The aim of this study has been to investigate the potential of the graphical calculator for mediating students' learning of functions in mathematics at GCE Advanced level. In carrying out this investigation, the study has been primarily concerned with three inter-related themes: How does the way in which individual students behave affect the shared construction of meaning in a graphical calculator environment? How does the visual imagery provided by the graphical calculator mediate students' understanding of functions? What are the implications for the role of the teacher in graphical calculator environments? In order to address these issues, the study has involved the development of materials and approaches that were subsequently trialled with Lower Sixth form students in a school and a college in the Local Education Authority of Sheffield. An ethnographic approach towards data collection and analysis was adopted, which entailed carrying out detailed studies of singularities in three key phases. The first phase consisted of the exploratory study and considered the learning experiences of novice graphical calculator users. The second phase involved experienced graphical calculator users and was concerned with identifying how knowledge construction might differ as a result of the longer-standing status of the graphical calculator as a tool for supporting mathematics learning. The third and final phase concentrated on the introduction of key function concepts to beginning Advanced level mathematics students and focused on the personal and social factors involved. The findings of this study have served to illustrate both the complexity and interdependence of the individual, social and affective factors involved in students' acquisition of meaning with the graphical calculator. Evidence from the research suggests that the social context has direct bearing on the functioning of the graphical calculator as a cognitive reorganiser. The graphical calculator was found to mediate the development of the visual capabilities of individual students via more intensive interaction between the students themselves and with the teacher. In this respect, the pairing of visualisers and non-visualisers amongst the students was found to be especially conducive to successful collaborative learning with the technology. In this study the graphical calculator acted as both a medium for communication and also as a new authority in the classroom, which empowered students to act as autonomous and independent learners. The potential of the technology for inspiring confidence, even in instances where it is not the main source of answers was also highlighted. An important part of successfully introducing new function concepts to students was found to lie in the creation of local communities of practice in the classroom, where the graphical calculator was seen as a means of drawing students into these practices. In this way, some of the more reluctant participants were encouraged to act as peer tutors. The importance of the role of the teacher in scaffolding the students' learning was also continually emphasised throughout, especially in relation to the interpretation of unexpected results and instances of dependency on the technology, which were linked to individual work. In illuminating all of these factors, the study has demonstrated the strength and relevance of a Vygotskian socio-cultural perspective for exploring students' learning with graphical calculators.

No description available.

No abstract available / Secondary School Education / D.Ed. (Didactics)

I kompetens beskrivningen står det att sjuksköterskan ska medverka vid handledning, undervisning och bedömning av nya sjuksköterskor. Som sjuksköterska/ handledare är du ansvarig för patientsäkerheten och avgör om den som handleds har tillräckligt goda kunskaper att utföra vårdhandlingar. Tidigare studier visar att brist på tid, brist på stöd, bristande erfarenheter och kunskaper har stor betydelse för att kunna ge en bra handledning. Frågan är hur vi kan påverka handledarna till att kunna ge ett bättre handledarskap. Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva anestesisjuksköterskans upplevelser av att handleda studenter. Resultatet bygger på intervjuer som analyserats med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. I resultatet framkommer 3 kategorier: utvecklande, behov av samarbete och behov av kompetens. Handledarna tycker att det är roligt, stimulerande och lärorikt med studenter. Handledarna har bra stöd från högskolan och huvudhandledarna gällande utbildningens uppgifter och mål för studenterna. Trots att de flesta inte har handledarutbildning känner de sig trygga i rollen som handledare. Tiden som finns för handledning och reflektion för studenterna är fortfarande otillräcklig och önskemål finns om mer avsatt tid vilket skulle gynna studenternas utveckling i deras yrkesroll. Ytterligare forskning kring handledning och anestesisjuksköterskors upplevelser av att handleda studenter behövs då många studier påtalar brister i och kring handledningsprocessen. / The competence description says that nurses will be involved in tutoring, teaching, and assessment of new nurses or colleagues. As a nurse/ supervisor, you are responsible for patient safety and determine if the mentee has sufficient knowledge to perform nursing actions. Previous studies show that lack of time, lack of support and lack of experience and knowledge is of great importance to be able to give a good supervision. The question is how we can influence the supervisors to be able to provide better supervision. The purpose of this study is to describe the nurse anesthetist experience of tutoring students. The results are based on interviews which were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The result shows three categories: development, the need for cooperation and the need for expertise. The supervisors think it is fun, stimulating and instructive with students. The supervisors have good support from the university and main facilitators regarding the training tasks and goals for the students. Although most do not have supervisors they feel safe in the role of supervisor. The time available for instruction and reflection for students is still too small and desires are about dedicating more time to the benefit of the students' development in their professional role. Further research into the guidance and anesthesia nurses' experiences of tutoring students needed because many studies complain of short comings in and around the tutoring process.

In the field of second language acquisition, there are few studies focusing on Chinese English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) graduate students’ communication strategy use, strategy use across different disciplines, and the relationships between communication strategy use and learners’ speaking performance. To fill the gap identified in the literature reviewed, this study examined the communication strategies used by 11 Chinese EAL graduate students from the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Education in the completion of two informal debate tasks with a questionnaire adapted from Nakatani’s (2006) Oral Communication Strategy Inventory and two post-task communication strategy recall questionnaires. Results from the study indicate that participants used eight categories of communication strategies, with fluency-oriented strategies the most frequently used strategy category and translation the least frequently used strategy category. Advanced English-language proficiency level learners used more social affective, message reduction and alteration, and negotiation of meaning strategies than learners at high-intermediate proficiency levels, to a degree that was statistically significant. No significant difference was identified in the overall communication strategy use but in one instance of individual strategy use (i.e., clarifying stance) across two disciplines. Significantly positive relationships were identified among certain categories of communication strategies (i.e., social affective, negotiation of meaning, accuracy-oriented strategies, and message reduction and alteration strategies), individual strategies (i.e., turn yielding, exemplifying, clarifying meaning, correcting others, referring to notes for accuracy/fluency, message reduction and alteration), and participants’ speaking performance. In addition, the retrospective results from the post-task strategy recall questionnaires suggest that participants in this study are not fully aware of their communication strategy use. The findings in this study can inform language practitioners’ of communication strategies used by Chinese graduate students majoring in Electrical Engineering and Education. Implications and future research directions are discussed in light of the findings derived from the present study that can further contribute to research about EAL learners’ communication strategies used at the graduate level. / Graduate / 0290 / cihangzh@uvic.ca

In the field of second language acquisition, there are few studies focusing on Chinese English-as-an-additional-language (EAL) graduate students’ communication strategy use, strategy use across different disciplines, and the relationships between communication strategy use and learners’ speaking performance. To fill the gap identified in the literature reviewed, this study examined the communication strategies used by 11 Chinese EAL graduate students from the Departments of Electrical Engineering and Education in the completion of two informal debate tasks with a questionnaire adapted from Nakatani’s (2006) Oral Communication Strategy Inventory and two post-task communication strategy recall questionnaires. Results from the study indicate that participants used eight categories of communication strategies, with fluency-oriented strategies the most frequently used strategy category and translation the least frequently used strategy category. Advanced English-language proficiency level learners used more social affective, message reduction and alteration, and negotiation of meaning strategies than learners at high-intermediate proficiency levels, to a degree that was statistically significant. No significant difference was identified in the overall communication strategy use but in one instance of individual strategy use (i.e., clarifying stance) across two disciplines. Significantly positive relationships were identified among certain categories of communication strategies (i.e., social affective, negotiation of meaning, accuracy-oriented strategies, and message reduction and alteration strategies), individual strategies (i.e., turn yielding, exemplifying, clarifying meaning, correcting others, referring to notes for accuracy/fluency, message reduction and alteration), and participants’ speaking performance. In addition, the retrospective results from the post-task strategy recall questionnaires suggest that participants in this study are not fully aware of their communication strategy use. The findings in this study can inform language practitioners’ of communication strategies used by Chinese graduate students majoring in Electrical Engineering and Education. Implications and future research directions are discussed in light of the findings derived from the present study that can further contribute to research about EAL learners’ communication strategies used at the graduate level. / Graduate / 0290 / cihangzh@uvic.ca

No abstract available / Secondary School Education / D.Ed. (Didactics)

Brigham Young University (BYU) first implemented the Spanish Computer Adaptive Placement Examination (S-CAPE) during the Fall Semester of 1986 and it has been used ever since. The S-CAPE was designed to determine course placement into beginning and intermediate classes for students who have previously studied Spanish. A 10% increase occurred this year (2014) in students who have served missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Many of these returned missionaries gained language proficiency on their missions, and some go to BYU to begin or continue their studies. Because of the increase in enrollment of students with intermediate and advanced Spanish fluency, the BYU Department of Spanish and Portuguese needed a way to accurately place these students. This study analyzed the S-CAPE to see if it was reliable and capable of placing more advanced students. The S-CAPE was not originally designed to place students above SPAN 206. In addition, other factors that contribute to student placement at BYU are evaluated. Recommendations are made for improving the validity of the S-CAPE, as well as the language skills tested by the S-CAPE. Further recommendations are made to upgrade the process of placing students registering for Spanish at BYU.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982. / Also available in print.