abstract: This action research addressed teacher effectiveness in supporting students’ critical thinking skills by implementing differentiated instructional strategies in eight 3rd- and 4th-grade, self-contained, inclusive classrooms. This study addressed how third- and fourth-grade teachers perceived their instructional effectiveness, how differentiated instructional strategies influence third- and fourth-grade teachers, and how third- and fourth-grade teachers make further use of differentiated instruction to support students’ critical thinking skills across cultures, linguistics, and achievement levels to increase student achievement. Out of the enrollment in a southwest Phoenix elementary school, there was a 35% mobility rate; 76%, free and reduced lunches; 35%, Spanish-speaking homes; 10%, ELL services; and 10%, special education. The school was comprised of 52 certified teachers, out of which there were five related arts teachers, and four teachers who served gifted and special education students. Participants included all eight third- and fourth-grade teachers, 75% female and 25% males; 75% identified as Caucasian and 25% Hispanic/Latina, middle-class citizens. Professional development training was provided to these eight individual teachers during four months on differentiated instructional strategies to support students’ critical thinking. At this study’s beginning, these teachers perceived an obstacle to supporting students’ critical thinking as they struggled to learn new curriculums. Persevering through this challenge, teachers discovered success by implementing design-thinking, developing students’ growth mindsets, and utilizing cultural responsive teaching. These teachers identified three differentiated instructional strategies which impacted students’ academic progress: instructional scaffolds, collaborative group work, and project-based learning. Building upon linguistic responsive teaching, cultural responsive teaching, and Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory, teachers revealed how to support students’ critical thinking through the use of graphic organizers, sentence frames, explicit instructions, growth mindsets, cultural references, and grouping structures. In addition, the outcomes demonstrated teachers can make further use of differentiated instruction by focusing on instructional groups, teachers’ mindsets, and methods for teaching accelerated learners. This study’s results have implications on teachers’ perception toward using differentiated instructional strategies as a viable method to support the multiple ways all students learn. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2018

As gender-based discrimination and violence against women continues to be a critical human rights issue across the world there is a growing demand of engaging men in transforming the relations, norms and the inequal social structures. Even though there are many laws and policies in place to protect women’s rights they are poorly implemented due to the fact that society and social institutions do not fundamentally support them. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how interviewed male college students describe their experiences of participating in a one-year program led by the non-governmental organisation called Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA), based in Mumbai, India. Focus has been on the training program seen from the participating students’ perspective and in what way they perceive it has had an impact on their view of gender-based discriminations, equality and patriarchal norms in society. The collected data has been analysed through the theory of patriarchy and gender socialization. The results of the study show that, even though the program has been successful in their goal to change the participants mindset to some extent, the main visible change seem to have been on the students interpersonal skills. The interviewed students report an awareness of gender-based issues in society but also a change on a personal level such as a developed confidence and communication skills. Methods like interactive sessions and street-plays as well as being exposed to new environments, are recurrently expressed to have been positive and beneficial experiences. Another finding is the belief that gender-norms and behaviour are deep-rooted in society. Therefore to change the mindset and changing the norms is a slow process and something that will take time.

La présente étude porte sur le regard réflexif que les Romains ont porté sur l’évolution de la pratique oratoire et sur les constructions historiographiques qu’ils ont pu élaborer pour en rendre compte. A travers le Brutus de Cicéron ainsi que Les Controverses et suasoires de Sénèque le père, nous étudions la constitution d’un objet historiographique singulier. Nous cherchons à mettre en évidence l’existence de plusieurs formes possibles d’écriture pour la construction d’une histoire de l’éloquence romaine. Le motif de la décadence constitue l’autre grand axe de notre travail. Nous abordons avant tout le thème du déclin en tant que révélateur des mentalités. Le rapport entre histoire de l’éloquence et politique constitue enfin le fil conducteur de notre travail. La construction d’une histoire de l’éloquence apparaît, en effet, liée de manière indissociable aux transformations politiques. Nous voulons donc mettre en évidence l’évolution historique du topos de la rhétorique décadente, qui revêt des formes diverses selon les auteurs. Le modèle d’interprétation politique ne s’impose définitivement que dans le Dialogue des orateurs de Tacite. La dégénérescence de l’art oratoire apparaît donc comme un domaine d’étude privilégié pour explorer la manière dont l’événement politique peut se traduire dans le champ culturel et voir comment l’histoire de l’éloquence intègre la notion de rupture. / This dissertation deals with the Roman’s reflexive look upon the evolution of rhetorical practice and on the historiographical constructions they devised to account for it. Throughout Cicero’s Brutus as well as Seneca the Elder’s Controversiae and Suasoriae, I study how a peculiar historiographical object was formed. I intend to demonstrate that there were several possible ways to write a history of Roman rhetoric. The motif of decadence is my other main point. I primarily address the topic of decline as an indicator of mindsets. The relationship between politics and the history of rhetoric is the guiding thread of my thesis, for the construction of a history of rhetoric is inextricably mingled with political changes. I thus intend to evidence the historical evolution of the topos of decadent rhetoric, which takes on various shapes depending on the author. The political interpretation model only prevailed starting with Tacitus’Dialogus de Oratoribus. Degeneration of rhetoric therefore appears to be a major area of study to explore how political events translate into the cultural realm and how the history of rhetoric incorporates the concept of historic breaks.

Submitted by Márcio Ropke (ropke13marcio@gmail.com) on 2017-02-20T12:45:04Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) DISSERTAÇÃO MESTRADO IMPRESSÃO FINAL (1).pdf: 804773 bytes, checksum: e247e2bec2f3ae68e5906e049ef73ab9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-02-22T18:43:59Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 DISSERTAÇÃO MESTRADO IMPRESSÃO FINAL (1).pdf: 804773 bytes, checksum: e247e2bec2f3ae68e5906e049ef73ab9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-02-22T18:45:41Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 DISSERTAÇÃO MESTRADO IMPRESSÃO FINAL (1).pdf: 804773 bytes, checksum: e247e2bec2f3ae68e5906e049ef73ab9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-22T18:45:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 DISSERTAÇÃO MESTRADO IMPRESSÃO FINAL (1).pdf: 804773 bytes, checksum: e247e2bec2f3ae68e5906e049ef73ab9 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-26 / Sem bolsa / O presente estudo verificou os efeitos do estereótipo de sobrepeso na aprendizagem de uma tarefa de equilíbrio dinâmico em mulheres. Os participantes, do sexo feminino, foram divididos em dois grupos: AE (ameaça do estereótipo) e AER (ameaça do estereótipo reduzido). A tarefa consistiu em manter uma plataforma de equilíbrio na horizontal, o maior tempo possível, durante as 10 tentativas de prática. Antes da prática, o grupo AE recebeu instruções introduzindo a tarefa como sendo influenciada por diferenças individuais, em que indivíduos com sobrepeso normalmente apresentam piores resultados do que indivíduos sem sobrepeso. Para o grupo AER, as instruções informaram que a tarefa não era influenciada por diferenças individuais. Imediatamente após a prática e anteriormente ao teste de retenção, todos os participantes preencheram um questionário referente ao grau de motivação intrínseca. Os efeitos sobre a aprendizagem foram avaliados um dia após a prática, através de um teste de retenção. Os participantes do grupo AER demonstraram melhor performance e aprendizagem da tarefa, assim como um maior nível de competência percebida, do que o grupo AE. Conclui-se que a aprendizagem de habilidades motoras pode ser afetada pelo uso de instruções designadas a reduzir a ameaça do estereótipo. Os resultados estão de acordo com evidências crescentes que demonstram o impacto de fatores sócio-cognitivos e afetivos sobre a aprendizagem de habilidades motoras. / The objective of the present study was to investigate the influence of overweight stereotype threat on learning a balance task in women. Participants practiced 10 trials of a dynamic balance task, and their learning was observed in a retention test, one day later. Before practice, the stereotype threat (ST) group received instructions introducing the task is influenced by individual differences, where overweight people usually present worse outcomes. For the reduced stereotype threat group (RST), instructions informed that the task was not influenced by individual differences. After practice, all participants filled out a questionnaire measuring intrinsic motivation. Performance and learning, as well as increased intrinsic motivation, were enhanced for participants of the RST group, compared with participants of the ST group. The findings indicate that the learning of balance skills can be affected by the use of instructions designed to reduce stereotype threat. They add to the growing evidence of the impact of social-cognitive factors on motor skill learning.

Graduation rates in bachelor's degrees in the United States continue to be lower than stakeholders expect, despite the many advantages of college completion. This phenomenological study investigated the interplay between resilience, coping strategies, and college completion for undergraduate art and design students in an effort to improve graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to address gaps in the literature regarding art and design students' resilience and academic success. Findings were interpreted using 3 conceptual frameworks: resilience theory, Bronfenbrenner's ecology of human development, and Dweck's theory of mindsets and self-beliefs. Research questions guiding this study addressed the external and internal factors that support resilience, the most stressful situations students faced while attending the university, and the coping strategies students used to manage stress, regain resilience and graduate. Data collection included individual semi-structured interviews with 11 graduating seniors and an alum from a single public university in the eastern United States. Data were supplemented by individual semi-structured interviews with 1 faculty member and 2 campus counselors from the same university who had extensive interactions with art and design undergraduates. Key results from the data analysis found that supportive relationships with peers, access to financial aid, stress-free living environments, motivation, tenacity, and self-efficacy were important factors for academic success. The most stressful situations students reported were studio critiques, a lack of compatibility with roommates, and health issues. This study promotes positive social change by providing information for stakeholder's use in bolstering students' resilience in order to manage stress and improve college completion rates.

The rise of TikTok has revolutionised our interaction with music on social media, altering how we discover and share songs. Artists recognise TikTok's potential as a launchpad for their careers, while music streaming platforms have embraced user-generated content and introduced features for incorporating music into online sharing. Based on a user centred mixed-methods approach of content analysis and semi-structured interviews with established TikTok creators, this thesis investigates the motivations and mindsets behind sharing music-related content on the platform. Overall, 285 videos were analysed in the first research pillar and 16 user-interviews were conducted in the second pillar. The interviewed participants were all located in the US, under the age of 30 and required to have posted music-related content in the past 30 days. The data of both research pillars was analysed based on an inductive affinity mapping process. The study identified four distinct creator mindsets: reach-oriented, music-oriented, artist-oriented, and self-oriented mindsets. Each mindset represents a unique approach to music sharing, shaped by specific creator motivations and content themes. The study recommends features that enhance personalisation, facilitate music sharing and authentic self-expression, and offer customisation options for visual aesthetics. Additionally this research recommends exploring AI-generated sounds to create a framework for sharing music in a set context, following trending audio ideas on TikTok. The concept of personalisable sharing templates is explored, highlighting the different nuances to be considered when designing them for creators with different mindsets and offering customisation options to express themselves. By considering the unique motivations and characteristics of each mindset and content theme, these design implications aim to enrich the creator experience, foster engagement within the TikTok community and meaningful connections between creators and their audience. In conclusion, this thesis highlights the importance of considering distinct creator mindsets and content types when exploring motivations and user needs in music sharing on TikTok, providing a foundational guideline for platform designers and music industry professionals to tailor their strategies to meet the specific needs and preferences of creators. Future research should evaluate the discovered mindsets based on a quantitative approach and investigate the applicability of these mindsets to other areas of content creation, further extending our understanding of user needs and motivations across various domains when sharing content online. / TikToks frammarsch har revolutionerat vår interaktion med musik på sociala medier och förändrat hur vi upptäcker och delar låtar. Artister förstår TikToks potential som en möjlig språngbräda för deras karriärer, medan musikstreamingtjänster har välkomnat användargenererat innehåll och infört funktioner för att inkludera musik i online-delning. Baserat på en användarcentrerad mixad metod bestående av innehållsanalys och semistrukturerade intervjuer med etablerade TikTok-kreatörer, undersöker denna avhandling motivationen och tankesättet bakom att dela musikrelaterat innehåll på plattformen. 285 tiktok videor analyserades, följt av 16 användarintervjuer. Samtliga intervjuade var under 30 år, befann sig i USA, samt hade publicerat musikrelaterat innehåll under de senaste 30 dagarna. Data från båda delarna av arbetet analyserades baserat på en induktiv affinitetskartläggning. Studien identifierar fyra distinkta tankesätt hos kreatörer: räckvidds-orienterade, musikorienterade, artist-orienterade och själv-orienterade tankesätt. Varje tankesätt representerar en unik inställning till musikdelning, formad av specifika motivationskällor och innehållsteman. Studien rekommenderar funktioner som förbättrar personaliseringen, underlättar musikdelning och autentiskt självuttryck samt erbjuder anpassningsalternativ för visuell estetik. Dessutom rekommenderar denna forskning att utforska AI-genererade ljud för att skapa ett ramverk för att dela in musik i konkreta sammanhang, utefter ljudrelaterade idétrender på TikTok. Ett koncept med anpassningsbara mallar för delning undersöks och belyser de olika nyanser som bör beaktas vid utformandet av dem för kreatörer med olika tankesätt samt erbjuder anpassningsalternativ. Genom att ta hänsyn till de unika motivationskällorna, egenskaperna för varje tankesätt och innehållsteman ämnar dessa designförslag att berika kreatörs-upplevelsen, främja engagemang inom TikTok-communityn och etablera meningsfulla kontakter mellan kreatörer och deras publik. Sammanfattningsvis belyser den här avhandlingen vikten av att ta hänsyn till kreatörernas olika tankesätt och innehållstyper vid undersökning av motiv och användarbehov vid musikdelning på TikTok, vilket ger en grundläggande riktlinje för plattforms-designers och yrkesmän inom musikindustrin att skräddarsy sina strategier för att möta kreatörernas specifika behov och preferenser. Framtida forskning bör utvärdera de upptäckta tankesätten baserat på en kvantitativ metod och undersöka tillämpligheten av dessa tankesätt på andra områden för innehållsskapande, vilket ytterligare ökar vår förståelse för användarnas behov och motiv inom olika domäner när de delar innehåll online.

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Nontraditional college student enrollment in the United States is rapidly growing and is predicted to continue to increase. Similarly, female students are currently the majority student population on college campuses. Although numerous studies document college student experiences, few focus on first-generation Latinas who are student-mothers at community colleges. The purpose of this study was to explore the educational experiences of first-generation Latina nontraditional student-mothers enrolled at a community college in California to identify the ways in which grit (ganas) and mindsets influenced their success. This inquiry followed Moustakas’s (1994) transcendental phenomenology research process. Individual interviews of five Latinas were analyzed using Moustakas’s modification of the Van Kaam method of analysis. The findings indicate that each woman had a similar yet unique story based upon their intersectional identities and the space in which they lived in at the time of this study. These stories collectively echoed a phenomenon rooted in cultural pervasiveness and generational continuity, an urgency to break cultural norms, and the grasp on ganas and mindsets that each participant held onto while striving to reach their educational goals. The participants’ stories illuminated an unanticipated connection to my own story as a Latina student-mother in search of a higher education. This connection provided me with a deeper understanding of my educational path and the realization that ganas and mindsets also influenced my educational experiences. The implications from this study offer ways to support this specific group of students both collectively and individually. La inscripción de estudiantes del colegio no tradicionales en los Estados Unidos está creciendo rápidamente y se prevé que continúe aumentando. Del mismo modo, las alumnas son actualmente la población estudiantil mayoritaria en los colegios. Aunque numerosos estudios documentan experiencias de estudiantes de colegio, pocos se centran en latinas de primera generación que son estudiantes-madres en colegios comunitarios. El propósito de este estudio fue explorar las experiencias educativas de las madres Latinas que son estudiantes no tradicionales de primera generación inscritas en un colegio comunitario en California para identificar las maneras en que sus ganas y mentalidades influyeron en su éxito. Este estudio siguió al proceso de investigación de fenomenología trascendental de Moustakas (1994). Las entrevistas individuales de cinco Latinas fueron analizadas utilizando la modificación de Moustakas del método de análisis de Van Kaam. Los hallazgos indican que cada mujer tenía una historia similar pero única basada en sus identidades interseccionales y el espacio en el que vivían en el momento de este estudio. Estas historias hicieron eco colectivamente de un fenómeno arraigado en la omnipresencia cultural y la continuidad generacional, la urgencia de romper las normas culturales y la comprensión de las ganas y las mentalidades que cada participante aferró mientras se esforzaba por alcanzar sus metas educativas. Las historias de los participantes iluminaron una conexión imprevista con mi propia historia como estudiante-madre Latina en busca de una educación superior. Esta conexión me proporcionó una comprensión más profunda de mi camino educativo y la comprensión de que las ganas y las mentalidades también influyeron en mis experiencias educativas. Las implicaciones de este estudio ofrecen maneras de apoyar a este grupo específico de estudiantes tanto colectiva como individualmente.