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In this study, I will examine the beliefs and conceptual understanding of instructors and students from two abstract algebra classes. This research takes the form of a case study in which I answer four research questions, each addressing a relationship between instruction and beliefs or conceptual understanding. Specifically, these research questions are: 1. What beliefs do the instructors have about math, teaching, and learning and what relationship exists between these beliefs and instructional practice? 2. What is the relationship between instructional practice and students' beliefs about math, teaching, and learning? 3. What conceptual metaphors do the professors use to describe isomorphisms and homomorphisms and what relationship exists between these metaphors and the mathematical content in instruction? 4. What is the relationship between the mathematical content in instruction and conceptual metaphors the students use to describe isomorphisms and homomorphisms? In terms of beliefs, the instructors articulated considered positions on the nature of math, math learning, and math teaching. These beliefs were clearly reflected in their overall approaches to teaching. However, their instruction shifted in practice over the course of the semester. Students' beliefs seemed to shift slightly as a result of the ways their instructors taught. However, their core beliefs about math seemed unchanged and some lessons students took away were similar in the two classes. In terms of conceptual understanding, the instructors provided many conceptual metaphors that related to how they understood isomorphism. They struggled more to provide an image for homomorphism, which requires thinking about a more complicated mathematical object. Their understandings of isomorphism and homomorphism were largely reflected in their instruction with some notable differences. Students took away similar understandings of isomorphism to the instructors, but did not all take away the same level of structural understanding of homomorphism. In short, relationships between instructors' beliefs and instruction and between instructors' conceptual understanding and instruction were evident. However, certain elements were not made as clear as they perhaps intended. Relationships between instruction and students' beliefs and between instruction and students' conceptual understanding were also evident. However, relationships between instruction and beliefs were subtler than between instruction and conceptual understanding. / Doctor of Philosophy / In this study, I will examine the beliefs and conceptual understanding of instructors and students from two abstract algebra classes. I address four relationships: between instructors’ beliefs and instruction, between instruction and students’ beliefs, between instructors’ conceptual understanding and instruction, and between instruction and students’ conceptual understanding. Relationships between instructors’ beliefs and instruction and between instructors’ conceptual understanding and instruction were evident. However, certain elements were not made as clear as they perhaps intended. Relationships between instruction and students’ beliefs and between instruction and students’ conceptual understanding were also evident. However, relationships between instruction and beliefs were subtler than between instruction and conceptual understanding.

In interdisciplinary and cross-functional groups and teams, members pool diverse perspectives for the purposes of new product design and innovation, but these different perspectives may cause interruptions in effective communication. This study examines the use of analogies and metaphors as effective communication tools in interdisciplinary group settings. Analogies and metaphors are an important aspect of our cognitive activities. Communication using analogies and metaphors plays an important role in constructing our knowledge structures. In this study, an instructional tool with group activities has been designed and tested to teach the effective use of analogies and metaphors in interdisciplinary and cross-functional group and team settings. The tool was designed using theories of pedagogy and includes activities for group members. The instructional tool was tested in interdisciplinary group settings. The results from a mixed methods analysis of data the collected are presented as contributions to the research in group communication and analogies and metaphors. The study also identified characteristics of effective analogies that may be used as potential communication tools in interactions between members from different disciplines and functions. / Master of Science

In this study the role played by metaphor in psychotherapy is investigated. Issues discussed, included the formulation of a definition of metaphor as well as an adequate theory of metaphor. The place metaphor holds in thought and learning; as well as how it has found its expression within some psychotherapeutic traditions are also discussed. The primary aim of the dissertation is to illustrate the versatility of metaphor, enabling it to be a significant and powerful tool in the hand of the psychotherapist. The application of various forms of metaphor is illustrated through case studies which offer a discussion of how the specific type of metaphor had been applied in psychotherapy. In conclusion, some recommendations are made with regard to further research within the fields of psychotherapy and neuropsychology. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

A presente pesquisa partiu de minha experiência como professora de Língua Portuguesa, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao ensino da escrita nas turmas de Ensino Fundamental. A partir da compreensão de que a metáfora é um índice de manifestação da subjetividade e da constatação de que este é um recurso lingüístico raramente utilizado pelos alunos, passei a interrogar-me sobre a possibilidade de que outros elementos lingüístico-discursivos (a que chamei de \"embriões de metáfora\") permitissem supor uma subjetividade latente, com o prognóstico de poder vir a manifestar se pela construção de metáforas criativas. Na existência dessa possibilidade, investiguei se essa \"relação privilegiada com a linguagem\" poderia significar uma etapa em direção ao bem escrever. Perseguindo estas questões, este trabalho teve como proposta estabelecer correlações entre a produção escrita de alguém e a possibilidade de manifestar-se como sujeito (na concepção de Jacques Lacan), assim como descrever, através da análise de textos escritos pelos alunos, os elementos que possam ser chamados \"embriões de metáfora\". Parti, então, da hipótese que eles podem vir a tornarem-se metáforas se receberem um cuidadoso investimento daquele que ensina escrever e, nesse sentido, o trabalho propôs-se ainda a auxiliar o professor de língua materna a estabelecer critérios que permitam localizá-los nas produções dos alunos. Dessa forma, além de olhar para os textos como via (ou não) de manifestação subjetiva, proponho uma reflexão acerca das condições de produção de texto no âmbito escolar, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao endereçamento que os mesmos recebem. Para realizar estas análises, parti de um corpus inicial de seiscentos e quarenta e oito redações, das quais quatro figuram nesta dissertação. A seleção destas peças deu-se pelo fato de que cada uma delas é emblemática ao representar quatro \"graus\" de relação do indivíduo que escreve com a linguagem. A análise destes textos, articulada com alguns conceitos da teoria lacaniana, permitiu-me, à título de conclusão deste trabalho, postular que as relações estabelecidas entre aquele que ensina a escrever e aquele que escreve precisam estar calcadas na permeabilidade daquele que ensina às singularidades de quem escreve, de modo que as aulas de Língua Portuguesa constituam espaços para que os sujeitos possam ousar manifestar sua diferença e responsabilizar-se por ela. / This research has started from my experience as Portuguese Language teacher, especially concerning the teaching of writing in elementary school. With the understanding that metaphor is a sign of manifestation of subjectivity, and noticing that this is a linguistic resource seldom used by the students, I began to ask myself about the possibility that other linguistic/discoursive elements would make me suppose a latent subjectivity (called by me \"metaphor embryo\"), which would be able to manifest itself in the construction of creative metaphors. As this possibility really exists, I investigated whether this \"privileged relationship to language\" could mean a stage towards good writing. In pursuing these questions, this work had as its main goal to establish correlations between one\'s written production and his/her possibility of manifestation as a subject (in Jacques Lacan\'s conception), as well as to describe, through the analysis of texts written by the students, the elements which could be named \"metaphor embryos\". Starting from the hypothesis that these embryos can become metaphors if receive a careful treatment from the person who teaches writing, this work has also the goal of helping the mother language teacher in establishing criteria to find them in the students\' compositions. In so doing, besides looking to the text as a way of subjective manifestation, I proppose a reflection on the text producing conditions in school environment. In order to make these analyses, I started from a corpus of six hundred forty-eight compositions, of which four figure in this dissertation. The choosing of these texts was due to the fact that each one of them is emblematic in representing four \"degrees\" of the relationship between the person who writes and the language. Articulating the analysis of these texts with some concepts of Lacan\'s theory, I postulate, as a conclusion, that the relationships established between the one who teaches to write and the one who writes need to be focused on the teacher\'s \"permeability\" to the student\'s singularities, in such a way that the Portuguese Language classes become spaces for the subjects to dare to manifest their difference and be responsible for it.

A presente pesquisa partiu de minha experiência como professora de Língua Portuguesa, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao ensino da escrita nas turmas de Ensino Fundamental. A partir da compreensão de que a metáfora é um índice de manifestação da subjetividade e da constatação de que este é um recurso lingüístico raramente utilizado pelos alunos, passei a interrogar-me sobre a possibilidade de que outros elementos lingüístico-discursivos (a que chamei de \"embriões de metáfora\") permitissem supor uma subjetividade latente, com o prognóstico de poder vir a manifestar se pela construção de metáforas criativas. Na existência dessa possibilidade, investiguei se essa \"relação privilegiada com a linguagem\" poderia significar uma etapa em direção ao bem escrever. Perseguindo estas questões, este trabalho teve como proposta estabelecer correlações entre a produção escrita de alguém e a possibilidade de manifestar-se como sujeito (na concepção de Jacques Lacan), assim como descrever, através da análise de textos escritos pelos alunos, os elementos que possam ser chamados \"embriões de metáfora\". Parti, então, da hipótese que eles podem vir a tornarem-se metáforas se receberem um cuidadoso investimento daquele que ensina escrever e, nesse sentido, o trabalho propôs-se ainda a auxiliar o professor de língua materna a estabelecer critérios que permitam localizá-los nas produções dos alunos. Dessa forma, além de olhar para os textos como via (ou não) de manifestação subjetiva, proponho uma reflexão acerca das condições de produção de texto no âmbito escolar, sobretudo no que diz respeito ao endereçamento que os mesmos recebem. Para realizar estas análises, parti de um corpus inicial de seiscentos e quarenta e oito redações, das quais quatro figuram nesta dissertação. A seleção destas peças deu-se pelo fato de que cada uma delas é emblemática ao representar quatro \"graus\" de relação do indivíduo que escreve com a linguagem. A análise destes textos, articulada com alguns conceitos da teoria lacaniana, permitiu-me, à título de conclusão deste trabalho, postular que as relações estabelecidas entre aquele que ensina a escrever e aquele que escreve precisam estar calcadas na permeabilidade daquele que ensina às singularidades de quem escreve, de modo que as aulas de Língua Portuguesa constituam espaços para que os sujeitos possam ousar manifestar sua diferença e responsabilizar-se por ela. / This research has started from my experience as Portuguese Language teacher, especially concerning the teaching of writing in elementary school. With the understanding that metaphor is a sign of manifestation of subjectivity, and noticing that this is a linguistic resource seldom used by the students, I began to ask myself about the possibility that other linguistic/discoursive elements would make me suppose a latent subjectivity (called by me \"metaphor embryo\"), which would be able to manifest itself in the construction of creative metaphors. As this possibility really exists, I investigated whether this \"privileged relationship to language\" could mean a stage towards good writing. In pursuing these questions, this work had as its main goal to establish correlations between one\'s written production and his/her possibility of manifestation as a subject (in Jacques Lacan\'s conception), as well as to describe, through the analysis of texts written by the students, the elements which could be named \"metaphor embryos\". Starting from the hypothesis that these embryos can become metaphors if receive a careful treatment from the person who teaches writing, this work has also the goal of helping the mother language teacher in establishing criteria to find them in the students\' compositions. In so doing, besides looking to the text as a way of subjective manifestation, I proppose a reflection on the text producing conditions in school environment. In order to make these analyses, I started from a corpus of six hundred forty-eight compositions, of which four figure in this dissertation. The choosing of these texts was due to the fact that each one of them is emblematic in representing four \"degrees\" of the relationship between the person who writes and the language. Articulating the analysis of these texts with some concepts of Lacan\'s theory, I postulate, as a conclusion, that the relationships established between the one who teaches to write and the one who writes need to be focused on the teacher\'s \"permeability\" to the student\'s singularities, in such a way that the Portuguese Language classes become spaces for the subjects to dare to manifest their difference and be responsible for it.

Paul Ricoeur believes that metaphors not only provide information, but also convey truths. When people express non-image concepts with image-based language, they use metaphor. Reading Biblical metaphor is to look for God through reading. Metaphors are used throughout the Bible as a means of pointing to truths and as a tool to allow readers to recognize God. How has the Bible enabled millions of believers for centuries to serve God despite the limitations of human language? The answer is that God reveals Himself through metaphor, allowing people to know His value. The use of metaphor is not only a literary device designed for aesthetic purposes; the main purpose of metaphor is to express concepts that are difficult to describe directly. This article uses conceptual metaphor theory (CMT) from Metaphors We Live By (Lakeoff & Johnson, 1980, 2003) and blending theory (BT) by Fauconnier and Turner (1995) as analysis strategies for Biblical texts, they are also one kind of tool of organizing information at the same time. Metaphor is a type of inspirational linguistic phenomenon; a linguistic device that enables people¡¦s minds to ascend to a higher place. Biblical metaphors are extremely rich, and this article offers only an initial analytical interpretation of the four main themes of Biblical metaphors: The exploration of God¡¦s nature and attributes; to see the default table of the Old Testament and the intertextuality of the New Testament; the characteristics of believers; and the interactive relationship between God and man, including God¡¦s will for humanity. Using these four basic and essential themes, this study explores how the Bible uses metaphor to convey abstract concepts and relate communications between God and man, as well as exploring how moral lessons are conveyed through metaphors, enabling the average person to understand them. In addition, in a position of Biblical readers to explore how readers use their own experience and cognitive abilities regarding metaphors to ascertain the true meaning of faith, including metaphorical thinking of the solutions, the experience of faith is the extension of the metaphor. ¡¨Christ¡¨ is the necessary key for Biblical interpretation, as well as the metaphor is possible as an edge tool of cognition & expression, that is, Biblical readers can transfer the implication of belief through the modes of metaphor understanding per the information provided by Bible. Using the same principle, the reading technique of metaphorical cognition can be applied to other texts as a method of interpreting meaning¡Xespecially abstract meaning.