The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of school and student related factors on scientific literacy skills of Turkish students in the Programme for International Student Assessment &amp / #8211 / PISA 2006. 4942, 15 year-old Turkish students from 10 primary schools, 88 general high schools and 66 vocational high schools participated in this assessment. Among the student factors considered were gender, student background, motivational factors, science self belief, value belief regarding science, science-related careers, science teaching and learning, scientific literacy and the environment. Some of the school factors discussed were proportions of girls at school, school size, school academic selectivity, teacher-student ratio, school activities for learning environmental topics and learning of science, quality of educational resources, teacher shortage (negative scale), general high school &amp / #8211 / vocational high school and average class size. The responses of Turkish students and principals from the database of the PISA assessment were used in Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM). The result of the study showed that the impact of school and student related factors on scientific literacy skills of the Turkish students varied from school to school. It was observed that the PISA index of economic social and cultural status, general value of science and science self-efficacy impacted on every aspects of the scientific literacy. In addition, it is evident that the general high school students were more successful than the vocational high school students after adjusting for selected student and school characteristics.

Adequate access to and appropriate use of medical evidence by clinicians have been posited as influencing the quality of clinical decisions and outcomes of patient care. The broad aim of this case study of a tertiary hospital was to provide understanding of how the information experiences and practices of paediatric physicians in Nigeria influenced their information practices and the potential implications for patient care. To achieve the research aim and objectives, a qualitative exploratory study was conducted using multiple sources of data: interviews, diaries, observation and social network chats. Overall, twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted, and seven clinicians provided a week-long information activity self-reports through diaries. Supplementary data were gained via the researcher's personal observation and social media chats with some participants. Paediatricians in the cadre of: Consultants, Senior Registrars, Registrars and Residents provided the data which was analysed using the interpretative method. The results indicate that the paediatricians' information needs were on: managing challenging cases, supporting diagnostic decisions, managing evolving diseases, managing illnesses in the tropical context, drugs and dosage, refreshing the memory, keeping updated, and passing professional examinations. In general: i)there was haphazard approach to information literacy tuition for the clinicians during professional education resulting in varied information capabilities, and inadequacy of knowledge and skills for good information practice; ii) obtaining medical information from colleagues was the predominant feature of paediatricians' information practices; iii) printed textbooks were the paediatricians preferred source for obtaining medical evidence, however, there was a growing popularity in the use of electronic medical information sources, including at the point of care; iv) a perception of inadequacy of the hospital library services resulted in the paediatricians developing rejection behaviour towards the services, labelled in this study as information service rejection behaviour (ISRB); v) there was general perception by the paediatricians that access to, and use of medical information supports patient care and achievement of better treatment outcomes. This perception instilled a sense of value for information use, demonstrated through the clinicians' dedication to the self-provision of information resources; vi) a dearth of medical resources germane to the contextual management of illnesses led to inadequate clinician knowledge in a good number of cases. A new model of information behaviour entitled 'the knowledge production model of the paediatricians' information behaviour has been developed from the findings of this study, thereby extending existing scholarly perspectives on people's information behaviour. The Kpro model enunciates the concept of 'knowledge-based information behaviour' (KIB) which was exhibited by the paediatricians. The study recommends that i) the information literacy skills training (ILST) model developed from the findings, be used as a practical tool for inculcating information literacy to the paediatricians at the level of residency training; ii) the hospital management/librarians prioritise the improvement of information resources, services and infrastructure e.g. reliable internet service, e-library at wards and consulting rooms, and clinical librarian services, to enhance good information practices among the clinicians; iii) retraining of the hospital librarians for increased service delivery effectiveness; iv) increased local research through the establishment of Journal Clubs by the paediatricians to enhance local publishing of medical literature.

The purpose of the study was to identify the types of library services available in rural areas of Thohoyandou in order to recommend appropriate library services to disadvantaged children in rural areas of the Limpopo Province. Data were collected by means of structured questionnaires in a survey. The problems experienced in rendering library services to children, the factors influencing rural children's information use, and the role that school libraries play in meeting the needs of rural children were investigated. The findings show that rural children's information needs are primarily related to homework assignments. Teachers and learners approach people for information rather than making use of library resources for this purpose. This is due to the fact that most rural schools do not have libraries. Materials are stored in classrooms and storerooms. The existing book stock seems to be outdated, disorganised and inaccessible. Library service rendering is neglected. Most teacher-librarians are not professionally trained to render user services and to teach children information skills. Teachers, teacher-librarians, policy makers and administrators in rural schools seem to be indifferent to providing these services to children. / Information Science / M.A. (Information Science)

Students in the United States take language courses for various reasons. Many Spanish heritage language learners (HLLs) and the majority of second language learners (L2Ls) enroll in Spanish classes in the United States. Based on state demographics, sometimes immigrants from Spanish-speaking countries join HLLs and L2Ls in mixed-classrooms. Many times, these groups take classes together, even though their language abilities, motivations, and linguistic needs differ significantly. Such a learning setting presents challenges for them as well as for instructors. This study builds upon and reinforces findings from previous studies regarding teaching mixed-classes. Data were gathered from 41 students taking AP Spanish at the secondary level through pre- and post-questionnaires, journal reflections, observations and interview with four of the participants. Findings reveal that all groups enjoyed working together in a mixed-classroom setting. Additionally, their language learning experience progressed as they worked collaboratively and learned reciprocally. The study found that scaffolded debates and class discussions aided students with their language learning. Furthermore, the study shows the need to help students with reading and literacy skills, listening skills and acquisition of Hispanic cultures. Lastly, the study also shows the importance of instructors' approaches, practices and materials to teaching mixed-classes and the need for focused and individualized instruction for better results with each group.

This thesis examined the relationship between classroom quality, approaches-to-learning, and early academic skills among 384 Latino dual language learners (DLLs) enrolled in Florida Head Start programs. The children were living in low-income homes where Spanish was the primary language spoken by at least one parent. The study analyzed the extent to which approaches-to-learning behaviors moderate early literacy and numeracy skills in Head Start classrooms of varying quality. During the spring of their prek-4 year, the children were administered the English and Spanish Letter-Word Identification and Applied Problems subtests of the WJ-III (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) and the Batería III (Muñoz-Sandoval, Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2005) Tests of Achievement. General features of classroom quality were measured using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS; Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008). Multilevel models indicated that there is a negative association between a classroom's level of emotional support and early English Literacy Skills, a positive association between Attention/Persistence Learning Behaviors and early English Literacy Skills, and a positive association between Competence Motivation Learning Behaviors and early English Numeracy Skills. Approaches-to-learning behaviors did not moderate the relationship between classroom quality and early academic skills. Results are consistent with previous research that has found that general measures of classroom quality may not capture the cultural and linguistic factors that influence a DLL's early academic skills. The current findings are consistent with previous literature on the positive influence of approaches-to-learning behaviors on early academic skills. Implications for practice include using culturally responsive teaching practices, creating a positive classroom environment, and supporting the development of Attention/Persistence and Competence Motivation Learning Behaviors. Implications for research include strengths-based research examining the promotive role of approaches-to-learning in DLL development and using culturally sensitive measures of classroom quality.

The study is a quantitative analysis into the selection process of the Masters in Business Administration (MBA) programme at the Tshwane University Technology (TUT). The selection battery used at TUT to select the MBA applicants is comprised of the Situation Specific Evaluation Expert (SpEEx), the English Literacy Skills Assessment (ELSA), and the 15 Factor Questionnaire (15FQ+). This test battery aims to obtain information on an applicant with regards to his/her cognitive potential (verbal and non-verbal ability), language proficiency, and personality. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between the selection battery and the academic performance of those students selected into the MBA programme at TUT by examining the differences between the scores of the psychometric selection batteries and the academic performance of those students selected. Upon analyses and interpretation of the data it was determined that there were no statistically significant differences between the scores of the different components of the selection batteries used and the academic performance of those selected. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

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No description available.

Second language (L2) learners are a growing population in Canadian school systems, and acquisition of literacy skills is critical to their success in Canadian society. While much research has been devoted to writing development in first language (L1) learners, text-level writing remains relatively underexplored in L2 populations. The present study sought to address this gap by considering the relative contributions of component oral language and word-level literacy skills to writing in elementary students speaking English as a first (EL1) or second (EL2) language. A sample of 124 kindergarten students (56 EL1, 68 EL2) and 112 grade three students (51 EL1, 61 EL2) completed a battery of standardized measures assessing oral language, word-level literacy, and writing skills. An ordinary least squares (OLS) regression-based mediation path analysis was used to test associations among oral language, word-level literacy, and writing skills in each group. Results indicated that word-level literacy skills had a significant direct effect on writing in all groups, but that oral language had no significant direct effect on writing in any groups. Instead, the effect of oral language on writing was significantly mediated by word-level skills in the kindergarten EL1 and EL2 groups, and the grade three EL1 group. The indirect effect of oral language on writing through word-level skills was not significant in the grade three EL2 group. Despite this, no significant differences in variable associations were found between EL1 and EL2 groups in either grade. Oral language skills were additionally found to have a significant effect on word-level literacy skills in the kindergarten EL1 and EL2 groups and the grade three EL1 group; the significance of this effect in the grade three EL2 group was unclear. Results of this study are discussed in relation to existing literature, and existing theories of L1 and L2 writing. / Graduate

This study examined the effects of a computer-mediated intervention on "at-risk" preschool students' receptive vocabulary development, computer-literacy skills, and enthusiasm for leaning. Twenty-two preschool-aged children attending an urban primary public school and participating in government subsidized school lunch program participated in the study. A pretest/posttest control-group design and case-study participant observations were used for data collection. Students were assigned to one of two treatment groups. Eleven preschool students with pretest School Readiness Composite (SRC) standard scores of 80, or below, on the Bracken Basic Concept Scale-Revised (BBCS-R), were assigned to the intervention group. Eleven pre-school students matched by age level and teacher comprised the comparison group. The intervention group received computer-mediated instruction while the comparison group received classroom teacher instruction. The first research question examined the effect of the intervention on students' receptive vocabulary analyzing groups' pretest and posttest BBCS-R School Readiness Composite mean scores. Combined analysis of a Two-Factor Repeated Measures and a Posttest only ANCOVA revealed that computer-mediated instruction was as effective as classroom teacher instruction in helping "at-risk" students acquire readiness receptive vocabulary. The second research question examined the effect of the intervention on "at-risk" student's computer-literacy skills analyzing participants pretest and posttest mean scores on the Computer Input Observation Rubric (CIOR), a rubric developed by the researcher. Analysis of One-Factor ANOVA and of Two-Factor Repeated Measures indicated that computer intervention significantly increased students' computer literacy skills. The third research question examined the impact of computer-mediated intervention on preschool students' enthusiasm for learning and followed descriptive case study methodology. Students' level of task involvement and positive-self statements confirmed enthusiasm for learning with technology.