Since the first course in rhetoric began at Harvard in the 1890's, college and university English departments have been concerned about the writing proficiency of freshmen. This concern was magnified by the adoption of open-admissions policies in the sixties, and as a result many English departments began developing remedial English courses to deal with the unprepared student.This study proposes to investigate this development from a variety of perspectives. Its main purpose is to present a model textbook for remedial composition, explain how it was used, and analyze the results of its use in the classroom. The first three chapters provide a justification for such a textbook. The first chapter contains a discussion on the changing attitudes toward education in general and freshman composition in particular that have resulted from the drop in SAT scores and the adoption of open-admissions policies.The second chapter is an analysis of information about remedial programs at American universities based on a questionnaire which asked the following questions: 1) How do you identify the remedial student? 2) What is the relation of your remedial program to your regular program? 3) Who teaches your remedial courses? Is there an orientation program for the staff? .4) What is the focus of your curriculum? sentence? the paragraph? the essay? 5) What texts using? 6) Do you have any self-study documents that see?The third chapter is a history of the development of the remedial English course at Ball State University over the past five years. It includes an evaluation of the texts that have been used, the different types of standardized tests that have been given, and the progress of a selection of 102 students.The fourth chapter is the model textbook, Beginning Writing, that was used in two special sections of English 102 in the Fall Quarter of 1976. Each chapter of Beginning Writing, follows the same format. First there is an illustrative quotation, usually from a literary work, followed by a carefully written introduction to the various forms of writing assigned in the remedial English program. Next are three illustrative essays: one by a professional writer, one by a strong student writer, and one by a weak student writer. Each selection is followed by questions related to its organization and development, assignments for a journal, and a list of theme topics. Finally, there is a cartoon that emphasizes a major point discussed with the chapter.The fifth chapter contains a journal of the quarter and case studies of twelve students from the two sections which used Beginning, Writing. This analysis identifies the strong features of the textbook and those sections that will require revision.

The ability to communicate orally in a foreign language is fundamental and highly evaluated by both students and teachers. Therefore it is important that educational materials can provide communicative activities that improve this ability. A study of educational materials for young French learners revealed that the activities aimed to practice oral communication in fact were not really communicative. This investigation analyzes three educational materials for beginners in Spanish. The purpose is to see which kinds of activities the materials can offer for practice of oral and interactive communication, to compare them with educational theories and the Swedish curriculum and to detect similarities with the former study. The results show that the majority of the activities used in the materials, are not really communicative, they are mostly based on prepared phrases and there are few possibilities for creativity.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-57).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Nutritional Sciences." Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-107).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Jan. 28, 2010). Includes bibliographical references (p. 23-24).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-75).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Ashland Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract . Description based on microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-143).

published_or_final_version / Sports Science / Master / Master of Science in Sports Science

Integrated language skills have been examined in Paper Five of HKCEE Chinese Language since 2007, in the hope of developing students’ integrated language skills regarding reading, writing and listening. This study discerns the criteria which highlight skills examinees should master in Paper Five and uses this summative assessment as an entry point to explore the performance of students of diverse abilities in Chinese integrated skills and processes of completing Paper Five. Qualitative research design is introduced in this study. Document analysis, text analysis by using Systemic-Functional Linguistics (SFL), think aloud protocol and interview were included. First of all, documentations of integrated language skills examined in Hong Kong and overseas are studied to explore the performances examinee are required. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather opinions from curriculum stakeholders including experienced teachers heavily involved in public examination and curriculum development. To analyze the features of products, 60 examinee’ scripts of 2007 Public examination marked from level 1 to level 5* were collected and fall into three categories, namely high (level 5 and 5*), medium (level 3 and 4) and low (level 1 and 2). To further explore the process of composing written task with diversified level, six F.5 students of different levels of language competency (i.e. high, medium and low) were invited to think aloud while completing Paper Five individually under video-taping. Afterwards, they participated in one-to-one, semi-structured interviews about their experiences of the method. These interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed qualitatively. The written works of the students of different levels of performance (i.e. high, medium, low) were analyzed for triangulation. The study revealed that high level scripts could echo the context of situation as well as the context of culture of the task by choosing appropriate expressions, genre and information. Some of them even show their unique thoughts on making suggestions. However, lower level scripts fails to make coherence among the content, format and the context of the writing task. According to the findings of think aloud protocol and interviews, students with high level products could make awareness on field, tenor and mode of writing task during assessing, planning and writing while others manage to handle some of them. To conclude, language is the vehicle of thoughts and feeling. Students are expected to master integrated language skills including reading, listening and writing in order to satisfy learning, living and future working needs. However, students are different. By analyzing the features of the products and the processes of completing Paper five, it gives information to teachers and the curriculum leaders on the features of students’ products and the way they could assist students to improve their performance. 為了配合課程改革，自 2007 年開始香港中學會考中國語文科公開考試在 讀、寫、聽、說四卷之外，加入綜合語文能力考核的試卷五，稱為「綜合能力考 核卷」(下簡稱卷五)。本研究先從理念的層面先探究綜合語文能力涵義，然後從 總結性評估及完成卷五的過程兩個層面搜集實證，以了解學生在完成卷五的過 程。 本研究屬於質性研究。首先，本研究通過文獻回顧了本地及外地第一語言教 學課程文件、評估文件，分析卷五所評核的綜合語文能力。除此以外，本研究更 訪問參與課程及卷五考評工作多年的的持分者，包括卷五助理試卷主席、課程議 會成員、資深語文工作者，以印證課程及評估指引中對綜合語文能力的評估要 求。此外，為了解不同能力學生在卷五的表現特點，本研究向考試及評核局申請 索取不同能力水平考生的答卷，共60 卷，借助系統語言功能學的理論分析，闡 釋不同能力學生在卷五寫作成果所反映的表現特徵。為進一步探索學生完成卷五 的過程，本研究邀請六位中五學生(兩位來自學生能力較高的第一組別學校；兩 位來自學生能力較低的第三組別學校)，在鏡頭面前以大聲想完成卷五測試卷。 最後，借助系統語言功能語言學文本分析、訪談等研究方法，深入了解不同綜合 語文能力的考生在卷五的表現特點。通過大聲想觀察不同能力學生完成卷五過程 的表現特徵。 本研究發現表現較佳的作品往往能緊扣寫作任務的情景語境、以至文化語境 的要求，而表較稍遜的作品每每執一廢百。從大聲想及訪問發現，表現較佳的學 生往往能運用策略廓清寫作任務的情景語境、寫作要求，並依此制定寫作計劃； 選取資料、拓展文意、提出見解等都是依據語境。至於表現稍遜的當然在辨識寫 作任務、制定計劃及執行計劃時往往顧此失彼。 總結而言，語言是思維及情感的載體。學生須要駕馭讀、寫、聽等綜合語文 能力，以應付日後學習及工作需要。然而，學生的表現千差萬別。本研究通過多 種研究方法，剖析不同表現的卷五作品特點以及不同作品表現學生的完卷過程， 旨在剖析學生表現特徵，為教育工作者提供豐富的參考資料，協助學生尋求提升 綜合語文能力的方向。 / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Education

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of Wiki-based collaborative writing in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. Ten secondary students have participated in this study. The procedure was three stages as the participants given by background questionnaire and also at the end of each of the projects given by post-project questionnaire and some participants selected for interview. The questionnaires are helpful to understand how Wiki-based collaborative writing worked through participants. The study has focused on analyzing on the influence of using Wiki-based collaborative writing on interest, confidence, stimulation, likeness, collaboration, achievement and improvement of the students’ Chinese writing. It is expected to find results of the study that the participants have been motivated by using Wiki-based collaborative writing and of that what advantages and challenges the participants have encountered. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education