This dissertation focuses on the definitions and understandings of literacy support revealed by three teachers and two teacher assistants in their interactions with five children identified with learning disabilities in two grade 6 integrated classrooms. The nature of this support was revealed through interactions among students and their teachers, teacher assistants and peers while engaged in language arts activities in a pull-in, co-teaching model of support over a three-month semester. The data consist of the transcriptions of 29 separate audio-tapes of 60 minute duration which were recorded on average of two times each week. Thirty classroom interactions (each 50- minutes long) and 13 interviews with participants were recorded. The classroom support interactions and the interviews have been examined using a qualitative software tool (QSR NUD*IST) for the nature, understandings and perceptions regarding literacy support in language arts classes. Data were also analyzed for the text-accessing structures, strategies and technologies explicitly taught or made available to learners with LD in each classroom. The findings from this study add to the existing literature by identifying three dynamics of support for learners with learning disabilities in language arts classrooms. First, it offers definitions and descriptions of specific helping practices and attitudes of staff and students which serve to either access or restrict involvement in the language arts lessons. Second, it identifies attitudes and practices which diminish effective support for learners of this profile, and finally it reveals the importance of three teachers’ understanding and beliefs in three important areas that affected language arts instruction and student participation: a) adaptation and modification of curricula to suit individual needs; b) ways for learners to represent knowledge; and c) views on school-related abilities. Findings derived from the data regarding one teacher’s practices in the language arts classroom showed an inadequate understanding of these three concepts which negatively impacted the literacy experiences for the at-risk students. A second teacher’s practices showed an understanding of the concepts which resulted in satisfactory support for students with LD. The study also suggests that some of the practices directed at students with LD may have beneficial implications for general population students including First Nations children. / Graduate

In post-secondary introductory courses there is a knowledge base that must be learned before proceeding to advance study. One method to learn such fundamental material has been the mastery paradigm (Bloom, 1956). Using this approach, students learn a particular knowledge unit until they achieve a predetermined accuracy criterion, for example, 90% correct, on a post-learning test. Lindsley (1972) broadened the definition of mastery learning to include response rate (i.e., responses per minute) and called it ‘fluency’. The response rate has not generally been considered in the traditional demonstration of mastery within the academic setting. Empirical research to date has focused solely on the effects of either approach without any direct comparisons. There was only one published report comparing the effects between the two approaches (Kelly, 1996). In the present study, two single-subject experiments were conducted using a computer program called Think Fast to deliver factual information covering introductory behavioral psychology concepts. In Experiment 1, a within-subject design was used to control the number of learning trials, instructional set, and the experimental presentation sequence (n = 9). This design consisted of multiple learning units and instructions. Group, subgroup and individual descriptive analyses revealed that posttest achievement was higher for items learned to both Accuracy and Speed than Accuracy. In analyzing the change in retention from immediate recall to scores obtained after a 30-day absence, learning was more resistant to extinction for concepts that had previously been learned to Accuracy and Speed rather than Reading or Accuracy. Furthermore, retention decreases were examined statistically and there was one significant result in Session 1 and two in Session 2. In Session 1, under the Accuracy condition, subjects recalled 25.5% fewer items after a 30-day absence, t(8) = 5.33, p < .01. A decrease of 12.2% for posttest items learned under the Accuracy and Speed condition was not significant, t(8) = 2.05, p > .05. In Session 2, significantly fewer (Recall 2) posttest items were remembered after a 30-day absence for both experimental conditions, t(8) = 5.08, p < .01 (Accuracy) and t(8) = 3.82, p < .01 (Accuracy and Speed). All other group retention comparisons were not statistically significant. In Experiment 2, a between-subject design was used to replicate the effects of Experiment 1, but this time each subject received only one set of instructions (n = 6). The effects of this simplified research design resulted in no significant differences between learning to both Accuracy and Speed in comparison to Accuracy. Other factors that affected learning included subjects' baseline ability and the extent of their interest in the study. These factors determined whether or not subjects followed the learning instructions and, to varying degrees, affected their subsequent posttest performance. The study concluded with educational implications and suggestions for further research. / Graduate

No description available.

This study was designed to investigate some features of the stimulus in observational learning which might be used to make a distinction between imitation and identification on an experimental level. The effective stimulus in imitation was considered to be the behavioral task of the model, or "the specific behavioral event" whereas in identification it was defined as general personality characteristics such as status, goodness, or intelligence which are generalized over time from numerous imitative habits to elicit a more global long-term response. On a pre-test, six year olds and nine year olds were shown two symbolic models simultaneously (an imitation model and an identification model) and were asked to perform the task that the models had done (color a picture) to assess their tendency towards similarity to one or the other (by copying one model's picture more than the other); that is, to attempt to identify with or to imitate the models. During the experimental phase, each of the two age groups were divided in to two experimental treatment groups. For one experimental group the effective stimulus in the identification model was emphasized and for the other the effective stimulus in the imitation model was emphasized. It was predicted that such a procedure would alter or strengthen the predominant response. Later, a post-test was administered to see if the alteration or strengthening of the response was stable or if it had occurred only during the experimental phase, For the most part, it was found that six year olds imitated while nine year olds identified in the pre-test. However, the experimental manipulations seemed to be most effective with the six year olds. As well, the effective stimuli used to differentiate identification and imitation had a significant effect on the children throughout the study, confirming the position that the two responses could he differentiated on the basis of the stimuli which evoke them. Some methological problems in carrying out observational learning studies are discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Twenty-five grade 11 and 12 subjects (Ss) performed 70 Trials by the anticipation method of PAL on each of two 12 pair lists. The experimental condition consisted of a single 12 pair list in which the pairs to be learned were mediately as well as immediately associated. The list comprising the control condition differed only in that the pairs to be learned were not mediately associated with one another. Low " a " value verbal items and a 1 .6 sec. presentation interval were used. The purpose of these measures was to determine whether, as Hull's (1939) model of secondary generalization would indicate, an associative connection can be formed between two previously unrelated verbal items by associating each independently with a third verbal item. The hypothesis that learning performance on the mediately associated items would be superior to the control items was supported with a significant difference between the two occurring at the fourth block of two trials. In addition, postexperimental interview data indicated that only three of the 25 Ss in the experimental condition became spontaneously aware of the mediational relationship among the items in their list. The results are interpreted as indicating that associative as well as conceptual process can be involved in the mediational facilitation of verbal learning. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of the present study was to explore the influence of an NCCP coach education module on coaches‟ ongoing learning. Using the theoretical framework of Jarvis (2006) and Moon (2004) to guide the research, this study consisted of three phases: an interview with each of the 10 coaches prior to attending a module to understand their biographies as well as various learning situations they had already experienced; attendance at one of three potential Competition-Development modules, Managing Conflict, Coaching and Leading Effectively, or Psychology of Performance, and an interview with each of the 10 coaches immediately following the module to explore their thoughts, reflections and possible learning within the module; and a third and final interview with each of the 10 coaches three months following the module to explore how they implemented learning from the module, as well as other learning situations that may have occurred within that 3 month timeframe. The findings indicated that the biographies of each of the coaches varied considerably. For example, the coaches‟ athletic experiences ranged from recreational to national level and several of the coaches were still active in sport at a master‟s level. Their formal education levels ranged from high school to completion of a university masters degree, and their ages varied from 21-45. As well, each of the coaches said they learned something from the NCCP coaching module they attended such as a more effective method for communicating with their athletes, strategies to cope better with conflict, and the importance of setting a variety of goals. The findings also indicated that a number of the coaches were open to on-going learning and stated that they would continue to enrol in formal coach education modules.

The purpose of this study is to explore individual conceptions of the experience of traumatic spinal cord injury from the perspective of adult learning. A qualitative research approach was chosen as the most appropriate to explore these meanings. The methodology for this study was both descriptive and interpretive. Data collection took the form of semi-structured in-depth interviews. The research was essentially exploratory. Commonalities of meaning attributed to the injury were revealed through analysis of the data and grouped into three thematic categories; rediscovery of self, redefining disability and establishing a new identity. These themes, whilst representing commonalities, revealed the complex and multidimensional nature of each individual's experience. The disability and overall sense of loss were initially symbolized by the physical changes or the external experience of disability. These are separate from the internal concept of 'self ' which was perceived by the individuals as being the same as pre-injury. The findings suggest that an inner conflict between the external or public 'self ' and the internal or private 'self ' develops which can best be described as an experiential split. The theme of rediscovering self is concerned with those components of the post-injury experience which inhibit or facilitate a reintegration of the internal and external selves. The inhibiting factors identified included the loss of control over physical functioning and capabilities, alienation from the 'real world,' the restrictive environment and instructional limitations of the rehabilitation facility and the attitudes of health professionals. The process was found to be facilitated by the continuity of their sense of self, a gradual build-up of a new framework of experience and personal resources accrued from their pre-injury history and social context. The theme of redefining disability was achieved by challenging the attitudes and stereotypes espoused by health professionals and society, and an assimilation of a new sense of coherence. The latter was seen as occurring through attributing meaning to the cause of the injury, expanding the range of available options and developing new value priorities. The third theme of the establishment of a new identity was found to be associated with making comparisons with others by which self-esteem can be enhanced, by association and dialogue with a peer minority, by creating intimacy with significant others and new ways of interacting with society. These themes bear little relationship to the instructional content of current rehabilitation programs, and defy explanation through the traditional learning perspective of skill acquisition and behavioral change which has dominated rehabilitation practice, and to which research is primarily directed. The data yielded a way of understanding the experience of spinal cord injury which is not adequately expressed in the literature. It became apparent that these individuals were engaged upon a complex learning process. A theory of transformative learning proposed by Mezirow was introduced as a possible alternative, or adjunct to, the educational model of rehabilitation service provision. Central to this theory are two dimensions of meaning described as meaning schemes and meaning perspectives and the unique adult characteristic of critical reflection. The subjects in this study recognized the learning involved in questioning old meaning perspectives and creating new ones. By reflecting and acting on these new meaning perspectives the facts and implications of disability became integrated into a chosen lifestyle. Implications for rehabilitation practice are that the target of an educational intervention may not, in fact, be the clients but the health professionals involved in providing instruction and care. A greater understanding of the experience of traumatic spinal cord injury over time, and the uniquely individual learning process involved, would facilitate a more client centred and relevant approach to instruction. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

The problem was to ascertain the effect of proprioceptive feedback developed from an initial movement; and the effect of time delay between the termination of the initial movement and the beginning of the following motor response on the temporal accuracy and consistency of that response. Thirty male Ss were randomly assigned, three to each of the ten experimental conditions composed of two levels of proprioceptive feedback (small and large) and five levels of time delay (0.3, 0.6, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 seconds). In the minimal proprioceptive feedback condition, the proprioceptive feedback was manipulated in the right index finger of the S by the press-release of a response-button whereas in the proprioceptive feedback condition, it was manipulated in the right arm of the S by a passively induced and consistent movement of that limb. Both, of these sources of proprioceptive feedback ended immediately prior to the beginning of the time delay interval. It was the task of the S to lift his left index finger from the response-button after the delay interval under which he was timing had elapsed. Each S was given 50 trials with knowledge of results (his exact response time in milliseconds) on each trial and with an intertrial interval of 30 seconds. The results of the analyses showed the following: one, that the Ss learned to time the motor response within the first ten trials under the influence of knowledge of results; two, that proprioceptive feedback had no effect on the accuracy and consistency of the timing of the motor response; and last, that the time delay interval had a highly significant effect on the accuracy and consistency of the timing of the motor response where the accuracy and consistency of the timing of the motor response appear to be similar power functions of the time delay interval. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The main purpose of this study was to determine the generality of the closed-loop theory and the preprogramming theory as an explanation for the learning and maintenance of performance in a highly practiced self-paced and ballistic response. The methodology used to investigate this problem involved comparing performance, following the withdrawal of knowledge of results, under changed or interrupted feedback conditions to a control condition in which feedback was the same as that in acquisition. Subsidiary problems involved 1) examining the effects of changing or interrupting feedback during KR withdrawal following low practice in acquisition and, 2) examining the differential effects of low and high practice in acquisition on performance in each response type during KR withdrawal under each of the three feedback conditions. The experimental task involved learning to move a cursor on a track from one end of the track to the other in 1.0 seconds. Two types of responses were used: 1) self-paced, in which the subject was permitted to hold on to the cursor for the entire length of the track and, 2) ballistic, in which the subject had to release the cursor after he moved it only about one sixth of the track distance. Sixty students of the University of British Columbia served as subjects. The results indicated that the preprogramming theory explained the learning and maintenance of performance in a highly practiced ballistic response, while the closed-loop theory was most applicable to the highly practiced self-paced response. Secondly, after 15 trials of practice in acquisition both response types were dependent on feedback, but the amount of feedback necessary was much less in the ballistic response than in the self-paced response. Thirdly, in the ballistic response, a comparison of performance in KR withdrawal following a small amount of practice in acquisition with that following a large amount of practice indicated that there was a transition from a primitive preprogramming mechanism which was somewhat dependent on feedback to a well developed preprogrammed mechanism which was not dependent on feedback. Finally, a closed-loop mechanism was suggested for the self-paced response following both small and large amounts of practice in acquisition. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The effect of pointing (presence or absence) as an intervening activity, at the salient features of pictorial representations of differing amounts of visual cues (weight, context, both, or neither) for a concrete weighing operation, was investigated on the acquisition rate of three linear function rules. They were a coefficient rule (a. F = S), an intercept rule (F + b = S), and a complex rule (a. F + b = S), in a rule learning paradigm for Grades 4, 5, and 6 school children. The first two rules were presented in a counter-balanced order. Univariate analyses of variance of total error and ratio of error measures indicated that the pointing response was more effective than not pointing for the faster acquisition of the first task. Pointing was not significantly effective for the second task, although the combination of context and weight cues was more effective for this task than was each visual cue presented alone. The effects of training Ss to point on the two tasks, when transferred to the third, Complex-Rule task with no visual cues present, were negative. The findings were interpreted to mean that the calling of the Ss' attention to visual cues by pointing is only effective for the first task undertaken, and the benefit from pointing diminishes thereafter. The negative transfer to the last task can be accounted for by a presumably inevitable change in strategy as the problem, for those who have been accustomed to making the pointing response, switches from the concrete context of a weighing situation to an abstract problem in numbers. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate