This thesis reports empirical and theoretical research into learning of mathematics and statistics at university level, with particular regard to students views of their self-confidence and experiences, and the effects of these on achievement. This study was conducted at a time of widespread national concern about difficulties in mathematics education in England, particularly at the transition from school to university Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses. Factors which affected non-specialist students learning of mathematics and statistics were investigated using student surveys in 2004/5, 2005/6 and 2006/7 (701 questionnaires) in the a-typical setting of a University College specialising in rural and land-based higher education. 52 student interviews were also carried out, primarily in 2008 and 2009, and are referred to but are not the main focus of this thesis. Both deductive and inductive approaches were used. Self-confidence was defined using three Mathematics Self-confidence Domains: Overall Confidence in Mathematics, Topic confidences for specific tasks, and Applications Confidence. Self-confidence was considered a belief, whilst liking of the subjects was an attitude, both forming part of affect , where affect comprised beliefs, attitudes and emotions. Student motivation was also investigated. The survey data, and examination and assignment marks, of engineering students learning mathematics and other non-specialist students learning statistics, were analysed both quantitatively (by descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Kruskal Wallis, Correlation, Multiple Regression, Factor and Cluster analyses) and qualitatively. Previous success in mathematics, primarily GCSE Mathematics grade, was found to be the greatest determinant of university students success in mathematics and statistics, but self-confidence and other affective variables also had significantly measurable effects. Significant effects on student confidence were also found for gender and dyslexia despite good achievement. Findings indicate that students self-confidence in mathematics does matter, as evidenced by significant relationships between confidence and achievement, but it was also concluded that these inter-relations were complex. Educators are encouraged to adopt student-focussed teaching styles which improve students self-confidence as a means to improving attainment.

Thesis (LLD)--Stellenbosch University, 2004 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An overview of the historical development of contract law and its underlying theory, spanning from Roman times to the present day, and in Western European and Anglo American systems, shows that the gradually developing will theory dominated in the early nineteenth century. It was, however, also in the nineteenth century that the first cracks in this theory were observed. First, sociological, political and economic factors, brought about by the Industrial Revolution, the rise of socialism and of labour, required a new, more humane approach. Secondly, with the emergence of a new economic system, new technical problems came to the fore: how were problems of mistake, interpretation, implied terms and derogation to be solved, unless reliance was placed, in each case, on untenable fictions? Thus, towards the last quarter of the nineteenth century, an intense and unparalleled juristic debate ensued, mainly in Europe, but later also in England and the United States of America. New approaches, e.g. that a strict and uncompromising declaration be followed, was proposed. The outcome of this debate was the emergence of the so-called confidence theory. The basis of this approach is that, whatever a person's real intention may have been, he so conducts himself as to lead the other party, as a reasonable person, to believe that the first party has assented to the contract as proposed or understood by the second party, the first party is bound by the impression he created. The principle was clearly stated by Blackburn J in Smith v Hughes (1871) LR 6 OB 597, which has since become one of the famous dicta in the law of contract, and forms part of the English law. It should be stressed that the Blackburn approach was not alien to Europe, where the gradual and natural development of the common law was overtaken by codification The French Codification retained the pure will theory. Under the Dutch code, the so-called will-reliance system was developed, akin to the Blackburn approach. In German law, however, the De Groot view was followed: the mistaken party was permitted to 'resile' from the 'contract' but under obligation to compensate the 'innocent' party's negative interest. In South Africa, the basic point of departure is the will theory but supplemented by the confidence theory This system is made possible by our law of procedure, where two remedies, the justus error approach and the contractual consent approach are available. As both these remedies have the same objective, viz. to protect the legitimate interests of the party that was misled, they require the same substantive law requirements. The confidence theory has imbedded itself so deeply in South African, European and English law, that it is now recognized by some as the key, not only to the solution of the dissensus problem, but also in cases of interpretation, supplementation and derogation. The combination of will and reliance are the foundation stones of contractual liability. These two principles have developed (and are still developing) from society's pre-positive, moral, ethical, political, economic, religious and other values, which have been and are still being absorbed in the body of legal rules. This process of development is informed by the norms and rules relating to public policy, public interest, the bani mores and good faith. These norms and rules are recognized and applied in the legal systems of the United States of America, England and Europe. They form part of our law, but unfortunately our courts are extremely conservative in recognizing and applying them. If we wish to obtain and sustain social and contractual justice, more weight should be accorded to these values. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Oorsig van die geskiedkundige ontwikkeling van die kontraktereg en die onderliggende teorie daarvan vanaf die Romeinse tyd tot vandag in sowel Wes-Europese as die Anglo-Amerikaanse stelsels, toon aan dat die geleidelik-ontwikkelende wilsteorie in die negentiende eeu die botoon gevoer het. Dis egter ook gedurende die negentiende eeu dat die eerste krake in hierdie teorie waargeneem is. Eerstens het sosiologiese, politieke en ekonomiese faktore, veroorsaak deur die Industriële Revolusie, 'n nuwe, meer menslike benadering geverg. Tweedens het nuwe, tegniese probleme ontstaan met die opkoms van 'n nuwe ekonomiese sisteem: hoe moes probleme soos dwaling, uitleg, stilswyende bepalings en derogasie opgelos word, tensy die oplossing in elke geval op onhoudbare fiksies moes berus? In die laaste kwart van die negentiende eeu het derhalwe 'n intense en ongeëwenaarde juridiese debat ontstaan, hoofsaaklik in Europa, maar later ook in Engeland en die VSA Nuwe benaderings, bv. dat slegs gelet word op die eksterne verklaring ter uitsluiting van enige subjektiewe bedoeling, is voorgestel. Die resultaat van hierdie debat was die ontwikkeling van die vertrouensteorie. Die basis van hierdie benadering is dat wat ookal 'n mens se werklike bedoeling mag gewees het, hy so opgetree het dat die ander party, redelikerwys, oortuig was dat die eerste party toegestem het tot die kontrak soos voorgestelof verstaan deur die tweede party die eerste party dan gebonde is aan die indruk wat hy geskep het. Die beginsel is duidelik gestel deur Blackburn R in Smith v Hughes (1871) LR 6 OB 597. Dit moet benadruk word dat die Blackburn benadering nie vreemd aan Europa was nie, waar die geleidelike en natuurlike ontwikkeling van die gemene reg deur kodifikasie kortgeknip is. Die Franse Kodifikasie het die suiwer wilsteorie behou. Die sogenaamde wils-vertrouens stelsel, soortgelyk aan die Blackburnbenadering, het onder die Nederlandse Kode ontwikkel, maar in Duitsland is die De Groot-benadering gevolg: die party wat homself vergis het, is toegelaat om uit die 'kontrak' terug te tree, maar onder die verpligting om die 'onskuldige' party se negatiewe interesse te vergoed. In Suid-Afrika is die basiese vertrekpunt die wilsteorie, maar aangevul deur die vertrouensteorie. Dit word moontlik gemaak deur ons prosesreg, waar twee remedies, die Justus error-benadering en die wilsooreenstemmings-benadering beskikbaar is. Aangesien beide hierdie remedies dieselfde mikpunt het, naamlik om die regmatige belange van die misleide party te beskerm, verg hulle dieselfde materiële regsvereistes. Die vertrouensteorie is so diep in die Suid-Afrikaanse, Europese en Engelse reg ingebed dat dit nou deur sommige mense erken word as die sleutel, nie alleen tot die oplossing van die dissensus probleem nie, maar ook in gevalle van uitleg, aanvulling en derogasie. Die kombinasie van wil en vertroue is die hoekstene van kontraktuele aanspreeklikheid. Hierdie twee begrippe het ontwikkel (en ontwikkel nog steeds) uit die gemeenskap se voor-positiewe, morele, etiese, staatkundige, ekonomiese, godsdiens- en ander waardes, wat in die regstelselopgeneem en beliggaam is en word. Hierdie ontwikkelingsproses berus op die norme en reëls betreffende openbare beleid, openbare belang, die boni mores en goeie trou en word erken en toegepas in die regstelsels van die VSA, Engeland en Europa. Dit maak deel uit van ons reg, maar ongelukkig is ons howe aartskonserwatief in die erkenning en toepassing daarvan. As ons maatskaplike en kontraktuele geregtigheid wil bekom en volhou, moet groter gewig aan hierdie waardes vergun word.

The Standard Model is a mathematical description of the very nature of elementary particles and their interactions, now seen as relativistic quantum fields. A key feature of the theory is the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism, responsible for the spontaneous symmetry breaking of the underlying gauge symmetry, and which implies the existence of a neutral Higgs particle. Searches for the Higgs boson were conducted at the Large Electron Positron collider until 2000 and are still ongoing at the Tevatron collider, but the particle has not been not observed. In order to better constrain models with an exotic electroweak symmetry breaking sector, a search for a Higgs boson decaying into a W pair is carried out with the ALEPH detector on 453 pb-1 of data collected at center-of-mass energies up to 209 GeV. The analysis is optimized for the many topologies resulting from the six-fermion final state. A lower limit at 105.8 GeV/c² on the Higgs boson mass in a fermiophobic Higgs boson scenario is obtained. The ultimate machine for the Higgs boson discovery is the Large Hadron Collider, which is being built at CERN. In order to evaluate the physics potential of the CMS detector, the WH associated production of a Higgs boson decaying into a W pair is studied. Performances of data acquisition and its sophisticated trigger system, particle identification and event reconstruction are investigated by performing a detailed analysis on simulated data. Three-lepton final states are shown to provide interesting possibilities. For an integrated luminosity of 100 fb-1, a potential signal significance of more than 5ó is obtained in the mass interval between 155 and 178 GeV/c². The corresponding precision on the Higgs boson mass and partial decay width into W pairs are evaluated. This channel also provides one of the very few possible avenues towards the discovery of a fermiophobic Higgs boson below 180 GeV/c². These studies required many original technical developments, that are also presented.

<p>Uppsatsens syfte är att med hjälp av livsberättelser få en inblick i elevers upplevelser av specialpedagogiska insatser. Metoden är en livshistorieansats med tyngdpunkt på elevers syn på sin skolsituation och lärande, i relation till miljö och grupptillhörighet. Studiens teoretiska hållning har ett socialkonstruktionistiskt perspektiv, vilket innebär att verkligheten, kunskap och lärande skapas i social samverkan.</p><p>Arbetet bygger på en empirisk studie av två elevers berättelser om sin skoltid. Eleverna går båda i årskurs sju och har under sin skoltid haft olika former av specialpedagogiskt stöd. Studien gör en forskningsanknytning bland annat inom områdena: en skola för alla, elevers upplevelser, pedagogers roll och föräldrars syn. Utöver reflektioner kring forskning och empiri tas i diskussionen upp fem områden, vilka i studien framkommit ha betydelse för elevernas skolgång: motivation, trötthet, ensamhet, delaktighet och behov av lugn och ro.</p><p>Det specifika för studien är elevernas berättelser och att ur dessa synliggöra specialpedagogiska insatser.</p> / <p>The aim of this essay is to get an insight into pupils experiences of special needs education by life-histories. It´s an application of the life-history method and the main focus is pupils way to understand their schoolsituation and learning, related to environment and grouping. The theoretical frame of the study is a socialconstructionist approach, that means, that the reality, knowledge and learning comes out of social co-operation.</p><p>The essay is based on an empirical study of two pupils stories of their schooling. The pupils are both in the seventh grade and have had varying kinds of special needs education during their schooling. The study connects with research findings among inter alia: inclusive schools, pupils experiences, the parts of the pedagogues and the parents opinions. Besides reflections about research findings and empiric the discussion in the essay includes five themes, that the study came to the conclusion was important for pupils schooling: motivation, tiredness, loneliness, participation and the need of peace and quiet.</p><p>The specific of the study is the stories of the pupils and from this point of view the attention paid to special needs education.</p>

Monte Carlo sampling-based methods are frequently used in stochastic programming when exact solution is not possible. In this dissertation, we develop two sets of Monte Carlo sampling-based algorithms to solve classes of two-stage stochastic programs. These algorithms follow a sequential framework such that a candidate solution is generated and evaluated at each step. If the solution is of desired quality, then the algorithm stops and outputs the candidate solution along with an approximate (1 - α) confidence interval on its optimality gap. The first set of algorithms proposed, which we refer to as the fixed-width sequential sampling methods, generate a candidate solution by solving a sampling approximation of the original problem. Using an independent sample, a confidence interval is built on the optimality gap of the candidate solution. The procedures stop when the confidence interval width plus an inflation factor falls below a pre-specified tolerance epsilon. We present two variants. The fully sequential procedures use deterministic, non-decreasing sample size schedules, whereas in another variant, the sample size at the next iteration is determined using current statistical estimates. We establish desired asymptotic properties and present computational results. In another set of sequential algorithms, we combine deterministically valid and sampling-based bounds. These algorithms, labeled sampling-based sequential approximation methods, take advantage of certain characteristics of the models such as convexity to generate candidate solutions and deterministic lower bounds through Jensen's inequality. A point estimate on the optimality gap is calculated by generating an upper bound through sampling. The procedure stops when the point estimate on the optimality gap falls below a fraction of its sample standard deviation. We show asymptotically that this algorithm finds a solution with a desired quality tolerance. We present variance reduction techniques and show their effectiveness through an empirical study.

Pertvarkant vaikų globos įstaigų tinklą, siekiama gerinti vaiko gyvenimo kokybę. Aktualu periodiškai tirti globos įstaigos vaikų ir globėjų santykių ypatumus. Darbo tikslas: ištirti globojamų vaikų santykius su personalu ir įvertinti vaikų dalyvavimo priimant sprendimus galimybes. Tyrimo metodika. 2008.09.09 - 2008.09.12 laikotarpiu Valkininkų vaikų globos namuose „Spengla“ buvo atliekama anketinė globotinių apklausa. Statistinė duomenų analizė atlikta SPSS 11 versijos programiniu paketu. Išvados atskleidžia, kad dauguma įstaigos vaikų palankiai vertina personalo veiklą, tačiau jų nuomonė į sėkmigo pasirengimo savarankiškam gyvenimui galimybes yra neigiama: tik kas dešimtas vaikas (9,4 proc.) žino, ką veiks pabaigęs mokyklą ; nei vienas vaikas nepaminėjo šeimos kaip gyvenimo vertybės; mokslas ir profesija svarbi tik kas trisdešimtam apklaustajam (2,8 proc.). Toks požiūris sumažina globotinių sėkmingos socializacijos galimybes. Daugiau savarankiškumo turi vaikai, kurie aktyviai dalyvauja visuomeniniame gyvenime. Kas trečias vaikas, dalyvaujantis priimant sprendimus dėl savo gyvenimo sąlygų, turi galimybę savarankiškai vertinti savo darbą. Tai didina sėkmingos socializacijos galimybes. / Restructuring of the children’s foster home network aims at improving the children’s quality of life. Periodic studies of the peculiarities of the relationships between children’s foster home inmates and caregivers are relevant. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between children in foster homes and the personnel, and to investigate the possibilities for children’s participation in decision-making. The methods of the study. Between September 09, 2008 and September 12, 2008 we performed a questionnaire-based inquiry of children in Valkininkai children’s foster home “Spengla”. Sta¬tis¬ti¬cal data analysis was performed using the SPSS 11 statistical software package. The analysis of the findings showed that the majority of the studied children positively evaluated the personnel’s activity, but their opinion about possibilities for successful preparation for independent was negative – only every-tenth child (9.4%) knew what they would do after finishing school, none of the children mentioned family as a value in life, and only every thirtieth child (2.8%) was interested in studies and profession. Such attitudes reduce the children’s possibilities for successful socialization. A greater level of independence was observed in children who actively participate in social life. Two-thirds (61.5%) of children who had not made up their mind concerning their future life did not participate in making decisions about the living conditions in the foster home. Meanwhile... [to full text]

Syftet med föreliggande uppsats var att studera vilka motivationsfaktorer, passionsfaktorer samt vilken grad av självförtroende som uppvisas hos ungdomslandslagsspelare i fotboll. Vidare undersöktes samband mellan passion och självförtroende samt hur motivation var relaterat till passion och självförtroende. I studien deltog 288 manliga och kvinnliga fotbollspelare i åldrarna 15-17 år (M=16,02, Sd=1,06) från svenska ungdomslandslaget i fotboll. I studien användes Vealeys Sportconfidence Scale (VSS), Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) och The Passion Scale (PS). Resultatet visade att det fanns statistiska signifikanta samband mellan de tre variablerna passion, motivation och självförtroende. Vidare påvisades att inre motivationsfaktorer var främst förekommande bland ungdomslandslagsfotbollspelare samt att individerna med harmonisk passion uppvisade starkare samband med självförtroende än individer med tvångsmässig passion. Studieresultaten har analyserats och diskuterats i förhållande till teorier och tidigare forskning. Likt alla forskningsområden behövs ytterligare forskning med slumpmässigt urval för att kunna fastställa några säkra slutsatser gällande huruvida resultaten går att generalisera på den stora populationen. / The purpose of the study was to investigate motivationalfactors, passionfactors and level of confidence players among the youth Swedish nationalteam in soccer. Furthermore the relationship between passion and confidence was investigated and also how motiovation is related to passion and confidence. 288 male and female soocer players aged between 15-17 (M=16.02, Sd=1.06) took part of the study. Vealey Sportconfidence Scale (VSS), Sport Motivation Scale (SMS) andThe Passion Scale (PS) was used in the study. The results showed statistically significant relationships between passion, motivation and confidence. The results showed that internal motivational factors was most common in youth national team players and that harmonic passion showed a more significant relationship with confidence than obsessive passion did. Further the results were analyzed and discussed in relation theories and earilier findings. Like all fields of research, further research on a wider population and with larger sample is needed in order to establish any form of conclusions.

Public opinion regarding crime-related issues is a challenging matter for researchers and politicians alike. An ill-informed public with regards to crime, punishment and other aspects of the criminal justice system leads to discontent and demands for harsher policies to strengthen public safety. Politicians harness public opinion to secure votes, and this can result in punitive policies that are founded on erroneous beliefs. The objective of this study is to look more deeply into people’s attitudes towards crime and punishment, and to consider why Greek people hold the views that they do and how these views are constructed. A multi-method approach was adopted for the implementation of this study. Quantitative methods were used to map the scope of attitudes towards crime and punishment in Greece. Qualitative methods were then appropriate to analyse and explore how attitudes are constructed and investigate specific factors in more depth. Greek culture was found to be one of the core issues, and in this context the Greek Orthodox faith and the traditional tight Greek family unit indicate that the stronger are the Greek people’s adherence to their traditional religious and family values, the less punitive are their attitudes towards crime and punishment. However, factors such as the media, attitudes towards immigrants and the contemporary political scene were found to cause distorted perceptions, leading to lack of confidence in the Greek criminal justice system.

A major concern many counselor trainees face when preparing to see their first couple-client is that of confidence because they have had little to no experience in interacting in a professional capacity with couples. Many beginning counselors experience anxiety, which can inhibit their effectiveness with clients (Scanlon & Baille, 1994). Introducing counselor trainees to a relatively non-threatening interaction with couples might reduce the initial anxiety that characterizes the neophyte counselor venturing into new clinical territory. The interaction may also enhance feelings of warmth and closeness of the couples. John Gottman's Oral History Interview (Gottman, 1999) was the protocol used in the interaction between trainee and couple. An instrument developed for this study to measure couple counseling confidence, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1983), and the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships (Schaefer & Olson, 1981) were used to assess levels of counselor confidence, counselor anxiety, and couple intimacy, respectively. The confidence instrument and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory were administered to 37 students who were enrolled in four graduate level introductory couple counseling classes and who interviewed couples, as well as to 34 counselor-trainees who were enrolled in five graduate level counseling courses other than couple counseling and who did not interview couples. Analyses of the quantitative data revealed no statistically significant differences in confidence between trainees who interviewed a couple and trainees who did not interview a couple. Analyses of qualitative data suggested there were differences. The Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships was administered to 67 individual couple participants who were interviewed by counselor trainees, and 35 individual couple participants who were not interviewed by counselor-trainees. Analyses of the quantitative data revealed no statistically significant differences in couples who participated in the Oral History Interview and those who did not. Analyses of qualitative data suggested there were differences. Regarding both counselor confidence and couple intimacy, future research using a larger sample size and more refined quantitative methods appears warranted.

No description available.