This research explores the final assessment of language competence of future foreign language (FL) teachers (university graduates) in the Russian educational context. Foreign Language teacher training has always been an essential part of Russian education and its importance increased in the 1990s. Later however, with significant educational reforms at primary and secondary school level, teacher training became an area of least attention and interest from the Ministry of Education of Russia and local education authorities. This research is based on the belief that no school reforms are possible without investing in teachers and, therefore, in initial and in-service teacher education, with assessment being one of its key dimensions. The study aims to describe optimal methods of assessing language competence of novice teachers of English as a FL in Russia. For this purpose, the following objectives have been achieved: - a description of current notions of FL teacher language competence, based on analyses of previous theoretical and empirical research; - design of exam evaluation tools – 3 questionnaires and an interview framework, and their use in data collection from various stakeholders in a Russian state pedagogical university; - identification of strengths and weaknesses of the current Final language assessment; - description of possible alternative options for the Final Language Examination and discussion of their impact on different stakeholders. The research follows a mixed-methods design with both qualitative and quantitative data collected and discussed. The study involves various stakeholders at different levels and from different backgrounds – university students, Final Exam takers; Exam designers and administrators, and also teachers of English who provided their valuable vision of the current Final Language Examination and its possible alternatives. The data obtained through surveys and interviews allows for tentative conclusions on the current Language Examination’s appropriacy and relevance, and provides ground for a multi-faceted analysis of the Exam’s strong points and weaknesses, and for development of alternative assessment tasks. The research concludes by viewing possible changes in the Exam as likely and less likely to happen in the near future, based on analysis of the Russian higher education context.

Early identification of high school students at-risk for antisocial behavior and school failure is critical to reducing the number punitive consequences they may experience, as well as for lowering referral rates to special education. The identification of characteristics that are common to students accumulating disciplinary referrals for chronic or acute behavior problems can be valuable for targeting the needs of these students and developing proactive intervention strategies. Typical approaches employ deficit-based measures which describe behaviors that are regarded as problems to be eliminated or reduced, but which seldom provide guidance to teachers on how to achieve that result. This study used the Behavioral Objective Sequence (BOS) (Braaten, 1998) a strength-based instrument, to examine the attributes of students in an urban high school who had been referred the Character Development Center (CDC), an out-of-classroom disciplinary intervention.The BOS provides a criterion referenced assessment of behavioral competencies which can subsequently be used by educators to develop instructional interventions that are directly related to skill deficiencies. A Likert type rating scale method was used to assess students' demonstration the BOS skills or behavioral/social competencies.Data were collected on 99 students who had been referred to CDC one or more times and 37 randomly selected peers who had never been referred. BOS scores were obtained from the classroom teachers who had made the student referrals to CDC and the nonreferred students. One-way ANOVAs and independent t-tests were computed to test for differences in the mean scores on the six BOS subscales. Students who were referred for disciplinary intervention scored significantly lower on all subscales. ANOVA tests for significant interactions between rater and student demographic attributes were all non significant indicating that the results were not influenced by characteristics such as gender, ethnicity, or social economic status.The results support the findings of previous studies that indicate use of skill-based BOS scores can identify students who are a high risk for disciplinary intervention. This approach offers educators an assessment instrument that can assist with early identification by proactively targeting skills that need to be taught and reinforced rather than reliance on consequences for misconduct. / Department of Special Education

Title: Comparison of physical fitness tests in swimming. Objective: The aim of this thesis is to evaluate specific tests, used while testing selected physical abilities in swimming. By specific tests we mean tests realized in the water. Selected tests are intended for swim coaches, who train junior to senior age groups. Methods: The chosen method was a comparison of studies, that pursue selected specific tests. We created partial conclusions for every test by summing up the results of different studies. Results: Based on the comparison of the tests we concluded, that the Cooper swimming test is not relevant for the evaluation of aerobic fitness of swimmers. The swim coach should be able to set the value of anaerobic threshold using the following tests: T- 3000, T-1000, Critical Swim Speed, Step test 7 x 200. However the results of each test vary. The anaerobic Critical Swim Speed can be used for the prediction of the performance in sprint events. The Repeated Sprint Swimming test study covered only the distances of 100 m and 2000 m. In our opinion the test would corelate more likely with the results of the shortest swimming event. The MAD systém test cannot be reproduced without installing a special construction in the swimming pool. The results are highly influenced by the experience with this...

Η ποιότητα πολλών εκ των αποτελεσμάτων της σύγχρονης έρευνας εξαρτώνται άμεσα από την «ποιότητα» και την ποσότητα των τυχαίων αριθμών που χρησιμοποιούνται. Ειδικότερα σε τομείς όπως η στοχαστική μοντελοποίηση και προσομοίωση προτιμώνται οι ντετερμινιστικές γεννήτριες τυχαίων αριθμών, ή αλλιώς γεννήτριες ψευδοτυχαίων αριθμών λόγω της δυνατότητας αναπαραγωγής των αποτελεσμάτων και της μεταφερσιμότητας τους. Επομένως, μας είναι χρήσιμο να εντοπίσουμε ψευδοτυχαίες γεννήτριες αριθμών με αυξημένη φαινόμενη τυχαιότητα αποτελεσμάτων. Για το λόγο αυτό, στη διπλωματική εργασία προτείνεται και εξετάζεται η καταλληλότητα της θραυσματικής διάστασης (fractal dimension) για την αξιολόγηση ψευδοτυχαίων γεννητριών τυχαίων αριθμών (Pseudorandom Number Generators). Η θραυσματική διάσταση αποτελεί μία μετρική που δύναται να εκφράσει την τυχαιότητα των αποτελεσμάτων μιας γεννήτριας ψευδοτυχαίων αριθμών καθώς «ποσοτικοποιεί» την κατανομή των ψευδοτυχαίων αριθμών στον ευκλείδειο χώρο. Σε πρώτο στάδιο γίνεται μία επισκόπηση των υπαρχουσών μεθοδολογιών παραγωγής τυχαίων αριθμών καθώς και των προσεγγίσεων για την αξιολόγηση της απόδοσης των ψευδοτυχαίων γεννητριών τυχαίων αριθμών. Οι καθιερωμένες τεχνικές που εφαρμόζονται για την αξιολόγηση μιας γεννήτριας εστιάζουν σε στατιστικά χαρακτηριστικά που έχουν ως στόχο να μετρήσουν πόσο απρόβλεπτα είναι τα αποτελέσματά της, ή χαρακτηριστικά όπως η περίοδος μιας γεννήτριας. Ακολούθως, μελετάται η θραυσματική διάσταση και οι προτεινόμενες στη βιβλιογραφία μέθοδοι υπολογισμού της. Στο στάδιο αυτό επιλέγεται η κατάλληλη μέθοδος για τον υπολογισμό της θραυσματικής διάστασης. Στο τελευταίο πειραματικό στάδιο παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα της μέτρησης της μορφοκλασματικής διάστασης. Οι ψευδοτυχαίες γεννήτριες προς αξιολόγηση που μετείχαν στα υπολογιστικά πειράματα ήταν η Γραμμική Αναλογική γεννήτρια, η γεννήτρια Blum-Blum-Shub, η γεννήτρια που βασίζεται στο κρυπτοσύστημα RSA και η γεννήτρια που βασίζεται στο πρόβλημα του διακριτού λογαρίθμου. Τα υπολογιστικά πειράματα επιχειρούν να ανακαλύψουν την απόδοση των εξεταζόμενων γεννητριών αλλά και την ευαισθησία της συμπεριφοράς τους ως προς τις παραμέτρους εισόδου των γεννητριών. / Scientific experimental results are highly dependent on the "quality" and quantity of random numbers used for these experiments. Especially in areas such as stochastic modeling and simulation, deterministic random number generators, known as pseudorandom number generators are preferred because of reproducibility of the results and their portability. Trying to identify pseudorandom number generators sequences which appear to be random, we examine the suitability of Fractal Dimension measurement for assessing Pseudorandom Number Generators. The established techniques that are used to evaluate a generator are focused on statistical features that are designed to detect correlations into generated pseudorandom number sequences. On the other hand, Fractal Dimension is a metric that can express the randomness of the results of a pseudorandom number generator as it "quantifies" the distribution of pseudorandom numbers in Euclidean space. We attempt to evaluate some Pseudorandom Number Generators, like classical Linear Congruential generator, Blum-Blum-Shub generator, the generator based on RSA cryptosystem and the generator based on the Discrete Logarithm problem. The computational experiments presented in our work attempt to assess the performance and the sensitivity of the examined generators.