Within the past decade little research has been conducted in the United States to examine the preparedness of beginning speech-language pathologists; the seminal article used for this research study comes from the United Kingdom (Horton, Byng, Bunning, & Pring, 2004). Literature from the past few decades indicates that there may be deficiencies in the way that beginning speech-language pathologists are being trained clinically. The review of the literature suggests that the field may lack a clear and broadly supported learning theory or framework for the clinical supervision and training of speech-language pathology graduate students. The literature further supports the importance of work-embedded learning and problem-based learning, as well as suggests a theoretical framework that may be utilized for supervision and clinical training in the future. The purpose of this exploratory phenomenological study is to understand and describe how speech-language pathology graduate students perceive their clinical training and supervision obtained during graduate school prepared them for their first externship placements. The literature suggests that a framework for the transfer of theoretical knowledge into the clinical setting is often not present in graduate academic programs (Horton & Byng, 2000b). Models of highly effective practices that are grounded in adult learning theory and empirical research regarding clinical training and supervision should be taken into account. In this way, department-level leaders may be able to design more effective models for clinical training and supervision. The data from participant interviews conducted for this study were organized into two over-arching themes: supervision and clinical experiences. The data in each theme were further organized into more specific categories. The theme of supervision includes five categories: a) most helpful supervisor characteristics, b) least helpful supervisor characteristics, c) differences in supervision, d) feedback from supervisors, and e) working with different supervisors. In addition, the theme of clinical experiences includes four categories: a) differences between in-house experiences and externship experiences, b) significant aspects of clinical training, c) limitations of clinical training, and d) limitations of clinical coursework.

The Basic Concepts Mediated Learning Programme (BCMLP) was developed to enhance the cognitive and scholastic functioning of learners who experience barriers to learning in the early years of schooling in the South African context. The study aimed to initiate a process of evaluation of the efficacy of this metacognitive programme with Grade 2 learners from the &lsquo / Cape Flats&rsquo / , an historically disadvantaged community in Cape Town. The study was conducted simultaneously in two local education authorities by independent teams of fieldworkers in each of the education authorities. This quantitative, quasi-experimental, non-equivalent comparison group design study was implemented with learners who were equally assigned to an Experimental group (N=54) or Comparison group (N=55). English home-language and Bilingual (English and Afrikaans) learners made up a majority of the study sample. The study was conducted in English.<br /> <br /> Extensive pre-test and post-test batteries consisting of cognitive (information-processing), cognitive modifiability (dynamic assessment), and scholastic tests were used to collect data. A number of structured interview schedules including post-intervention teacher rating scales were also used for the purpose of data gathering. The results from the parametric and non-parametric methods of data analysis selected, revealed a pattern of significant pre- to post-study cognitive and scholastic gains in scores for learners in both the Experimental and Comparison groups (p&lt / 0.05). In addition, it was found that the study participants, irrespective of their designation to the Experimental or Comparison group became more modifiable and demonstrated enhanced information-processing abilities at the end of the study. Significantly greater gains were, however, attained by learners in the Experimental group in a majority of the areas assessed (7 out of 12) (p&lt / 0.05). Learners in the Experimental group were also found to be more responsive to instruction and modifiable than learners in the Comparison group.<br /> <br /> Learners who participated in the BCMLP were found to benefit with respect to their knowledge of basic concepts, cognitive and scholastic functioning. However, it was not possible to infer from the current study that findings were attributable to any one specific procedure (mediational teaching, concept teaching, vocabulary teaching and teaching to enhance information-processing) or process (Basic Concept Teaching Model) of this metacognitive programme. Furthermore, the study had a number of limitations and findings should be regarded with some caution until replication studies can be completed and the long-term effects of the study can be evaluated.<br /> <br /> The study provides some evidence for the efficacy of short-term, small group intervention programmes implemented by Learning Support Teachers within disadvantaged communities. The study also provides some initial evidence for the efficacy of the BCMLP (a specially designed metacognitive programme). The BCMLP was found to be both appropriate and manageable for Learning Support Teachers to implement in the South African context.

Intermediate elementary students (grades 4 and 5) frequently struggle to become scientifically literate in their general education classrooms. Scientific literacy includes knowing how to access and use information found in science texts. Unfortunately, many students struggle to read and understand science texts (Michalsky, Mevarech, & Haibi, 2009, p. 363). Fortunately, elementary students have shown improvement in reading comprehension when explicitly instructed in cognitive and metacognitive strategies to comprehend expository text in settings that support collaboration and flexible application of comprehension strategies, and have meaningful opportunities for reading and writing (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2004; Palincsar & Klenk, 1992). A method that includes these components is reciprocal teaching (RT; National Reading Panel, 2000). RT has been used during content area instruction to increase reading comprehension skills of intermediate elementary students without disabilities in general education classrooms (King & Johnson, 1999; Lederer, 2000; Lubliner, 2004). These reading comprehension gains have been maintained by students on follow-up tests after the RT intervention has been withdrawn (Palincsar & Brown, 1984; Westera & Moore, 1995). This study examined the effects of RT on the science literacy of intermediate elementary students (grades 4-5) participating in inclusive science classes. Students with learning disabilities (SWLD), students at-risk (AR), and students in general education (GE) participated in this study. General education teachers used RT with science texts to improve science literacy. Pre/post science quizzes were used to assess the effects of the RT intervention, and post/follow-up tests assessed potential maintenance of the RT. s / Analyses of the data showed that the RT intervention resulted in improved science comprehension overall, and for each student group. In addition, the results showed that the gains were maintained for the individual student grouping after the RT intervention was removed, although these gains were not found overall.The study demonstrated that the use of RT during science instruction in inclusive, intermediate elementary classes assisted students who are AR, SWLD, and students in GE to attain science knowledge using standard science texts and materials. These results extend the experimental literature on science literacy and reciprocal teaching, particularly among intermediate elementary students. / by Kim E. DiLorenzo. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This qualitative research study examined developmental reading instructors' reported use of metacognitive reading strategies as well as what other approaches they used to improve and increase the reading comprehension of their struggling adult readers. The researcher collected data using two interviews per participant and document analyses. Although studies have deemed metacognitive reading strategies effective in increasing the reading comprehension of struggling readers, the results indicated that the participants did not typically instruct their struggling adult readers in the use of metacognitive reading strategies. The implications for the study were related to instructional practice in developmental reading courses, policy changes, and struggling readers. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Bilingual children sometimes respond to their interlocutors using a different language than the one in which they were addressed. These language choices, their concurrent correlates, and relations to subsequent language growth were examined in 91 Spanish-English bilingual children (44 girls, 47 boys). Children's language choices were assessed at 30 months, and their English and Spanish productive vocabularies and receptive language skills were examined at the ages of 30, 36, and 42 months. Children's language choices were concurrently related to English and Spanish productive and receptive language scores and to mothers' English and Spanish proficiency levels. Longitudinal multi-level modeling analyses indicated that children's language choices at 30 months were uniquely related to language growth on measures of English and Spanish productive vocabulary and Spanish receptive language, when controlling for language expo sure. These findings suggest that language use plays a causal role in language development. The findings of this study have implications for the maintenance of heritage languages in the U.S. and for the development of children's English language skills. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Cognitive Science is interested in being able to develop methodologies for analyzing human learning and performance data. Intelligent tutoring systems need good cognitive models that can predict student performance. Cognitive models of human processing are also useful in tutoring because well-designed curriculums need to understand the common components of knowledge that students need to be able to employ. A common concern is being able to predict when transfer should happen. We describe a methodology first used by Koedinger that uses empirical data and cognitively principled task analysis to evaluate the fit of cognitive models. This methodology seems particularly useful when you are trying to find evidence for“hidden" knowledge components, which are hard to assess because they are confounded with accessing other knowledge components. We present this methodology as well as an illustration showing how we are trying to use this method to answer an important cognitive science issue.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:43:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Beatriz de Campos Elias.pdf: 1284982 bytes, checksum: 35b1c84c8c6c16d75a63655dcebfe680 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-18 / In the current scenery of the information society, the new communication and information tecnologies are affecting especially the professional and educational worlds. But do the multimedia messages, that already invaded classrooms, really work? Richard Mayer s answer is yes, as he proposes his multimedia cognitive learning theory. And how have teachers been applying these techonological resources they now have access to? In order to answer this question, a ten day imersion was made on the Colégio Portinari in Salvador, concerning especially a history course in which the teacher uses multimedia sequences made by himself. / No cenário atual da sociedade da informação, as novas tecnologias da comunicação e da informação vêm afetando em particular o mundo do trabalho e o da educação. Mas as mensagens multimídias, que já invadiram as salas de aula, realmente funcionam? Sim, responde Richard Mayer, ao propor sua teoria cognitiva da aprendizagem multimídia. E na prática, como os professores vêm utilizando os recursos tecnológicos de que dispõem? Em busca da resposta a essa pergunta, fez-se uma imersão de dez dias no Colégio Portinari, de Salvador, onde leciona um professor de História que constrói suas próprias sequências multimídias.

The local high school and school district have failed to achieve adequate yearly progress in reading due to the poor performance of 9th-grade and special education students on the annual state reading assessment. There may be numerous factors leading to the low scores, but researchers have suggested that students whose parents are engaged in their education have more academic success than students whose parents have minimal participation. An explanatory survey design was used in this quantitative study to identify the involvement activities of parents of 9th-grade students and determine if there was a relationship between their involvement and their child's reading achievement. The theoretical framework was Epstein's theory on parental involvement. Archival data from the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness-end of course English I/reading test of 65 9th-grade students were coded for anonymity and matched with their parents' total scores on the Parent Choice of Involvement Activities survey. Data analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation analysis yielded no significant relationship between parent involvement and students' reading scores. Descriptive analysis identified that parents were more involved with educational activities in the home, rather than participating at school. Therefore, a school-based parent development program was designed. Additional research is needed to explore other reasons for the poor reading outcome of the 9th-grade and special education students. Providing parents with strategies that empower them to become fully involved in the secondary education of their children can bring about positive social change by building strong relationships between the school, family, and community to support the academic achievement of high school students.

A recurring theme in the cognitive development literature is the notion that people restructure their task knowledge as they develop increasingly sophisticated strategies. A large body of empirical literature spanning several domains suggests that in some cases, the process of knowledge restructuring is best characterized by a process of sequentially replacing old strategies with newer ones. In other cases, restructuring appears to be better characterized as a process involving changes in the way partial knowledge elements are selectively applied to a task. Critically, the former, but not the latter position, suggests that it may be quite difficult for people to revert to using an old strategy after restructuring has already occurred. The three experiments reported herein suggest that knowledge restructuring observed in experimental settings is aptly characterized by a process of strategy retention. Specifically, people are shown to readily revert to using an old categorization strategy even after demonstrably having restructured their knowledge, suggesting that knowledge is best conceptualized as having a heterogeneous structure. Formal modeling further supports this interpretation of the empirical results, and highlights the important role of selective attention in determining the manifest response strategy. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of an overarching mixture-of-experts framework of knowledge representation.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education