This mixed-method study explored and examined the reading attitudes of thirdgrade struggling readers (n=91) following six weeks of summer school using a scripted literacy program (Voyager Passport). During the quantitative portion of the study students (n=91) from five different summer school sites were given the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (McKenna & Kear, 1990). The survey, which was administered by the classroom teacher the first day of summer school and the last week of summer school, provided scores for academic, recreational and total reading attitude. Following data collection the results of the ERAS surveys were analyzed using a dependent measures t-test as well as descriptive statistics. Results revealed no significant differences in recreational or total reading attitude following summer school using a scripted literacy program. Gender and school site were both examined using a multivariate analysis. Results indicated no statistically significant differences based on gender. However, when academic attitude was examined the results for school site were found to be significant F (4, 90) = 2.87, p = .03. A follow-up Tukey test revealed that although there was a difference in academic attitudes between the school sites, the variation could not be pinpointed to particular sites. The qualitative portion of the study relied on both field notes gathered through classroom observations (n=113) and focus groups. One focus group was held at each of the five summer school sites. During focus groups a group moderator asked the students a series of six questions. Results were analyzed using semantic content analysis (Stewart & Shamdasani, 1990) to identify themes related to students' attitudes about reading. After a cross case analysis of the targeted classrooms was conducted, triangulation was used to compare the findings from the ERAS survey, classroom observations, and focus groups. The qualitative findings revealed that following summer school students liked to read, felt they were better readers, and felt prepared to take the standardized test. However, only 29% of the students passed the alternative assessment. The results also revealed questions regarding the fidelity of the implementation and concerns with the lack of norming data on the fidelity measure.

This dissertation aims to understand the female Saudi mathematics teachers' formative assessment practices after coming back to in-person instruction and the impact of such practices on female student attitudes toward learning mathematics. The study was conducted in two middle schools located in the North and South districts of a large city in Saudi Arabia, using a sequential mixed study design methodology . The study's sample included 4 female mathematics teachers and 104 8th grade mathematics female students. For the qualitative research design, I conducted four interviews and used the NVivo program to thematically analyze my results. Additionally, I used AssessToday observational protocol to conduct 12 observations (three per teacher) and triangulated to analyze the data, including my filled notes, lessons audio recordings, and photos. For my quantitative design, I administered the Attitudes Towards Mathematics Inventory (ATMI) Scale to 104 8th-grade mathematics female students in a pre- and post-survey and I performed a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the internal structure of my data. Overall, the study revealed that despite teachers' claims of practicing formative activities, their actual practices may not reflect it. The study confirmed the literature that using AssessToday is applicable regardless of the location, culture, language, and education system. The study contributes to short-cycle formative assessment literature by showing a positive and linear relationship (although not statistically significant) between teacher's use of formative assessment and students' attitudes toward learning mathematics.

Les revues de littérature sont couramment employées en sciences de la santé pour justifier et interpréter les résultats d’un ensemble d’études. Elles permettent également aux chercheurs, praticiens et décideurs de demeurer à jour sur les connaissances. Les revues dites systématiques mixtes produisent un bilan des meilleures études portant sur un même sujet tout en considérant l’ensemble des méthodes de recherche quantitatives et qualitatives. Leur production est ralentie par la prolifération des publications dans les bases de données bibliographiques et la présence accentuée de travaux non scientifiques comme les éditoriaux et les textes d’opinion. Notamment, l’étape d’identification des études pertinentes pour l’élaboration de telles revues s’avère laborieuse et requiert un temps considérable. Traditionnellement, le triage s’effectue en utilisant un ensemble de règles établies manuellement. Dans cette étude, nous explorons la possibilité d’utiliser la classification automatique pour exécuter cette tâche. La famille d’algorithmes ayant été considérée dans le comparatif de ce travail regroupe les arbres de décision, la classification naïve bayésienne, la méthode des k plus proches voisins, les machines à vecteurs de support ainsi que les approches par votes. Différentes méthodes de combinaison de caractéristiques exploitant les termes numériques, les symboles ainsi que les synonymes ont été comparés. La pertinence des concepts issus d’un méta-thésaurus a également été mesurée. En exploitant les résumés et les titres d’approximativement 10 000 références, les forêts d’arbres de décision admettent le plus haut taux de succès (88.76%), suivies par les machines à vecteurs de support (86.94%). L’efficacité de ces approches devance la performance des filtres booléens conçus pour les bases de données bibliographiques. Toutefois, une sélection judicieuse des entrées de la collection d’entraînement est cruciale pour pallier l’instabilité du modèle final et la disparité des méthodologies quantitatives et qualitatives des études scientifiques existantes. / The interest of health researchers and policy-makers in literature reviews has continued to increase over the years. Mixed studies reviews are highly valued since they combine results from the best available studies on various topics while considering quantitative, qualitative and mixed research methods. These reviews can be used for several purposes such as justifying, designing and interpreting results of primary studies. Due to the proliferation of published papers and the growing number of nonempirical works such as editorials and opinion letters, screening records for mixed studies reviews is time consuming. Traditionally, reviewers are required to manually identify potential relevant studies. In order to facilitate this process, a comparison of different automated text classification methods was conducted in order to determine the most effective and robust approach to facilitate systematic mixed studies reviews. The group of algorithms considered in this study combined decision trees, naive Bayes classifiers, k-nearest neighbours, support vector machines and voting approaches. Statistical techniques were applied to assess the relevancy of multiple features according to a predefined dataset. The benefits of feature combination for numerical terms, synonyms and mathematical symbols were also measured. Furthermore, concepts extracted from a metathesaurus were used as additional features in order to improve the training process. Using the titles and abstracts of approximately 10,000 entries, decision trees perform the best with an accuracy of 88.76%, followed by support vector machine (86.94%). The final model based on decision trees relies on linear interpolation and a group of concepts extracted from a metathesaurus. This approach outperforms the mixed filters commonly used with bibliographic databases like MEDLINE. However, references chosen for training must be selected judiciously in order to address the model instability and the disparity of quantitative and qualitative study designs.

Abstracts in English and Zulu / Immunisation is a cost-effective public health intervention that contributes to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). About 40% of children under the age of five years die from vaccine-preventable diseases in Nigeria. Routine immunisation has been quite low in Nigeria, where national coverage is estimated to be 33%, according to a 2016–2017 survey. This empirical research was aimed at determining the key socio-economic and gender determinants of immunisation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), identifying gaps and proffering solutions. Mixed methods of data collection and analysis were used. Data were gathered from several secondary sources and from 11 key informants using semi-structured interviews and 501 household and 26 health-facility surveys using questionnaires mounted on Open Data Kit. Lot quality assurance sampling and probability to population size methodology were used to size the samples and identify survey locations. Odds ratio analysis and logistic regression analysis were conducted to gauge the statistical association between the determinants and the coverage of immunisation. The main finding that was reached on the basis of the documents reviewed and the feedback received from the key informants was that they were gender blind at worst and gender neural at best. Most of the current strategies give little attention to socio-economic and gender barriers. Over 40 immunisation variables were identified. The analysis, particularly using the 2x2 odds ratio, yielded mixed results. The majority of the variables exhibited a close statistical association as far as immunisation indices were concerned. These variables included urban residency, married couples, literacy, birth at a health facility, antenatal care experience, vaccination card possession, immunisation knowledge, child health information, non-farming earnings, socio-economic status and tolerance of spouse beating. On the other hand, variables that were found to have no statistical significance included sex, marital status, marriage type, age, religion, tetanus toxoid (TT) vaccination and adequacy of income. Immunisation and gender are intertwined, particularly because of mothers’ biological and social attachment to their children. At the same time, conducting vaccination avails the opportunity to access almost all households. Moreover, it is important to recognise that socio-economic and gender determinants are not totally in control of one ministry. Single agenda interventions will not produce the desired result. A paradigm shift and the concerted effort of various sectors and partners are required. Therefore, the Nigerian government should galvanise the relevant stakeholders to bring gender and socio-economic variables into the mainstream throughout the immunisation ecosystem and to implement integrated development initiatives by prioritising vulnerable communities. / Ugonyo yindlela engcono yokungenela kwezempilo yabantu engathela esivivaneni ekufinyeleleni izinhloso zentuthuko eqhubekela phambili ezaziwa ngelokuthi yi- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Cishe izingane ezifinyelela ku 40% ezingaphansi kweminyaka emihlanu zibulawa yizifo ezivimbelekayo ngomgcabo emitholampilo eNigeria. Ukugonya njalo kusezingeni eliphansi eNigeria, laphokhona ukwengamela kuzwelonke kulinganiselwa ku 33%, ngokuya kocwaningo olwenziwe phakathi kuka 2016-2017. Ucwaningo lokuthola ubufakazi lwalunenhloso yokubona imithelela yezesimo sabantu nomnotho (socio-economic) kanye nobulili ngokugonya kwi-Federal Capital Territory (FCT) ukubona amagebe kanye nokutholakala kwezixazululo. Amamethodi axubene okuqokelela ulwazi kanye nohlaziyo kwasetshenziswa. Ulwazi lwaqokelelwa ngokufunda imithombo yemibhalo (secondary sources) kanye nakubantu ababalulekile abanolwazi (key informants) abangu 11 ngokusebenzisa ama-semi-structured interview kanye nemizi engu 501 kanye namasurvey amafasilithi ezempilo angu 26 ngokusebenzisa uhla lwemibuzo yamaquestionnaire ebifakelwe kwi-Open Data Kit. Kwasetshenziswa nemethodi ye-Lot quality assurance sampling ne-probability, ngemethodoloji yobuningi babantu, ukwenza usayizi wamasampuli kanye nokubona izindawo okumele kwenziwe kuzo ama-survey. Kwenziwa nohlaziyo lwe-Odds ratio analysis kanye ne-logisic regression analysis ukubona ukuhambelana kwamastatistiki phakathi kwezinto eziwumthelela kanye nokunaba kongamelo lokwenziwa kogonyo. Okukhulu okutholakele ngokulandela amadokhumende okufundwe kuwo, kanye nezimpendulo ezivela kulabo abanolwazi ababalulekile (key informants) kube wukuthi bekungaboneleli ubulili (gender blind) kanti futhi bekungachemile ngokulandela ubulili (gender neutral) ngezinga elibi nangokungcono kakhulu. Amasu amaningi amanje awanakekeli kakhulu izihibe ezimayelana nabantu nezomnotho kanye nezobulili. Kwaphawulwa cishe izinto ezehlukene zama-variable ezingu 40 mayelana nogonyo. Uhlaziyo, ikakhulukazi ngokusebenzisa i 2x2 odds ratio, lwaveza imiphumela exubene. Ezinto zama-variable ehlukene eziningi zikhombise ukuhlobana phakathi kwamastatistiki mayelana namaindices ogonyo. Lama variable, abandakanye ukuhlala emadolobheni, abantu abashadile, ikhono lokubhala nokufunda, ukuzalwa kwezingane kumafasilithi ezempilo, izipiliyoni zonakekelo lwengane ngaphambi kokuzalwa, ukuba nekhadi lomgcabo ix wasemitholampilo, ulwazi ngogonyo, ulwazi ngempilo yengane, ukuthola imali ngemisebenzi engeyona eyokulima, isimo sabantu mayelana nezomnotho, kanye nokuqinisela ukuhlukunyezwa ngokushaywa kwabesimame. Kanti ngakolunye uhlangothi, ama-variable atholakale engenakho ukubaluleka ngokwamastatistiki, abandakanya ubulili, isimo ngokomendo, inhlobo yomendo, iminyaka yobudala, inkolo, umgcabo we-tetanus toxoid (TT), kanye nokwenela kwengeniso lemali. Ugonyo kanye nobulili kuyangenelana nokuhambelana, ikakhulukazi ngenxa yokusondelana komama kanye nezingane zabo. Ngaso leso sikhathi, ukwenziwa kogonyo kuhlinzeka ngethuba lokufinyelela cishe kuwo yonke imizi eminingi. Nangaphezu kwalokho, kubalulekile ukwamukela ukuthi isimo sabantu mayelana nezomnotho kanye nobulili kuyizinto ezinomthelela, azinalo ulawulo oluphelele kumnyango kangqongqoshe owodwa. Ungenelo ngento eyodwa ngeke kwaveza imiphumela efiswayo. Ukugudluka ngokomqondo (paradigm shift), kanye nemizamo eqhubekela phambili yemikhakha ehlukene kanye nabasebenzisani kuyadingeka. Ngakho-ke uhulumeni waseNigeria, kumele agqugquzele ababambiqhaza abafanele ukuhlanganisa nokufaka emkhakheni ofanele izinto ezimayelana nabantu nomnotho kanye nobulili, kuyo yonke inqubo yokusebenzisana kwemikhakha okumele isebenzisane nehlangene ukusebenza ngokulandela inqubo yentuthuko ehlangane ngokubonelela imiphakathi ekwizimo ezibucayi / Development Studies / D. Phil. (Development Studies)