The purpose of this study was to explore foreign spouse children¡¦s mandarin capability, learning attitudes and social interactions, and analyzed the significant differences and predictors of their mandarin capability, learning attitudes and social interactions We conducted a purposive sampling selection to recruit 335 foreign spouse children who are 3rd to 6th graders in Kaohsiung city. All participants completed three scales of ¡§Mandarin Capability Scale¡¨, ¡§Learning Attitude Scale¡¨ and ¡§Interpersonal Relationships Scale¡¨ that developed by the investigator. In addition, 6 children with the highest total scores and the other 6 children with the lowest total scores on the three scales were interviewed for triangulation and consolidation of quantitative results. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson¡¦s product-moment correlation, and multiple stepwise regression analysis were used to assess the similarities and differences among groups. The initial findings were as follows: 1. Children came from families of higher education parents presented significantly higher Mandarin capability than these children came from families of lower education parents. 2. Children came from democratic parenting practice presented significantly higher mandarin capability scores than those children with permissive parenting practices. 3. Younger children¡¦s learning attitudes scores were significantly higher than the elder children. 4. Children came from families of higher education parents presented significantly higher learning attitudes scores than those children came from families of lower education parents. 5.Girls¡¦ interpersonal relationships scores were significantly higher than those of the boys. 6. Children came from families of higher education parents presented significantly higher interpersonal relationships scores than those children came from families of lower education parents. 7. Children came from democratic parenting practice presented significantly higher scores on the dimension of ¡§interaction with family members¡¨ than those children with authoritarian parenting practice. 8. There were significantly positive correlations among children¡¦s Mandarin capability, learning attitude and interpersonal relationships. 9. The significant predictors of children¡¦s learning attitude scores were ¡§listening comprehension¡¨, ¡§grammar rhetorical ability¡¨, ¡§language use ability¡¨ and ¡§language expression ability¡¨ . 10. The significant predictors of children¡¦s interpersonal relationships scores were ¡§listening comprehension¡¨, ¡§language use ability¡¨ and ¡§language expression ability¡¨ . Recommendation from research results were suggested to further study of foreign spouses children¡¦s Mandarin capability, learning attitudes and social interactions.

This field study of two-year-old children using art materials in a preschool setting was concerned with how children constructed meaning about the art-making process through their interactions with others. The study was theoretically grounded in the work of George Herbert Mead, Herbert Blumer and Lev Vygotsky, who share a common view that meaning is socially constructed through interpersonal interactions. The study focused on children’s early use of art media and their social interaction as a significant factor in their artistic expression. Monthly videotaped and written observations documented four 2-year-aids’ participation with art media during their attendance at weekly parent-2-year old program. Over two subsequent years, the data were expanded to include observations of additional 2- year-aids, and parent and teacher interviews. Observations in a 3 and 4-year-old classroom coupled with extensive teacher interviews provided insights into teachers’ assumptions and values which guided their interactions. Observations of the 2-year-olds were coded into art episodes, and analyzed in terms of behaviours, interactions, and values. Based on Vygotsky’s idea that children’s shift from biological development to higher cognitive functioning occurs through interpersonal interaction, children’s exploratory use of materials was described. Analysis of their explorations revealed that intentionality and visual interest were crucial components in their art experiences. Analysis suggested that children as young as 2 years possess aesthetic sensitivity. There did not appear to be any single factor that could account for children’s selection or placement of colors or marks on a piece of paper. Social interactions around art-making occurred within spatial-temporal frames which contributed to the way the art-making context was defined by the participants. Through interpretations derived from interactions with peers and adults, children constructed understanding about cultural values for work, production, ownership, and neatness. They learned little about art skills or the relationship of their art-making experiences to art in the adult world. The study concludes with presentation of an interactionist model of children’s artistic expression which describes the dialectical relationship between biological development and social interaction. The model eliminates the need to debate issues around innate or cultural origins of children’s visual expression, through its inclusion of biological and social components. Using the interactionist model and Vygotsky’s notion of scaffolding can help teachers address conflicts surrounding the definition of developmentally appropriate art education for young children.

Sävar bibliotek ska införa meröppet, och denna studie har undersökt hur man bör gå tillväga. Intervjuer utfördes via telefon och e-mail till andra meröppna bibliotek, och en fokusgrupp utfördes med besökare och personal vid Sävar bibliotek. Vi undersökte även relevant litteratur för att hitta hur själva miljön i biblioteket ska se ut. Vi kom fram till att det är viktigt att information om förändringarna kommer ut till besökarna. Det är också viktigt att biblioteket ska vara en social miljö, så det är viktigt att arrangera det så att det uppmuntrar till social interaktion. / Sävar library will introduce self-service (“more-open”) and in this study we have researched how to carry it out. Interviews were performed through telephone and e-mail to other more-open libraries and a focus group was performed with visitors and personnel at Sävar library. We also researched relevant literature in order to find how the environment in the library should look like. We found that it is important that information about the changes reaches the visitors. It is also important that the library will continue to be a social environment, so it is important to arrange it so that it encourages social interaction.

Darbą sudaro trys pagrindinės dalys – konceptualioji, metodologinė ir tiriamoji. Konceptualioje darbo dalyje atskleidžiama NVO samprata ir vaidmuo vietos valdyme, nagrinėjami tarpinstitucinės partnerystės bruožai, pateikiamos pagrindinės savivaldybės ir NVO sąveikos modelių charakteristikos, įvardijami pagrindiniai socialinio pasitikėjimo komponentai. Metodologinėje darbo dalyje pristatoma empirinio tyrimo strategija, pateikiama kokybinio ir kiekybinio tyrimų metodika, charakterizuojama empirinio tyrimo imtis. Remiantis savivaldybės ir NVO sąveikos modelių bei pagrindinių socialinio pasitikėjimo komponentų teorinės analizės rezultatis, atliktas pusiau struktūruotas interviu su Šiaulių miesto ir Joniškio rajono savivaldybių darbuotojais bei anketinė apklausa Šiaulių mieste ir Joniškio rajone socialines paslaugas teikiančioms NVO. Interpretuojant tyrimo rezultatus, remtasi turinio analizės ir aprašomosios statistikos metodais. / The paper consists of three main parts – conceptual, methodological and investigative. The conceptual part of this paper discloses the conception of NGO and its role in the public administration, examines inter-institutional partnership features, analyses NGOs and municipalities cooperation models and creation of trust in inter-institutional networks. Methodological part of the paper presents the strategy of empirical research, also presents methods of qualitative and quantitative research, characterizes sample of empirical research. According to NGOs and municipalities cooperation models and theoretical analysis that singled out factors leading to a mutually beneficial relationship, accomplished a semi-structured interview with the municipal employees of Siauliai city and Joniskis district. Also a survey was accomplished of Siauliai city and Joniskis district NGOs providing social services in order to identify the factors leading to the emergence of social trust. The interpretation of the results was based on content analysis and descriptive statistical methods.

A lo largo de los ultimos diez años los economistas hemos reconocido que en muchos casos las decisiones individuales se ven afectadas por las decisiones, los comportamientos las preferencias de otros agentes no solamente atraves del mercado sino tambien directamente por imitacion o aprendimiento, por el desarrollo de reglas sociales compartidas, por la difusion de informacion. Muchos estudios han estudiado estos mecanismos en varios contextos. Entre otros destacan la educacion, el mercado laboral, la criminalidad, las habitudines sanitarias. La relevancia de estos efectos de neighborhood es positiva y normativa a la vez. Por un lado, su existencia contribuye a la comprension de la extrema variabilidad de algunos fenomenos economicos entre grupos de individuos aparentemente homogeneos. Por otro lado, su existencia es una componente fundamental para el desarollo de intervenciones eficientes por parte del policy maker. Los estudios de la tesis analizan estos efectos en el contexto de las decisiones esscolares y en el mercado laboral. En el primer capitulo se muestra como la decision y el exito en completar la educacion segundaria por parte de los varones adolescentes afecta positivamente la de las mujeres de la misma edad residentes en las mismas ciudades. La muestra campionaria utilizada permite conlcuir que la correlacion entre los exitos de los varones y de las mujeres corresponde de hecho a una relacion causal entre las dos variables. Se concluye que cualquier intervencion que consiga aumentar la probabilidad de completar los estudios segundarios de los varones del uno por ciento tendrà como consequencia tambien un aumento de la probabilidad de las mujeres adolescentes de completar estos estudios entre 0.6 y 0.7 por ciento. En el segundo capitulo se evaluan los efectos sobre la durada del paro de pertenecer a un grupo social mas amplio.

Les interactions sociales se trouvent au cœur des activités économiques. Pourtant en sciences économiques, elles ne sont traitées que d'une manière limitée en se concentrant uniquement aux rapports de qu'elles entretiennent avec le marché (Mankiw and Reis, 2002). Le rôle que jouent les interactions sociales vis-à-vis des comportements des agents, ainsi que la formation de leurs attentes sont souvent négligé. Cette négligence reste d'actualité malgré que les premières contributions dans la littérature économique les ont depuis longtemps déjà identifiées comme étant de déterminants importants pour la prise des décisions des agents économiques, comme par exemple Sherif (l936), Hyman (1942), Asch (1951), Jahoda (1959) ou Merlon (1968). En revanche, dans les études de consommation (une spécialité au croisement entre les sciences économiques, de la sociologie et de la psychologie), les interactions sociales (influences sociales) sont con­sidérées comme les " ... déterminants dominants[ ... ] du comportement de l'individu ... " (Burnkrant and Cousineau, 1975). Le but de cette thèse est de construire un pont entre les interactions sociales et leur influence sur la formation des anticipations et le comportement des agents. / Social interactions are in the core of economic activities. Their treatment in Economies is however often limited to a focus on the market (Manski, 2000). The role social interactions themselves play for the behavior of agents as well as the formation of their attitudes is often neglected. This is despite the fact that already early contributions in economic literature have identified them as important determinants for the decision making of economic agents as for example Sherif (I936), Hyman (1942), Asch (1951 ), Jahoda (I 959) or Merton (1968). ln consumer research, a field on the intersection between Economies, Sociology and Psychology, on the other hand social interactions (social influences) are considered to be the" ... most pervasive determinants [ ... ] of individual 's behaviour. .. " (Bumkrant and Cousineau, 1975). The thesis at hand bridges the gap between social interactions and their influence on agents expectation formation and behavior.

Investigating howgroups communicate, build knowledge and expertise, reach consensus or collaboratively solve complex problems, became one of the main foci of contemporary research in learning and social sciences. Emerging models of communication and empowerment of networks as a form of social organization further reshaped practice and pedagogy of online education, bringing research on learning networks into the mainstream of educational and social science research. In such conditions, massive open online courses (MOOCs) emerged as one of the promising approaches to facilitating learning in networked settings and shifting education towards more open and lifelong learning. Nevertheless, this most recent educational turn highlights the importance of understanding social and technological (i.e., material) factors as mutually interdependent, challenging the existing forms of pedagogy and practice of assessment for learning in online environments. On the other hand, the main focus of the contemporary research on networked learning is primarily oriented towards retrospective analysis of learning networks and informing design of future tasks and recommendations for learning. Although providing invaluable insights for understanding learning in networked settings, the nature of commonly applied approaches does not necessarily allow for providing means for understanding learning as it unfolds. In that sense, learning analytics, as a multidisciplinary research field, presents a complementary research strand to the contemporary research on learning networks. Providing theory-driven and analytics-based methods that would allow for comprehensive assessment of complex learning skills, learning analytics positions itself either as the end point or a part of the pedagogy of learning in networked settings. The thesis contributes to the development of learning analytics-based research in studying learning networks that emerge fromthe context of learning with MOOCs. Being rooted in the well-established evidence-centered design assessment framework, the thesis develops a conceptual analytics-based model that provides means for understanding learning networks from both individual and network levels. The proposed model provides a theory-driven conceptualization of the main constructs, along with their mutual relationships, necessary for studying learning networks. Specifically, to provide comprehensive understanding of learning networks, it is necessary to account for structure of learner interactions, discourse generated in the learning process, and dynamics of structural and discourse properties. These three elements – structure, discourse, and dynamics – should be observed as mutually dependent, taking into account learners’ personal interests, motivation, behavior, and contextual factors that determine the environment in which a specific learning network develops. The thesis also offers an operationalization of the constructs identified in the model with the aim at providing learning analytics-methods for the implementation of assessment for learning. In so doing, I offered a redefinition of the existing educational framework that defines learner engagement in order to account for specific aspects of learning networks emerging from learning with MOOCs. Finally, throughout the empirical work presented in five peer-reviewed studies, the thesis provides an evaluation of the proposed model and introduces novel learning analytics methods that provide different perspectives for understanding learning networks. The empirical work also provides significant theoretical and methodological contributions for research and practice in the context of learning networks emerging from learning with MOOCs.

This dissertation consists of three chapters that study social influence and the diffusion of information in decision making contexts with limited observable outcomes. Chapter 1 studies social interactions and female genital mutilation (FGM), a traditional procedure of removing the whole or part of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Using survey data from Egypt, this paper attempts to identify effects of peer adoption and medicalization on a household's decision to opt for FGM. We find that households are less likely to adopt if their peers adopt less and (in certain areas) if medicalization is more widely used by their peers. Chapter 2, using a lab experiment, studies how influence of any given agent in a social network is driven by assessments of their reliability by network members based on observations of their past behavior. Agents repeatedly make choices, the optimality of which depends on an unobserved state of the world; they are able to communicate those choices with their social peers; and earn a reward after the last period. We enrich the non-Bayesian DeGroot model by postulating that the extent to which network members are influenced by a peer member depends on the extent of nonconformity, variability and extremeness of their past choices. We find that inferred reliability has an effect as significant as network centrality on social influence; when weighting the views of their peers, individuals are sensitive to their observed behavior, especially for those peers with low centrality. Chapter 3 analyzes the effects of a large-scale randomized intervention which provided incentivized block grants with the aim of improving twelve health and education outcomes. Communities were incentivized by having grants sizes dependent on performance. Our goal is to refine an earlier intention-to-treat evaluation, by examining the intervention's heterogeneous effect on the different subpopulations of households defined by their participation in health information outreach. We find that incentivized grants have a strong effect on immunization rates of children from households participating in outreach activities: as high as a 14.3% increase for children aged six months or less, compared to a maximum average treatment effect of 3.7%.

abstract: In response to the recent publication and media coverage of several books that support educating boys and girls separately, more public schools in the United States are beginning to offer same-sex schooling options. Indeed, students may be more comfortable interacting solely with same-sex peers, as boys and girls often have difficulty in their interactions with each other; however, given that boys and girls often interact beyond the classroom, researchers must discover why boys and girls suffer difficult other-sex interactions and determine what can be done to improve them. We present two studies aimed at examining such processes. Both studies were conducted from a dynamical systems perspective that highlights the role of variability in dyadic social interactions to capture temporal changes in interpersonal coordination. The first focused on the utility of applying dynamics to the study of same- and mixed-sex interactions and examined the relation of the quality of those interactions to participants' perceptions of their interaction partners. The second study was an extension of the first, examining how dynamical dyadic coordination affected students' self-perceived abilities and beliefs in science, with the intention of examining social predictors of girls' and women's under-representation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Family and Human Development 2012

A presente dissertação versa sobre o desenvolvimento de grupos e suas interações, a partir de diferentes estratégias de formação em um ambiente virtual de aprendizagem (AVA). Para isso, buscou-se investigar a influência na organização e trajetória destes alunos, durante a realização de dinâmicas de grupo. A modalidade de ensino escolhida foi a Educação a Distância (EAD), por detectar um desafio, frente à dificuldade dos educadores em aplicar tarefas colaborativas em suas propostas pedagógicas. Desta forma, para atingir esse fim, foi realizado um curso de extensão para acompanhar as interações e o desenvolvimento dos grupos através das funcionalidades do AVA ROODA. A metodologia utilizada na pesquisa foi a quali-quantitativa, com abordagem descritiva, do tipo estudo de caso. Para análise dos dados de interação, a pesquisa contou, principalmente, com as informações apresentadas nas funcionalidades Fórum, Contatos e Mapa Social do AVA ROODA, como também com questionários e observação participante da pesquisadora. Com o estudo, conseguiu-se delinear o desenvolvimento dos sujeitos quando estão trabalhando com dinâmicas de grupo na EAD. Assim, verificou-se que as interações sociais influenciam nos comportamentos dos indivíduos, principalmente nas relações existentes entre os sujeitos e o meio em que convivem. Além disso, os resultados indicam que a utilização de estratégias de formação, viabiliza de forma eficiente a realização de dinâmicas de grupo nesta modalidade a distância. / This dissertation deals with the development of groups and their interactions, from different training strategies in a virtual learning environment (VLE). For this, we sought to investigate the influence on the organization and trajectory of these students, while conducting group dynamics. The chosen mode of education was Distance Education (EAD), for detecting a challenge facing the difficulty of educators in applying collaborative tasks in their educational proposals. Thus, to achieve this purpose, it performed an extension course to follow interactions and development of groups through the features of AVA ROODA. The methodology used in the research was qualitative and quantitative with descriptive approach of a case study. For analysis of interaction data, the research was mainly with the information presented in functionality Forum, Contacts and Social AVA ROODA Map, as well as questionnaires and participant observation the researcher. To the study, it was possible to outline the development of the subjects when they are working with group dynamics in EAD. Thus, it was found that social interactions influence the behavior of individuals, especially in the relationship between the subjects and the environment they live. Furthermore, the results indicate that the use of training strategies enables efficiently performing group dynamics this embodiment the distance.