Une collection documentaire est généralement représentée comme un ensemble de documents mais cette modélisation ne permet pas de rendre compte des relations intertextuelles et du contexte d’interprétation d’un document. Le modèle documentaire classique trouve ses limites dans les domaines spécialisés où les besoins d’accès à l’information correspondent à des usages spécifiques et où les documents sont liés par de nombreux types de relations. Ce travail de thèse propose deux modèles permettant de prendre en compte cette complexité des collections documentaire dans les outils d’accès à l’information. Le premier modèle est basée sur l’analyse formelle et relationnelle de concepts, le deuxième est basée sur les technologies du web sémantique. Appliquées sur des objets documentaires ces modèles permettent de représenter et d’interroger de manière unifiée les descripteurs de contenu des documents et les relations intertextuelles qu’ils entretiennent. / A collection of documents is generally represented as a set of documents but this simple representation does not take into account cross references between documents, which often defines their context of interpretation. This standard document model is less adapted for specific professional uses in specialized domains in which documents are related by many various references and the access tools need to consider this complexity. We propose two models based onformal and relational concept analysis and on semantic web techniques. Applied on documentary objects, these two models represent and query in a unified way documents content descriptors and documents relations.

Esta Dissertação tem por objetivo analisar a ressignificação do conceito de transformação presente na estrutura cognitiva dos educandos de primeiro ano de Ensino Médio, de uma escola da rede pública estadual da cidade de São Paulo, sendo 53 alunos do ano de 2006 e 83 alunos do ano de 2007. Para tanto, o elemento norteador das atividades propostas para coleta de dados, foi o material instrucional intitulado PROQUIM, desenvolvido na década de 1980, conforme as teorias construtivistas. O mesmo foi utilizado porque promove a construção do conhecimento a partir de atividades desenvolvidas individual e coletivamente, possibilitando ao professor a mediação entre o conhecimento já instituído e a construção do conhecimento escolar, onde é sabido da existência de relações colaborativas entre educandos e educadores. Assim, para atingir o objetivo proposto nesta investigação de abordagem qualitativa, a pesquisadora observou por meio do método dialético que as relações dialógicas mantidas entre educandos e educadores influenciaram os processos de ensino e aprendizagem, facilitando a inclusão de novos atributos ao conceito que estava sendo referenciado, promovendo assim, o desenvolvimento de ações mais reflexivas para a resolução de situações propostas. Deste modo, as atividades que foram sendo apresentadas aos alunos partiram da existência de um conhecimento mais abrangente, para o estabelecimento de conceitos mais específicos. Portanto, estes adolescentes foram expostos a conflitos cognitivos, em suas zonas de desenvolvimento proximal, estabelecendo uma relação colaborativa entre seus pares e a professora na procura pela construção do conceito verdadeiro. A formação do conceito na estrutura cognitiva passa por diversas etapas até o estabelecimento de sua concepção, ou seja, quando o conceito ainda não está estabilizado no pensamento, o sujeito procura observar, macroscopicamente, as características do objeto sob estudo para depois poder atribuir-lhe características mais específicas. Com efeito, estes conflitos cognitivos permitiram que a pesquisadora observasse as mensagens dos educandos, que expressavam suas concepções a respeito do conceito de transformação e sua crescente modificação através das relações colaborativas ocasionadas pela busca do conhecimento. Desta análise conclui-se que parte dos educandos conseguiu estabelecer relações distinguíveis entre os aspectos dos sistemas sob processo de transformação, antes e após a modificação ter-se sucedido. Outra parte dos educandos demonstrou a necessidade de outros contextos de aprendizagem, a fim de favorecer o estabelecimento em suas estruturas cognitivas, do conceito de transformação dos materiais. / This thesis aims to analyze the reclassification of the concept of this processing in the cognitive structure of students of first year of high school, a public school in the state of São Paulo, with 53 students in 2006 and 83 students from years 2007. To this end, the guiding element of the proposed activities for data collection, was the instructional material titled PROQUIM, developed in the 1980s, as constructivist theories. It was used because it promotes the construction of knowledge from activities carried out collectively and individually, allowing the teacher to mediate between the knowledge already established and the construction of school knowledge, which is known of the existence of collaborative relationships between educators and students. So to achieve this goal, this research a qualitative approach, the researcher observed through the dialectical method that kept the dialogical relations between educators and influence the processes of teaching and learning by facilitating the inclusion of new attributes to the concept that was being referenced thus promoting the development of more reflexive actions to resolve situations proposed. Thus, activities that were being presented to students from the existence of a more comprehensive, for the establishment of more specific concepts. Therefore, these adolescents were exposed to cognitive conflicts in their zones of proximal development, establishing a collaborative relationship between peers and the teacher in finding the true construction of the concept. The formation of the concept in cognitive structure goes through several stages until the establishment of its design, ie, when the concept is not yet stable in thought, the subject tries to observe macroscopically, the characteristics of the object under study to be allowed to assign specific characteristics. Indeed, these cognitive conflicts enabled the researcher observed the students\' messages, expressing their views about the concept of transformation and change through its growing collaborative relationships caused by the pursuit of knowledge. From this analysis it appears that some of the students managed to establish relations between distinguishable aspects of systems in the transformation process, before and after the change have been successful. Another part of the students demonstrated the need for other learning contexts to promote the establishment of cognitive structures, the concept of transformation of materials.

The problem under consideration was an assessment of the effect of teaching physical education, through a health concepts approach, to first-semester male and female college freshmen in a metropolitan junior college. In order to further clarify the problem, the primary purposes were to determine the change in health knowledges, health habits, physical fitness, and attitude toward physical education. from the beginning to the ending of the course. A further purpose was to determine the relationships between the scores on the four instruments used in this study.

The general goal of this dissertation is to clarify and discuss several topics that are, in some way or other, related to the language of thought hypothesis, put forward most forcefully by Jerry Fodor. The language of thought hypothesis is a hypothesis about the nature of mental representations. It says that mental representations have a linguistic structure. This is the same as saying that, just like sentences in a natural language, mental representations have primitive constituents (with syntactic and semantic properties), which combine to form syntactically and semantically complex symbols. The language of thought hypothesis is closely related to the representational and computational theories of mind. I discuss them and compare them to some opposing philosophical views of the mind. I then discuss the productivity and the systematicity arguments for the language of thought. Finally, we will see different ways to conceive the relation between the language of thought and the natural languages. / O objetivo geral desta tese é esclarecer e discutir diversos tópicos relacionados, de um modo ou de outro, à hipótese da linguagem do pensamento, formulada de maneira mais elaborada por Jerry Fodor. A hipótese da linguagem do pensamento é uma hipótese sobre a natureza das representações mentais. Ela diz que representações mentais têm uma estrutura linguística. Isso é o mesmo que dizer que, tal como sentenças em uma língua natural, representações mentais têm constituintes primitivos (com propriedades sintáticas e semânticas), que se combinam para formar símbolos sintática e semanticamente complexos. A hipótese da linguagem do pensamento está profundamente relacionada à teoria representacional e à teoria computacional da mente. Discutirei essas teorias e as compararei com algumas visões filosóficas opostas da mente. Em seguida, discutirei os argumentos da produtividade e da sistematicidade, em favor da linguagem do pensamento. Finalmente, veremos diferentes modos de conceber a relação entre a linguagem do pensamento e as línguas naturais.

No description available.

This study attempted to investigate the relationship of occupational choice to ego identity achievement, to self-concept, and to academic achievement, as these are related to Eric Erikson's contention that is adolescents' inability to settle on an occupational choice which disturbs them and results in a sense of identity diffusion (lack of solidified ideas of self, goals for life, and a need to seek external supports). The sample consisted of 320 senior high school boys in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades. Variables considered included: level of vocational commitment; ego identity; self-regard, i.e., self-concept, self-acceptance, ideal self and adjustment (sum of discrepancies between self and ideal self); and academic achievement, i.e., achievers or underachievers. The variables were treated by means of analysis of covariance, controlling for intelligence, Duncan range test, chi-square analysis, and Pearson product-moment correlations. Results of the analysis of data revealed that significant differences existed between adolescents who had expressed vocational commitments and adolescents who were vocationally undecided on (a) ego identity achievement, and (b) self-concept. In considering characteristics of those making or not making a vocational choice, it was found that level of vocational commitment of senior high school boys tends to be dependent on length of time the choice is considered, the amount of feedback and discussion with parents concerning the choice, father's occupation, and the influence of significant others. Another finding was that the verbalized vocational choice of adolescents is consistent with their measured interest. Ego identity was found to be nonsignificantly correlated with achievement and intelligence. Ego identity, self-concept, and self-acceptance have positive and significant intercorrelations (.01 level). It was concluded that adolescents who have not made a vocational commitment, demonstrate a greater degree of identity diffusion--lower ego identity achievement and lower self-concept--than adolescents who have expressed a vocational commitment. It was felt that the data supported Erikson's formulations concerning the period of adolescence to the extent that a positive and predictive relationship was found between level of occupational commitment and ego identity achievement, and between the level of occupation commitment and self-concept. It was felt that ego identity was not significantly related to intelligence or achievement. It was further concluded that ego identity, self-concept, and self-acceptance are related measures dealing with level of maturity and ego integration in adolescence.

Using a conceptual model of a water supply firm, the necessary conditions for production and market efficiency are derived when renovated wastewater is considered as a potential water resource. The nature and extent of the supply augmentation due to recycled reuse is demonstrated using classical optimization techniques. Three stages of short-run supply corresponding to no recycling, partial recycled reuse and complete recycling of all reclaimable water are identified through appropriate Lagrangian Multipliers as well as graphical techniques. A mathematical programming model is structured to determine the optimal water resource allocation and pricing policy for Salt Lake County. By maximizing the sum of consumer and producer surplus (the difference between total willingness-to-pay and total cost) economically efficient equilibria are derived. The feasibility of recycled reuse for municipal purposes is examined in a planning context. The impact of higher water quality discharge standards on the attractiveness of water recycling option is studied. To ensure social acceptability of renovated wastewater for culinary purposes, blending restrictions are imposed, which stipulate that the amount of water for reuse be less than a fixed percentage of the water from other sources. The effect of such a constraint on the prices and water allocation are delineated. The hydrologic uncertainty in water supply is treated using stochastic programming techniques. Application of the concepts of single and joint chance-constrained programming are illustrated. The resulting changes in pricing and allocation policies are discussed.

Chemistry textbooks and teachers frequently use a variety of metaphors, analogies and models to describe atomic and molecular structures and processes. While it is widely believed that multiple analogical models encourage students to construct appropriate mental models of chemical phenomena, uncritical use of multiple analogical models may actually be responsible for a number of alternative conceptions in chemistry. Students hear and read about electron clouds and shells, atoms that are like miniature solar systems and balls, and molecules that are simultaneously represented by balls-and-sticks, joined spheres, electron-dot and structural diagrams. A strong case has been made that students try to integrate these diverse analogical models resulting in the generation of unscientific synthetic models. Conceptual change research programs also propose that carefully designed teaching and learning activities can stimulate students to exchange their intuitive and synthetic conceptions for more scientific conceptions.This thesis investigates the occurrence of students' intuitive and synthetic mental models of atoms and molecules at both a general and specific level. The investigations consisted in the first phase of semi-structured interviews with 48 Year 8-10 science students. While the data were predominantly qualitative the interviews also generated simple quantitative data. The second phase was wholly qualitative and involved the researcher as teacher' in the Year 11 class. Portfolios were compiled for each student in the class and six portfolios were interpreted to produce a set of case studies describing the students' learning about atoms, molecules and bonds. These data were derived from transcripts of class discussions and individual interviews; pre-tests, formative tests and post-tests; student essays and worksheets and analogical teaching events. The data were ++ / interpreted from a constructivist viewpoint with attention given to credibility, viability and transferability, and dependability. The desire to collect every piece of useful data was constrained by the ethical need to minimise the disruptive effect of the research on the students' normal learning.The first or general phase of this study investigated the question: With what models of atoms and molecules are lower secondary science students familiar? The interviews about atomic and molecular conceptions held by the Year 8-10 students found, for example, that some students confused atoms with cells because both have a nucleus, while others believed that electron shells enclose and protect the atom. All but two students visualised atoms with large nuclei and close static electrons. A majority of this student sample were confused by ball-and- stick molecular models and had a strong preference for space-filling molecular models because they were more 'real'.The second or specific phase of this study consisted of an in-depth study of the development of mental models of atoms, molecules and bonds by six Year 11 chemistry students over 40 weeks of instruction. This study investigated the question: Do systematically presented multiple analogical models help students change their conceptions of atoms, molecules and bonds in favour of the scientific view? The students' prior mental models of an atom were dominated by a solar system model with the electrons in simple shells. A variety of metaphors, analogical models and explanations emphasising the diffuse spaciousness of atoms helped three students restructure their conceptions in favour of the scientific concept. Students also were encouraged to identify the shared and unshared attributes of familiar molecular models and, in time, three students became competent multiple modellers. It is claimed that these three students ++ / changed their conceptions of atoms and molecules in the sense that they realised that models are thinking and communicative tools, not reality itself. The significant change in these students' thinking was their recognition that atomic and molecular analogical models are context-dependent.The phase two study's pre-occupation with conceptual change or knowledge restructuring raised an important methodological question: Is a multi-dimensional approach a better way to interpret conceptual change learning? or, are the various theoretical perspectives on conceptual change complementary? The study's theoretical framework found that conceptual change learning can be interpreted from epistemological, ontological, motivational, holistic explanatory and developmental perspectives. The collection and analysis of the data showed that student modelling ability and Perry's model of intellectual development were powerful interpretive tools when data needed to be examined from multiple perspectives. The six case studies support the assertion that multi-dimensional interpretive frameworks have superior credibility and viability compared to uni-dimensional studies.Finally, the research raised several questions requiring further investigation. No direct support was found for the claim that dissatisfaction is central to conceptual change. This issue needs much more study due to the popularity of discrepant event teaching. While a multi-dimensional conceptual change model has been synthesised, this model needs further refinement as does the issue of how to monitor the status of students' conceptions. A most promising line of pedagogical research is the value of teaching scientific modelling through the use of multiple systematic analogical models.

Two primary, interdependent goals of the NSW Higher School Certificate Aboriginal Studies course are enhancing Indigenous students’ self-concepts and educational outcome. It was considered that these would lead to increased Indigenous student participation and retention to Year 12. Yet recently there has been a decline in enrolments. Despite the introduction of Aboriginal Studies over a decade ago, no rigorous research has been undertaken to determine the impact of the course or the extent to which the aims of the course have been achieved. Research in Aboriginal Education has identified that Indigenous students are still not achieving at the same level as their non-Indigenous counterparts. However, the majority of studies to date have been theoretical and descriptive in nature. The primary purpose of the present investigation was to address some of the above issues by elucidating the (a) factors that influence Indigenous students’ decisions to participate in the HSC Aboriginal Studies course; (b) impact of the course on Indigenous students’ self-concepts and educational outcomes; and (c) strengths and limitations of the course. The research was undertaken in three NSW Department of Education and Training secondary schools, located in rural, north coast, and south coast areas. Results indicated that Indigenous students choose Aboriginal Studies based on their need to understand more about their own culture. There were also clear educational benefits in that Aboriginal Studies was considered to be a motivational factor that encouraged attendance at school and enhanced their academic self concept. Both staff and students suggested that the academic rigour of the Aboriginal Studies course contributed to declining enrolments. Overall the findings suggest that whilst the current course has some limitations, there are also many strengths; this implies there is a need to continue to refine the course to meet the needs of Indigenous students. / Master of Education (Hons)

Two primary, interdependent goals of the NSW Higher School Certificate Aboriginal Studies course are enhancing Indigenous students’ self-concepts and educational outcome. It was considered that these would lead to increased Indigenous student participation and retention to Year 12. Yet recently there has been a decline in enrolments. Despite the introduction of Aboriginal Studies over a decade ago, no rigorous research has been undertaken to determine the impact of the course or the extent to which the aims of the course have been achieved. Research in Aboriginal Education has identified that Indigenous students are still not achieving at the same level as their non-Indigenous counterparts. However, the majority of studies to date have been theoretical and descriptive in nature. The primary purpose of the present investigation was to address some of the above issues by elucidating the (a) factors that influence Indigenous students’ decisions to participate in the HSC Aboriginal Studies course; (b) impact of the course on Indigenous students’ self-concepts and educational outcomes; and (c) strengths and limitations of the course. The research was undertaken in three NSW Department of Education and Training secondary schools, located in rural, north coast, and south coast areas. Results indicated that Indigenous students choose Aboriginal Studies based on their need to understand more about their own culture. There were also clear educational benefits in that Aboriginal Studies was considered to be a motivational factor that encouraged attendance at school and enhanced their academic self concept. Both staff and students suggested that the academic rigour of the Aboriginal Studies course contributed to declining enrolments. Overall the findings suggest that whilst the current course has some limitations, there are also many strengths; this implies there is a need to continue to refine the course to meet the needs of Indigenous students. / Master of Education (Hons)