abstract: This dissertation reports three studies of the relationships between meanings teachers hold and meanings their students construct. The first paper reports meanings held by U.S. and Korean secondary mathematics teachers for teaching function notation. This study focuses on what teachers in U.S. and Korean are revealing their thinking from their written responses to the MMTsm (Mathematical Meanings for Teaching secondary mathematics) items, with particular attention to how productive those meanings would be if conveyed to students in a classroom setting. This paper then discusses how the MMTsm serves as a diagnostic instrument by sharing a teacher’s story. The data indicates that many teachers name rules instead of constructing representations of functions through function notation. The second paper reports the conveyance of meaning with eight Korean teachers who took the MMTsm. The data that I gathered was their responses to the MMTsm, what they said and did in the classroom lessons I observed, pre- and post-lesson interviews with them and their students. This paper focuses on the relationships between teachers’ mathematical meanings and their instructional actions as well as the relationships between teachers’ instructional actions and meanings that their students construct. The data suggests that holding productive meanings is a necessary condition to convey productive meanings to students, but not a sufficient condition. The third paper investigates the conveyance of meaning with one U.S. teacher. This study explores how a teacher’s image of student thinking influenced her instructional decisions and meanings she conveyed to students. I observed 15 lessons taught by a calculus teacher and interviewed the teacher and her students at multiple points. The results suggest that teachers must think about how students might understand their instructional actions in order to better convey what they intend to their students. The studies show a breakdown in the conveyance of meaning from teacher to student when the teacher has no image of how students might understand his or her statements and actions. This suggests that it is crucial to help teachers improve what they are capable of conveying to students and their images of what they hope to convey to future students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Mathematics Education 2019

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The purpose of this study was to examine older adults' perceptions of health by exploring life course factors perceived as shaping the meanings of health in their daily lives. Using life course and life span perspectives as the theoretical framework to guide this mixed method study, I identified the contextual factors that influence older adults' health perceptions and behaviors. Through self-report questionnaires from 111 individuals (M age = 74 yrs., S.D. = 5.64) and in-depth interviews with 30 of the older adults from the larger sample (11 women and 19 men), I gained an understanding of how individual experiences and societal expectations influence the meanings older adults attach to health. Results indicated that being female and having more years of formal education were associated with higher health ratings. Findings from the qualitative inquiry enhanced the quantitative results by highlighting the contextual factors that influenced older adults' health ratings. Examination of how the older adults came to their health rating provided definitions of health based on physical status, activity level, and social comparisons. Life course influences emerged as the older adults described what their health means to them. Activity level, independence, and age prescriptions were reflections of childhood health experiences that the older adults used to relate their present meaning of health in their everyday lives. / Master of Science

This study uses the framework of systemic functional grammar to conduct the stylistic investigation of extracts from two texts of literary criticism written by F.R. Leavis and Paul de Man. The aims of the study are: i) to identify the characteristic features of the type of text known as professional literary criticism, and interpret the ideological significance of the textual features thus identified; ii) to identify the characteristic features of two specific registers of literary criticism, liberal humanist criticism and deconstruction, and interpret the relationship between linguistic and ideological variation -as exemplified in the texts which are analysed- and power. The features which make systemic functional grammar a powerful tool in stylistic analysis are identified, and a review of the applications of systemic grammar to text analysis is presented. A model of the relationship between text and context is presented, and its key terms and their relationship (discourse, ideology, genre, register, language) are discussed. The analysis of extracts from literary critical texts is conducted according to the three main features of the context of situation as identified in systemic grammar: field (subject matter of the discourse), tenor (participants in the discourse) and mode (medium of the discourse). Finally, the study considers the implications and applications of the conclusions drawn, particularly those that relate to the academic institution within which literary critical texts are produced and read. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

This study uses the framework of systemic functional grammar to conduct the stylistic investigation of extracts from two texts of literary criticism written by F.R. Leavis and Paul de Man. The aims of the study are: i) to identify the characteristic features of the type of text known as professional literary criticism, and interpret the ideological significance of the textual features thus identified; ii) to identify the characteristic features of two specific registers of literary criticism, liberal humanist criticism and deconstruction, and interpret the relationship between linguistic and ideological variation -as exemplified in the texts which are analysed- and power. The features which make systemic functional grammar a powerful tool in stylistic analysis are identified, and a review of the applications of systemic grammar to text analysis is presented. A model of the relationship between text and context is presented, and its key terms and their relationship (discourse, ideology, genre, register, language) are discussed. The analysis of extracts from literary critical texts is conducted according to the three main features of the context of situation as identified in systemic grammar: field (subject matter of the discourse), tenor (participants in the discourse) and mode (medium of the discourse). Finally, the study considers the implications and applications of the conclusions drawn, particularly those that relate to the academic institution within which literary critical texts are produced and read. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

This study is focused on the transfer accounts and the prototype accounts, and examines aspect through looking at L1 Swedish learners of Spanish who are at early stages of acquisition. The prototype accounts postulate that adult learners will acquire the most prototypical forms of a grammatical feature first, and then, as proficiency increases, less prototypical features, called extended meanings, will be acquired incrementally (Shirai & Andersen, 1995, Geeslin & Fafulas, 2012). The transfer accounts claim that all grammatical features of the L1 will transfer at initial stages, and that this will either facilitate or impede acquisition, depending on if there are structures that are realized differently or similarly in the L1 and in the L2 (Kellerman, 1979, Gass & Ard, 1984, Schwartz & Sprouse, 1996, Gabriele et al., 2015). The study uses the stimuli and experiment used in Gabriele et al. (2015), a study that tested L1 English learners of Spanish and found evidence that support the transfer accounts. Results from the present study shows positive evidence of L1 transfer, which is taken as support for the transfer account. The results are not compatible with the prototype accounts. A finding of a marginal difference might be indicative of L2 transfer, which is also taken as evidence for the transfer accounts.

The purpose of this study is to examine the extent of which culture influences the food consumption process. More specifically, our research will focus on the consumption process of Swedish consumers, as well as their motivations when buying food products. The overall objective of our research is to analyse the extent of applicability the Swedish model of consumption might possibly have in a country like France with a strong food culture. To conduct our research, a qualitative method was used along with an interpretivist approach. This was in accordance with the overall aim to highlight social and cultural facts by analysing consumer behaviour. Based on the theoretical framework studied in the report, ten in-depth interviews were conducted on Swedish and French students. The findings include good insights and advice that retailers and suppliers in the food industry could use to improve the grocery shopping experience and make it a better fit to the consumers’ expectations. Some limitations could be observed in our research, mainly due to the language barrier, concerning both the research material and the interviews. The results were also influenced by the location of the study and the past experience of the respondents. Further research can be recommended to investigate the effect of food and culture on larger cities and in different locations. Doing so, the findings could give a more representative overview of the food consumption process. The study could also be expanded on different market niches with different age groups allowing comparisons from different generations. Another idea would be to target consumers with varying levels of incomes, in order to see to what extent income influences the food consumption process.

Culture is an active process. It does not lie dormant in things (that is, any commodity, object or event that can be made to signify), waiting patiently to be awoken by an appropriate consumer. It is the practice and making of meanings. Culture is not in the object but in the experience of the object: how we make it meaningful, what we do with it, how we value it. John Storey (2003) Inventing Popular Culture, page viii The traditional arts, dance theater, music, visual arts and multi media are all accepted as being part of culture. In the same way that culture can be defined by the perceptions and feelings of each individual the arts belong to everyone. Bruno Frey (2003) in his book Arts and Economics: Analysis and Cultural policy considers the ways in which the arts are funded and supported and argues that a decision making system involving the diverse participants, audience, experts, artists and administrators is best equipped to establish and safeguard the constitutional rights to artistic expression (Frey, 2003:17). Can the experience of the arts be protected in the same way? This is an examination of the process, physical, historical and emotional issues that all play a part in the definition of the arts in Taipei. Entering the experience as a mother, artist, foreigner and long time resident of Taipei gave the researcher the opportunity to use many lenses simultaneously. This multifaceted view informed the choice of this topic. Can heritage sites and old buildings be successfully made into public arts venues? Do the underlying elements of history and conservation contribute to the venue’s ability to reach a large audience? Can free access be in part supported by in these sites through the use volunteers instead of paid staff? In order to better understand the role of the arts in contemporary Taipei life, the researcher, under the parameters of the Volunteer Services Act of Taiwan, conducted her research while a volunteer in the venues.

Pas de résumé / Pas de résumé

O envelhecimento é um processo que ocorre ao longo da vida e que compreende transformações biopsicossociais. Atualmente, parte da humanidade vem vivenciando o aumento da expectativa de vida. O desafio do século XXI tem sido de rever e reinventar trajetórias pessoais. A forma de construir esse envelhecer se diferencia de acordo com a cultura, o grupo social e, especialmente, o gênero. Atualmente, são poucos os estudos brasileiros envolvendo variáveis socioculturais do envelhecimento masculino, especialmente as simbólicas. Assim, forem conduzidos dois estudos de casos, envolvendo a temática envelhecimento masculino e aparência. Os objetivos dos estudos foram: 1) Caracterizar a construção e os significados da aparência na experiência de participação de homens idosos vencedores do concurso Mister IPGG 2017; Investigar a relevância da participação no concurso na percepção dos vencedores da edição 2017. Os estudos são de natureza exploratória e descritiva, inspirado no método etnográfico em termos da coleta, tratamento e análise de dados. Uso de observação livre e participante, conversas informais e registro fotográficos e entrevistas em profundidade, técnicas conduzidas com o apoio de roteiro semiestruturado. Participaram cinco idosos vencedores do concurso Mister IPGG 2017. As idades variavam em torno de 76 anos; médias e baixas escolaridade e renda; e moradores da zona leste da cidade de São Paulo. Ambos os estudos foram conduzidos no Instituto Paulista de Geriatria e Gerontologia (IPGG), situado na mesma região de residencia dos participantes. Constatou-se que a prática do investimento na aparência acontece ao longo de toda a vida, se intensificando por ocasião da participação no concurso. São realizadas ações autônomas e planejadas voltadas ao corpo, atitude e indumentária. A construção da aparência está relacionada às noções de elegância, tradição e dignidade. A relevância da participação no concurso é o exercício da geratividade, a noção de deixar um legado, não apenas para as futuras gerações, mas também para seus pares de gênero etários. Os estudos sugerem que ações institucionais em torno da promoção da construção da aparência e seus significados se mostraram positivas para o envelhecimento social masculino, oportunizando a promoção do bem-estar dos participantes / Aging is a lifelong process that includes biopsychosocial transformations. Nowadays, part of humanity has been experiencing an increase in life expectancy. The challenge of the twenty-first century has been to review and reinvent personal trajectories. The way to build this aging differs according to culture, social group, and especially gender. Currently, there are few Brazilian studies involving socio-cultural variables of male aging, especially symbolic. Thus, two case studies were conducted, involving the theme of male aging and appearance. The objectives of the studies were: 1) To characterize the construction and the meanings of the appearance in the experience of old men, winners of the contest Mister IPGG 2017; 2) Investigate the relevance of participation in the contest in the perception of the winners of the 2017 edition. The studies are exploratory and descriptive in nature, inspired by the ethnographic method in terms of data collection, treatment and analysis. Use of free observation and informal conversations, photographic record and in depth interview, techniques conducted with the support of semi-structured script. Participants were five elderly winners of the Mister IPGG 2017 competition. The ages varied around 76 years; medium and low schooling and income; retirees; and, residents of the eastern zone of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Both studies were conducted at the Instituto Paulista de Geriatria e Gerontologia (Paulista Institute of Geriatrics, IPGG), located in the same area of residence of the participants. It was verified that the practice of the investment in the appearance happens throughout the whole life, being intensified when in participation at the contest. Autonomous and planned actions for the body, attitude and clothing are made in the contest. The construction of appearance is related to the notions of elegance, tradition and dignity. The relevance of participation in the contest is the exercise of generability, the notion of leaving a legacy, not only for future generations, but also for their gender and age peers. The studies suggest that institutional actions around the promotion of the construction of the appearance and its meanings have shown to be positive for the masculine social involvement, opportuning the promotion of the well-being of the participants