The purpose of this study was to compare the perception scores and the frequency of parental involvement for parents of students who have most recently completed elementary school (entering 6th grade) with parents of students who have most recently completed middle school (entering 9th grade) in a northeast Tennessee public school district. Data were collected by surveys containing a short demographic section, a perceptions section, and a participation section. The population consisted of the parents of 544 sixth grade students from the district’s 2 middle schools and the parents of 578 ninth grade students from 1 district high school. From that population 115 sixth grade parents and 105 ninth grade parents responded. This study took place at the onset of the school year to address parents as their children were either entering 6th grade in middle school or 9th grade in high school. Findings from the study indicate that there were significant differences between the parents of newly entering 6th graders and the parents of newly entering 9th graders in terms of home-based perception scores and frequency of participation. Specifically, parents of newly entering 6th graders had higher home-based perception scores and frequency of participation than parents of newly entering 9th graders. However, findings indicate that there was not a significant difference between the parent groups in terms of school-based perception scores and frequency of participation. When examined collectively (home-based and school-based combined), no significant differences were noted between the parent groups in terms of perception scores and frequency of participation. For each of these cases, independent samples t tests were used to determine if there were significant differences. Findings from the study also indicate that positive relationships are present between parents’ perception scores and their frequency of participation. This was true for both home-based and school-based involvement at both grade levels. Pearson r tests revealed these relationships. This study was important to help understand the perception scores and frequency of participation for parents of students in the middle school transition. Recommendations are made with the hopes of helping schools better tailor their parental involvement strategies to families they serve.

Reading is one of the primary goals of the early elementary grades. When students start to struggle with this complex skill, educators and parents search for solutions to rectify quickly mounting gaps before a child falls too far behind. In the State of Oklahoma, lawmakers have passed a law requiring mandatory 3rd grade retention for students who do not pass the state reading test. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of stakeholders who had experienced implementation of mandated student retention in early childhood. The study is informed by Bourdieu's cultural capital theory of social distinctions, Bloom's taxonomy theory, and Festinger's social comparison theory. Seventeen participants, including 2 parents, 8 teachers, and 7 administrators, took part in face-to-face interviews and focus groups to provide data on 3rd graders in 4 schools in an Oklahoma district. Responses from interviews and focus groups were audiorecorded, transcribed, and coded for themes. Nine themes emerged from data analysis. These themes reflected participants' concern for the potential damage to students' self-esteem, an increase in dropout rates, and that the 3rd grade is too late for retention. On the positive side, participants indicated mandatory retention permitted retention that had been previously refused, and provides time for maturity, as well as the opportunity for success for struggling students. However, study participants also opined that mandatory retention created new challenges for students, teachers, and schools. Findings guided the development of a policy recommendation to create social change within the participating district, empowering educators to help parents better understand this law and prepare their children for the 3rd grade assessment by outlining a plan for early identification and creating programs for struggling students.

This dissertation evaluates disparate impact of test-based retention (TBR) policy on historically disadvantaged student groups in the State of Texas, and determines school characteristics that statistically predict retention and may contribute to disparate impact. The research literature on TBR is limited, as most grade retention research precedes the increase in use of TBR policy across the United States. Based on descriptive analysis, there were considerable increases in retention rates for low-income, African American, Latino, and English Language Learner (ELL) children compared to their less-disadvantaged counterparts, after TBR was implemented. Using multiple regression analysis, schools with higher percentages of low-income students, ELL students, beginning teachers, and higher percentages of low-income students in their school district were found to have higher retention rates while schools with higher percentages of White students, White teachers, and Latino teachers were found to have lower retention rates. Additionally, school retention rates were found to vary according to accountability rating. / text

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

No description available.

Nationally and internationally grade retention is still used as a remedial strategy even though the majority of research questions its efficacy. In this qualitative study the adolescent is given a voice to inform important role-players about his experience of grade retention. The findings show that the adolescent is very self-conscious about his new status and fears stereotyping. The adolescent's self-esteem is shattered and he loses confidence in his ability to achieve. He is often the victim of teasing and experiences loneliness when he loses his friends in the process. The adolescent is hypersensitive to remarks by teachers and his parents. When he needs support the most, he experiences only conflict. Feelings of despondency and doubt in the existence of God are the result. Given the importance of psychosocial adjustment on subsequent development, recommendations were made to assist important people in the adolescent's life to support him more effectively. / Social Work / (M.A. Diac (Play Therapy))

The research was directed at developing guidelines for counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners. The supposition of the study was that retained middle childhood learners require support in accepting the retention. For the purpose of this study a qualitative research approach with an exploratory and descriptive nature was used. The intervention research model of Rothman and Thomas (1994) was applied. A combination of Gestalt philosophical principles, existing literature and semi-structured interviews with educators, educational psychologists and middle childhood learners with experience of grade retention were used to develop guidelines. The researcher concluded that retained middle childhood learners require support in the process of accepting the grade retention. Counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners lack knowledge on how to support the retained child. Guidelines for counsellors who work with retained middle childhood learners were developed to successfully address the lack of knowledge in the field. / Social Work / (M.Diac.(Play Therapy))

Comprendre comment le cerveau humain engendre les formes les plus élaborées de comportements est profondément lié à nos connaissances générales sur son organisation anatomique et fonctionnelle. Jusqu'à récemment encore, on pensait que les fonctions cognitives n'étaient rien d'autre que le sous-produit de l'activité neurale de régions corticales discrètes et hyper-fonctionnalisées. Les découvertes majeures obtenues ces dix dernières années dans le champ de la neuro-imagerie, et plus particulièrement de la connectomique, invitent cependant à complexifier nos représentations sur les liens qu'entretiennent structures et fonctions cérébrales. Le cerveau semble en effet être organisé en systèmes neurocognitifs complexes, hautement distribués et plastiques. C'est dans cet esprit qu'a été réalisé ce travail de thèse dont l'ambition première a été de repenser les modèles actuels de la cognition sociale, et en particulier ceux ayant trait à la fonction de mentalisation, à travers l'étude comportementale des patients porteurs d'un gliome diffus de bas-grade. Cette tumeur neurologique rare constitue un excellent modèle physiopathologique en vue du démasquage des structures maîtresses des systèmes cognitifs complexes, en ce qu'elle induit des phénomènes majeurs de réorganisation fonctionnelle, et s'infiltre préférentiellement le long de la connectivité axonale associative. Des corrélations anatomo-cliniques ont été réalisées suivant une approche topologique classique (analyse de groupe en régions d'intérêt, cartographie voxel-based lesion-symptom, stimulation électrique corticale intra-opératoire) mais également hodologique (degré de déconnection des faisceaux d'association, stimulation électrique de la connectivité axonale). Les résultats principaux de nos différents travaux nous permettent de jeter les premières bases d'un modèle à double voie dynamique (plastique) et hodotopique (contraint par la réalité anatomique) de l'organisation anatomo-fonctionnelle des processus de mentalisation. Spécifiquement, une voie dorsale, interconnectant le aires corticales fronto-pariétales « miroirs » via le système périsylvien de substance blanche associative (faisceau arqué et faisceau longitudinal supérieur latéral), sous-tendrait les processus perceptifs de « bas-niveau » nécessaires à l'identification préréflexive des états mentaux ; une voie cingulo-médiane, interconnectant les régions préfrontales médiales et rostro-cingulaires aux régions pariétales postérieures médiales via le faisceau cingulaire, sous-tendrait les processus de «haut-niveau » nécessaires aux inférences mentalistiques conscientes. Ces découvertes constituent une avancée substantielle en neurosciences sociales, ont des implications importantes pour la prise en charge clinique des patients, et peuvent permettre de mieux comprendre certaines psychopathologies caractérisées à la fois par un trouble de la mentalisation et des anomalies structurales de la connectivité associative (troubles du spectre autistique). / Understanding how the brain produces sophisticated behaviours strongly depends of our knowledge on its anatomical and functional organization. Until recently, it was believed that high-level cognition was merely the by-product of the neural activity of discrete and highly specialized cortical areas. Major findings obtained in the past decade from neuroimaging, particularly from the field of connectomics, prompt now researchers to revise drastically their conceptions about the links between brain structures and functions. The brain seems indeed organized in complex, highly distributed and plastic neurocognitive networks. This is in this state of mind that our work has been carried out. Its foremost ambition was to rethink actuals models of social cognition, especially mentalizing, through the behavioural study of patients harbouring a diffuse low-grade glioma. Because this rare neurological tumour induces major functional reorganization phenomena and migrates preferentially along axonal associative connectivity, it constitutes an excellent pathophysiological model for unmasking the core structures subserving complex cognitive systems. Anatomo-clinical correlations were conducted according to both a classical topological approach (region of interest analyses, voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping, intraoperative cortical electrostimulation) and a hodological approach (degree of disconnection of associative white matter fasciculi, intraoperative axonal connectivity mapping). The main results of our different studies enable us to lay the foundation of a dynamic (plastic) and hodotopical (connectivity) dual-stream model of mentalizing. Specifically, a dorsal stream, interconnecting mirror frontoparietal areas via the perisylvian network (arcuate fasciculus and lateral superior longitudinal fasciculus), may subserve low-level perceptual processes required in rapid and pre-reflective identification of mental states; a cingulo-medial stream, interconnecting medial prefrontal and rostro-cingulated areas with medial posterior parietal areas via the cingulum, may subserve higher-level processes required in reflective mentalistic inferences. These original findings represents a great step in social neuroscience, have major implications in clinical practice, and opens new opportunities in understanding certain pathological conditions characterized by both mentalizing deficits and aberrant structural connectivity (e.g. autism spectrum disorders).

The study sought to examine the challenges experienced by teachers of multi-grade classes. Multi-grade teaching has become one of the priority topics in the Teaching profession agenda. The reason for bringing this issue onboard is the recognition that multi-grade teaching has a potential to improve quality of teaching. This study therefore seeks to identify the challenges experienced by teachers of multi-grade classes. A qualitative research was conducted in Nzhelele East Circuit. Six schools with multi-grade classes were purposively sampled. Data were collected through individual interviews with five teachers of multi-grade classes and six principals of the sampled schools and focus group interviews were conducted with three groups constituted of 3 teachers each from the 3 identified schools. Data were also collected through lesson observations. Data were categorised according to themes and then analysed inductively. The study revealed that multi-grade teachers experience a number of challenges. The study thus, recommends that the Department of Education should strengthen continued professional teacher development (CPTD) in teaching in multi-grade context. CPTD should also be extended to professionals like curriculum advisors to re-skill them on their advisory roles. The Department of Education should also ensure that the number of grades in multi-grade classes should not exceed two. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

L’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier le comportement du soufre dans des fluides hydrothermaux soumis à un métamorphisme de bas grade. Elle est séparée en trois études interconnectées couplant étude naturelle et expérimentale : i) une étude du cycle du soufre dans les évaporites carniennes de la "Nappe des Gypses" des Alpes françaises comme cas d’étude naturelle a été réalisée, ii) une étude de la spéciation du soufre dans les inclusions fluides associées à ces évaporites triasiques, et iii) une étude expérimentale du rôle de la spéciation du soufre sur le mécanisme de la Thermo-Réduction des Sulfates (TSR) et l’altération des hydrocarbures associée. La première étude repose sur le couplage d’une approche pétrographique classique et d’une étude détaillée des inclusions fluides, des isotopes stable (δ34S, δ33S, δ36S, Δ33S, Δ36S, δ13C et δ18O) et de la matière organique dans la "Nappe des Gypses". Ces études couplées ont permis d’identifier le processus de TSR comme la réaction contrôlant le comportement du soufre dans cette formation en système fermé. La seconde étude repose sur une nouvelle approche analytique couplant spectroscopie Raman in-situ et platine microthermométrique permettant de réchauffer jusqu’à 300°C les échantillons (naturel et synthétique). Ainsi, à température >100°C la présence de l’ion radicalaire S3- et d’autres espèces polymériques du soufre (Snx) a été mise en évidence dans la “Nappe des Gypses”. Cette étude confirme le rôle indispensable à la TSR de l’ion S3- et des Snx dans les fluides naturels. Cette étude naturelle a été complétée par une étude expérimentale préliminaire qui a permis de mettre en place de nouveaux protocoles expérimentaux en autoclave et en capillaires de silice couplés à des analyses spectroscopiques et isotopiques. Ceci afin de mieux comprendre le rôle de la spéciation du soufre dans les interactions entre une phase aqueuse et un fluide hydrocarboné lors de la TSR. Cette thèse conduit à une meilleure compréhension du rôle de la spéciation du soufre et son lien avec des composés organiques lors de la TSR en condition métamorphique de bas grade. Cela ouvre de nouvelles perspectives de compréhension des formations géologiques basées sur le couplage d’études géologiques classiques et d’études géochimiques plus fines / The aim of this thesis is to study the sulfur behavior in hydrothermal fluids subjected to low grade metamorphism. It is separated into three interconnected studies linking natural and experimental study: i) a study of the sulfur cycle in the Carnian evaporites of the "Nappe des Gypses" from the French Alps as a natural case study is performed, ii) a study of the sulfur speciation in fluid inclusions associated to these Triassic evaporites, and iii) an experimental study of the role of sulfur speciation on the Thermochemical Sulfate Reduction (TSR) mechanisms and the associated hydrocarbons alteration. The first study is based on the coupling of a classical petrographic approach associated to a detailed study of fluid inclusions, stable isotopes (δ34S, δ33S, δ36S, Δ33S, Δ36S, δ13C and δ18O) and organic matter in the “Nappe des Gypses”. The coupling study allows to identify the TSR process as the reaction controlling the behavior of sulfur in this formation in a closed system. The second study is based on a new analytical approach coupling in-situ Raman spectroscopy and microthermometric stage. This technique allows to heat up to 300°C samples (natural and synthetic). Thus, at temperature >100°C, the presence of the radical ion S3- and other polymeric sulfur species (Snx) is demonstrated in the “Nappe des Gypses”. This study confirms the essential role in the TSR process of S3- and Snx species in natural fluids. This study natural was completed by a preliminary experimental study allowed to set up new experimental protocols in autoclave and fused silica capillaries coupled to spectroscopic and isotopic analyses. This to better understood the role of sulfur speciation in the interactions between an aqueous phase and a hydrocarbons fluid during the TSR. This thesis leads to a better understanding of the role of sulfur speciation and its link with organic compounds during TSR under low grade metamorphic conditions. This opens new perspectives to understand geological formations based on coupling of classical geological studies and finer geochemical studies