tutors. Pseudo-tutors are ITS constructs that mimic cognitive tutors but are limited in that they only apply to a single problem. The Assistment Builder is a tool designed to rapidly create, test, and deploy simple pseudo-tutors. These tutors provide a simplified cognitive model based upon a state graph designed for a specific problem. These tutors offer many of the features of rule-based tutors, but with shorter creation time. The system simplifies the process of tutor creation to allow users with little or no ITS experience to develop content. The system provides a web-based interface as a means to build and store these simple tutors we have called Assistments. This paper describes our attempt to make the process of developing, testing, and deploying content easy for teachers. We present data to suggest that users can develop a tutor that can be released to students in approximately an hour.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Technikon Southern Africa defined its role as distance learning institution with the implementation of the Integrated Learner Centred Distance Learning (ILCDE) model. This model implied the establishment of regional offices as well as the implementation of a tutor system. The tutor system implied the appointment of tutors at the different regional offices. In an attempt to take the distance out of distance learning the following functions of tutors were identified: • Telephone tutoring • Conducting contact sessions • Assessing assignments The focal point of this study was tutor development within a flexible learning system as no structured learning programmes for tutors exist at TSA. The purpose was to investigate and analyse the learning needs of tutors in a flexible learning system. Various critical questions stimulated this study. However, the following three questions formed the basis of this study: • What is the role of training and development in the tutor system? • Do tutors have a need for continuing professional learning programmes? If so, what . should the nature of such learning programmes be? • What should the criteria be to evaluate and monitor the development oftutors? A qualitative research approach was followed and the data was obtained by means of interviews and participative observation sessions. The subjects of the study were the tutors of the Subject Group: Management Leadership: Policing appointed for the registration period May 1998 - May 1999. One of the conclusions of the study was that the following processes regarding the tutor system need attention: • Recruitment and selection • Interviewing and appointment • Job descriptions • Orientation, training and development programmes • Evaluation and monitoring programmes • Role clarification • Marketing strategy The following recommendations were formulated: • A guide for the recruitment and appointment processes of its tutors should be compiled. • An assessment of the support needs of learners should be performed. • Establishing a continuing professional learning unit should be considered. • A proposal for learning interventions for continuing professional learning should be developed.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: DIE ROL VAN TUTORONTWIKKELING IN 'N PLOOffiARE LEERSTELSEL Die Technikon Suider-Afrika het sy rol as afstandsonderriginstansie gedefinieer toe die Geïntegreerde Leergesentreerde Afstandsonderrigmodel (lLeD£) geïmplementeer is. Hierdie model het die daarstelling van streekkantore asook die implementering van 'n tutorstelsel veronderstel. Die tutorstelsel het die aanstelling van tutors by die onderskeie streekkantore tot gevolg gehad. Om die afstand uit afstandsonderrig te haal, is die volgende drie funksies van tutors geïdentifiseer: • Telefoonbegeleiding • Fasilitering van kontaksessies • Assessering van werkopdragte Die fokuspunt van hierdie studie was tutorontwikkeling binne 'n plooibare leerstelsel, aangesien geen gestruktureerde leerprogramme vir tutors by TSA bestaan nie. Die doel was om die leerbehoeftes van tutors in so 'n plooibare leerstelsel te ondersoek en te ontleed. Verskeie kritiese vrae het aanvanklik hierdie studie gestimuleer, maar die volgende drie vrae het die basis van die studie gevorm: • Wat is die rol van opleiding en ontwikkeling in die tutorstelsel? • Is daar 'n behoefte aan deurlopende professionele leerprogramme? Indien ja, wat behoort die aard van die programme te wees? • Wat behoort die kriteria te wees om die ontwikkeling van tutors te evalueer en te monitor? 'n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering IS gevolg en die data IS deur middel van onderhoudvoering en deelnemende waarnemingsessies ingesamel. Die tutors wat aangestel is vir die registrasietydperk Mei 1998 - Mei 1999, van die Vakgroep: Bestuursleierskap: Polisiëring is vir die studie gebruik. Een van die gevolgtrekkings van die studie IS dat die volgende prosesse lil die daarstelling van die tutorstelsel aandag vereis: • Werwing en keuring • Onderhoudvoering en aanstelling • Posbeskrywings • Oriënterings-, opleidings- en ontwikkelingsprogramme • Evaluerings- en moniteringsprogramme • Roluitklaring • Bemarking Die volgende aanbevelings is geformuleer: • 'n Handleiding vir die werwing en keuring van tutors behoort saamgestel te word. • 'n Behoeftebepaling van die ondersteuningsbehoeftes van die leerders behoort gedoen te word. • Die vestiging van 'n deurlopende professionele leereenheid behoort oorweeg te word. • 'n Voorstel vir leerintervensies vir personeelontwikkeling behoort ontwikkel te word.

This qualitative multisite, multiple case study examined teacher tutor experiences and the supports and challenges they encountered while they supported and guided students with the essential skills needed to pass the end-of-the-year standardized test. Four elementary teacher tutors from three northern Georgia school systems participated in the study. The teacher tutors were chosen by using recommendations from the system’s Title I leader or the individual school principal or the after-school program coordinator. Once the four participants were chosen, a timeline of interviews and observations was established. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) formed the foundation of the conceptual framework for this study. This centered on determining the appropriate level of instruction for cognitive development in order to assist students to move beyond what they process themselves with guidance from a more capable person. Three interviews and six observations were completed for each of the four participants. Field notes were taken during observations and lesson plans were collected. Information obtained through interviews with the participants revealed three overall themes: teaching experience commonalities, a place for standardized testing, and a need for after-school tutoring programs. Findings suggested that all four of the participants felt supported as they implemented their after-school tutoring sessions with the goal of making each one of their students more successful learners in all aspects of their lives, not solely for the end-of-the-year standardized test.

The dismounted infantry system is a man wearable system with intelligent tutoring tool used to assess training. The tasks used to assess training for the intelligent tutoring were: (1) move as a member of a fireteam, (2) enter and clear a room, and (3) report battlefield information. The soldier wearing the simulation system acts as a member of a fireteam to conduct a virtual mission. The soldier's teammates are computer generated entities to conduct the mission. Soldiers were surveyed on the tasks assessed as well as the features of the system. Soldiers were also surveyed on tasks they felt needed to be added to the tutoring functions of the system. The intelligent tutor system and training in virtual reality was generally accepted by the participants. The general consensus was the technology needed additional refinement to provide a better training environment. Most felt that working with Semi-Automated Forces (SAF) entities made the scenario more difficult to execute. The parameters established for successful completion of the movement and reporting tasks were too strict and hindered the experience for the participant. Locomotion is another aspect that deserves further research. Moving the locomotion controls to the feet would free the soldier from having to accomplish multiple tasks with only two hands. Future research should concentrate on locomotion methods and controls, as well as only using human participants for all unit members.
M.S.
Arts and Sciences
Modeling and Simulation

This research uses a mixed methods approach to explore the both the preparation for and perceptions of graduate consultant writing center work. A review of literature shows a gap in both the knowledge surrounding graduate writing consultant education and the long-term outcomes or transfer of writing center training and work to post-graduate careers. The survey instruments in this study draw from two established studies, the Peer Writing Tutor Alumni Research Project and the National Census of Writing, while a request for curricular artifacts draws on case study research conducted by Jackson et al. Findings indicate that graduate consultants are being prepared for their work in writing centers, but that directors are not intentionally including discussions of how that work may transfer into academic careers, particularly those in writing center leadership. Despite this, current and alumni graduate consults report both immediate and long-term transfer of writing center experiences, skills, and knowledge into their occupations. The transfer of learning is perceived as being most profound for those who have remained in the academy as either professors or administrators. This research has implications for graduate students, directors, and institutions, and I conclude with an analysis of how directors can be more intentional in their work with graduate consultants in order to better prepare a new generation of writing center administrators who are aware of the academic, political, and scholarly opportunities that are possible through writing center careers.

Current testing education tools provide coverage deficiency feedback that either mimics industry code coverage tools or enumerates through the associated instructor tests that were absent from the student’s test suite. While useful, these types of feedback mechanisms are akin to revealing the solution and can inadvertently lead a student down a trial-and-error path, rather than using a systematic approach. In addition to an inferior learning experience, a student may become dependent on the presence of this feedback in the future. Considering these drawbacks, there exists an opportunity to develop and investigate alternative feedback mechanisms that promote positive reinforcement of testing concepts. We believe that using an inquiry-based learning approach is a better alternative (to simply providing the answers) where students can construct and reconstruct their knowledge through discovery and guided learning techniques. To facilitate this, we present Testing Tutor, a web-based assignment submission platform to support different levels of testing pedagogy via a customizable feedback engine. This dissertation is based on the experiences of using Testing Tutor at different levels of the curriculum. The results indicate that the groups using conceptual feedback produced higher-quality test suites (achieved higher average code coverage, fewer redundant tests, and higher rates of improvement) than the groups that received traditional code coverage feedback. Furthermore, students also produced higher quality test suites when the conceptual feedback was tailored to task-level for lower division student groups and self-regulating-level for upper division student groups. We plan to perform additional studies with the following objectives: 1) improve the feedback mechanisms; 2) understand the effectiveness of Testing Tutor’s feedback mechanisms at different levels of the curriculum; and 3) understand how Testing Tutor can be used as a tool for instructors to gauge learning and determine whether intervention is necessary to improve students’ learning.

Intelligent tutoring systems are effective for improving students’ learning outcomes (Bowen et al., 2013; Koedinger & Anderson, 1997; Pane et al., 2013). However, constructing tutoring systems that are pedagogically effective has been widely recognized as a challenging problem (Murray, 1999, 2003). In this thesis, I explore the use of computational models of apprentice learning, or computer models that learn interactively from examples and feedback, to support tutor development. In particular, I investigate their use for authoring expert-models via demonstrations and feedback (Matsuda et al., 2014), predicting student behavior within tutors (VanLehn et al., 1994), and for testing alternative learning theories (MacLellan, Harpstead, Patel, & Koedinger, 2016). To support these investigations, I present the Apprentice Learner Architecture, which posits the types of knowledge, performance, and learning components needed for apprentice learning and enables the generation and testing of alternative models. I use this architecture to create two models: the DECISION TREE model, which non- incrementally learns when to apply its skills, and the TRESTLE model, which instead learns incrementally. Both models both draw on the same small set of prior knowledge for all simulations (six operators and three types of relational knowledge). Despite their limited prior knowledge, I demonstrate their use for efficiently authoring a novel experimental design tutor and show that they are capable of achieving human-level performance in seven additional tutoring systems that teach a wide range of knowledge types (associations, categories, and skills) across multiple domains (language, math, engineering, and science). I show that the models are capable of predicting which versions of a fraction arithmetic and box and arrows tutors are more effective for human students’ learning. Further, I use a mixedeffects regression analysis to evaluate the fit of the models to the available human data and show that across all seven domains the TRESTLE model better fits the human data than the DECISION TREE model, supporting the theory that humans learn the conditions under which skills apply incrementally, rather than non-incrementally as prior work has suggested (Li, 2013; Matsuda et al., 2009). This work lays the foundation for the development of a Model Human Learner— similar to Card, Moran, and Newell’s (1986) Model Human Processor—that encapsulates psychological and learning science findings in a format that researchers and instructional designers can use to create effective tutoring systems.

HIV prevention programs in schools are acknowledged as one of the best prospects for controlling the world HIV epidemic. Epidemiological evidence indicates that deaths world-wide from AIDS are yet to peak. Although HIV notifications and AIDS deaths in the total Australian population have decreased', there has been an increase in rates in the Australian Indigenous population. There is also some evidence of complacency in HIV prevention vigilance in Australia which indicates a need for continued focus on prevention programs. The knowledge levels, attitudes toward HIV risk, and risk-taking behaviours of young Australians place them at risk of exposure to HIV. Appropriate prevention programs can be delivered to these vulnerable young people through the school setting. Programs delivered in schools have been shown to have a positive effect and teachers are vital to the delivery of these education programs. Without appropriate training, however, teachers may not optimise the outcomes of these programs. While it would be desirable for teachers to be trained in HIV prevention education in pre-service training this has not been the case in Western Australia (WA). When there is not an opportunity for pre-service training, professional development programs can be implemented to provide additional training required by teachers. Traditionally this professional development has been provided through workshops. These face-to-face delivery methods, however, do not always adequately serve the needs of all teachers, and in particular the needs of teachers in rural and remote areas. In an attempt to address the needs of these teachers, alternate methods of professional development delivery may be appropriate. The aim of this study was to test an alternate method of delivery.The study designed, disseminated and evaluated the implementation of a flexible learning professional development program for teachers of HIV education. The program was based on print-based distance learning, supported by a video and tutors. Five objectives were developed for the study. These objectives were: Objective One - To determine factors associated with teachers' enrolment in the Protect Yourself Program (PYP). Objective Two - To determine the association between factors related to entry characteristics, social integration, external attribution, academic integration and incompatibility and amount of PYP completed. Objective Three - To determine the association between amount of PYP completed and factors related to the teaching of HIV lessons. Objective Four - To examine the context in which intervention and comparison group teachers were operating for this study. Objective Five - To evaluate the process of teacher recruitment to PYP, satisfaction with the flexible learning methodology, satisfaction with the PYP materials and completion of PYP. A comprehensive theoretical framework was constructed to guide the development of the empirical study and the professional development program, as little evidence was found in the literature of similar empirically evaluated studies. This framework incorporated: Adult Learning Theory; the Model of Student Progress; the PRECEDEPROCEED Model; the Health Promoting Schools Framework; Diffusion of Innovation and the Communication Behaviour Change Model. The study was conducted in two parts. Firstly, an exploratory study was conducted which provided a basis upon which to implement the second, larger empirical study.A quasi-experimental study design was implemented due to restrictions placed upon the study by the WA Department of Health, the funding agency. The study sample was made up of teachers from government and independent, primary and second schools in WA. In total, 126 teachers were recruited to the intervention group and enrolled in the professional development program, and 128 to the comparison group, who completed some of the evaluation instruments, but did not participate in a professional development program. The professional development intervention program incorporated four comprehensive work modules, which were delivered in print form. A video and tutorial support supplemented the print materials. To evaluate the professional development program, seven instruments were developed. From these instruments five categories of variables were created, namely demographic, contextual, teacher characteristics, process and dependent. These variables were developed as single item variables, scales or indices. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and a combination of univariate, bivariate, and multivariate techniques (logistic regression and analysis of covariance) were conducted. Qualitative data were analysed for themes. A binary logistic regression was conducted to evaluate Objective One: to determine factors associated with teachers’ enrolment in PYP. The analysis identified four factors which were associated with enrolment in PYP.The teachers most likely to enrol in PYP had no pre-service training in health education and did not consider themselves to be a specialist or coordinator of health education. The majority of program participants had been teaching health education for between three and seven years and displayed a high level of acceptance of the flexible learning methodology. Objective Two: to determine the association between factors related to entry characteristics, social integration, external attribution, academic integration and incompatibility and amount of PYP completed was evaluated using a nominal logistic regression analysis with the intervention group sample only. Completion of the PYP program by participants was related to circumstances which were often beyond the control of the program, such as events occurring in a teacher’s personal life. However, teachers who showed a preference for flexible learning were found to be more successful in completing the program. The effects of PYP were measured by Objective Three: to determine the association between amount of PYP completed and factors related to the teaching of HIV lessons. Three of the six factors considered by this objective returned a significant association with program dose. Teacher perceived access to HIV education resources was found to be positively related to the dose of materials a participant completed.Participants who completed a high dose of the program considered HIV resources to be relatively easier to access than participants completing a low dose. Teachers who completed a high dose of PYP reported being more comfortable to teach HIV lessons than teachers completing a mid dose. In addition, intervention group teachers showed a significant change in comfort with their ability to teach HIV lessons and specified HIV topics to Years 8, 9, and 10 classes and intervention group teachers of Year 8 students thought the HIV topics were less important for this level of students. The final variable to show a significant change over time when dose of the program was considered was teacher sexual conservativeness. Both high and mid dose participants reported being less sexually conservative than low or no dose participants from pre to midtest. The context of the teachers participating in the PYP study was investigated through Objective Four: to examine the context in which intervention and Comparison group teachers were operating for this study. Two factors were found to be associated with gender, six with school location and eleven with level of teaching. These associations provided important contextual information for interpreting the findings of the study. Objective Five evaluated the process of teacher recruitment to PYP, satisfaction with the flexible learning methodology, satisfaction with the PYP materials and completion of PYP. The recruitment strategies implemented for PYP were effective in having teachers from government and independent schools in WA recruited to PYP.However, more than 90% of the intervention group were from government schools. Schools encouraged more than one teacher from a school to enrol, with nine primary schools, four district high schools, one community high school, one secondary college, four senior high schools and one combined independent primary and high school enrolling more than one teacher in the program. The flexible learning methodology was reported to be suitable for the needs of teachers who enrolled in PYP, as they felt comfortable with the learning methodology and appreciated the opportunity to choose when and where they completed the program. The opportunity for face-to-face contact, however, was still preferred by some teachers. The materials within the program were considered to be appropriate and useful. The writing style and activities were well received and the efforts of the tutors were welcomed by the majority of the intervention group. One third of teachers who enrolled in PYP completed at least some of the materials, but less than 10% completed the entire program. The most frequent suggestions made for increasing program completion rates were to set dates for completion of the program modules and to allow time release to complete the program. At baseline, this research showed that teachers considered it important for their students to have access to HIV education, but many of these teachers did not feel comfortable providing HIV education for their students.As positive effects were observed in the PYP program of impact of program dose on factors affecting the implementation of HIV education, it would appear that flexible learning professional development was a suitable alternative to face-to-face professional development. Teachers' acceptance of flexible learning professional development as an alternate methodology, however, appears to be in its infancy and will require more empirical research. Future research, study design improvements and intervention design improvements can be informed by the following recommendations. Future research Recommendation 1: There be more rigorous investigation of flexible learning as a methodology for provision of professional development for teachers of health education. Recommendation 2: The status of claiming credit for professional development toward postgraduate qualifications for teachers continue to be investigated. Recommendation 3 : Further research be undertaken to evaluate available technologies and their acceptance by teachers as a delivery method for flexible learning professional development. Study design improvements Recommendation 4: design limitations of the PYP study. Future research be designed to overcome the study Intervention design improvements Recommendation 5: The findings of the PYP study and suggestions made by PYP participants be used to improve future health education professional development programs.

HIV prevention programs in schools are acknowledged as one of the best prospects for controlling the world HIV epidemic. Epidemiological evidence indicates that deaths world-wide from AIDS are yet to peak. Although HIV notifications and AIDS deaths in the total Australian population have decreased', there has been an increase in rates in the Australian Indigenous population. There is also some evidence of complacency in HIV prevention vigilance in Australia which indicates a need for continued focus on prevention programs. The knowledge levels, attitudes toward HIV risk, and risk-taking behaviours of young Australians place them at risk of exposure to HIV. Appropriate prevention programs can be delivered to these vulnerable young people through the school setting. Programs delivered in schools have been shown to have a positive effect and teachers are vital to the delivery of these education programs. Without appropriate training, however, teachers may not optimise the outcomes of these programs. While it would be desirable for teachers to be trained in HIV prevention education in pre-service training this has not been the case in Western Australia (WA). When there is not an opportunity for pre-service training, professional development programs can be implemented to provide additional training required by teachers. Traditionally this professional development has been provided through workshops. These face-to-face delivery methods, however, do not always adequately serve the needs of all teachers, and in particular the needs of teachers in rural and remote areas. In an attempt to address the needs of these teachers, alternate methods of professional development delivery may be appropriate. The aim of this study was to test an alternate method of delivery.
The study designed, disseminated and evaluated the implementation of a flexible learning professional development program for teachers of HIV education. The program was based on print-based distance learning, supported by a video and tutors. Five objectives were developed for the study. These objectives were: Objective One - To determine factors associated with teachers' enrolment in the Protect Yourself Program (PYP). Objective Two - To determine the association between factors related to entry characteristics, social integration, external attribution, academic integration and incompatibility and amount of PYP completed. Objective Three - To determine the association between amount of PYP completed and factors related to the teaching of HIV lessons. Objective Four - To examine the context in which intervention and comparison group teachers were operating for this study. Objective Five - To evaluate the process of teacher recruitment to PYP, satisfaction with the flexible learning methodology, satisfaction with the PYP materials and completion of PYP. A comprehensive theoretical framework was constructed to guide the development of the empirical study and the professional development program, as little evidence was found in the literature of similar empirically evaluated studies. This framework incorporated: Adult Learning Theory; the Model of Student Progress; the PRECEDEPROCEED Model; the Health Promoting Schools Framework; Diffusion of Innovation and the Communication Behaviour Change Model. The study was conducted in two parts. Firstly, an exploratory study was conducted which provided a basis upon which to implement the second, larger empirical study.
A quasi-experimental study design was implemented due to restrictions placed upon the study by the WA Department of Health, the funding agency. The study sample was made up of teachers from government and independent, primary and second schools in WA. In total, 126 teachers were recruited to the intervention group and enrolled in the professional development program, and 128 to the comparison group, who completed some of the evaluation instruments, but did not participate in a professional development program. The professional development intervention program incorporated four comprehensive work modules, which were delivered in print form. A video and tutorial support supplemented the print materials. To evaluate the professional development program, seven instruments were developed. From these instruments five categories of variables were created, namely demographic, contextual, teacher characteristics, process and dependent. These variables were developed as single item variables, scales or indices. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and a combination of univariate, bivariate, and multivariate techniques (logistic regression and analysis of covariance) were conducted. Qualitative data were analysed for themes. A binary logistic regression was conducted to evaluate Objective One: to determine factors associated with teachers’ enrolment in PYP. The analysis identified four factors which were associated with enrolment in PYP.
The teachers most likely to enrol in PYP had no pre-service training in health education and did not consider themselves to be a specialist or coordinator of health education. The majority of program participants had been teaching health education for between three and seven years and displayed a high level of acceptance of the flexible learning methodology. Objective Two: to determine the association between factors related to entry characteristics, social integration, external attribution, academic integration and incompatibility and amount of PYP completed was evaluated using a nominal logistic regression analysis with the intervention group sample only. Completion of the PYP program by participants was related to circumstances which were often beyond the control of the program, such as events occurring in a teacher’s personal life. However, teachers who showed a preference for flexible learning were found to be more successful in completing the program. The effects of PYP were measured by Objective Three: to determine the association between amount of PYP completed and factors related to the teaching of HIV lessons. Three of the six factors considered by this objective returned a significant association with program dose. Teacher perceived access to HIV education resources was found to be positively related to the dose of materials a participant completed.
Participants who completed a high dose of the program considered HIV resources to be relatively easier to access than participants completing a low dose. Teachers who completed a high dose of PYP reported being more comfortable to teach HIV lessons than teachers completing a mid dose. In addition, intervention group teachers showed a significant change in comfort with their ability to teach HIV lessons and specified HIV topics to Years 8, 9, and 10 classes and intervention group teachers of Year 8 students thought the HIV topics were less important for this level of students. The final variable to show a significant change over time when dose of the program was considered was teacher sexual conservativeness. Both high and mid dose participants reported being less sexually conservative than low or no dose participants from pre to midtest. The context of the teachers participating in the PYP study was investigated through Objective Four: to examine the context in which intervention and Comparison group teachers were operating for this study. Two factors were found to be associated with gender, six with school location and eleven with level of teaching. These associations provided important contextual information for interpreting the findings of the study. Objective Five evaluated the process of teacher recruitment to PYP, satisfaction with the flexible learning methodology, satisfaction with the PYP materials and completion of PYP. The recruitment strategies implemented for PYP were effective in having teachers from government and independent schools in WA recruited to PYP.
However, more than 90% of the intervention group were from government schools. Schools encouraged more than one teacher from a school to enrol, with nine primary schools, four district high schools, one community high school, one secondary college, four senior high schools and one combined independent primary and high school enrolling more than one teacher in the program. The flexible learning methodology was reported to be suitable for the needs of teachers who enrolled in PYP, as they felt comfortable with the learning methodology and appreciated the opportunity to choose when and where they completed the program. The opportunity for face-to-face contact, however, was still preferred by some teachers. The materials within the program were considered to be appropriate and useful. The writing style and activities were well received and the efforts of the tutors were welcomed by the majority of the intervention group. One third of teachers who enrolled in PYP completed at least some of the materials, but less than 10% completed the entire program. The most frequent suggestions made for increasing program completion rates were to set dates for completion of the program modules and to allow time release to complete the program. At baseline, this research showed that teachers considered it important for their students to have access to HIV education, but many of these teachers did not feel comfortable providing HIV education for their students.
As positive effects were observed in the PYP program of impact of program dose on factors affecting the implementation of HIV education, it would appear that flexible learning professional development was a suitable alternative to face-to-face professional development. Teachers' acceptance of flexible learning professional development as an alternate methodology, however, appears to be in its infancy and will require more empirical research. Future research, study design improvements and intervention design improvements can be informed by the following recommendations. Future research Recommendation 1: There be more rigorous investigation of flexible learning as a methodology for provision of professional development for teachers of health education. Recommendation 2: The status of claiming credit for professional development toward postgraduate qualifications for teachers continue to be investigated. Recommendation 3 : Further research be undertaken to evaluate available technologies and their acceptance by teachers as a delivery method for flexible learning professional development. Study design improvements Recommendation 4: design limitations of the PYP study. Future research be designed to overcome the study Intervention design improvements Recommendation 5: The findings of the PYP study and suggestions made by PYP participants be used to improve future health education professional development programs.

Much educational research is currently devoted to determining the most effective instructional strategies for raising student achievement. The instructional strategy used in this study is curriculum integration, which is defined as the process of students and teachers collaboratively designing curriculum and studying real-world problems. The purpose of this study was to understand the implementation of curriculum integration with upper elementary school students in an afterschool program. For this study the guiding research question was "What are the dynamics of implementing curriculum integration with fourth through sixth graders in an afterschool program setting?" The subquestions were (1) What is the teacher's role in implementing curriculum integration in the program? (2) What is the role of student diversity in the implementation of curriculum integration in the program? (3) What is the role of the democratic classroom model in curriculum integration in the program? and (4) What is the role of college-age tutors in curriculum integration in the program? There are several factors to consider when examining a complex concept like curriculum integration. The study concluded that a number of conditions impact the success of implementing curriculum integration in an afterschool program for fourth to sixth graders, including the impact of the federal No Child Left Behind accountability act on the tutors', parents', and children's perceptions of the value of instructional activities that were not textbook-based and awareness of the importance of homework. The study concluded with eight recommendations for those who attempt to implement curriculum integration in an afterschool program. All stakeholders should understand the program's goals, and all program staff should have extensive training in curriculum integration and homework tutoring before and during the program's operation. Resources should be allocated with flexibility. Program evaluation should take into consideration factors not easily quantified. The program should meet daily for at least 3 hours at the school site. Ongoing supervision should prevent a lapse in program implementation. Program implementation should be considered on a continuum, with the goal being a fully implemented program. Mandatory staff meetings should be held each week. More research needs to be conducted on the full implementation of curriculum integration.

Aim of the Study: Personal Tutoring is a scholastic mechanism to aid and support students while on a demanding academic and clinically orientated pre-registration nursing programme. Personal Tutoring is widely used in nurse education programmes, although it is often poorly structured with a minimal evidence base and rarely evaluated. The increased numbers of student nurses has seen the role of the Personal Tutor as an intrinsic factor towards a positive student experience. Attrition is an important consideration, but this study aimed to enhance the staff and student roles through tutoring. Methods: this study, influenced by ethnography, adopted an action research methodology as it encapsulated a constant problem-solving technique. This involved the exploration of academic staff and student perceptions of a Personal Tutor's role within a School of Nursing and Midwifery. Staff and students contributed to semi-structured interviews after a series of focus groups. The focus group discussions utilised the nominal group technique to rank the key points of the posed questions. These priorities were the basis of five staff and five student follow-up semi-structured interviews; the transcripts were manually analysed for trends and complemented with the use of the computer software NVivo 7. This resulted in the development and implementation of School Personal Tutoring Guidelines based on 'good practice', along with supporting evidence from published research. A follow up focus group and questionnaire evaluated the staff's and students' experience of the guidelines, along with a more detailed analysis of two case studies using appreciative inquiry. Findings: the staff and student focus groups both agreed on areas of good and poor practice in relation to Personal Tutoring; there was also clear agreement about what did and did not contribute towards a supportive Personal Tutor commitment. The Personal Tutoring guidelines were formulated around eight key and shared areas of responsibility, which was a shift from previous approaches. The guidelines were implemented for staff and students through formal mechanisms and the Personal Tutor relationship became a central instrument for existing and future curriculum development and teaching and learning strategies. The follow-up evaluation continued to illustrate variable commitment from both staff and students towards Personal Tutoring, although the majority of the data indicated a positive influence on staff and student experience. Conclusions: the established guidelines form a standardised Personal Tutoring system based on academic staff and student perceptions of the tutoring role. This has subsequently been disseminated to all areas of the faculty, therefore utilising the cyclical ethos of action learning. Kolb's (1984) experiential learning cycle is used to illustrate the originality of this work and demonstrates how it has added to the existing body of knowledge on Personal Tutoring.

Aim: Strathclyde Computerised Randomised Interactive Prescription Tutor (SCRIPT), an elearning program, was designed as a revision tool for an undergraduate competency based pharmacy practice class. SCRIPT has been developed and evaluated over four years. SCRIPT started as a standalone revision tool, and was developed to become an integrated teaching and revision tool, following the principles of Supplemental and Replacement models (Twigg, 2003), and as an optional resource to support preregistration trainees. This thesis describes the use and perceptions of SCRIPT during each stage of development. Methods Student use of SCRIPT was determined through log file analysis at all stages of the evaluation. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the access patterns observed from each cohort. Student perceptions were determined through online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews and staff perceptions were sought through interviews. Results: SCRIPT was used exten sively over three years of undergraduate education. The greatest remote use was seen following Supplement integration; 4882 attempts per 100 students over the year. Students predominantly accessed SCRIPT during normal waking hours and in the run up to class assessments. This was consistent at all stages of the evaluation. There were differences in use patterns observed between the Home and Collaborative students. A number of refinements to SCRIPT were made in response to the feedback from students and staff. SCRIPT was used less frequently in pre-registration training. A need to review the most appropriate way to use SCRIPT during this stage of pharmacy education was identified. Conclusions: SCRIPT has been a helpful learning aid for pharmacy students and there is scope to develop the tool further into pre-registration training. Future developments should remove ambiguity in the program and increase staff engagement. Future research should compare SCRIPT use and perceptions in other Schools of Pharmacy.

Magister Educationis - MEd
Since the inception of the University in 1960 under the Apartheid regime and up until a few years ago Afrikaans had dominated both as educational and as communication medium. However, political change - at the University and in South Africa - has brought about a change in language patterns. According to the HSRC Work Committee on Languages and Language Instruction (1981), a high percentage (40%) of Afrikaans-speaking people classified as coloured and living in the Cape Peninsula choose English as the medium of instruction and also regard it as the most important language to be learnt at schools (also 40%). As a result of this, and the enrolment of a large percentage of Xhosa speaking students, who generally prefer English to Afrikaans as an educational medium, English has become the language most commonly used both inside and outside the classroom. The homogeneity of preference has, however, not been matched by mastery of the language. For approximately 70% of all first-year students English is a second or even a third language. Though University entry is based on at least ten years of the study of English, standards of proficiency differ quite considerably as a result of inequalities in education. Because students need to improve their level of English proficiency I investigated the effectiveness of using senior students as tutor assistants in an academic development programme, the English Special Project, at UWC. This study aims at revealing that the tutor assistantships in the English Special Project can alleviate problems that occur with annual increases in student numbers under certain conditions. These are that: 1 prospective tutor assistants undergo proper tutor assistant training; 2 tutor assistants are committed to the course of academic development; 3 tutor assistants have the time available that is necessary for the task. In Chapter 1 give an insight into what this study is about, the reasons for conducting it and what my personal involvement with the ESP has been. In Chapter 2 I review some of the overseas and local literature on TA systems. In Chapter 3 I describe a case-study to evaluate the success of the TA system in the ESP with reference to academic development. I emphasize the intensive, individual care of and attention to first-year students. In an attempt to address the problem, the effectiveness of senior students as tutor assistants to assist in tutorial sessions is described. In Chapter 4 I discuss the value of TA intervention in the ESP at personal and social levels. Chapter 5 contains the general conclusions and my recommendations to improve the ESP.

A pesquisa tem por objetivo, compreender as possibilidades e os desafios da prática pedagógica do professor-tutor no curso Veredas, destinado à habilitação de professores das séries iniciais do ensino fundamental, na modalidade de Educação a Distância EaD). O estudo da prática do tutor no Veredas se deu por meio de pesquisa de campo, na Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (AFOR UFU), em Uberlândia, MG, no período de janeiro de 2003 a julho de 2005. Para melhor compreender de que modo e em que condições o tutor desenvolveu sua função de mediação pedagógica na formação de professores e qual a percepção dos tutores acerca da própria prática, observamos as atividades dos tutores nos encontros presenciais do curso. Realizamos entrevista semiestruturada com tutores e coordenadores, grupo focal com cursistas e análise documental. Participaram da pesquisa, dez tutores e trinta cursistas do total de 42 tutores e 630 professores cursistas. Os resultados mostraram que o Veredas apresentou avanços e inovação no que diz respeito à formação superior de professores das séries iniciais do ensino fundamental em EaD. Entretanto, a pesquisa aponta aspectos que precisam ser corrigidos e aperfeiçoados para melhor atender às necessidades de cursistas e tutores. Esses aspectos envolvem desde o processo seletivo dos tutores, as condições de trabalho até a criação de espaços autoformativos e formativos para o desempenho das funções que exercem. A EaD requer um professor-tutor capaz de refletir e pesquisar a própria prática, com vistas a transformá-la e ressignificá-la. O discurso e prática dos tutores são mesclados por inconsistentes concepções de educação, EaD, professor-tutor, ensino e aprendizagem. Transitam entre abordagens tradicionais, construtivistas e sociointeracionistas e explicitam reduzidos conhecimentos acerca destes elementos e da modalidade à distância. Na maior parte dos encontros presenciais, os tutores se mostram confusos, inseguros, carentes de orientações e de apoio didático-pedagógico, metodológico, tecnológico e administrativo. Apresentaram dificuldades com o planejamento, a coordenação de atividades interativas, colaborativas e significativas, orientações do estágio, monografia e memorial. Demonstraram fragilidades teórico-prática sobre os diversos saberes, competências e habilidades que envolvem a docência, na perspectiva crítico-reflexiva-investigativa em EaD. Consideramos que ficou comprometida a mediação pedagógica e a orientação acadêmica, no sentido de desenvolver nos cursistas práticas reflexivas, interativas e cooperativas, a articulação teoria-prática, autogestão e autonomia no aprendizado. Tal cenário confirma e explicita a urgência e necessidade de autoformação, de formação contínua do professor-tutor em serviço para dar conta de uma formação superior de professores qualificada em EaD.
The purpose of this paper is to comprehend the possibilities and the challenges of the pedagogic practice of a teacher-tutor in the Veredas course, aimed at enabling teachers in the initial grades of elementary schools, Distance Education System (EaD). The study of the tutor practice in Veredas course was through a field research in the Federal University of Uberlândia (AFOR UFU) in the city of Uberlândia, state of Minas Gerais, from January 2003 through July 2005. To better comprehend how and in what conditions the tutor developed his/her job of pedagogic mediation in the teachers development and the perceptions of the tutors concerning their own practice, we observed the activities of the tutors in the physical on site meetings during the course. We performed semistructured interviews with tutors and coordinators, focus group with students and document analysis. Some ten tutors and thirty students, out of 42 tutors and 630 student teachers, participated in the research. The results demonstrated that the Veredas course showed advancement and innovation concerning the development of the under graduate course of the initial grade teachers of elementary schools in distance education. However, the research shows aspects that need to be corrected and improved to better suit the needs of the teacher students and tutors. These aspects entangle since the selection procedure of the tutors, the working conditions up to the creation of self-formative and formative spaces to perform their tasks. Distance education requires a teacher-tutor that is able to reflect and research his/her own practice aiming at changing them and giving them a new meaning. The speech and practice of the tutors are mixed with inconsistent conceptions of education, distance education, teacher-tutor, teaching, and learning. They use traditional approach, constructivism, and social-interactionism and show little knowledge concerning these aspects as well as the distance education. In most part of the on site meetings, the tutors seemed confused, insecure, with lack of directions and lack of didactic-pedagogic, methodological, technological, and administrative support. They showed difficulty with the planning and the coordination of the interactive collaborative and significative tasks, internship orientation, dissertation, and the other reflective papers about practices. They also showed little theoretical-practical knowledge concerning various subjects, competence and abilities which entangle the teaching in a critic-reflective-investigative perspective in distance education. We conclude that the pedagogic mediation and academic orientation have been compromised in the way to develop in the teacher students reflective, interactive and cooperative practices, the theoretical-practical articulation, self management and autonomy in the learning process. Such scenario confirms and unveils the urgent need of self-development, continuous development of the working teacher-tutor to be able to carry out the task of majoring teachers in distance education.

The purpose of this research study was to examine the effectiveness of training for college work study students who participated in an America Reads program, which was designed to help at-risk children struggling with reading. Two groups participated in this research study. One group of college tutors had minimal training in reading strategies at the beginning of the study and the other group of college tutors had continuous training and feedback throughout the study. The research study sought to answer the following questions: 1) Will training for college student tutors in the area of reading, more specifically in the strategies and skills, help improve their comprehension and vocabulary? And 2) Will training for college student tutors in the area of reading, more specifically in strategies and skills, significantly improve the comprehension and vocabulary scores of the children being tutored? This was a quasi-experimental research design, used to examine the effectiveness of training college students participating in the America Reads program. The tutors were pre-and post-tested, measuring both their vocabulary and comprehension knowledge at the beginning and the end of the study. The children being tutored were also pre- and post-tested, measuring both their vocabulary and comprehension knowledge at the beginning and the end of the study. The statistical analysis for this design was the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The ANCOVA was used to handle the main threat to the internal validity of this research design, due to the fact that the tutors for the control and experimental group were not selected randomly. The tutors and the children were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group of tutors received minimal training (11 hours) and the experimental group received the same minimal training with extra (21 hours) weekly training added. The study began in October 1999 and ended in December 1999. The tutoring sessions were 1 ½ hours long, three days a week. The training for the experimental group was for 1 ½ to 2 hours weekly. The results from this study found no significant difference between the control and experimental groups on comprehension, as measured by the assessment instruments. The results from this study did find, however, a significant difference between the control and the experimental groups on vocabulary, as measured by the assessment instruments.

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The purpose of the present study from qualitative nature is to make explicit the implication of pedagogic relation with the knowledge construction on the tutor distance with focus on the tutor teachers and EAD students connection from Metodista de São Paulo University. It is analyzed the complexities that involve educative work on learning virtual environment as well the subject relation on the pedagogic practice. It starts from the methodological presuppose and the multireferential approach, dialogical and transpersonal observed under the distance modularity perspective on the construction of theory referential. Realized at UMESP and at Maua-SP Regional division, the research was developed by an observation way, exploring queries, making profound interviews, with four tutor teachers from Distance Pedagogical Course and ten students from the same course, besides the reading and analyzing documents, considering the education legislation and actual curriculums directive. The question of this search: What is the pedagogic relation? What is the importance of pedagogic relation when the educative conception assumed is working on and to the whole education perspective? What are the possibilities, the difficulties and the limits of this proposal on the EAD pedagogic relation considering the tutor teachers and students relationship? Looking for the conflicts identification and the lived challenges and experimented on this relation, some intervenes were questioned on the teaching process and learning for modality knowledge building, showing speech characteristic and the senses and signification complete practical. This research allowed concluding that besides the distance, student is not alone, he can participate actively with the tutor knowledge construction and development, this interaction is influenced by pedagogic relation between the subject and the remaining factors that can affect the work development on the distance of education. To educate on the entire is necessary to recognize the complexity on the educative act and the plurality character, from multi-cultural and the present diversity on the Brazilian reality context, as well with the auto knowledge emergency and continuing development for the teachers.(AU)
O presente estudo de natureza qualitativa tem por objetivo explicitar as implicações da relação pedagógica com a construção do conhecimento na tutoria à distância com foco nas relações entre professores tutores e alunos da EAD da Universidade Metodista de São Paulo. Analisa a complexidade que envolve o trabalho educativo em ambiente virtual de aprendizagem e a relação estabelecida entre esses sujeitos na prática pedagógica. A partir dos pressupostos metodológicos e das abordagens multirreferencial, dialógica e transpessoal observadas sob a perspectiva da modalidade a distância na construção dos referenciais teóricos. Realizada na UMESP e no polo regional de apoio presencial Mauá-SP, a pesquisa foi desenvolvida por meio de observações, questionários exploratórios e entrevistas de aprofundamento, contou com a participação de quatro professoras tutoras do curso de Pedagogia a distância e dez alunas desse mesmo curso, além da leitura crítica de documentos, considerando a legislação educacional e diretrizes curriculares vigentes. Procurou responder aos seguintes questionamentos: O que é a relação pedagógica? Qual a importância da relação pedagógica quando a concepção educativa assumida trabalha na perspectiva de educar na/para a inteireza? Quais as possibilidades, as dificuldades e limites desta proposta de relação pedagógica na EAD considerando as relações entre professores tutores e alunos? Buscando identificar os conflitos e desafios vividos e experimentados nessa relação, foram problematizados alguns intervenientes no processo de ensino e aprendizagem para a construção do conhecimento na modalidade, desvelando características do discurso e das práticas repletas de sentido e significados. A pesquisa permitiu concluir que, apesar da distância, o aluno não está isolado, ele tem a possibilidade de participar ativamente junto a tutoria na construção de seu conhecimento e de sua formação, essa interação, no entanto, é influenciada pela relação pedagógica entre esses sujeitos e por demais fatores que podem afetar o desenvolvimento do trabalho na educação a distância. Para educar na inteireza, é necessário reconhecer a complexidade presente em todo ato educativo e o caráter da pluralidade, do multiculturalismo e da diversidade presente no contexto da realidade brasileira, bem como a emergência de autoconhecimento e formação continuada para professores na área.(AU)

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This paper discusses the relations among indigenism, development and socioreligous movements among the Ramkokamekra-Canela, group classified in the linguistic family Jê-Timbira and located in the south of Barra do Corda City, current Fernando Falcão. Initially, I analyse the process of territorialization of the Capiekran, Sakamekran, and others Timbira groups, from whom the current Ramkokamekra-Canela emerged, and their insertion in the pastoral situation, by the actions of the expansionist front and of colonial administration in the Maranhão in 19th century, as well as the dynamics of this situation, under the action of the tutor power made by SPI, during the first half of the 20th century. I consider the regional transformations of the economy and of the official indigenism in the following decades, under the auspices of the development and the performance of researchers in the implementation of communitarian projects, as background of new socioreligious movements among the Ramkokamekra. I describe four socioreligious movements occurrences in the years of 1963, 1980, 1984 and 1999, which are analyzed considering the respective intersociety contexts and elements of timbira cosmology, especially the myth of Aukhê, had as the founding myth of the contact between these groups. Therefore, the Canela messianic movements can be considered as ways of resistance to the domination and a search of equalization in the intersociety relations.
O trabalho versa sobre as relações entre indigenismo, desenvolvimento e movimentos sócioreligiosos entre os Ramkokamekra-Canela, grupo classificado na família lingüística Jê-Timbira e localizado ao sul do Município de Barra do Corda, atual Fernando Falcão. Inicialmente, abordo o processo de territorialização dos Capiekran, Sakamekran e de outros grupos timbira, do qual emergiram os atuais Ramkokamekra-Canela, e sua inserção na situação pastoril, pela ação das frentes expansionistas e da administração colonial no Maranhão no século XIX, bem como a dinâmica dessa situação, sob a ação do poder tutelar exercido pelo SPI, durante a primeira metade do século XX. Considero as transformações econômicas regionais e do indigenismo oficial nas décadas seguintes, sob a égide do desenvolvimento e a atuação de pesquisadores na implementação de projetos comunitários, como desencadeadores de novos movimentos sócioreligiosos entre os Ramkokamekra. Descrevo quatro movimentos sócio-religiosos ocorridos nos anos de 1963, 1980, 1984 e 1999, os quais são analisados em função dos respectivos contextos intersocietários e de elementos da cosmologia timbira, especialmente o mito de Aukhê, tido como o mito fundador do contato entre esses grupos. Nesse sentido, os movimentos messiânicos Canela podem ser considerados como modos de resistência à dominação e de busca de equiparação nas relações intersocietárias.

La recherche porte sur les gestes professionnels des formateurs accompagnant des enseignants nouvellement nommés. L‘entrée dans le métier est une période cruciale pour nombre d’enseignants. A l’école primaire, les modalités spécifiques d’accompagnement mises en œuvre sous la forme d’un tutorat, visent à développer la professionnalité de l’enseignant en devenir. Cette recherche rend compte d’une étude longitudinale de l’accompagnement de quatre maitres formateurs auprès d’enseignants stagiaires ou contractuels, durant l’année scolaire 2013-2014. Dans l’entretien post observation de classe, dispositif support de cette étude, l’activité du formateur est analysée sous l’angle des gestes professionnels, mobilisés dans leurs dimensions opératoires et symboliques, et, enrichis par la notion d’amplitude professionnelle. Cette dernière suppose que le geste professionnel n’a pas une dimension axiologique en lui-même mais qu’il est fortement dépendant de la relation d’accompagnement construite entre les deux partenaires de l’entretien. Dans la continuité des travaux mobilisant les gestes professionnels, Jorro (1998, 2002, 2006, 2011), Alin (2006, 2010) et Bucheton (2008, 2009), la thèse étudie les gestes professionnels du formateur pendant l’entretien post observation de classe, rendant possible une lecture d’un agir professionnel situé.Le geste professionnel, conçu comme un mouvement du corps envers autrui, est redéfini comme une interaction verbale et/ou corporelle, intentionnelle et conscientisée par le formateur, d’amplitude variable. Les résultats permettent de mettre en évidence sept gestes professionnels des formateurs. Par leurs spécificités, ces gestes sont les témoins d’un agir opératoire professionnel en situation. Nommés et clairement identifiés, ils constitueraient des savoirs conscientisés qui permettraient d’enrichir les pratiques des formateurs. Ainsi, outre les deux visées principales, descriptive et compréhensive, la recherche s’inscrit dans une perspective praxéologique, visant le développement professionnel des formateurs d’enseignants en situation d’accompagnement individualisé
This research is about the professional gestures of tutors accompanying newly appointed teachers. In the interview that follows the observation of a class, which we based our study on, the tutor’s activity is analysed through the lens of professional gestures, mobilised in their operating and symbolic dimensions, and enriched by the notion of professional amplitude.This last one supposes that the professional gesture does not have an axiological dimension in itself, but that it strongly depends on the accompanying relation built between the two partners of the interview. In the continuity of works concerning professional gestures, Jorro (1998, 2002, 2006, 2011), Alin (2006, 2010) and Bucheton (2008, 2009), this thesis studies the professional gestures of the tutor during the interview post class observation and makes possible a reading of a situated professional acting. The professional gesture, seen as a body movement towards the other, is redefined as a verbal and/or corporeal interaction, intended and conscientised by the tutor, of variable amplitude. The results allow us to highlight seven professional gestures from the tutors

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Tutorial teaching has been adopted in some middle schools in order to foster the full development of students. However, this practice has been scarcely studied and widespread in Brazil. The purpose of the present research is to understand the tutor s activity developed in the final grades of middle school crossing that practice with the wallonian psychogenetics. A document research was developed by collecting references about tutoring in other countries and semi structured interviews were conducted with two tutor teachers who work in two private schools in São Paulo city, in order to identify how they act and how they support the students development. A qualitative analysis of the collected material allowed relating tutoring practice to the wallonian premise, which considers the imbricated relationship among the various dimensions of the individual (affectivity, cognition and motor action) and also the role of school environment as part of the constitution of its participants in a relationship of dependency and mutual transformations. The study also showed that tutor teachers realize that their support to the students in the final grades of middle school, when they are going through cognitive, physical and emotional changes, which are peculiar in the stage of Puberty and Adolescence, qualifies and encourages their learning process. It became evident that this action presupposes teachers collective responsibility and that the coordinating role of the tutors builds a bridge connecting teachers, school staff, students and families in favor of the best academic, emotional, social and integral development of students
Fundamental no sentido de favorecer o pleno desenvolvimento dos alunos. Porém, essa ainda é uma atuação pouco estudada e difundida no Brasil. Esta pesquisa buscou compreender o que seria a atividade de tutoria a ser realizada nos anos finais de Ensino Fundamental entrecruzando essas atuações aos pressupostos da psicogenética walloniana e entender o que seria essa prática segundo a literatura de países como Espanha e México. Para entender o que esses dois países dizem ser a atividade de tutoria, realizou-se um levantamento documental na literatura espanhola e mexicana. O estudo também ouviu, por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, dois professores tutores que atuam em duas instituições de ensino particular da cidade de São Paulo para identificar como se dão essas ações e como podem apoiar o desenvolvimento dos alunos. A análise qualitativa do material coletado permitiu relacionar as práticas de tutoria ao pressuposto walloniano que considera a imbricada relação entre as diversas dimensões do indivíduo (conjunto afetividade, cognição e ato motor) e ainda o papel do meio como parte integrante da constituição dos indivíduos que dele fazem parte numa relação de dependência e transformações mútuas. O estudo indicou que os professores tutores reconhecem que o apoio por eles oferecido aos alunos dos anos finais de Ensino Fundamental, no momento em que vivem as transformações cognitivas, físicas e emocionais próprias do estágio da Adolescência e Puberdade, qualifica o processo de aprendizagem e os apoiam sobremaneira. Ficou evidenciado que essa ação pressupõe uma responsabilidade do coletivo dos professores e que o papel articulador do tutor possibilita uma ponte entre docentes, equipe escolar, estudantes e famílias em prol do melhor desenvolvimento acadêmico, emocional, social e integral dos alunos

Cette recherche porte sur l’activité de travail des tuteurs à distance et ses opportunités de développement. S’inscrivant dans le champ de l’analyse de l’activité, elle combine uneapproche clinique (Clot, 1999) et une approche holistique (Engeström, 2000), au croisement de la psychologie du travail, de l’ergonomie et de la théorie de l’activité de troisième génération. L’analyse se centre sur l’activité de six tutrices à distance d’une entreprise privée de formation à distance. Après une enquête exploratoire, le recueil de données est composé d’entretiens d’instruction au sosie et d’autoconfrontation simple et croisée, complétés par des données ethnographiques, des données relatives à l’appareil prescriptif (guide du tuteur et entretien de formation), des traces de l’activité des tutrices à distance et des apprenants. Les résultats, qui mettent en évidence des écarts entre le prescrit et le réel de l’activité, révèlent plusieurs difficultés que les tutrices à distance rencontrent dans le cadre de leur travail. Celles-ci se manifestent par un certain nombre de contradictions notamment autour des règles qui régissent le système, entre prescription « infinie » et « sous-prescription ». Les outils associés à l’activité, tantôt source d’empêchement, tantôt à l’origine de processus développementaux, se révèlent aussi être au cœur de multiples contradictions. De la même manière, les résultats mettent en exergue le caractère nodal de l’activité alors même que les conditions organisationnelles semblent répondre à une logique industrielle. A ce niveau, l’absence d’échanges entre pairs notamment, interroge les opportunités de développement de l’activité de travail des tutrices à distance qui, à certains égards, semble participer au travail de « recréation » du genre professionnel « formateur »
This research focuses on the work of distance learning tutors and its development opportunities. The analysis of activity combines a clinical approach (Clot, 1999) and a holistic approach (Engeström, 2000) at the crossing of work psychology, ergonomics and third-generation Cultural Historical Activity Theory. It focuses on the activity of six distance learning tutors from a distance learning company. After an exploratory investigation, the data collection is composed of interviews “to a double”, simple self-confrontation and crossed self-confrontation interviews. At the same time, other data enrich the analysis: ethnographic data, prescriptive data, and traces data about distance learning tutors and e-learners. The results show differences between prescribed work and real work. They also reveal several contradictions and obstacles to the development mainly related to the rigidity of the prescriptive framework. Likewise, the major role of tools in developmental processes is highlighted. Then, the results underline the nodal nature of the activity even though organizational conditions seem to respond to an industrial logic. In this regard, the absence of peer-to-peer exchanges, in particular, questions the work development opportunities. This is all the more important given that distance learning tutors activity appears to contribute to the "recreation" of a specific professional genre:"trainer"

K-12 schools are more commonly using online learning to supplement traditional classroom learning. Previous online adult education researchers have found no significant differences between traditional and online learning outcomes. However, little research has been done with regard to online General Educational Development (GED)-level learning for adults. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the effect of the Skills Tutor program compared with traditional learning on GED student achievement in reading/language arts. The Skills Tutor program was used as a means to address the low GED graduation rates at an adult education program through Memphis City Schools. This research was based on the constructivist learning theory. The research question examined the effect of an online skills program on English/language arts scores among GED students. Scores from the pretests and posttests of 40 adult education students were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to determine statistical differences between 2 groups. One group (n = 20) received the intervention of the online skills program, Skills Tutor, along with traditional instruction, whereas the other group (n = 20) received traditional instruction delivered by the teacher only. The results indicated the traditional group's adjusted mean scores were significantly higher than the Skills Tutor group scores. Recommendations included additional research with larger samples of students, for a longer period, and focused on the fidelity of implementing of the Skills Tutor program at the local site. Implications for positive social change include providing research findings to the local administration on the current GED program and recommendations for continued research on the instruction that best supports adult learning.

Le microenvironnement tumoral, l'angiogenèse tumorale et l'hypoxie jouent un rôle crucial dans la progression tumorale et le développement de thérapies de nombreux cancers. Les limites de pénétration des médicaments, les phénomènes de résistance aux anti-cancéreux, la vascularisation de la tumeur et l’hypoxie sont tous des paramètres influençant les effets du médicament. La culture cellulaire 3D permet de créer un microenvironnement qui imite l’architecture et la fonction des tissus in vivo. L’expression de gènes et de protéines modifiée par l’environnement 3D est une autre caractéristique qui impacte l’effet d’une molécule thérapeutique. Dans notre première étude, afin de développer un modèle 3D vascularisé imitant celle des tumeurs in vivo, nous avons mis en culture des cellules endothéliales en 2D avec des cellules tumorales en 3D. Après 2 semaines de culture, un réseau vasculaire s’est organisé avec des structures de type tubulaire présentant une lumière et exprimant différents marqueurs angiogéniques tels que VEGF, CD31 et Collagène IV. Dans notre deuxième étude, nous avons développé un modèle d’hypoxie in vitro intégrant l'environnement 3D et un agent mimétique de l'hypoxie (CoCl2). Le but de ce modèle est de créer un modèle d'hypoxie imitant les tumeurs in vivo et de montrer l'importance de l'hypoxie dans la réponse et la résistance aux médicaments. Ces résultats ont révélé que la meilleure condition était la combinaison 3D+CoCl2, conduisant à la surexpression des gènes relatifs à l’hypoxie (GLUT1/3, VEGF) et à la résistance aux médicaments (ABCG2, MRP1). L'angiogenèse et l'hypoxie sont des facteurs clés pour le microenvironnement tumoral in vivo et ils doivent être adoptés dans la conception de modèles tumoraux in vitro pour mieux sélectionner et cribler les médicaments anticancéreux
The tumor microenvironment, tumor angiogenesis, and hypoxia play a critical role in the tumor progression and therapy development of many cancers. Limitations in drug penetration, multidrug resistance phenomena, tumor vascularization, and oxygen deficiency are all parameters influencing drug effects. 3D cell culture allows to create a microenvironment that more closely mimics in vivo tissue architecture and function, thus, gene and protein expression modified by the 3D environment are further features that affect treatment outcome. In our first study, in order to develop a vascularized 3D model like in vivo tumors, we co-cultured 2D endothelial cells with 3D tumor cells. After 2 weeks of this combination, a vascular network was formed and organized with tubule-like structures presenting a lumen and expressing different angiogenic markers such as VEGF, CD31 and Collagen IV. In our second study, we developed an in vitro hypoxia model integrating the 3D environment and a hypoxia mimetic agent (CoCl2) to mimic the in vivo tumors and to show the importance of hypoxia in drug response and resistance. Results revealed that the best condition was the combination 3D+CoCl2 model, leading to overexpression oh hypoxia (GLUT1/3, VEGF) and drug resistance (ABCG2, MRP1) related genes. Taken together, angiogenesis and hypoxia are key factors for in vivo tumor microenvironment and they should be adopted in in vitro model design to better select and screen anticancer drugs

Based on the experiences of a number of teachers and tutors, the overall purpose of this study is to contribute to knowledge about multilingual study guidance. The purpose is specified by the following questions: What experiences do teachers and tutors have of the importance of study guidance for the language, knowledge and identity development of multilingual students and what challenges do they face? What descriptions do teachers and tutors give of how multilingual study guidance can be organized and implemented and what challenges do they face?  The method for this study is qualitative semi-structured interviews in seven focus groups consisting of 10 tutors and 19 teachers in grades 1–6. The perspective of the study is sociocultural and the result is interpreted based on the hermeneutic approach. The result of the study shows that the informants agree that study guidance favors language, knowledge and identity development of multilingual students by enabling students to strengthen and develop their mother tongue and second language in parallel to the development of subject knowledge. Through the opportunity to mediate their knowledge and thoughts, the students' sense of identity is strengthened and developed. Futhermore, the informants describe that multilingual study guidance is most commonly carried out during the lessons as well as in mathematics and social and science subjects. Several informants, mainly teachers express an uncertainty about how study guidance can be organized and implemented and what effects this will have on the development of multilingual students. The challenges that the informants in the study experience is that aspects of time and organization make it difficult to find forms of cooperation between teachers and tutors for the planning and evaluation of multilingual study guidance.  The conclusion is that cooperation between teachers and tutors and knowledge of multilingual study guidance increase the multilingual students’ opportunities to develop.

The effectiveness of science teaching in primary school is dependent upon teachers’ self-efficacy to teach science. Low self-efficacy has been linked to avoidance of teaching primary science; therefore, preservice teacher self-efficacy requires fostering to have graduates keen to teach primary science. Through an embedded mixed method intrinsic-case study, this research explored the impact of postgraduate preservice primary science education on students’ self-efficacy. This research examined the postgraduate students’ self-efficacy as the lens to determine the effectiveness of the design and pedagogical instruction of the unit and its tutors. Data sources included the use of pre/post surveys encompassing the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI-B) (administered to 370 preservice teachers), pre/post focus group discussions by 35 preservice teachers, staff interviews, tutor selfreflections and researcher tutorial observations. The study found preservice teachers’ science teaching self-efficacy was influenced through complex interactions including the design of the unit, tutor involvement, peer persuasion, home life, social media and a sense of entitlement. It was also found that as this was a post-graduate cohort, many students had fostered a positive disposition towards scientific literacy, due to life experiences. The analysis found that tutors’ unique style of teaching, explicit or implicit instructional techniques, their teaching background, science content and pedagogical content knowledge, the emotional climate set within their tutorials were found to influence preservice teachers’ science teaching self-efficacy. The research found there to be significant variances between tutors’ effect sizes from very small (Cohen’s d = 0.11) to medium-large (Cohen’s d = 0.62) for the constructs of personal science teaching efficacy and the science teaching outcome expectancy beliefs. The interactive design of the unit and assessment types were found, through focus groups, to be a positive factor affecting preservice teachers’ general self-efficacy. Investigation into the science learning backgrounds and type of science learners, found these factors additionally affected the science teaching self-efficacy constructs of preservice teachers. Preservice teachers also identified the use of social media as an additional factor of their general learning selfefficacy. Implications for the development of preservice teacher primary science v education programs, tutor professional development and future research are discussed in the thesis.

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type I Syndrome (MEN 1) is a monogenic autosomal dominantly inherited cancer syndrome caused by a heterozygous loss of the MEN1 gene, predisposing for endocrine cell proliferation and tumor formation. MEN 1 carriers classically develop tumors in endocrine organs; the parathyroids, the endocrine pancreas, and the pituitary. Other organs, endocrine and non-endocrine, may also be affected. The most common cause of death in MEN 1 is pancreatic endocrine tumor (PNET), which exhibit inactivation of both MEN1 alleles. The increased proliferation prior to loss of the wild-type allele indicates haploinsufficiency, and little is known concerning the mechanisms behind MEN 1 PNET development. The MEN1 protein, menin, lacking homology with other known proteins, is involved in several aspects of transcriptional regulation and chromatin organization. We report differential expression and subcellular localization of transcription factors important in pancreatic development, in human and mouse MEN 1 pancreas, compared to non-MEN 1 pancreas. A predominantly cytoplasmic localization of Neurogenin3 and NeuroD1 was observed in tumors as well as in MEN 1 non-tumorous pancreas. Notch signaling factor expression and localization were examined in the pancreas of a heterozygous Men1 mouse model, and compared with that of wild-type littermates. Nuclear Hes1 was lost in tumors, concomitant to weaker Notch1 NICD expression, and further, analyzed using qPCR, it was shown that Notch1 was less expressed in heterozygous islets compared to wild-type islets. Performing a global gene expression array, we identified differential gene expression in five-week-old heterozygous Men1 mouse islets, compared to islets from wild-type littermates. The array results for a subset of the differentially regulated genes were corroborated using qPCR, western blotting and in situ PLA. We additionally observed significantly accelerated proliferation in islets from young heterozygous animals. It is often problematic to determine prognosis for individual patients with PNET. This is especially true in the group of patients with well differentiated endocrine carcinomas. In the absence of metastases, morphological signs of malignancy are frequently lacking. We evaluated the expression of nuclear and cytoplasmic survivin in a clinically characterized patient material (n=111), and a high nuclear survivin expression proved to be a significant negative prognostic factor for survival.

Mathematical modeling of cancer is of significant interest due to its potential to aid in our understanding of the disease, including investigation into which factors are most important in the progression of cancer. With this knowledge and model different paths of treatment can be examined; (e.g. simulation of different treatment techniques followed by the more costly venture of testing on animal models). Significant work has been done in the field of cancer modeling with models ranging from the more broad systems, avascular tumor models, to smaller systems, models of angiogenic pathways. A preliminary model of a vascularized tumor has been developed; the model is based on fundamental principles of mechanics and will serve as the framework for a more detailed model in the future. The current model is a system of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) separated into two basic sub-models, avascular and angiogenesis. The avascular sub-model is primarily based of Fickian diffusion of nutrients into the tumor. While the angiogenesis sub-model is based on the diffusion and chemotaxis of active sprout tips into the tumor. These two portions of the models allow the effects of microvessels on nutrient concentration within the tumor, as well as the effect of the tumor in driving angiogenesis, to be examined. The results of the model have been compared to experimental measurements of tumor growth over time in animal models, and have been found to be in good agreement with a correlation coefficient of (r2=0.98).
Master of Science

Regulation of cancer cell phenotype by the tumor microenvironment has motivated further investigation into how microenvironmental factors could contribute to tumor initiation, development, and therapeutic resistance. Analyzing how the microenvironment drives tumor development and cancer cell heterogeneity is particularly important in cancers such as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) that have no known risk factors and are characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity. GBM patients have a median survival of 15 months and therefore are in great need of more effective therapeutic options. The goal of this research is to generate in vitro models of the heterogeneous brain tumor microenvironment, with a focus on vascular dynamics, to probe the impact of microenvironmental cues on tumor progression and to integrate the tumor models with highly sensitive analytical tools to characterize the epigenome of discrete phenotypic subpopulations that contribute to intratumoral cellular heterogeneity. As GBM tumors are characterized by a dense vasculature, we delved into microenvironmental factors that may be promoting angiogenesis. The correlations emerging between inflammation and cancer led to analysis of the inflammatory molecule lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We utilized 3D micro-tissue models to simulate vascular exposure to ultra-low chronic inflammatory levels of LPS and observed an increase in vascular formation when brain endothelial cells were exposed to ultra-low doses of LPS. We also utilized our micro-tissue models to analyze histone methylation changes across the epigenome in response to microenvironmental cues, namely culture dimensionality and oxygen status. The H3K4me3 modification we analyzed is associated with increased gene transcription, therefore the alterations we observed in H3K4me3 binding across the genome could be a mechanism by which the tumor microenvironment is regulating cancer cell phenotype. Lastly, we developed a microfluidic platform in which vascular dynamics along with microenvironmental heterogeneities can be modeled in a more physiologically relevant context. We believe the studies presented in this dissertation provide insight into how vasculature primed by chronic inflammation and epigenetic alterations in tumor cells could both contribute to enhanced tumor development. Modeling these biological processes in our advanced microfluidic platform further enables us to better understand microenvironmental regulation of tumor progression, uncovering new potential therapeutic targets.
PHD

A treatment strategy for cancer is the suppression of tumor growth by directing an immune response to the tumor vessels, which will destroy the tissue. In this thesis we describe the development of a vaccine that targets antigens expressed around angiogenic vasculature in most solid tumors. These antigens are alternative spliced extra domains of glycoproteins present in the extracellular matrix; e.g. the extra domain-B (ED-B) and extra domain-A (ED-A) of fibronectin and the C-domain of tenascin-C (TNCC). We show that it is possible to break self-tolerance and induce a strong antibody response against ED-B by vaccination. Furthermore, tumor growth was inhibited and the changes observed in the tumor tissue were consistent with an attack of the tumor vasculature by the immune system. For clinical development of therapeutic vaccines, targeting self-molecules like ED-B, a potent but non-toxic biodegradable adjuvant is required. The squalene-based Montanide ISA 720 (M720) in combination with CpG DNA fulfilled these requirements and induced an equally strong anti-self immune response as the preclinical golden standard Freund’s adjuvant. We have further characterized the immune response against ED-B generated with the adjuvant M720/GpG.  The ED-B vaccine also inhibited tumor growth in a therapeutic setting in a transgenic mouse model of pancreatic insulinoma in which tumorigenesis was already initiated. Furthermore, antibodies against ED-A and TNCC could be induced in mice and rabbits. We analyzed the expression of ED-A in breast tumors of transgenic MMTV-PyMT mice, a metastatic breast cancer model, with the aim to use this model to study the effect of an ED-A vaccine on metastasis. We also detected ED-B in canine mammary tumor tissue. Therefore vascular antigens might also represent potential therapeutic targets in dogs.  All together our preclinical data demonstrate that a vaccine targeting tumor blood vessels is a promising new approach for cancer treatment.

The role of characterization in dramatic structure is assessed by theoretical criteria. Characters who perform actions necessary for the completion of the narrative sequence are said to be "bound" to the narrative; those without such obligations are "free". Characters who maintain a single, constant meaning during the course of a play are said to be "static"; characters who change or develop into new roles are "dynamic". Horatian decorum demanded that comic characters be static, and the characters of Plautine and Terentian tradition were almost always bound to narrative intrigue. However, evaluations of six Tudor comedies show an increasing use of non-classical characterization within the comic form. In the early comedies lohan lohan and Roister Doister all characters are bound and static, yet the impetus to enlarge the role of characterization is evident. The characters of lohan lohan are expanded from their French source, and Roister Doister includes extraneous episodes in which Udall displays his braggart hero. Free characters abound in Misogonus; as well the play brings dynamic characterization into the scope of comedy with the conversion of its prodigal son. Free characters offer new possibilities of non-narrative plotting. In comedies of the 1580s favourite traditional characters appear as diversions outside the action, and thematic arrangements of characters inform the increasingly complex plots. Lyly stresses the symbolic potential of characters in Endimion, whereas Greene uses dynamic characterization to heighten the illusion of independent figures in Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay. Love's Labour's Lost exposes the limitations of comic artifice by pulling the characters between convention and individualization. By the end of the sixteenth century free and dynamic characters had become common, and characterization had established a sizable claim on the design of English comedy. These developments set the English form apart from its neoclassical counterparts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology, February 2002.
Includes bibliographical references.
The retinoblastoma tumor suppressor and the closely related p107 and p130 proteins play important roles in the regulation of both tumorigenesis and tissue-specific differentiation. To determine the role of Rb in development more precisely, we analyzed chimeric embryos and adults made with marked Rb-/- cells. We demonstrated that although brains of chimeric embryos exhibited extensive ectopic S-phase entry, unlike in germline Rb-/- littermates, in these chimeras the majority of Rb-deficient cells survived and differentiated into neuronal fates. Therefore, the role of Rb during development can be divided into a cell-autonomous function in exit from the cell cycle and a non-cell autonomous role in the suppression of apoptosis and induction of differentiation. Rb-/- ES cells were also able to efficiently differentiate into neurons in vitro. However, similarly to the situation observed in the chimeric embryos, Rb-/- neuronal cells failed to properly exit the cell cycle and continued to progress through the S-phase, while displaying fully differentiated neuronal morphology and expressing mature neuronal markers. Therefore, Rb function is not required for the commitment to the neuronal lineage or progression of neuronal differentiation but necessary for the cell cycle exit of differentiating neurons. In agreement, in wild-type differentiating ES cells, activity of the retinoblastoma protein (pRB) was increased specifically at the time of neuronal precursor cell cycle exit.
(cont.) In differentiating Rb-/- ES cells, levels of the pRB-related p107 protein were specifically elevated, suggesting that it might be substituting for pRB to allow efficient neuronal differentiation. In order to determine if p107 and p130 proteins might play a role in tissue-specificity of tumorigenesis upon loss of Rb, we investigated the function of these proteins in the mouse pituitary tumors. Both p107 and p130 were present and active in primary pituitary tumors but levels of p107 were very low while protein levels if pocket-family targets, E2F 1 and E2F 4 were elevated. Although normally bound exclusively to E2F 4, in pituitary tumors p107 and p130 were able to form complexes also with E2F 1. Therefore, in the absence of pRB, p107 and p130 are able to bind and may regulate the function of the activating E2F species. Despite this partial substitution, p107 and p130 are unable to prevent pituitary tumorigenesis in Rb+'- mice, likely due to the elevated E2F expression. The levels of expression of the pRB- versus the E2F-family proteins in different tissues might be contributing to the sensitivity of these tissues to tumor development upon loss of Rb.
Marta M. Lipinski.
Ph.D.

Tumor metastasis currently presents the greatest obstacle for effective cancer remediation. Metastatic growth necessitates both degradation of a specialized form of extracellular matrix (ECM) known as the basement membrane (BM) and the invasion of surrounding tissues thereafter. The thoracic air sacs of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), which develop and operate in a fashion comparable to the human lung, provide a unique model for identifying and characterizing factors that contribute to its own development as well as tumoral invasion. We investigated the involvement of both Janus kinase (JAK)/Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) signaling and a BMassociated protein during the development of air sac primordia (ASPs), the precursors to Drosophila air sacs. We find that JAK/STAT signaling occurs in ASP tip cells and that misexpression of core pathway components via the GAL4/UAS system negatively impacts ASP development. Further, we identify Unpaired 2 (Upd2) as the primary activating ligand for JAK/STAT activity in the ASP. Knockdown of the BM-associated protein using GAL4 drivers associated with a fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor gene, breathless (btl), and segment polarity gene, patched (ptc), prevented larval development beyond the second larval instar (L2). Knockdown of the BM-associated protein in the wing also produced bristle defects, but its overexpression did not have an effect anywhere other than in the ASP, where the proportion of mutant phenotypes increased significantly (p < .0001) in response. Finally, we find that collagen IV localization was unaffected by knockdown of the BM-associated protein. Together, our data constitute a significant step forward in understanding the role of both this BM-associated protein and JAK/STAT signaling in the ASP and similar mammalian structures.

Cancer is a complex and dynamic disease that is difficult to treat due to its heterogeneous nature at multiple scales. Standard therapies such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy often fail, therefore superior therapies must be developed. Electroporation-based therapies offer an alternative to standard treatments, utilizing pulsed electric fields to permeabilize cell membranes to either enhance drug delivery (electrochemotherapy) or induce cancer cell death (irreversible electroporation). Electroporation treatments show promise in the clinic, however, are limited in the size of tumors that they can safely treat without increasing the applied voltage to an extent that induces thermal damage or muscle contractions in patients. A method to increase ablation size safely is needed. To make this advancement and to advance other cancer treatments as well, better in vitro tumor models are needed. Heterogeneity not only makes cancer difficult to treat, but also difficult to recapitulate in vitro. This dissertation addresses the complementary need to develop both better cancer therapies and more physiologically relevant in vitro tumor models. My results demonstrate that by using a calcium adjuvant with irreversible electroporation treatment, ablation size can be increased without using a higher applied voltage. Additional mechanistic studies identified signaling pathways that were differentially dysregulated under calcium and no calcium conditions, impacting cell death. Finally, I have successfully encapsulated cells in fibrin microgels which may enable the creation of more physiologically relevant and complex 3D in vitro and ex-vivo platforms to investigate IRE as well as other tumor therapies.
Doctor of Philosophy
Cancer is a complex and dynamic disease. Heterogeneity exists at the single cell, tumor, and patient levels making it difficult to establish a unified target for therapy. Standard therapies such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy often fail for this reason, therefore superior therapies must be developed. Electroporation-based therapies offer an alternative to standard treatments, utilizing pulsed electric fields to permeabilize cell membranes to either enhance drug delivery (electrochemotherapy) or induce cancer cell death (irreversible electroporation). Electroporation treatments show promise in the clinic, however, are limited in the size of tumors that they can safely treat without increasing the applied voltage to an extent that induces thermal damage or muscle contractions in patients. A method to increase ablation size safely is needed. To make this advancement and to advance other cancer treatments as well, better tumor models are needed. Many of the same challenges in treating cancer serve as challenges in creating physiologically relevant tumor models. In this dissertation, I have developed a simplified platform to test whether using a calcium additive with irreversible electroporation therapies enhances ablation size. My results demonstrate that by using a calcium additive with irreversible electroporation treatment, ablation size can be increased without using a higher applied voltage. In addition, the biological pathways responsible for cell death in irreversible electroporation treatment with and without calcium were studied. Finally, I have successfully encapsulated cells in fibrin microgels that can be used to create better tumor models that encompass the heterogeneity of tumors found in the body.

Epidemiological evidence linking dietary folate deficiency and risk for colorectal cancer is conflicting. Studies using animal models indicate that timing, dose and presence of pre-malignant lesions will influence whether folate deficiency prevents or promotes tumor formation. In this thesis a new model of spontaneous tumor formation due to long-term dietary folate deficiency alone, in non-transgenic mice and without carcinogen induction, is developed. The mechanisms by which folate deficiency might influence cancer risk are also examined.
BALB/c mice, with or without a null allele in a key folate-metabolizing enzyme, Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (Mthfr ), develop intestinal tumors due to dietary folate deficiency alone. On folate-deficient (FD) diets, 12.5% of Mthfr+/+ mice and 28.1% of Mthfr+/- mice developed tumors; mice on control diet (CD) did not. C57B1/6 mice (a strain resistant to other methods of tumor induction) placed on the same diets for the same amount of time did not develop any tumors. To investigate possible mechanisms the levels of DNA damage (dUTP/dTTP ratio and p-H2AX staining) and DNA methylation (thin layer chromatography) were examined. FD BALB/c, but not C57B1/6 mice, had a trend towards increased dUTP/dTTP and DNA double-strand breaks and decreased global DNA methylation compared to CD mice. To determine why the FD diet affects the BALB/c and not the C57Bl/6 strain, the expression of genes involved in folate metabolism was examined. Several changes in gene expression were observed. In particular, BALB/c mice had increased Mthfr expression and MTHFR activity compared to C57Bl/6 mice. Increased MTHFR activity may deplete 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate supplies for the dTMP synthesis, increasing the dUMP levels and, possibly, DNA damage. The levels of several DNA repair genes were also examined. Two genes involved in base excision repair, Thymine DNA glycosylase (Tdg) and Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (Apex1), were increased in FD C57B1/6 compared to FD BALB/c mice suggesting increased DNA repair capacity.
These results support the evidence that dietary folate deficiency promotes intestinal tumor formation possibly through increased DNA damage, with subsequent defects in DNA repair.