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In recent years, university-based Intensive English Programs (IEPs) have expanded to serve the growing population of international students who wish to earn their degrees at U.S. universities. Many of these IEPs have shifted their focus to assist these academically bound international students by functioning as a bridge to enrollment in American undergraduate or graduate degree programs. Accordingly, it has become increasingly important to investigate and better understand how such programs are serving this student population. This dissertation explores how one university-based IEP is preparing its academically bound international students for their subsequent academic studies. In order to gain greater insight into students’ experiences throughout the college-going process, current and former students were interviewed about the ways in which this IEP facilitated their admittance to, enrollment in, and academic readiness for success in university degree programs. Additionally, interviews with instructors and administrators, observations of IEP courses and advising sessions, and student test score and academic record data were all analyzed to gain a more holistic understanding of the processes these students undergo in the pursuit of their academic goals. This study draws upon Lave and Wenger’s (1991) theory of situated learning as a theoretical framework to examine the academic socialization that international students studying at a university-based IEP experience throughout the college-going process. The findings from this study revealed that in addition to English language instruction, university-based IEPs with academically bound student populations must also provide their students with the college choice support and academic readiness skills necessary to achieve their goals. By conducting an in-depth analysis of one university-based IEP, this dissertation offers concrete implications that IEP administrators and instructors can enact in order to better support their students throughout the university applications and admissions processes, while providing these students with the linguistic and academic skills necessary for ultimate success in their undergraduate or graduate degree program. / CITE/Language Arts

Ce projet de doctorat consiste en la proposition d'une solution technologique d'un résonateur de Helmholtz adaptatif à volume variable, permettant ainsi de s'affranchir du caractère mono-fréquentiel des résonateurs de Helmholtz passifs. Le réglage de volume s'effectue grâce à l'utilisation d'une membrane en polymère électroactif (EAP), permettant ainsi d'accorder les résonances du résonateur de Helmholtz. Le comportement mécanique de ces matériaux est modifié lorsqu'ils sont stimulés par un champ électrique. Des améliorations significatives en perte par transmission acoustique sont obtenues en basses fréquences par deux effets: la variation de raideur de la membrane et l'augmentation de volume due à la déformation de la membrane. Des études numériques, analytiques et expérimentales sont réalisées pour déterminer le potentiel des concepts proposés. Enfin, une structure périodique contenant 9 résonateurs adaptatifs à membranes électroactives est étudiée en champs diffus permettant d'évaluer les performances acoustiques du concept distribué. / This main goal of the project consists in proposing a technological solution of an adaptive Helmholtz resonator with variable volume, which allows to overcome the mono-frequency character of passive Helmholtz resonators. The volume control is achieved by the use of an electroactive polymer membrane (EAP), allowing the resonances of the Helmholtz resonator to be tuned. The mechanical behavior of these materials changes when they are stimulated by an electric field. Significant improvements in acoustic transmission loss are obtained at low frequencies by two effects: the variation of stiffness of the membrane and the increase of volume due to the deformation of the membrane. Numerical, analytical and experimental studies are carried out to determine the potential of the proposed concepts. Finally, a periodic structure containing 9 adaptive resonators with electroactive membranes is studied in diffuse fields to evaluate the acoustic performances of the distributed concept.

Existe uma vasta literatura evidenciando os determinantes que repercutem negativamente na acumulação de capital humano do menor de idade. O trabalho infantil seria uma dessas causas. Outros trabalhos mostram que um choque de renda sofrido pelas famílias pode estar por trás da oferta de trabalho de outros membros da família (esposa e filhos). Tal efeito é conhecido na literatura como efeito trabalhador adicional e pode estar relacionado, pelo menos no Brasil, à restrição de liquidez das famílias. O objetivo deste trabalho é averiguar o impacto de um choque de renda representado pela perda de emprego do chefe da família sobre a alocação do tempo dos filhos em idade escolar entre escola e mercado de trabalho. Para realizarmos este trabalho usamos dados da Pesquisa Mensal do Emprego, do IBGE, entre 2003 e 2012. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, o tratamento, ou melhor, o choque de renda representado perda de emprego do chefe da família não possui impacto significativo sobre a escolha das famílias de manter o filho apenas na escola ou de enviar o filho para o mercado de trabalho. Entretanto, nos casos em que o efeito do tratamento é persistente percebemos um impacto sensivelmente maior, apesar de ainda não ser estatisticamente diferente de zero. Na última subseção reproduzimos nosso modelo com dados da PME antiga com o intuito de checar a interferência da diferença de metodologia entre a PME antiga e a nova nos resultados. Notamos que com nosso desenho de modelo não encontramos os mesmos resultados de Duryea et al. (2007). / There is a vast literature demonstrating the determinants that negatively affect the human capital accumulation of child under eighteen. Child labor would be one of these causes. Other studies show that an income shock suffered by families may be behind the labor supply of other family members (spouse and children). This effect is known in the literature as additional worker effect and may be related, at least in Brazil, the liquidity constraint of households. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of an income shock represented by the loss of employment of head of household on the time allocation of schoolage children between school and the labor market. To accomplish this work we use data from the Monthly Employment Survey, IBGE, between 2003 and 2012. According to the results, treatment, or better, the income shock represented by of the household head\'s job loss has no significant impact on the families\' choice to keeping the child in school or just send the child to the market job. However, in cases where the treatment effect is persistent, we noticed a substantially greater impact, although not statistically different from zero. In the last subsection we applied our model using the old PME data base aiming to check if the methodological differences interfere with the results. We noted that using our new model design, we didn\'t find out the same results as Duryea et al. (2007).

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of the essay writing process of first year undergraduates at Chancellor College (University of Malawi) and to a lesser extent those of the lecturers responsible for teaching academic skills. A mixed methods design, combining qualitative and quantitative techniques, was employed in order to obtain richer data for deeper understanding of the students’ writing process. Two hundred students from the humanities and social science faculties responded to a self-completion questionnaire towards the end of semester one. Based on the students’ responses, an open-ended questionnaire was administered to four full time English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructors. Findings from this study indicate that most students find it very challenging to obtain sufficient and relevant source text information, paraphrase or summarise information, and use an appropriate academic writing style. As solutions to these challenges, the students suggested the need for timely essay writing instruction, availability of resources for essay writing, increased amount of time spent on essay writing instruction, and discipline specific instruction in essay writing. EAP instructors identified lack of teaching and learning materials, large EAP classes, and students’ negative attitude towards the EAP course, as some of the challenges they encounter when teaching the course. The EAP instructors proposed an increase in the number of staff members, making students aware of the significance of the EAP course at an early stage, and the availability of up to date resources, as some of the ways in which the teaching of the course can be improved. Overall, the findings seem to suggest that difficulties that students encounter during the writing process and teaching challenges that EAP instructors face, have great impact on students’ perception of academic writing as well as their approach to writing tasks. The findings also suggest a lack of dialogue between the students and their lecturers. This is evident in students’ unawareness of the nature of the writing demands of their lecturers and disciplines; students’ desire to have timely essay writing instruction; and the lecturers’ concerns about students’ negative attitude towards the EAP course.

The main purpose of this study was to examine the effects of strategy training in small group work on the reading comprehension of academic texts in English by Thai English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. The strategy-training used was the Reciprocal Teaching Procedure (RTF) which focused on the four reading comprehension strategies: predicting, clarifying, questioning and summarizing. The research study was an experimental one using a single group design. The participants were thirty-four first year students enrolled in the English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program at a tertiary institution in the northeastern part of Thailand. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. The pre-, post- and follow-up reading tests were employed for quantitative analysis. The students' performances were analyzed for statistically significant differences immediately at the end of the ten-week training and in the follow-up test eight weeks after the training. Qualitative data were collected from students' pre-, post- and follow-up questionnaires, checklists and journals, teacher's checklists and journal, and independent observer's checklists and field notes.

英語在貿易、科技等領域為當今國際交流的主要語言，更是學術界之主要溝通媒介，在台灣高等教育亦是如此。本研究旨在探討企業管理碩士班學術英文課程規劃之現況，以台灣某科技大學之企業管理所及國際企業管理所為對象，採問卷、課室觀察、訪談之研究方式，從教師及學生的觀點深入評析97、98學年度兩所的學術英文課程規劃、實施現況、學生的學術英文需求、及學生自評之學術英文能力。從兩所學生回收的有效問卷共98份，篩選後的學生訪談者共14位。兩位授課教師的訪談則分別於97、98學年度各進行一次。問卷結果採描述性統計加以敘述分析，課室觀察及訪談結果則以持續比較法（constant comparison method）進行分析。研究結果顯示兩所之課程規劃均注重培養教師及學生的學術英文能力；雖教師方面含海外師訓、定期教學研討會，然全英授課課程之師資來源為一困難。學生方面則從招生至畢業規定，均將促進語文能力納入整體課程規劃中。教師在教學、教材選擇、評量方面均致力培養學生的學術英文能力。學生的學術英文需求特別注重術語、讀、口語溝通、上台報告之能力，然本土文化之知識極待加強。學生普遍自評學術英文能力普通或不佳。本研究結果為商管學術英文課程規劃者及研究者提供了一個全面性的參考資料。 / English is the main lingua franca for international communication in fields such as business and technology; it is also the major medium in teaching and learning. This phenomenon has a significant impact on higher education in Taiwan. This study aimed to probe into the status quo of EAP (English for Academic Purposes) curriculum design in graduate business administration programs. An MBA and an IMBA program at a national university of science and technology in Taiwan was targeted. Questionnaires, classroom observation, and semi-structured interviews were adopted as research instruments. Teachers’ and students’ perspectives of the curriculum design, implementation, students’ EAP needs, and students’ self-evaluated EAP abilities in the academic years of 2008 and 2009 were investigated. A total of 98 valid questionnaires were collected, and 14 student interviewees were selected. Two teachers were first interviewed in the academic year of 2008, and again in 2009, respectively. The analysis of questionnaires was conducted through descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data was analyzed by constant comparison method. Results of this study indicated that the two programs included nurturing teachers’ and students’ EAP abilities in the curriculum design. For teachers, overseas teacher training and regular teaching seminars were provided. However, finding teachers to teach English-medium courses presented a difficulty. Developing students’ language abilities was included in the overall curriculum design, from admission to graduation regulations. Teachers were committed to cultivating students’ EAP abilities in instructional practices, material selection, and evaluation. The EAP needs of terminology, reading, oral communication, and presentation abilities were particularly valued. Nonetheless, students’ knowledge of local culture needed to be strengthened. Students generally rated their EAP abilities average or below average. In sum, this study may be of importance in improving EAP curriculum design in graduate business programs in future.

Inhalt der Diplomarbeit sind Untersuchungen zur Authentifizierung und Verschlüsselung von drahtlosen Netzwerkverbindungen.