AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Valerie D. Newberry, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Workforce Education and Development, presented on June 2, 2009, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: EFFECTIVENESS OF A CLINICAL QUESTIONING ACTIVITY IN DEVELOPING CARDIAC SONOGRAPHY STUDENT LEARNING LEVELS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Marcia Anderson, Ph.D. The purpose of the study was to contribute to a better understanding of learning activities used in clinical education. In particular, this study aimed to investigate whether use of a question/answer (Q/A) activity in clinical learning promoted higher levels of learning. Results of this study will be beneficial to faculty in programs with a clinical component, clinical educators, employers, and to the students who participate in the programs. The two-fold problem addressed in this research study was (a) What is the level of student learning achieved with a Q/A clinical learning activity, as perceived by clinical instructors; and (b) is the students' perceived level of learning related to student characteristics? The study included students and clinical instructors from accredited cardiac sonography programs in the United States. Demographic data revealed the students were mostly female with a mean age of 30 and varying levels of education. Experts reviewed the Q/A activity for content validity and the level of Bloom's taxonomy. The instrument was revised based on their recommendations. Program directors in 53 programs were sent requests to participate in the study and nine programs had participants who agreed to be in the study. Participants were mailed the materials and asked to complete the Q/A assignment. Clinical instructors completed a teaching module prior to giving student scores for thinking levels. The demographic sheets, consents, and score sheets were mailed back and data analysis was completed. Findings of the study suggest the Q/A activity is successful at progressively increased means in the thinking scores of students. The teaching tutorial is adequate training for the clinical instructors on the levels of Bloom's taxonomy. The level of thinking score achieved is compared to the student's age, gender, and educational level with no statistically significant difference. Recommendations for practice, further research and instrumentation are discussed.

Previous studies have shown some students with good word recognition skills and high levels of reading fluency fail to comprehend what they read.This study examined the explicit teaching of the rule based Question Answer Response (QAR) strategies to overcome specific learning difficulties in reading comprehension. Case study methods were used on five Year 4 students in Western Australia who were at different developmental levels in reading comprehension.The study revealed that within the conceptual framework of the transactional model of reading, the Question Answer Response strategies were effective in improving literal, inferential, critical and creative comprehension at varying levels for each of the five students in the study. The strategies also proved to be an effective way to teach the resolution of anaphoric pronouns that are particularly problematic for students with poor comprehension.The study indicates that the teaching of reading comprehension skills to students with reading comprehension problems through explicit rule based instruction is an important component of classroom-based instruction in the literacy learning area.

This experimental research study examined the effects of the Question-Answer Relationships (QAR) taxonomy on ninth-grade students’ ability to answer comprehension questions. Participants included 32 incoming ninth-grade students who were required to attend summer school due to poor attendance, grades, and/or standardized test scores. Participants were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Experimental group participants received one week of initial strategy instruction followed by three weeks of maintenance activities. Results indicated that the strategy had a negative effect on students’ question-answering ability and raised questions regarding comprehension instruction, length of interventions, and the role of scaffolded support for a target population of adolescent readers. Discussion of the results revolves around interventions, QAR instruction, reading ability, and motivation of the participants.

One of the most important social activities in the lives of human beings is conversation. Apart from thoughts and ideas, we can express our feelings and emotions by means of conversation. Moreover, since conversation is recognized as a reciprocal process, we can understand and grasp what the people involved in the interaction are displaying. Being all around us, conversation is a means which makes us social. Its description and analysis have become a concern for many scientists. For the past forty years, conversation has been a subject of study for sociologists, linguists and social psychologists. Since that time, we may speak of the emergence of conversation analysis (hereinafter referred to as CA).

No description available.

The purpose of the research reported in this monograph has been twofold. First, it aims at contributing to an inquiry of the ways in which language and context are intertwined. Second, it aims at giving a characterization of a specific communicative event, second language teaching. The study starts out from a broad social-theoretical perspective, inspired by language game theory and ethnomethodology, as well as Goffman's (1974) 'frame analysis' and the work of Ragnar Rommetveit (1974, 1987). Levinson's (1979) notion 'activity type' is used in exploring how relevance criteria and frames of interpretation vary with the context of the activity in which language is used. The empirical material for the study consists of eight dyadic lessons of Swedish as a second language in grades 4-6 of the Swedish comprehensive, compulsory school. As material for comparison, the pupils, 10-12 year old boys from the Middle East, also participate in two non-didactic conversations around tasks defined by the research team, one together with his teacher of Swedish, one together with a class-mate of his. The first of the three empirical studies is a qualitative, discursive analysis of salient dialogue processes in language teaching activities. Abrupt shifts and breaks in the dialogue, misunderstandings, and lack of tuning between the conversational parties are interpreted as results of a tension between language at two levels in the language lesson. The dialogue in the language lessons of the corpus is characterized by an ambivalence between two perspectives on language, the ordinary, everyday perspective on language as a means for constructing and conveying messages versus the 'level 2 perspective', where language is seen as anabstract system of decontextualized linguistic items. The two other empirical studies are quantitatively oriented. In the first of these, important differences in dialogue processes, concerning dynamics, coherence and fluency are found between the lessons and the non-didactic conversations, as well as between different activities within the confines of a lesson. One of the most important results is that the teacher's interactional dominance seems to be systematically related to the content of lesson activities. The results of the last study suggest that in lessons, and especially language lessons proper, the pupil is givenfewer opportunities for talking and, also, that he refrains from taking the opportunities actually given to him. The main significance of the research is the demonstration of the dynamic character of linguistic communication and of the way in which linguistic meaning is the product of utterances being embedded in activities on which activity-specific premisses for communication are brought to bear. Also, the second language teaching situation is characterized as connected with particular communicative practices that are imbued with a certain degree of ambivalence and ambiguity.

This qualitative study focused on four secondary school physics teachers in Bangladesh using semi-structured interviews and observations to explore their understanding about the relationship between practical work and developing students’ conceptual knowledge of physics. Recent studies indicate that practical work helps secondary science students easily and effectively learn the concepts and theories of physics. However, the secondary school physics teachers in Bangladesh in this study did not provide students with practical work during classroom teaching. Rather, they provided practical work in separate practical classes. Although the teachers believed that practical work made their teaching and also students’ learning easier and effective, they did not offer frequent practical demonstrations in teaching the contents of physics. The major findings of the study include that teachers used mostly transmissive pedagogy to assist students to understand physics concepts and theories. Even though there are clear and specific instructions for the teachers to do demonstrations in the secondary physics curriculum, there were constraints on teachers and on students trying to conduct practical work. Constraints included: a lack of sufficient equipment. Teachers and students in non-government schools faced comparatively more difficulties than those in government schools. Low teacher/student ratios and no positions for laboratory assistants were reasons given for teachers’ intense workloads. This study implies a need to provide government and non-government schools with necessary equipment for doing practical work; to appoint sufficient teachers with higher studies and training that includes practical work in physics; to create positions for laboratory assistants; to set up classrooms with a smaller number of students; and to develop awareness of the value of practical work among school administration and among physics teachers.

Submitted by Viviane Lima da Cunha (viviane@biblioteca.ufpb.br) on 2017-08-01T14:31:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 3151027 bytes, checksum: 6fb1f38154fe9807c014047cafdfa0c2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-01T14:31:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 3151027 bytes, checksum: 6fb1f38154fe9807c014047cafdfa0c2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-23 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This thesis is scope to investigate the question-answer pair as topics articulation strategies from the perspective of Linguistic Functionalism, more precisely the North-American, which conceives the forms of language from the communication needs of the interlocutors (VUCHINICH, 1977; GIVÓN 1979 1983, 1995, 2001, 2002; RODRÍGUEZ, 1988; MANN e THOMPSON, 1988; HERRING, 1991; SORJONEN, 2001; MARTELOTTA, 1996; SAN-TOS, 2011; ARAÚJO e FREITAG, 2010; FREITAG, 2010, 2012; TAVARES, 2012; SAN-TOS e SILVA, 2015, among others). Therefore, it is taken as starting point the grammaticali-zation continuum: full question (PP) > semiretorical question (PSR) > rhetorical question (PR). The PP is formulated to be answered; the PSR is drawn up and answered by the speak-er; and the PR is asked not to be answered. The origin of this continuum is the PP, which is considered the most prototypical example of the question category why have two characteris-tic traces: [+ rising intonation] and [+ response]. The criteria adopted in the elaboration of continuum is the trace [+response], which is present in PPs, it redirected to the speaker him-self in PSRs and it is situated contextually in PRs. It is assumed the hypothesis that the P-R pair functions as connector in a higher level of textual /discursive portions, through of phoric and presuppositional relations. This connection is accomplished by processing of the discur-sive topics coded in questions and in answers. The data used in this research are part of two samples: i) Dados de fala de estudantes do Atheneu Sergipense, with respect to a data col-lection in a public school of Aracaju - SE; and ii) Rede Social de Informantes Universi-tários, which refers to the data collection held at Alberto Carvalho university campus, of the UFS, in Itabaina-SE, which integrate the database Falares Sergipanos, coordinated by Prof. Dra. Raquel Meister Ko Freitag. The methodological procedure adoptedin this research is of qualitative nature. First, it is held a survey of interrogative contexts with the purpose to infer the topics encoded in the P-R pair. Then it is accomplished the analysis and the description of the topical relations in the text/discourse, in order to capture the articulation strategies that are established by means of anaphoric, cataphoric and presuppositional relations. To complement the analysis, statistical data are used to enlarge the scope of understanding of the phenomenon studied. The results indicate that the P-R pair functions as strategies of topics articulation since the topics encoded in the questions are resumed in the responses, forming what Vuchinich (1977) calls relational unit. The PPs, to be more prototypical, act at textual level through the relationship question<> response; the PSRs are responsible for organizing the speaker's discourse, in a movement of resumption and projection of portions of the text and discourse; and the PRs which serve as search strategies of the listener's approval for what is being said for presenting a high degree of presupposition. / Esta tese tem por escopo investigar o par pergunta-resposta como estratégias de articulação de tópicos sob a perspectiva do funcionalismo linguístico, mais precisamente o norte-americano, que concebe as formas da língua a partir das necessidades comunicativas dos interlocutores (VUCHINICH, 1977; GIVÓN, 1979, 1983, 1992, 1995, 2001, 2002; RODRÍGUEZ (1988); MANN e THOMPSON, 1988; HERRING, 1991; SORJONEN, 2001; MARTELOTTA, 1996; ARAÚJO e FREITAG, 2010; SANTOS, 2011; FREITAG, 2010, 2012; TAVARES, 2012; SANTOS e SILVA, 2015, entre outros). Para tanto, toma-se como ponto de partida o continuum de gramaticalização: pergunta plena (PP) > pergunta semirretórica (PSR)> pergunta retórica (PR). A PP é formulada para ser respondida; a PSR é elaborada e respondida pelo falante; e a PR é formulada para não ser respondida. A origem desse continuum é a PP, que é considerada o exemplo mais prototípico da categoria pergunta por possuir dois traços característicos: [+ entonação ascendente] e [+resposta]. O critério adotado, na elaboração do continuum, é o traço [+ resposta], que está presente nas PPs, é redirecionado para o próprio falante nas PSRs, e é situado contextualmente nas PRs. Assume-se a hipótese de que o par P-R funciona como conector, em um nível mais alto, de porções textuais/discursivas por meio de relações fóricas e pressuposicionais. Essa conexão é realizada pelo processamento dos tópicos discursivos codificados nas perguntas e nas respostas. Os dados utilizados, nesta pesquisa, fazem parte de duas amostras: i) Dados de fala de estudantes do Atheneu Sergipense, que diz respeito a uma coleta de dados realizada em uma escola pública de Aracaju; e ii) Rede Social de Informantes Universitários, que se refere à coleta realizada no campus Prof. Alberto Carvalho, da UFS, em Itabaiana-SE, os quais integram o banco de dados Falares Sergipanos, coordenadoProf. Dra. Raquel Meister Ko Freitag. O procedimento metodológico adotado, nesta pesquisa, é o de cunho qualitativo. Primeiro, realiza-se um levantamento dos contextos interrogativos, tendo por finalidade depreender os tópicos codificados no par P-R. Em seguida, procede-se à análise e à descrição das relações tópicas no texto/discurso, a fim de captar as estratégias de articulação que se estabelecem por meio das relações fóricas e pressuposicionais. Para complementar a análise, utilizam-se dados estatísticos para ampliar o escopo de entendimento do fenômeno estudado. Os resultados indicam que o par P-R funciona como estratégias de articulação taxtual-discursiva, já que os tópicos codificados nas perguntas são retomados nas respostas, formando o que Vuchinich (1977) denomina de unidade relacional. As PPs, por serem mais prototípicas, atuam no nível textual por meio da relação pergunta<>resposta; as PSRs são responsáveis por organizar o discurso do locutor, em um movimento de retomada e de projeção de porções do texto e do discurso; eas PRsfuncionam como estratégias de busca de aprovação do ouvinte para o que está sendo dito por apresentar alto grau de pressuposicionalidade.

The overarching aim of the present study is to elucidate how preschool teachers and children in their interaction accomplish institutional everyday activities in preschool. What is analyzed, more specifically, is how the preschool teachers and children use certain interactional phenomena as resources when they organize their social interaction. The study is a video-based study and ethnomethodological and conversation analytic perspectives are taken as theoretical and analytical points of departure. This means that parts of the video recorded material has been transcribed in detail and micro analyzed. The results of the study are presented in two empirical chapters where it is shown, in detail, how preschool teachers and children in their interaction accomplish everyday activities in preschool. In particular, it is illuminated how the interactional phenomenon question-answer-sequences can function as an important interactional and educational resource for the participants, when they organize their interaction. Further, the detailed analyses show that since the interaction is being organized through question-answer-sequences, it becomes possible for the teacher to capture and direct the children’s attention towards different mathematical, physical and linguistic contents, in line with the intentions of the curriculum, as well as create a shared experience of these curricula contents in practice. Altogether, the analyses of the study thus show how the educational practice of preschool is being accomplished locally – by preschool teachers and children in interaction. / <p>Licentiatuppsats inom den Nationella forskarskolan för ämnesdidaktik i mångfaldens förskola.</p>

Dans le domaine du traitement automatique du langage naturelle, la tâche question-réponse (Question-Answer (QA)) consistant à développer des systèmes générant une réponse plausible à une question posée en langage naturel par un utilisateur depuis une source d’information, demeure d’actualité. Elle présente de nombreuses applications pratiques dont la recherche affinée d’information sur le web. Aujourd’hui, suite à une requête, les moteurs de recherche actuels retournent des listes classées de documents mais ils ne fournissent pas de réponse à la question de l’utilisateur. Depuis plus de cinquante ans, différentes approches et technologies ont été développées, qui ont mené à des avancées significatives en QA. Parmi celles-ci, les embeddings de mots, des vecteurs numériques représentant la signification des mots dans des contextes, des ensembles de données modèles et l’utilisation de réseaux neuronaux (RN) ont permis le développement de systèmes QA performants. Dans ce contexte, ce mémoire a porté sur l’étude du modèle BIDAF (Bidirectional Attention Flow), un des systèmes QA à base de RN les plus performants au début de ces travaux, testé au moyen de SQuAD (Stanford Question Answering Dataset), un des benchmarks les plus populaires en QA. L’étude initiale de BIDAF a démontré un certain nombre de différences structurelles notables entre sa description littéraire et son implémentation. Différentes variantes de BIDAF ont donc été développées et testées auxquelles on a ajouté l’entraînement des embeddings de mots durant l’entraînement du modèle ainsi que la modulation cyclique du taux d’apprentissage. Les modèles de structures similaires à la description littéraire de BIDAF avec entraînement des embeddings de mots et une version simplifiée ont démontré de meilleures performances, soit de 59.56% en exact match (EM) et 67.09% en F1, et EM = 60.20% et F1 = 67.69%, respectivement. Cette performance a été améliorée par la modulation du taux d’apprentissage à EM = 61.42% et F1 = 68.46%. / In the field of natural language processing, the question-answer (QA) task involving the development of systems generating a plausible answer to a question asked in natural language by a user from an information source, remains a hot topic. It has many practical applications including fine-grained information retrieval on the web. Today, following a query, current search engines return lists of classified documents but they do not provide an answer to the user’s question. Since more than fifty years, a number of approaches and technologies have been developed which have led to significant advances in QA. Among these, word embeddings, numerical vectors representing the meaning of words in contexts, the development of model or benchmark datasets and the use of neural networks (NN) have enabled the development of efficient QA systems. In this context, this thesis focused on the study of the BIDAF (Bidirectional Attention Flow) model, one of the most efficient NN-based QA systems at the start of this work, tested using SQuAD (Stanford Question Answering Dataset), one of the most popular benchmarks in QA. BIDAF’s initial study showed a number of notable structural differences between its literary description and its implementation. Different variants of BIDAF were therefore developed and tested to which were added word embedding training during model training as well as cyclic modulation of the learning rate. The models of structures similar to the literary description of BIDAF with training of word embeddings and a simplified version showed better performances, i.e. 59.56% in exact match (EM) and 67.09% in F1, and EM = 60.20% and F1 = 67.69 %, respectively. This performance was improved by modulating the learning rate to EM = 61.42% and F1 = 68.46%.