Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 204-213).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1992. / Includes tables. Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Robert E. Kretschmer. Dissertation Committee: Kay Alicyn Ferrell. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 201-210).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2009. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-43).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Iowa, 2006. / Supervisor: Carolyn Colvin. Includes separate files for thesis supplements. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 219-228).

Thesis (M.A.)--Oregon State University, 2007. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-86). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur barn uppfattar läsning och skrivning i förskolan. Avsikten är att skapa kunskap och förståelse för vilka förutsättningar som ges till lärnande av skriftspråk genom att närma sig barns perspektiv. Genom ett intresse för hur barn uppfattar skriftspråket i omgivningen på förskolan blev den sociala aspekten av lärnadet av betydelse vilket innebär att ett sociokulturellt perspektiv har använts som metod. Ett nedslag i två förskolor har genomförts för att undersöka några barns uppfattningar om deras skriftspråkliga omgivning. Resultatet visar att barnens svar går att koppla till möjligheter med att skriva som skriftspråkets funktionsaspekt. De svarar till exempel att de skriver sina namn och meddelande till varandra, aktiviteter där det tycks finnas en mening med att skriva. Barnen beskriver även att det finns olika funktioner med att läsa som att läsa böcker, läsa på väggen och läsa kartor. Redskapen de använder sig av vid dessa aktiviteter är främst papper och penna samt böcker. Dator som redskap tyks inte vara något som barnen nämner i någon större utsträckning. Vidare visade resultatet att barn har olika strategier vid skriftspråkliga aktiviteter som kännetecknas av både solitära och kollektiva handlingar. Leken tycks i många fall inte vara ett sammanhang som barnen kopplar ihop med skriftspråkliga handlingar. Skriftspråkliga aktiviteter kopplas istället till särskilda platser på förskolan.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The experience of children and adolescents is increasingly mediated by information and communication technologies. Yet, the trajectory for literacy education in U.S. schools continues to prioritize print literacy. As a result, students often lack the knowledge, skills, and expertise needed to ‘read and write’ in the digital world of the twenty-first century. Concerned by the influence of media to empower or exploit young people, educators at many levels are discovering media literacy as an augmentation to traditional literacy. The purpose of this research was to investigate how teachers implemented media literacy in practice. The following subquestions were also examined: (1) How do teachers define 'media literacy'? (2) Why do teachers teach media literacy? (3) What are the outcomes of media literacy teaching? (4) What are the challenges, limitations, and opportunities teachers experience when implementing media literacy? To answer these questions, a case study was conducted of three teachers as they collaborated in implementing a media literacy curriculum at the middle level. The results suggest that teachers who implement media literacy were motivated by awareness and knowledge of childhood and adolescent development, particularly related to increases in media use and the extent to which media shape the choices of children and teens. Media literacy practice was constructivist, embodying a student-centered approach where teachers served to guide students' media literacy learning, facilitating active learning, co-viewing , critical inquiry and reflection in a classroom climate where students' analysis and interpretations of media messages were respected and valued. Teachers worked to preserve students' enjoyment of media, acknowledging popular media as a valuable part of adolescent culture and identity, while encouraging critical inquiry. Media literacy activities consisted of viewing, labeling, and discussing commercial media that was relevant, accessible, and meaningful for students . Learning outcomes included: (a) increased awareness of all media messages as constructed; (b) the development of vocabulary to analyze and deconstruct media messages; (c) skill building in critical inquiry; and (d) empowerment via video production as assessment. Despite findings related to effective teaching practices, the results also indicate that curricular placement for media literacy continues to be a challenge for interested teachers and administrators. / 2031-01-02

Class of 2011 Abstract / OBJECTIVES: To compare pharmacists’ perceptions of patients’ health literacy levels to their measured health literacy levels. METHODS: This was descriptive study that included thirty patients from two independent pharmacies where they were administered a health literacy survey at random during their routine visit to the pharmacy. Each participant’s health literacy assessment was scored and assigned to a corresponding literacy level. Pharmacists from each store were then surveyed as to what they perceived each patient’s health literacy level to be. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of the thirty participants (93%) obtained the highest literacy score possible in the assessment. Two participants scored lower literacy levels and were both non-whites who were currently taking six or more medications and over the age of 50. No significant differences with respect to age, gender, education level, number of previous conversations with the pharmacist, or number of current medications were found as compared to measured literacy level. Actual literacy scores as well as perceived literacy levels between sites were also found to be insignificant (p=0.17 and p=0.58 respectively). With respect to race, there was a significant difference between whites vs. non-whites relative to REALM scores (p<0.001). Analysis of the difference between actual literacy scores and perceived scores were unable to be determined.       CONCLUSION: Based on the two participants who had lower literacy levels, this may suggest a disparity in health literacy with respect to race, age, and number of concurrent medications. However, due to lack of study variability, the significance of the difference was unable to be determined and conducting a larger study with more diverse settings, demographics, and larger sample size is suggested.

Developing successful 'literacy for development programmes' for adults remains a critical issue for many Third World policy makers and educators. The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze Sierra Leone's educational reform policies and practices between 1970 and 1992 with regard to adult literacy in order to understand the factors associated with the successful and unsuccessful outcomes of adult literacy programmes. The chief theoretical perspective that informed the research concerned the socio-economic, educational, historical and political ecology of adult literacy work. Literacy work was problematized as a complex process deeply rooted in a nation's social, economic and political structures. A conceptual framework depicting three analytic categories of factors associated with the successful and unsuccessful outcomes of adult literacy programmes in Third World societies was developed from an extensive review of literacy literature. These categories were labelled as macro-level factors, meso-level factors and micro-level factors. The 'orchestration' or 'combination' of all three analytic categories of factors was viewed as critical in in uderstanding the factors associated with the success and failure of adult literacy programmes operating in the country. The basic method of data collection was semi-structured interview. Other data sources included policy documents, official statistics and observations. The study found that seven principal factors were associated with the success and failure of adult literacy programmes. It was the conclusion of the study that: (i) international forces, social-historical features of Sierra Leone society as well as organisational and administrative support were as critical to the success or failure of adult literacy programmes as were the educational features and circumstances of illiterate adults; (ii) contrary to the rhetoric expressed in policy documents and pronouncements, the solutions to Sierra Leone's underdevelopment problems were probably beyond the reach of increased literacy per se to remedy and; (iii) in their current form, adult literacy programmes were probably functioning as instruments of the state and the nation's elites, contributing to the legitimation of government and elite authority. The implications of the study for policy, practice, theory and further research as well as the recommendations arising from it are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to examine how five African American middle school students, who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina represent their literacy experiences before, during, and after their displacement. Specifically, the two research questions were: (a) What are the stories that these middle school students tell about their lives, before, during, and after their displacement, and (b) What do their stories reveal about their literacy experience before, during, and after their displacement? Narrative Inquiry was the chosen methodology for the study, which allowed the participants to tell their experiences from a first-person perspective. It also encouraged the participants to reflect upon these experiences, in order to give meaning to their thoughts and emotions. Employing a critical lens and perspective, I constructed a narrative profile for each participant, which was then analyzed using these methods. Each narrative profile detailed the literacy experiences of the participants before Hurricane Katrina, during the transition period, and current literacy experiences now that the participants are resettled and attending school in the host city. These data were supplemented by archival data such as report cards, individual education plans (IEPs), and Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) scores. Data analysis of the five participants’ literacy experiences revealed common themes. These participants have pleasant memories of school literacy before the storm and mentioned “choice” as a component of those experiences. During the transition period, few or no literacy experiences took place. Hence, there were missed opportunities for the participants to use literacy experiences to make connections to their new world. Participants reported current classroom and school experiences were controlled environments that led to controlled literacy experiences. This compartmentalization of literacy experiences is not consistent with the critical literacy perspective adopted in this study. Their interviews suggested that they that they saw no connection between school literacy and their literacy experiences outside school.