Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1992.

This thesis proposes that the ancient Greek novels theorize their readers from within themselves. The novels self-consciously promote and construct a reader who is curious, or polypragmôn, and lead this reader towards a recognition of that fact. The reader becomes aware of his or her experience of reading as a process. Drawing on Plutarch's suggestion that the best way to turn curiosity into a force for good is to turn it on oneself, this thesis puts forward the idea that the novels lead a curious reader to engage with his or her encounter with the text, to identify him or herself as curious, and in so doing come to a position of self-analysis. Attention is drawn to the experience of reading, and the lessons that can be learnt from it, by the embedding of narratives within the novels. Embedded or partial narratives can suggest alternative storylines and encourage the curious reader to pry and collaborate with the narrator. The experience of interior space maps the reader's encounter with the novel, constructing him or her as curious as s/he is encouraged to peep through gaps in doors, follow the narrator through doors, and think about his or her status as voyeur and eavesdropper. Deceptive narratives lead the reader to follow suggested storylines and to interrogate the text to try to discover the 'truth' that may lie behind the narrative. Finally, the presence of female characters incites the curious reader to find out what s/he can about them, pushing the narrative to its limit. In going through this process of interrogating the text and actively striving to find out more by reading between the lines, the reader becomes aware of reading as a process, and of his or her curiosity, thus becoming able to analyse him or herself. The novels thus promote a theory of how their readers approach them.

Esta dissertação tem como foco o estudo do jogo empreendido entre as curiosidades e as coordenações das ações de um grupo de alunos das Séries Iniciais do Colégio de Aplicação da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (CAp/UFRGS). A turma participante da pesquisa frequentava o 1º ano em 2009, sendo que atuei nesta turma como professora no referido ano. Em 2010, retornei à mesma turma, já no 2º ano, para a continuação da coleta de dados. Tendo a Epistemologia Genética como base teórica, meu movimento de ser professora foi constituindo-se também como de ser pesquisadora na medida em que via, nas ações dos alunos, possibilidades de compreender o percurso de seu pensamento. As questões que orientam esta pesquisa são: Como a busca ativa para satisfazer a curiosidade se desenvolve? Quais são as formas de coordenações de ações resultantes da busca ativa da curiosidade? Minha hipótese era de que ao agir em função de uma curiosidade o sujeito poderia coordenar ações que se apresentam de diferentes formas. Constatei, então, três níveis de desenvolvimento, os quais foram estabelecidos por critérios de conservação e busca pela curiosidade, apresentados pela criança. As coordenações de ações foram empreendidas nas formas de criação de pergunta, relações parte e todo, implicação significante, comparações, seriação, classificação e cooperação. Tais formas de coordenações evidenciam que operar com a curiosidade pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento infantil, o qual, neste caso, é movido pelo interesse. Com isso, as ações docentes deixam de ter um roteiro fixo para aventurar-se pelos labirintos da curiosidade infantil. / This dissertation is focused in the study of the game held between the curiosities and the coordination of actions of a group of students from the Colégio de Aplicação, initial years, at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (CAp/UFRGS), in Porto Alegre, RS. The group of pupils that participated in the research was attending the 1st year in 2009 when I was working as their teacher. In 2010, I returned to the same class, this time in the 2nd year, for further data collection. Having the genetic epistemology as a theoretical basis, my movement as a teacher was being constituted along with my intent in doing school research. In that way, the actions of the students became opportunities to understand the course of their thinking. The questions that guide this research are: How the active quest to satisfy the curiosity is developed? What forms of coordination of actions arise from the active pursuit of curiosity? My hypothesis was that the act of a curiosity on the subject could coordinate actions that were themselves presented in different ways. I noted then three levels of development, which were established by the criteria of conservation and the pursuit for curiosity presented by the child. The coordination of actions were undertaken on ways of creating questions, part and whole relationships, significant implication, comparison, grading, sorting and cooperation. Such forms of coordination showed that to operate with curiosity can contribute to the child development, which in this case is driven by interest. Thus, the actions of teachers no longer have a fixed route to venture into children’s mazes of curiosity.

Esta dissertação tem como foco o estudo do jogo empreendido entre as curiosidades e as coordenações das ações de um grupo de alunos das Séries Iniciais do Colégio de Aplicação da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (CAp/UFRGS). A turma participante da pesquisa frequentava o 1º ano em 2009, sendo que atuei nesta turma como professora no referido ano. Em 2010, retornei à mesma turma, já no 2º ano, para a continuação da coleta de dados. Tendo a Epistemologia Genética como base teórica, meu movimento de ser professora foi constituindo-se também como de ser pesquisadora na medida em que via, nas ações dos alunos, possibilidades de compreender o percurso de seu pensamento. As questões que orientam esta pesquisa são: Como a busca ativa para satisfazer a curiosidade se desenvolve? Quais são as formas de coordenações de ações resultantes da busca ativa da curiosidade? Minha hipótese era de que ao agir em função de uma curiosidade o sujeito poderia coordenar ações que se apresentam de diferentes formas. Constatei, então, três níveis de desenvolvimento, os quais foram estabelecidos por critérios de conservação e busca pela curiosidade, apresentados pela criança. As coordenações de ações foram empreendidas nas formas de criação de pergunta, relações parte e todo, implicação significante, comparações, seriação, classificação e cooperação. Tais formas de coordenações evidenciam que operar com a curiosidade pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento infantil, o qual, neste caso, é movido pelo interesse. Com isso, as ações docentes deixam de ter um roteiro fixo para aventurar-se pelos labirintos da curiosidade infantil. / This dissertation is focused in the study of the game held between the curiosities and the coordination of actions of a group of students from the Colégio de Aplicação, initial years, at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (CAp/UFRGS), in Porto Alegre, RS. The group of pupils that participated in the research was attending the 1st year in 2009 when I was working as their teacher. In 2010, I returned to the same class, this time in the 2nd year, for further data collection. Having the genetic epistemology as a theoretical basis, my movement as a teacher was being constituted along with my intent in doing school research. In that way, the actions of the students became opportunities to understand the course of their thinking. The questions that guide this research are: How the active quest to satisfy the curiosity is developed? What forms of coordination of actions arise from the active pursuit of curiosity? My hypothesis was that the act of a curiosity on the subject could coordinate actions that were themselves presented in different ways. I noted then three levels of development, which were established by the criteria of conservation and the pursuit for curiosity presented by the child. The coordination of actions were undertaken on ways of creating questions, part and whole relationships, significant implication, comparison, grading, sorting and cooperation. Such forms of coordination showed that to operate with curiosity can contribute to the child development, which in this case is driven by interest. Thus, the actions of teachers no longer have a fixed route to venture into children’s mazes of curiosity.

Este trabalho abordou a pesquisa do professor sobre temas ligados à sua prática docente, aliada a processos de formação continuada. O objetivo foi analisar o processo inicial de questionamento do professor em formação e a ocorrência das primeiras sistematizações dos objetos de sua prática. Para desenvolver esta proposta foram empregados referencias teóricos sobre a formação de professores incluindo aqueles que configuram investigação de professores como um princípio norteador da formação. A curiosidade é outro referencial e foi primeiramente analisada segundo seus diversos sentidos e segundo várias perspectivas e, em seguida, estabeleceu-se uma ligação da curiosidade com a ideia da investigação do professor e seu processo de conhecimento. Nosso interesse foi saber como uma curiosidade inicial ou espontânea do professor em formação pode se tornar sistemática e rigorosa, ou seja, curiosidade epistemológica. O professor é considerado como alguém que produz conhecimento e pode desenvolver uma investigação sistemática sobre sua prática docente. Este trabalho é resultado de estudo de caso desenvolvido em uma disciplina de Fundamentos Metodológicos de Ciências e Matemática de curso de Mestrado Profissional em Ciências e Matemática. Por meio de uma metodologia interpretativa, no qual a pesquisadora realizou uma observação participativa, foram analisadas as atividades desenvolvidas na disciplina por dez professores de Matemática, além de entrevistas semiestruturadas. As análises dos dados produziram a caracterização do desenvolvimento da reflexão dos mestrandos e da manifestação de atitudes investigativas sobre questões da própria prática. Os resultados indicam que a proposta da disciplina auxiliou na participação dos mestrandos em falar e escrever sobre a própria prática docente. Os depoimentos dos mestrandos evidenciaram que eles procuram problematizar suas próprias experiências docentes, mas ao mesmo tempo, têm dificuldades com os estudos sobre Educação e Educação Matemática. Foi possível observar nexos e elementos que indicam que os mestrandos estiveram, num movimento direcionado para ultrapassar uma curiosidade inicial. Novas ideias e questionamentos sobre a prática docente surgiram segundo as experiências efetivas dos mestrandos como professores. / This thesis addressed the professors research about topics related to their teaching practices combined with the processes of continued education. The goal was to analyze the initial process of questioning the professor in training and to arrange methodically their first subjects of practice. To develop this proposal, theoretical references were used about the teachers in training, including those that take into account the teachers research as a guiding principle of training. Curiosity was also another referential and was primarily analyzed according to its various senses and various perspectives. Moreover, a link was established between curiosity itself and the teachers research idea and knowledge process. Our interest was to find out how the teachers initial curiosity or spontaneity during training can become systematic or rigorous, in other words, epistemological curiosity. The professor is considered as someone who produces knowledge and can develop a systematic investigation about their practices. This thesis is a result of a case study developed in the course Methodological Foundations of Science and Mathematics of Professional Masters of Science and Mathematics degree. Through an interpretive methodology, in which the researcher carried out a participative observation, ten Mathematics professors analyzed developed activities from the course and semi-structured interviews. The data analysis characterized the graduate students reflexion of development and revealed investigative attitudes about their own practices. The results indicate that the course proposal helped in the participation of graduate students to share about their own teaching practices. Their statements showed that they put in doubt their own instructing experiences but at the same time have complications with the studies about Education and Mathematics Education. It was possible to notice connections and elements that indicate that the graduate students were part of a direct movement to overcome the initial curiosity. New ideas and discussions came up according to effective experiences of the graduate students as teachers

Esta dissertação tem como foco o estudo do jogo empreendido entre as curiosidades e as coordenações das ações de um grupo de alunos das Séries Iniciais do Colégio de Aplicação da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (CAp/UFRGS). A turma participante da pesquisa frequentava o 1º ano em 2009, sendo que atuei nesta turma como professora no referido ano. Em 2010, retornei à mesma turma, já no 2º ano, para a continuação da coleta de dados. Tendo a Epistemologia Genética como base teórica, meu movimento de ser professora foi constituindo-se também como de ser pesquisadora na medida em que via, nas ações dos alunos, possibilidades de compreender o percurso de seu pensamento. As questões que orientam esta pesquisa são: Como a busca ativa para satisfazer a curiosidade se desenvolve? Quais são as formas de coordenações de ações resultantes da busca ativa da curiosidade? Minha hipótese era de que ao agir em função de uma curiosidade o sujeito poderia coordenar ações que se apresentam de diferentes formas. Constatei, então, três níveis de desenvolvimento, os quais foram estabelecidos por critérios de conservação e busca pela curiosidade, apresentados pela criança. As coordenações de ações foram empreendidas nas formas de criação de pergunta, relações parte e todo, implicação significante, comparações, seriação, classificação e cooperação. Tais formas de coordenações evidenciam que operar com a curiosidade pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento infantil, o qual, neste caso, é movido pelo interesse. Com isso, as ações docentes deixam de ter um roteiro fixo para aventurar-se pelos labirintos da curiosidade infantil. / This dissertation is focused in the study of the game held between the curiosities and the coordination of actions of a group of students from the Colégio de Aplicação, initial years, at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (CAp/UFRGS), in Porto Alegre, RS. The group of pupils that participated in the research was attending the 1st year in 2009 when I was working as their teacher. In 2010, I returned to the same class, this time in the 2nd year, for further data collection. Having the genetic epistemology as a theoretical basis, my movement as a teacher was being constituted along with my intent in doing school research. In that way, the actions of the students became opportunities to understand the course of their thinking. The questions that guide this research are: How the active quest to satisfy the curiosity is developed? What forms of coordination of actions arise from the active pursuit of curiosity? My hypothesis was that the act of a curiosity on the subject could coordinate actions that were themselves presented in different ways. I noted then three levels of development, which were established by the criteria of conservation and the pursuit for curiosity presented by the child. The coordination of actions were undertaken on ways of creating questions, part and whole relationships, significant implication, comparison, grading, sorting and cooperation. Such forms of coordination showed that to operate with curiosity can contribute to the child development, which in this case is driven by interest. Thus, the actions of teachers no longer have a fixed route to venture into children’s mazes of curiosity.

Ce travail étudie la relation entre scepticisme et politesse dans l’œuvre de David Hume afin de contribuer à la compréhension philosophique de l’art d’écrire de Hume et de son évolution. Du Traité de la nature humaine (1739-1740) aux œuvres suivantes (les Essais, les deux Enquêtes, les Four Dissertations et les Dialogues sur la religion naturelle), on observe un incontestable changement dans la manière de communiquer la science de l’homme au public du XVIIIe siècle. Inspiré en partie du journalisme philosophique d’Addison et de Steele et destiné à rendre la philosophie abstraite accessible au public de la conversation, l’art d’écrire de Hume témoigne d’une intégration progressive de la culture de la politesse au scepticisme mitigé et à son expression. Mais cela signifie tout sauf un renoncement aux ambitions spéculatives du Traité, que Hume aurait abandonnées pour la recherche d’une gloire mondaine. Au contraire, comme expression de la bonne humeur caractéristique du « vrai sceptique » et comme préparation littéraire de la réception critique de la philosophie au sein de la République des Lettres, l’art d’écrire de Hume cherche à donner à cette science sceptique – et science nouvelle – qu’est la science de l’homme le public dont elle a besoin pour assurer sa fondation. Le scepticisme mitigé apparaît alors comme étant essentiellement un scepticisme policé, c’est-à-dire comme la meilleure manière de faire entrer la « métaphysique » dans la voie sûre de la civilisation. / This study deals with the relationship between scepticism and politeness in the works of David Hume, in order to contribute to the understanding of Hume’s art of writing from a philosophical point of view. From the Treatise of human nature (1739-1740) to the later works (the Essays, the two Enquiries, the Four dissertations and the Dialogues concerning natural religion), one can observe an obvious change in the manner of communicating the science of man to the public of the eighteenth century. Partly inspired by the philosophical journalism of Addison and Steele and designed to make abstract philosophy accessible to the public of conversation, Hume’s art of writing shows a progressive integration of the culture of politeness with scepticism and its expression. But this certainly does not mean that Hume would have left the speculative ambitions of the Treatise for worldly success. On the contrary, as an expression of the good humour which characterizes the « true sceptic » as well as a literary preparation of the critical reception of philosophy in the Republic of Letters, Hume’s art of writing tries to give to the science of man, considered as a sceptical – and new – science, the public that it needs for its foundation. Hence mitigated scepticism appears essentially as a polite scepticism, the best way for « metaphysics » to enter upon the secure path of civilization.

Educational environments are unable to meet the needs of each individual child. It is believed that individual characteristics of children both limit and promote their learning experiences. Those characteristics that promote learning are essential tools that aid parents and teachers in their efforts to educate children. These characteristics need to be identified and nurtured during the learning process. It has long been suggested that curiosity is one such variable. This study wishes to determine the association between curiosity and learning potential within the dynamic assessment paradigm. A small quasi-experiment was conducted on 39 seven and eight year old children with the use of two assessment measures. The Cognitive Modifiability Battery, built on dynamic assessment theory, measures learning potential. An adapted version of the Multidimensional Curiosity Inventory, still in development, measures various types of curiosity. It was hypothesized that children with high levels of curiosity would measure high in learning potential and those with low levels of curiosity would measure low in learning potential. However, after dividing participants into four groups according to level of curiosity, a quadratic relationship was found between curiosity and learning potential. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

Previous studies concerning the study of Curiosity have found the presence of a reward mechanism when Curiosity is satiated. This study aims to investigate whether this reward mechanism might be extrapolated to other cognitive systems, specifically that of long-term memory. The key hypothesis for this study is that correctly recalling distant memories is inherently satisfying. Additionally, the more uncertain an event is represented in memory, the more satisfying it should be to retrieve. A total of 30 participants (male = 8, female = 22, mean age = 29.9, standard deviation = 9.4) were recruited and had complete datasets. A within-subjects longitudinal design was employed. Participants were subjected to 5 sessions over a period of 7 days, performing an encoding and retrieval memory experiment hosted on Pavlovia.org with data handling through Proflic.com. Results were analyzed using advanced statistical methods including mixed-method generalized linear models and linear regression. Results show events encoded closer to the time of recall are more satisfying, a finding contrary to what was expected. A direct link between self-perceived confidence in a cognitive task and satisfaction was also observed. It is concluded that the current reward-driven theory of curiosity may need rethinking and future research should aim address this. / Tidigare studier angående nyfikenhet har funnit närvaron av en belöningsmekanism när nyfikenhet är mätt. Denna studie syftar till en undersökning om denna belöningsmekanism kan extrapoleras till andra kognitiva system, särskilt för långtidsminne. Nyckelhypotesen för denna studie är att korrekt återkalla avlägsna minnen är tillfredsställande i sig. Desto mer osäker händelse som är representativ i minnet, desto mer tillfredsställande bör den vara att hantera. Totalt 30 deltagare (hane = 8, hona = 22, medelålder = 29,9, standardavvikelse = 9,4) rekryterades och hade fullständiga datamängder. En longitudinell design inom individer använde. Deltagarna utsattes för 5 sessioner under en period av 7 dagar och utförde en kodning och hämtningsexperiment som var värd på Pavlovia.org med datahantering via Proflic.com. Resultatanalyser med hjälp av avancerade statistiska metoder inklusive generaliserade linjära modeller med blandad metod och linjär regression. Resultaten visar att händelser som är kodade närmare återkallelsestiden är mer tillfredsställande, ett fynd som strider mot vad som förväntades. En direkt koppling mellan självuppfattning förtroende för en kognitiv uppgift och tillfredsställelse observatörer också. Det dras slutsatsen att den nuvarande belöningsdrivna teorin om nyfikenhet kan behöva omprövas och framtida forskning bör syfta till att lösa detta.

Creating, producing and listening to podcasts has become an increasingly popular way for cultural transmission. Among an infinitely number of genres true crime has been rising in popularity during the last decade. By consuming true crime- podcasts we also affirm the relevance of the cultural exchange. The aim of this study is therefore to examine what this contemporary cultural exchange consists and in what way the transmission affect the actors.  The study was implemented by interviewing creators of true crime- podcasts as well as women consuming numerous podcasts within the genre. By applying Bourdieus theoretical concepts combined with Boltanski and Thevenots theory about orders of worth in the analyses of the empirical material we can acquire a profound understanding of individual practices as well as how they legitimize their actions. From the comprehensive material generated from the interviews we found some distinctive results. First, the creators aim to educade, inform and engender a reflective practice within the consumers. The podcastconsumers assigned that they are listening to true crime- podcast in the purpose of entertainment and the acquisition of information. Also, they keep listening although many of them have experienced feelings of fear and have become more cautious towards their surroundings. The cultural exchange that takes place within the podcast is the creation of meaning and reflection itself.