Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

<p>National tests have an important function in ensuring reliable grades, and grades at many schools function as a sorting instrument to upper secondary school and higher education, the purpose of this essay has been to investigate if the assessment of English national tests is fair and consistent. The purpose has also been to find out if teachers consider the national test as an important basis when determining a student’s final grade.  This particular investigation showed that national tests are assessed differently by different teachers. The investigation also showed that final grades are strongly influenced by national test grades.  It is of great importance that the assessment of the national test is fair and consistent and that the result of the assessment will be the same no matter who carries it out; however the result shows that it is open to question if the national test can be considered to contribute to comparability and fairness of grades.  The assessment differences indicate otherwise.</p>

The purpose of this study was to examine whether teaching materials designed around fourth graders' preconceptions effectively produced conceptual change about light propagation. Four Taiwanese fourth-grade intact classes (194 subjects), taught by two teachers, participated in this study. The experimental group was exposed to the conceptual change materials (CCM), and the control group was exposed to the current traditional materials (non-CCM). A 10-item paper-and-pencil instrument for assessing conceptual change was developed, which included three categories: Category I, a window image, a phenomenon children observe in life experiences; Category II, a pinhole image, a classroom demonstration of how light travels; and Category III, shadows, an advanced application of light propagation. T tests were employed to assess differences between the pretest and posttest in each group. ANCOVA with the General Linear Model procedure was used to assess differences between the control and experimental groups. No teacher effect and no interaction between pretest and treatment were found in the procedure; therefore, pretest scores were used as the covariate and posttest scores were used as the response in the analysis. Results revealed that, both in the overall test and in Category I, significant differences existed between the experimental group and the control group after the teaching interventions. However, no significant differences existed between the groups in either Category II or Category III after teaching interventions. Children in the experimental group performed significantly better than did children in the control group in Category I (t=-2.44, p<.05 posttest; t=-2.57, p<.05 delayed posttest), but there was no significant difference between the groups in Categories II and III. CCM appears to work better in life application than in classroom activities and advanced application. The study suggested that the CCM teaching approach was effective, but the low percentage (55%) of the scientifically accepted concepts retained after teaching intervention needs to be improved. The test-retest stability between posttest and delayed posttest indicated that the CCM teaching approach had a lasting effect after two weeks. / Graduation date: 1996

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1982. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-107). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left">This study explores the effect of English as medium of instruction in Geography teaching in Grade 11. It focuses on classroom interaction where both the teachers and learners have limited proficiency in the language of instruction. It reflects on the challenges experienced by Afrikaans speaking teachers in mediating Geography lessons to isiXhosa speaking learners in Grade 11 at one secondary school in the Western Cape.</p> </font></p>

<p>The purpose of this study was to investigate parents&rsquo / and educators&rsquo / perceptions of factors influencing high rate of academic failure of learners in Clarke Estate primary schools. A quantitative, descriptive study design was used in this study. A descriptive study is used to gain information about characteristics within a particular field of study. The instrument used was a research questionnaire as it is a quick and cheap instrument to obtain a lot of information covering a large area within a relatively short time. The study population was confined to two schools in Clarke Estate. The participants were randomly selected. The sample from the two selected schools comprised twenty educators and two hundred parents. The sample was heterogeneous, comprising both male and female.</p>

Field pea is the most produced and exported pulse crop in Canada, and makes a major contribution to Western Canadian agricultural diversification programs. Canada is now the world largest exporter of pea, lentil and chickpea and is fourth in dry bean. The demand for Canadian pulse products is steadily rising and the export market would continue to rise with the expected increased in production. Field pea exported to countries with tropical climates is at particular risk due to rapid loss of quality. It is therefore important to develop practical strategies for safe storage of feed pea. Knowledge on the moisture adsorption and spoilage characteristics of pea stored in adverse storage conditions is important in the transportation and storage of this export commodity. <p> This study was initiated to examine the conditions that lead to quality losses in storage and transport of pea. Tropical and subtropical conditions were simulated in airtight chambers. Relative humidities (RH) of 60, 70, 80 and 90% were created by saturated salt solutions in airtight chambers at temperatures of 10, 20 and 30°C, while the same range of humidity was provided by dilute sulphuric acid in airtight chambers at 40°C in environmental cabinets. The four RH levels at each temperature for both whole and feed-grade pea were tested in duplicate. The samples were observed for changes in moisture content (MC), mold appearance and RH in specific time intervals. The amount of produced carbon dioxide (CO2) was measured in airtight chambers during storage to control the condition existing in sealed airtight chambers. Also, all components of feed-grade pea were exposed to RH of 90% and temperature of 40°C in separate airtight chambers to find the effect of each component on mold appearance. Molds were identified after appearance on the samples in order to pinpoint potential toxicity. <p> Both feed and whole sound peas became molded after a short time of storage at high temperatures and high RH, but those stored at 70% and below did not develop mold after 175 days at 30 and 40°C (experiment duration) and 216 days at 10 and 20°C (experiment duration). Molds were identified mostly as species of Aspergillus and Penicillium. The amount of CO2 in the airtight chambers showed almost no difference from the ambient CO2 except at high temperature and high RH when samples had gone molded. <p> Moisture adsorption equations were developed based on the moisture adsorption data in dynamic environment. Although the Page model showed to fit the data better, the exponential model was chosen to fit the data because its parameters can be better expressed as a function of temperature and RH of the storage environment. <p> The mold-free days for both feed pea and clean pea were modeled at temperatures of 10, 20, 30 and 40°C and RH of 80 and 90%.

Background: Teleradiology is currently being explored to enhance services for patients seeking emergency neurosurgical diagnoses in Ontario, Canada. Design: Systematic review of literature and cost-consequence analysis. Data sources: Medline, Embase, Cochrane, and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. Methods: Studies published between 1950 and 2008 describing remote consultations for neurosurgical assessments were retrieved. Two reviewers selected studies through multi-staged content screening and extracted data. Results 12 of 3765 studies met the inclusion criteria: two were randomized controlled trials and ten were case series. Teleradiology [88% (207/236)] and video-conferencing [89% (213/239] consultations produced higher diagnostic accuracy than telephone consultations [64% (150/235), p<0.001]. Savings varied by location and were based on avoided costs for ground and air transportation and hospitalization. Conclusions: There is limited evidence of clinical benefit of teleradiology. Savings associated with reduction in patient transfer rates depend on transportation mode and may be attenuated by higher operational costs.

Background: Teleradiology is currently being explored to enhance services for patients seeking emergency neurosurgical diagnoses in Ontario, Canada. Design: Systematic review of literature and cost-consequence analysis. Data sources: Medline, Embase, Cochrane, and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects. Methods: Studies published between 1950 and 2008 describing remote consultations for neurosurgical assessments were retrieved. Two reviewers selected studies through multi-staged content screening and extracted data. Results 12 of 3765 studies met the inclusion criteria: two were randomized controlled trials and ten were case series. Teleradiology [88% (207/236)] and video-conferencing [89% (213/239] consultations produced higher diagnostic accuracy than telephone consultations [64% (150/235), p<0.001]. Savings varied by location and were based on avoided costs for ground and air transportation and hospitalization. Conclusions: There is limited evidence of clinical benefit of teleradiology. Savings associated with reduction in patient transfer rates depend on transportation mode and may be attenuated by higher operational costs.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of transition room placement by comparing the academic achievement and readiness for middle school of two groups of fifth grade students. The Readiness Group had received an extra year of school between kindergarten and first grade which gave them a year's age advantage over the Non-readiness Group.First, second, third, and fourth grade standardized test scores were collected from students' permanent record cards and used for comparisons of academic achievement. Social, emotional, and academic readiness for middle school were judged by fifth grade teachers using an instrument developed by the researcher.An analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures was used to test five null hypotheses. A simple effects test was conducted on each hypothesis to further interpret the results. The .05 level of significance was postulated for the rejection of the five null hypotheses.The results of the study were as follows:1. At the end of first grade, the Readiness Group had a slight but not significant academic advantage. The Non-readiness Group scored significantly higher on measures of reading, mathematics and composite standardized achievement test scores at second, third, and fourth grades.2. Fifth grade teachers judged the Non-readiness Group significantly higher on behavioral characteristics that reflect social, emotional and academic readiness for middle school.The most significant educational implication is that school systems need to examine their criteria for readiness placements and evaluate the long-term benefits of this extra year of school.