This dissertation addresses the limited measures available to conduct comparative linguistic analysis across spoken, written and eDiscourse environments and proposes a new measure—the new/given index. The new/given construct of Halliday and Clark is reviewed as well as the relevant literature of eDiscourse and other persistent electronic communication. A data set of writing samples, face to face meeting transcripts, and electronic conferences is assembled and used to test and validate the new/given index. The data are reviewed and scored by raters for new and given material and the rater scores are compared with the score generated by the new/given index software parser. The data suggest that the new/given index reliably reports the presence of new and given information in processed text and provides a measure of the efficiency with which this text is resolved or grounded in discourse. The data are further processed by the software parser and aggregate new/given indices for the data types are generated. This analysis reveals that statistically significant differences between the new/give index of written text, transcriptions of face to face discussion, and eDiscourse conferencing transcripts exist. Finally, a qualitative analysis based on interviews with the creators of the data set explore their experience in the eDiscourse conferencing environment and the relation between individual behavior in a group problem-solving situation and an individuals new/given index in an eDiscourse environment. The study concludes with suggestions for the application of the new/given index in eDiscourse and other persistent electronic communication environments.

This study investigates the impact of online versus pen and paper homework on college students' learning and performance, and explores their experiences in each modality. After familiarizing students with two different homework modalities, students' decision to work in the online versus the traditional environment was utilized as the student preference indicator. Students' gender and computer comfort levels were also recorded. Although differences were found on the computer comfort levels of male and female students, there were no significant differences on learning outcomes. The findings suggest that students can learn equally well in either modality, regardless of their preference, gender or computer comfort level. In the attempt to better understand their experiences, students were asked to describe and compare their learning in both modalities. According to the students, instant feedback was the most valuable feature. They enjoyed working with computers; it helped them stay interested and motivated. They mentioned, however, that they learn better writing down on paper rather than typing on a computer keyboard.

The field of New Media authoring is still evolving and is largely an inexact science. The power of New Media lies in it's capability to present information in various forms to the learner for not only the acquisition of needed information but to allow for new ways of interpreting and understanding the information. More knowledge is needed to understand how best to combine different forms of media to enhance learning especially in domains of knowledge that are ill-defined and ill-structured. This investigation explores and examines how to best combine visual and textual information in the context of science education to promote conceptual change. Cognitive Flexibility Theory (CFT) will serve as the basis for this study. Tornado formation was chosen as the subject matter. The main principles of CFT are that learning activities must provide multiple representations of content with instructional materials should avoid oversimplifying the content domain and support context-dependent knowledge. Also, instruction should be case-based and emphasize knowledge construction, not transmission of information and knowledge sources should be highly interconnected rather than compartmentalized. The main hypothesis is that employment of the principles of CFT in a hypermedia learning environment that directs browsing of the dynamics of tornado formation will improve learning and transfer of complex knowledge of the subject matter and initiate conceptual change. The hypothesis was tested by having the subjects first complete a pre-test in which they displayed their current understanding of how a tornado forms. They are then directed to enter the hypermedia site via an entry point based on their apparent misconception of the subject matter as seen in the pre-test. The hypermedia treatment guides the student through both textual and graphical information about the formation of tornadoes in accordance with the principles of CFT. The subjects are allowed to change their conceptual understanding at points along the way. They are allowed to see case studies, definitions and an animation. Soon after the treatment is finished, they complete a post-test which is identical to the pre-test. The change in the test responses represents a conceptual change. The results showed a profound increase towards a conceptual change representing a shift from the subject's original misconception to a more correct understanding of the phenomenon. Specifically, when the counter-examples were in their initial positions so that they would counteract the subject's misconception, the rate of positive conceptual change was high. Also, when the examples were reversed in an effort to see if they could bring about a continued high rate of change, they were indeed able to produce this rate of change. Presumably, this was due to a heightened contrast between the misconception and the correct concept as the subject was lead deeper into their misconception before seeing the correct concept. In both cases, the number of subjects displaying a positive conceptual change was in excess of 60%.

No description available.

No description available.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequencies of the use/non-use of both selected commercially and locally produced new educational media software by faculty members who taught reading methods courses in California teacher education institutions. It also sought to investigate the reasons the faculty members gave for their use/non-use of the selected new educational media hardware and software. Procedure. Five California reading instruction educators were interviewed concerning their use of new educational media in their reading methods courses. From the results of those interviews, a mail questionnaire was prepared. The questionnaire was validated and the reliability was established. The questionnaire was then mailed to the 106 known reading educators who taught reading methods courses during the Fall of 1979. A second mailing was necessary in order to obtain the needed 60 usable responses. A follow-up letter was mailed to all second mailing reading educators two weeks after the second mailing. The letter requested prompt return of the questionnaire. Means were calculated for the variables. Frequencies and percentages of the responses were calculated. The eleven hypotheses were tested using the Chi-square Test of Independence. Conclusions. (1) There is a serious scarcity of commercially produced software. (2) Hardware accessibility/availability was found to have no significant relationship with commercial software use and the use of closed-circuit television hardware. (3) New educational media has great potential for use in reading methods courses to help produce better teachers of reading for the nation's public and private schools. Recommendations. (1) An investigation should be conducted into the potential gain, in terms of modeling, learning, and understanding of reading techniques in basic reading methods courses, of locally produced vs. commercially produced software. (2) A study should be done to indicate the role of new educational media in reading methods courses in a competency based/performance based vs. regular teacher education program. (3) An investigation should be done to determine the effects of interaction analysis as an observational tool in viewing videotape recordings of teaching-learning situations and microteaching in reading methods courses.

O trabalho tem como objetivo desenvolver um software educacional para Fisioterapia, fornecendo suporte ao aprendizado dos alunos em relação à ventilação mecânica. O tema ventilação mecânica é ministrado durante todo o sexto período da graduação, porém a abordagem é superficial e o contato com o aparelho de ventilação mecânica normalmente acaba não acontecendo. Também a dificuldade em levar para as salas de aula um aparelho e o pouco tempo dos alunos durante o estágio curricular nas Unidades de Terapia Intensiva, motivaram o desenvolvimento do programa. O programa possui textos, figuras, animações curtas, questionários e principalmente casos clínicos com um simulador de ventilação mecânica. O processo de aquisição do conhecimento foi realizado através de análises de textos e entrevista com especialista Fisioterapeuta. Na representação do conhecimento foram utilizadas as regras de produção e frames. Como metodologia de desenvolvimento foram utilizados os diagramas de casos de uso, diagramas de fluxo de dados e diagramas de transição de estados. Para o desenvolvimento e implementação do programa foi utilizado o software de animação Macromedia Flash MX 2004. Para avaliar a usabilidade do programa foram realizadas duas análises qualitativas: uma com acadêmicos do curso de Fisioterapia e outra com Fisioterapeutas que trabalham em hospitais. Avaliando os resultados obtidos com os acadêmicos e Fisioterapeutas, observa-se que o SEVeM cumpriu o objetivo proposto e teve boa aceitação pelos usuários. Através da abordagem inovadora o software modificou o cotidiano dos alunos. Certamente o software pode dar apoio ao aprendizado de ventilação mecânica, desmistificando o aparelho e tornando o aprendizado do assunto mais interessante. As informações obtidas através das análises qualitativas indicaram a aprovação da informática na Fisioterapia. Os computadores quando utilizado com os softwares educacionais, tornam-se um artefato mediador eficaz para a melhora do processo ensino/aprendizagem. / This work aims at developing instructional software in the area of Physical Therapy, more specifically in mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation is a subject that students have during the sixth period of the undergraduate course. However, the approach is usually superficial and the students do not have close contact with the ventilator. Also, it is difficult to take a ventilator to the classroom so as to show it to the students, students spend little time during the curricular stage in the Intensive Care Unity. All these factors motivated the development of this software, that comprises texts, figures, short animations, quiz list and, most importantly, clinical cases together with a mechanical ventilation simulator. Knowledge acquisition process was done using text analysis and interviews with an expert. Frames and production rules were used to represent knowledge. The methodology of development included case diagram, data flow diagram and state diagram. The software was completely developed using Macromedia Flash MX 2004. To evaluate the accessibility of the program, two qualitative analyses were done: with undergraduate students and with Physical Therapists work in hospital. The analysis of results indicates that SEVeM accomplished the proposed objective and had good acceptance among users. By using an innovative approach, this software has taken a different view to the students and we believe that it can give support to learning mechanical ventilation in the course, demystifying the equipment and making the subject more attractive. A conclusion can be done from this work in the sense that the use of informatics in Physical Therapy is quite positive, and the computer with educational software is an effective mediator of the teaching/learning process.

O trabalho tem como objetivo desenvolver um software educacional para Fisioterapia, fornecendo suporte ao aprendizado dos alunos em relação à ventilação mecânica. O tema ventilação mecânica é ministrado durante todo o sexto período da graduação, porém a abordagem é superficial e o contato com o aparelho de ventilação mecânica normalmente acaba não acontecendo. Também a dificuldade em levar para as salas de aula um aparelho e o pouco tempo dos alunos durante o estágio curricular nas Unidades de Terapia Intensiva, motivaram o desenvolvimento do programa. O programa possui textos, figuras, animações curtas, questionários e principalmente casos clínicos com um simulador de ventilação mecânica. O processo de aquisição do conhecimento foi realizado através de análises de textos e entrevista com especialista Fisioterapeuta. Na representação do conhecimento foram utilizadas as regras de produção e frames. Como metodologia de desenvolvimento foram utilizados os diagramas de casos de uso, diagramas de fluxo de dados e diagramas de transição de estados. Para o desenvolvimento e implementação do programa foi utilizado o software de animação Macromedia Flash MX 2004. Para avaliar a usabilidade do programa foram realizadas duas análises qualitativas: uma com acadêmicos do curso de Fisioterapia e outra com Fisioterapeutas que trabalham em hospitais. Avaliando os resultados obtidos com os acadêmicos e Fisioterapeutas, observa-se que o SEVeM cumpriu o objetivo proposto e teve boa aceitação pelos usuários. Através da abordagem inovadora o software modificou o cotidiano dos alunos. Certamente o software pode dar apoio ao aprendizado de ventilação mecânica, desmistificando o aparelho e tornando o aprendizado do assunto mais interessante. As informações obtidas através das análises qualitativas indicaram a aprovação da informática na Fisioterapia. Os computadores quando utilizado com os softwares educacionais, tornam-se um artefato mediador eficaz para a melhora do processo ensino/aprendizagem. / This work aims at developing instructional software in the area of Physical Therapy, more specifically in mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation is a subject that students have during the sixth period of the undergraduate course. However, the approach is usually superficial and the students do not have close contact with the ventilator. Also, it is difficult to take a ventilator to the classroom so as to show it to the students, students spend little time during the curricular stage in the Intensive Care Unity. All these factors motivated the development of this software, that comprises texts, figures, short animations, quiz list and, most importantly, clinical cases together with a mechanical ventilation simulator. Knowledge acquisition process was done using text analysis and interviews with an expert. Frames and production rules were used to represent knowledge. The methodology of development included case diagram, data flow diagram and state diagram. The software was completely developed using Macromedia Flash MX 2004. To evaluate the accessibility of the program, two qualitative analyses were done: with undergraduate students and with Physical Therapists work in hospital. The analysis of results indicates that SEVeM accomplished the proposed objective and had good acceptance among users. By using an innovative approach, this software has taken a different view to the students and we believe that it can give support to learning mechanical ventilation in the course, demystifying the equipment and making the subject more attractive. A conclusion can be done from this work in the sense that the use of informatics in Physical Therapy is quite positive, and the computer with educational software is an effective mediator of the teaching/learning process.

The purpose of the study was to determine the possible influence of particular television imageries of African-Americans on the self-perceptions of selected young adult African-Americans, ages eighteen to twenty-five. The focus of the study was on specific aspects of self that are addressed by particular television imageries of African-Americans and the possible influences that particular television imageries have on self-perceptions of selected young adult African-Americans. For the design of the study, a qualitative methodology was deemed most useful. Three African-American judges participated in the study: a social psychologist, an anthropologist, and a psychiatrist. The judges were asked to identify and analyze the positive and/or negative imageries that they thought may influence the self-concept of African-American young adults. Thus, the judges provided data for the study. Additionally, in-depth interviewing was determined to be the most useful method for gathering data from ten young adult African-Americans. The interview sessions included the viewing of nineteen episodes of a popular television show featuring African-American actors/actresses. Afterwards, the interviewees were asked to express their perceptions of the African-American television imageries. Profiles of the interviewees were established from a personal history form, and data from the interviews were analyzed. The judges' data explain that the television images are likely to have negative influences on self-perceptions of the young African-American viewers. Moreover, the judges overwhelmingly agreed that degrading stereotypes are the major likely influences on self. Thirty hours of interviews with ten African-American adults revealed that the subjects differed in their perceptions of the possible influence of the television programming on their self-perceptions. Although differences in perceptions existed, only one respondent perceived all television episodes to have negative influences, except for the hybrids. Many of the episodes were viewed as having the potential for positive and negative influences. The judges perceived the television imageries to be negative. Yet the young African-Americans who were interviewed tended to see the same imagery as being positive. This difference in perception among different generations of African-Americans may be attributed to thoughts about humor and ridicule. Also, the limited life experiences of those being interviewed may influence their critical consciousness and thus contribute to the tendency to be more tolerant of the possible negative impact the images may have on their views of themselves. The television industry must join the effort to make education a more positive and powerful means for equality in our democracy.

This dissertation examined the process of conversion to computerization in a health care organization. More specifically, it looked at the way in which computerization changed everyday organizational practices and relationships, as well as at the processes whereby technological change was managed and institutionalized, and organization members "converted" to an acceptance of computerized work. At an epistemological level, the study was located within the theoretical traditions of symbolic interaction. Accordingly, it was inductive and sought to develop theory about the symbolism and experience of computerized work based on fieldwork in an organization. The researcher followed the process of computerization in a Health Maintenance Organization from before its introduction up to its use and adoption by the organization. Three major research techniques were used. They were participant observation, in-depth semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. The qualitative data analysis was guided by the principles of grounded theory. Descriptive statistics, a discriminant analysis and ANOVAs of mean scores on questionnaire items were also computed. First, the study sought to understand the symbolic aspects of work computerization. The researcher documented multiple meanings and imagery around computerized work and classified them into three broad categories viz. pragmatic, pessimistic and romantic symbols of computerization. The study also demonstrated how these symbolic constructions of computerized work had distinct consequences for organization-level action by fostering acceptance, engendering resistance and setting up a series of organizational paradoxes. The study also explored the process whereby computerization changed the practice of health care in the organization. It examined this from the subjective perspectives of different occupational positions including nurse, physician, physician assistant, receptionist, clerk and manager. Based on these findings, a model for understanding transformations in medical care as a result of computerization was generated. This suggests that managers are likely to be enabled by the technology, professionals restricted by it and workers impacted in more ambivalent ways. The study also discussed how a conversion to computerization altered the nature of available information, reduced the reliance on personal knowledge and changed power relations within the organization.