Este trabalho visa estabelecer um método de desenvolvimento de softwares instrucionais dedicados ao aprimoramento de habilidades cognitivas. Três dos softwares desenvolvidos são descritos, versando sobre três técnicas experimentais de Bioquímica: cromatografia de permeação em gel, cromatografia de afinidade e cromatografia de troca iônica. A organização do conteúdo e a interface dos softwares têm como objetivo favorecer a reflexão sobre os princípios físico-químicos das técnicas. Os softwares foram avaliados com estudantes de cursos de graduação das áreas de Biologia e Saúde, segundo método estabelecido neste trabalho. Os estudos de avaliação demonstram que o software pode ser usado com êxito para o aprendizado dos princípios fisico-químicos das técnicas em nível de Compreensão e Aplicação. / This work aims to establish a method for developing instructional software devoted to the improvement of cognitive skills. Three of the softwares developed are described, concerning three experimental techniques in Biochemistry: gel permeation chromatography, affinity chromatography and ion exchange chromatography. The software\'s content and interface aim to promote reflection on the physical-chemical principles of the techniques. The softwares were evaluated with undergraduate students from Biological and Health courses, by means of a method established in this work. These evaluation studies show that the software can be successfully used for teaching the physical-chemical principles of the techniques at the level of Comprehension and Application.

Tendo em vista a questão de como formar uma personalidade ética, o objetivo deste trabalho foi o de realizar uma investigação teórica visando à compreensão de como se desenvolvem dois aspectos que compõem tal formação: a moral e a cognição. Buscou-se ainda comparar as semelhanças entre esses aspectos e observar intervenções pedagógicas que propiciassem o desenvolvimento de ambos. Para o estudo do desenvolvimento moral, analisaram-se os trabalhos do psicólogo americano Lawrence Kohlberg, que baseou sua investigação nos estudos de Dewey e Piaget, aprimorando uma sequência de etapas pelas quais as pessoas passam em sua formação. Além disso, o psicólogo e seus colaboradores pesquisaram quais condições favoreciam esse avanço de forma a propiciar que níveis mais elevados de desenvolvimento fossem atingidos. Para o estudo dos aspectos cognitivos de tal questão, buscou-se um autor holandês, que elaborou, na área da matemática, um modelo para o desenvolvimento do pensar geométrico: Pierre van Hiele. Apesar de ele ter elaborado um modelo específico para o pensar geométrico, afirma ser possível utilizar esse modelo para o estudo da cognição em outras áreas do conhecimento, não se restringindo apenas à geometria. Ao se compararem as semelhanças entre os dois estudos, foram observados elementos comuns a ambos, entre eles, a necessidade de se favorecer a ocorrência de conflitos cognitivos para o avanço de uma etapa à outra. A partir da semelhança das teorias, buscaram-se ações possíveis de aplicação em sala de aula que propiciassem esses desenvolvimentos de forma eficaz. Quanto às intervenções pedagógicas, foi destacado o diálogo a conversação, a argumentação e a discussão de dilemas morais como condição favorável em sala de aula. Verificou-se que a conversação apresenta o ganho de propiciar que os pensamentos dos alunos fiquem mais claros pela explicitação de suas ideias, além de enriquecer seu repertório a partir da visão alheia; a argumentação acresce, aos proveitos da conversação, a tomada de decisão, pois exige do aluno o posicionamento e uma escolha; a discussão de dilemas morais acrescenta, às intervenções anteriores, o benefício do trabalho com os valores pessoais de cada um e da exigência de uma hierarquização desses valores. Essas intervenções buscam o aumento do nível de consciência dos alunos, essencial para a formação da personalidade ética. / Aiming at forming an ethical personality, this paper carries out a theoretical investigation designed to understand how to develop two aspects that make up such formation: morality and cognition. It also compares the similarities between these aspects and the observed pedagogical interventions that provide for the development of both such aspects. For the study of moral development, the American psychologist Lawrence Kohlbergs work was looked into. He based his research on the studies of Dewey and Piaget, by improving a sequence of stages through which people undergo their formation. In addition the psychologist and his colleagues investigated what conditions favored this advance in order to allow for higher levels of development. In order to study the cognitive aspects of this question, Pierre van Hiele, a Dutch author in the field of mathematics, was studied. He developed a model for the development of geometric thinking. Although this author has prepared a specific model for geometric thinking, he claims one should be able to apply it to cognition studies not only in Geometry but also in regard with other fields. When comparing the similarities between the two studies, elements common to both were observed - among them the need to enable cognitive conflicts to advance from one stage to another. Based on the similarity of theories, the paper looked into other possible actions for implementation in the classroom that could effectively provide such development. Regarding the pedagogical interventions, dialogue (conversation, argument and debate on moral dilemmas) was highlighted as a favorable condition in the classroom. One observes that conversation includes the benefit to provide for clearer thoughts on the part of the students when elucidating their ideas. Also, it enriches their repertoire based on the view of others. To the advantage of conversation, argument adds decision making, for it requires the student\'s attitude and choice. And, to the previous interventions, debating moral dilemmas adds the benefit of working with the personal values of each one and of the requirement of a hierarchy of those values. These interventions seek to increase the level of students awareness, which is essential for the formation of the ethical personality.

This study examined correlations between four dimensions of maternal scaffolding, maternal beliefs and values, children’s temperament, and children’s performance and use of self‑regulation strategies on problem‑solving tasks. There are two foci of this study: examining factors that predict the quality of maternal scaffolding, and assessing the relationship between quality of maternal scaffolding and children’s problem solving. Participants consisted of 10 mother‑child dyads in the experimental group and 10 children in the control group. Using a pre- and post‑test design, children were given near and far transfer independent problem‑solving tasks. The experimental group also worked with their mothers on one task during a scaffolded interaction. Maternal beliefs predicted quality of maternal scaffolding, and quality of maternal scaffolding predicted children’s monitoring during the post‑test. Mothers’ scaffolding techniques appear to be related to their beliefs about parenting and educating children, and children appear to learn certain self‑regulation strategies during optimal scaffolded interactions.

This study examines the effect of deep approaches to learning on development of the inclination to inquire and lifelong learning over four years, as an essential graduated outcome that helps students face the challenges of a complex and rapidly changing world. Despite the importance of the inclination to inquire and lifelong learning, some literature has attempted to operationalize this concept in practical ways. In another limited line of studies, researchers explored how the education process and deep approaches to learning affected students' cognitive development among first-year undergraduates. This dissertation focuses on the ways that the process of deep approaches to learning influences the development of the inclination to inquire and lifelong learning through the positive feelings from information acquisition and the conceptual change from meaningful structure of information. The individuals in the sample were 1,914 first-year undergraduate students participating in the Wabash National Study on Liberal Arts Education at each of the 17 institutions in the study. This longitudinal study was designed to use three waves of data to control for student background characteristics, institutional types, overall exposure to organized instruction, and other college experiences. The current study employed ordinary least squares regressions with a weighting algorithm and also investigated whether the effects were general or conditional based on differences in race, gender, precollege total academic preparation, and precollege measure of need for cognition. Using longitudinal, pretest-posttest deign with statistical control, this study found that the higher-order learning subscale, the integrative learning subscale, and reflective learning subscale generated a significant positive effect on the development of inclination to inquire and lifelong learning over four years. Furthermore, the study demonstrated that the effect of deep approaches to learning appear to be general rather than conditional. In summary, the results confirm that the growth of inclination to inquire and lifelong learning can be fostered through deep approaches to learning. The findings suggest that higher education educators should create a developmentally-appropriate learning environment for students to organize their knowledge into cognitive structure, which fosters the capacity for lifelong learning.

Previous research has shown a relationship between prenatal teratogenic exposure and impaired cognitive functioning. However, data regarding the long-term outcome of prenatal teratogenic exposure are minimal. The present study investigated the long-term neuropsychological functioning (specifically attention and memory) of adults prenatally exposed to alcohol or phenylalanine, and examined whether there was evidence to suggest that there are effects specific to individual teratogens. Using a battery of attention and memory measures the performance of 17 adults diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and 13 adults with Maternal Phenylketonuria Syndrome (MPKUS) was assessed. In order to identify the pattern of deficits associated with prenatal teratogenic exposure, an age and CA and IQ matched control group was assessed. Attention was broadly assessed using Mirsky et al.'s (1991) neuropsychological model of attention. The memory and learning tests administered included a number of well standardized measures of verbal learning, verbal and visual recall, delayed recall, and recognition. Paired comparisons between the FAS group and age and CA and IQ matched controls indicated a unique pattern of attention and memory deficits consistent with previous research with children and adolescents. Specifically, adult individuals with FAS appear to have deficits in acquisition of new material, delayed recall of verbal material and in response inhibition. Paired comparisons between the MPKUS group and CA and IQ matched controls indicated that the pattern of attention and memory deficits seen in adults with MPKUS is difficult to distinguish when the effect of IQ is removed. A randomized block design using IQ as the blocking variable and group (FAS, MPKUS, or Controls) as the treatment variable was utilized to examine the question of whether the two prenatal teratogen groups differ from one another and from Controls in terms of attention and memory ability. Ten blocks of three participants (FAS, MPKUS and Control) matched on IQ were formed. The randomized block analyses revealed few differences between the groups and failed to reveal a number of the differences found in the paired comparisons between the prenatal teratogen groups and the CA and IQ matched Control group. Possible reasons for these differences are discussed.

Syftet med denna studie var att beskriva betydelsen av studie- och yrkesvägledande aktiviteter med barn i åldrarna sju till tolv år. Kvalitativa intervjuer genomfördes med sex examinerade studie- och yrkesvägledare som bedriver studie- och yrkesvägledningsverksamhet med barn i grundskolans år 1-6 eller fungerar som stöd till pedagoger som arbetar med studie- och yrkesorienterande verksamhet med barn i dessa åldrar. Resultatet visade att intervjupersonerna anser att arbetet måste påbörjas tidigt, helst redan i grundskolans första år, för att målen så som de skrivs fram i de nationella styrdokumenten ska kunna uppnås. De förutsättningar intervjupersonerna menade krävs för att tidig vägledning ska kunna bedrivas är av såväl strukturell som av individuell art. Slutsatsen som drogs var att studie- och yrkesvägledande aktiviteter som påbörjas i grundskolans tidigare år och som följer elevernas kognitiva utveckling kan medverka till att eleverna ökar sina förutsättningar att göra väl underbyggda val i framtiden. / The main purpose of this study was to describe the importance of educational and vocational guidance activities for children, seven to twelve years old. Qualitative interviews were conducted with six guidance counselors engaged in this type of activities or counselors that provides support to educators working with these matters. The result showed that the respondents believe that the work must be started early preferably already the first year in primary school to achieve the objectives of the national steering documents. The conditions interviewees felt necessary for the early guidance to be conducted are both individual and structural, such as economical factors. Conclusion drawn was that educational and vocational guidance activities that start in primary school and follows students' cognitive development can help the students increase their ability to make informed choices in the future.

The aim of this study was to investigate the development of release from proactive interference (RPI) and its relations with executive working memory functions. 101 primary school children (aged 6-12 years) and 20 young adults (aged 22-30 years) participated in the study. The main task, the Categorical Free Recall Test, comprised 12 items from 3 different categories (animals, fruits, clothes). The purpose of the main task was to examine both the development of the RPI pattern and the categorization ability during childhood. As our results showed, the categorization ability and the RPI pattern were already present in the 1st graders. Although overall memory span increased with age, there was no significant development for the categorization and the RPI effect. For the additional tasks, the Word Span Test (WST, to measure the phonological WM capacity), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST, to measure both the categorization ability and executive WM functions), and the Listening Span Test (LST, to examine executive and complex WM functions), the results indicated that children also improved with age. Overall memory capacity in the main task was best predicted by the WST / however, memory of serial position was best predicted by the LST. These findings are in accordance with the view that the WST measures the phonological working memory span, whereas the LST measures complex working memory and executive functions. The comparisons between the adult and the child sample revealed that except for the RPI pattern adults were better on all tasks than the children. The lack of a consistent RPI pattern for the adults may be due to the relatively short stimulus list.

This study focuses on listening and auditory skills of Grade R learners. The researcher wanted to establish the state of these skills, and whether they influence the scholastic achievement of learners. Literature study was done, and literature indicates that listening skills are a prerequisite for language proficiency. Listening is a skill that has to be mastered before a child can learn to speak. Listening is essential for all learning, and also determines the success of learning in the formal school system. Cognitive development of the Grade R learner, which is a complex interaction among psychological, environmental and genetic factors, is also considered. Factors which influence auditory perception are emphasized and supported by the literature, as is the importance of good auditory skills. A literature study on brain development is also executed. The brain is the most complex organ in the human body and that cognitive development is seated in the brain. The study indicates the importance of correct stimulation and the acquisition of skills during the first eight years of a child’s life. School readiness, auditory perception and listening skills of the school entrant are considered. Listening skills as well as perceptual skills are skills needed for school readiness and will be discussed. The researcher utilised the mixed method for the empirical investigation, and data were interpreted from the Interpretivistic paradigm. Questionnaires to practising Grade R educators (n=20) determined the state of listening and auditory skills of current Grade R learners in the Kenneth Kaunda district in the Potchefstroom area. This was the qualitative part of the data collection. For quantitative data collection, school readiness tests (n=500) used during the past ten years from a specific pre-primary school in above mentioned district, were utilised. The test used in this study is the “Standardised School Readiness Test” of dr. S le Roux. By the statistical processing of the tests the researcher wanted to determine the state of listening and auditory skills of Grade R learners during the past ten years; whether a decrease is indicated by the statistics, and whether listening and auditory skills only make a difference according to year groups. This could, however, not be proven statistically. The educators who completed the questionnaires indicated significantly that listening and auditory skills of learners have decreased during the past few years. The researcher interprets the phenomenon as a result of the amount of learners in a class. Class ratio may have an influence, since only four to six learners are tested at a time with the school readiness test as opposed to 24 – 30 learners in a Grade R class. The researcher wanted to establish whether listening and auditory skills play a determining role in school readiness and scholastic achievement. According to literature and empirical research, listening and auditory skills do in fact play a determining role in scholastic achievement. If learners are unable to listen, they cannot learn to read and their reading comprehension is poor. All above factors contribute to learners not being ready for school when commencing Grade 1. If attention is given to the development of auditory perceptual skills as well as good listening skills of learners in the Grade R phase, the future Annual National Assessment (ANA) results of Grade 3 learners may be influenced positively. / Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Development))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

This study focuses on listening and auditory skills of Grade R learners. The researcher wanted to establish the state of these skills, and whether they influence the scholastic achievement of learners. Literature study was done, and literature indicates that listening skills are a prerequisite for language proficiency. Listening is a skill that has to be mastered before a child can learn to speak. Listening is essential for all learning, and also determines the success of learning in the formal school system. Cognitive development of the Grade R learner, which is a complex interaction among psychological, environmental and genetic factors, is also considered. Factors which influence auditory perception are emphasized and supported by the literature, as is the importance of good auditory skills. A literature study on brain development is also executed. The brain is the most complex organ in the human body and that cognitive development is seated in the brain. The study indicates the importance of correct stimulation and the acquisition of skills during the first eight years of a child’s life. School readiness, auditory perception and listening skills of the school entrant are considered. Listening skills as well as perceptual skills are skills needed for school readiness and will be discussed. The researcher utilised the mixed method for the empirical investigation, and data were interpreted from the Interpretivistic paradigm. Questionnaires to practising Grade R educators (n=20) determined the state of listening and auditory skills of current Grade R learners in the Kenneth Kaunda district in the Potchefstroom area. This was the qualitative part of the data collection. For quantitative data collection, school readiness tests (n=500) used during the past ten years from a specific pre-primary school in above mentioned district, were utilised. The test used in this study is the “Standardised School Readiness Test” of dr. S le Roux. By the statistical processing of the tests the researcher wanted to determine the state of listening and auditory skills of Grade R learners during the past ten years; whether a decrease is indicated by the statistics, and whether listening and auditory skills only make a difference according to year groups. This could, however, not be proven statistically. The educators who completed the questionnaires indicated significantly that listening and auditory skills of learners have decreased during the past few years. The researcher interprets the phenomenon as a result of the amount of learners in a class. Class ratio may have an influence, since only four to six learners are tested at a time with the school readiness test as opposed to 24 – 30 learners in a Grade R class. The researcher wanted to establish whether listening and auditory skills play a determining role in school readiness and scholastic achievement. According to literature and empirical research, listening and auditory skills do in fact play a determining role in scholastic achievement. If learners are unable to listen, they cannot learn to read and their reading comprehension is poor. All above factors contribute to learners not being ready for school when commencing Grade 1. If attention is given to the development of auditory perceptual skills as well as good listening skills of learners in the Grade R phase, the future Annual National Assessment (ANA) results of Grade 3 learners may be influenced positively. / Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Development))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

There is limited knowledge of cognitive outcome extending beyond 5 years after childhood traumatic brain injury, CTBI. The main objectives of this thesis were to investigate cognitive outcome at 6-14 years after CTBI, and to evaluate if advancements in the neurosurgical care, starting 1992, did influence long-term outcome and early epidemiology. An additional aim was to study the relationship between early brain injury parameters and early functional outcome. Study 1 evaluated cognitive progress during 14 years after CTBI, over three neuropsychological assessments in 8 patients with serious CTBI. Study 2 used patient records to investigate early epidemiology, received rehabilitation and medical follow up in two clinical cohorts, n=82 and n=46, treated neurosurgically for CTBI before and after 1992. An exploratory cluster analysis was applied to analyse the relation between early brain injury severity parameters and early functional outcome. In Study 3, participants in the two cohorts, n=18 and n=23, treated neurosurgically for CTBI before and after 1992, were subject to an extensive neuropsychological assessment, 13 and 6 years after injury, respectively. Assessment results of the two cohorts were compared with each other and with controls. Data were analysed with multivariate analyses of variance. Results and discussion. There were significant long-term cognitive deficits of similar magnitude and character in the two cohorts with CTBI, treated before and after the advancements in neurosurgical care. At 6-14 years after injury, long-term deficits in verbal intellectual and executive functions were found, and were discussed in terms of their late maturation and a decreased executive control over verbal memory-functions after CTBI. Visuospatial functions had a slightly better long-term recovery. The amount of rehabilitation received was equally low in both cohorts. The length of time spent in intensive care and the duration of care in the respirator may have a stronger relationship to early outcome than does a single measure of level of consciousness at admission. Main conclusions are that cognitive deficits are apparent at long-term follow up, 6-13 years after neurosurgically treated CTBI, even after advancements in the neurosurgical care in Sweden. Measures of verbal IQ, verbal memory and executive functions were especially low while visuospatial intellectual functions appear to have a better long-term recovery. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Manuscript.