Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. 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. / 2031-01-02

In summary, this study was designed to investigate whether teaching students to approach scientific texts using their knowledge of language (specifically syntax) would help them better understand the passages they are reading. It has long been taken for granted that the study of grammar is unhelpful in teaching students to write. Much of the research in the past decades has been used to provide evidence that the study of the structure of our language restrains the generative, creative process. The reading process, however, must be admitted to be a more analytic process. Constructive, yes, in that the reader does more than merely receive meaning from the text; rather, he or she constructs meaning from it. But the text is a whole which must be first broken down into parts in order for the reader to reconstruct the frame. Simultaneously, the reader is adding to the text frame from his or her own store of knowledge, and the final product of the act of reading will be the construction of something new and unique to that reader. The theoretical framework upon which the study is based is van Dijk's and Kintsch's concept of discourse structure which represents reading as a process involving the building of both a text base, the aforesaid "frame" and a situation model, the new and unique product of the reader. William Adler's theoretical framework upon which he based his book How to Read a Book also serves as a point of reference. Adler describes reading as an active process that requires taking apart an argument proposition by proposition (a process which he says requires a certain amount of grammatical knowledge) in order to fully comprehend it and reconstruct it. Such a complex analytical approach is usually unnecessary when reading fictional narrative, but the reading of content area text presents different and greater challenges to the young student, and, of all content areas, science can present the most complex concepts. Processing science concepts becomes even more difficult when the concepts are counterintuitive, as in the study of forces in physics. The questions addressed in this study were the following: 1. Is direct teaching of syntax effective in raising syntactic awareness in young students? 2. Can young students be taught to apply syntactic knowledge during the reading process? 3. Will an increased awareness of syntax and application of syntactic knowledge be accompanied by an increase in reading comprehension of science text? In the course of the study the experimental group received a pretest and a posttest testing syntactic knowledge and reading comprehension and a seven week intervention which included whole class lessons teaching students to recognize sentence structure, chunk sentences and use connectives as cues for relationships between propositions. The intervention also included guided reading sessions applying the syntactic concepts to reading science text. A control group received only the pretest and posttest. Results indicate that the experimental group improved in syntactic knowledge and maintained their scores comprehension, while the control improved slightly in syntactic knowledge and, on the whole, did not improve in comprehension. Furthermore, observation notes from the intervention indicate that the intervention allowed students to gain a sense not only that they needed to adjust their pace of reading while reading dense, science text, but a notion of how and where to do so, using commas, connectives and their knowledge of phrases and clauses as points at which to stop and think. What follows in this chapter is an interpretation of the findings and the conclusions that can be drawn in light of the research questions. The quantitative data composed primarily of the pretest and posttest results and the qualitative data in the form of the observation notes on the intervention will be discussed separately. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

Bibliography: leaves 89-95. / The study explores the usefulness of literacy narratives as a tool in academic writing for revealing the perceptions and values EAL students' place on their academic writing identities. The literacy narratives highlight the multiple identities that students bring with them to the act of writing and are shaped by the questions, Who am I? Where am I going? Where do I come from? These questions probe the writers' perceptions of past, present and future academic writer identities and shifts of identity over a period of time and differences between first and third year students. In my analytical approach, I recognise the fact that writing is a social act whereby we say something about ourselves, and use it actively to affirm those values, beliefs and practices which we want to sustain, and to resist those values, beliefs and practices which we do not value (Clark and Ivanic1997).

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) In the Department of Library and Information Science at the University of Zululand, 2008. / This study has defined Information Literacy as the teaching and learning about the whole range of information sources and formats. Information literacy enables people to interpret and make informed judgments as users of information sources and it also enables them to become producers of information in their own right, and thereby to become more powerful participants in society. Information Literacy forms the basis for lifelong learning. It is common to all disciplines, to all learning environments and to all levels of education. The aim of this study is to investigate the teaching and learning of Information Literacy in institutions of higher learning in KwaZulu-Natal province and Malawi. It was assumed that Information Literacy presents a broad approach that offers the opportunity to educate students to understand the importance of information, and have the competence to locate, evaluate and manage it. In that way, Information Literacy contributes towards a higher level of literacy and lifelong learning. It can be argued, therefore, that students become information literate when they are comfortable in using all information formats independently, when they are able to evaluate and base decisions on information obtained. It is in this vein that students should be empowered to be literate and comfortable in using information available in printed and in electronic formats. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used that involved largely surveys by use of questionnaires, observations and interviews for data collection. A document study was also used in the form of literature review to examine trends and patterns in study guides and course outlines. The study targeted four hundred and twenty two (422) students as follows: Durban University of Technology, two hundred and twenty nine (229) students, University of Zululand one hundred and three (103) students and Mzuzu University eighteen (18) students. Six members of staff were targeted as follows: One (1) Lecturer from the Department of Library and Information Science and One (1) Librarian from each institution under study. In order to test the reliability of the research instruments, a pilot study was carried out at the University of Zululand and necessary adjustments were made to the instruments before the final survey commenced. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), a computer-aided software. The results were represented qualitatively and quantitatively using tables, graphs, and percentages. Problems encountered included difficulty in collecting preliminary information on the number of registered students at the Durban University of Technology; the late release of the research funds which affected the time frame of the research and a slow response to request for permission to conduct study at the institutions under study especially at the University of KwaZulu-Natal which was initially targeted, but later dropped in preference to Mzuzu University in Malawi. The study revealed that Information Literacy is offered at the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University as a module or course. The Durban University of Technology does not offer a module or course in Information Literacy, but the library does teach Information Literacy to all the students in the university during the library orientation programme. The study also established that a handful of students were aware of the availability and attendance of the module or course of Information Literacy at the University of Zululand and Mzuzu University, probably because the module or course is not offered across the whole universities. The mode of teaching includes lectures and learning guides, whereas the learning mode includes both theoretical and practical modes. The results also indicate that all students that had received formal information literacy training had the perception that they had the ability to independently identify, locate, retrieve and use information sources. Similarly, it was found that all respondents that had received formal Information Literacy had the perception that they had the ability to so by using the OPAC. It was established that Information Literacy equipped students with information handling skills such as correctly writing citations and references. The majority of the respondents that had not received formal information literacy training indicated not using citations and references in their academic works. Problems encountered in the teaching and learning of Information Literacy include inadequate time, lack of computer skills by the students, inadequate venues and equipment for teaching and students' practicals, lack of cooperation overcrowding of classes and erratic network connections due to power disruptions. The study recommends that the three institutions should harmonise their syllabi on Information Literacy and that the module/course should be embedded into the whole university curricula and that the DUT should introduce a dedicated module/course in Information Literacy and embed it into the students' course materials. The three universities should also publicise to academic staff, students and the decision makers the importance of having module/course of Information Literacy. The study also recommends that Information Literacy should be introduced into various modules/courses published and presented online in WebCT modules and delivered in lecture modes with the help of tutorials, and workshops. Academic staff should reinforce students' use of indexing and abstracting journals by collaborating among themselves in giving the students more work, assignments that require searching and the use of indexing and abstracting journals. In addition, academic staff should collaborate among themselves and with library staff by devising a uniform citation style to be used by students and reinforce, the students' use of citations and references and that they should give assignments to students that entail the use of citations and references. / Mzuzu University

Background: One significant predictor of health practices and outcomes is health literacy. Health literacy is an individual's ability to search, understand, appraise, and apply health information. Much research has occurred on health literacy (HL), ehealth literacy (eHL), subjective well-being (SWB), and COVID-19 health-related behaviours; however, few studies have explored the association between these variables, particularly within Canada. Understanding university students' HL and eHL levels would yield beneficial information on a group that impacts their community, particularly in a pandemic setting where students gather in large groups. Methods: An online survey was administered to 336 university students via Google Forms from April 2022 - December 2022. The survey used the Computer Adaptation of Newest Vital Sign to measure HL, eHEALS to measure eHL, a modified COVID-19-Related Health Behaviors questionnaire, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale to measure SWB. Data analysis was analyzed using Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analysis on SPSS. Results: Most participants were, on average, 26.1 years and 76.7% identified as female. The statistical analysis revealed that eHL significantly predicted COVID-19-related health behaviours, whereas SWB and HL were not statistically significant predictors of COVID-19-related health behaviours. Overall, the results suggest that individuals with higher eHL levels may engage in less healthy behaviours related to COVID-19. Conclusion: Although this study found that eHL predicted COVID-19 related health behaviours, HL and SWB did not seem to have a significant relationship with COVID-19 related health behaviours. This suggests that other interdisciplinary factors are involved in understanding the relationship between HL, eHL, SWB, and COVID-19 health-related behaviours among Canadian university students. Cultural beliefs and values, political alignment, fear and anxiety, misinformation, and disinformation are reasons HL may not be a strong predictor of COVID-19 related health behaviours. Future research should continue to explore a more interdisciplinary approach to public health practice geared towards researching the factors that affect health behaviours on college campuses will improve future health and well-being outcomes among this population.

Currently, the United States faces a time where the majority of the population is illiterate about the origins of their food. Thus, the population is considered to be agriculturally illiterate. Agricultural illiteracy allows skewed and misconceived agricultural information to infiltrate the populations’ beliefs about how their food is made. The United States Department of Agriculture along with the National Research Council have taken the initiative to start programs like the National Agriculture in the Classroom program to help combat low agricultural literacy levels. This study observes agricultural literacy levels in elementary students in Mississippi before and after new and existing Mississippi Agriculture in the Classroom treatments.

No description available.

In the late 1980s regional instructional specialists were hired by the Virginia Department of Education in 18 planning districts. The purpose of this study was to describe the role of one specialist in a rural setting. The description may be beneficial to adult education planners and policy makers as they look for innovative ways of delivering rural adult education programs. Three research questions guided the study: 1. What are the contexts (historical, legal, geographical, and program) in which the rural regional instructional specialist works? 2. What tasks (administrative and program) are performed by the rural regional instructional specialist? 3. What are the outcomes of the work of the rural regional instructional specialist? Through interviews, review of documents, and observations, the researcher found that the historical, legal, geographical, and program contexts of the rural regional instructional specialist were interrelated, and that they guided and constrained the work of the specialist. Governmental mandates and budgets prescribed the development of programs. Geographical features,employment opportunities, educational needs, and social conditions influenced what was offered and when it was offered in adult education programs in the Mount Rogers Region. Planning and conducting professional development activities, maintaining links with teachers in the regional program and with personnel at the state office in Richmond, visiting classes in each locality, maintaining referral links with other agencies, and recruitment of students were tasks performed by the regional instructional specialist. Priorities were family literacy, workplace programs, infusion of technology, and health literacy. By increasing classes for One-Stop centers and immigrants, offering in-service programs for teachers, visiting program sites, and collaborating with other agencies, the specialist contributed to higher enrollment in classes and increased educational gains for students. The role of the rural regional instructional specialist in Virginia is changing, and the future of the position is uncertain. / Ed. D.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / [That a dramatic metamorphosis has taken place is evident when one compares the early aims of the instruction of the blind and the purposes for which the blind are educated today. The provision of asylum for a dependent and isolated minority, once a primary function, has given way to the current emphasis on providing the blind with the means of participating in and contributing to the society of which they are an integral part. Hathaway and Lowenfeld point out that residential schools now follow, for the most part, the grade-by-grade courses offered in public schools. Ashcroft noted that for the first time in the education of the blind in this country, a century and a quarter, a majority of blind students were registered in public schools as opposed to residential schools in 1959. Trosch found that more than 915 blind college students were registered in 415 colleges and universities in the United States in 1957. This change has not come about without some difficult moments both for the educator and for the blind child, but it has also brought some additional insights. After weathering the initial period of cautious evaluation, the classroom teacher soon recognizes that the blind child is first a child, with all the needs of children his or her own age, and secondly blind, a condition which entails some additional needs. To continue this analysis one step further, it might be said that the Braille reader is first a reader, with all the obstacles to be hurdled which all beginning readers must face, and secondly a user of Braille, a medium with its own peculiar perceptual characteristics. The purpose of this test is to develop individual diagnostic tests of Braille letter- and word-knowledge. It is hoped that through the use of these instruments, the teacher of the blind will be able to set more specific goals than are now possible, when teaching beginning reading or when undertaking remedial instruction.]

Thesis (Ed.M.)--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. / 2999-01-01