This study describes the findings of a qualitative study examining the understanding about the beliefs and practices about assessment of faculty who teach English as a foreign language. I analyzed the beliefs and practices of EFL faculty members as described in their responses upon the instructional process of the target language following a three-part approach proposed by Miles, Huberman and Saldana (2014), which is a concurrent flow of three activities: (a) data condensation, (b) data display, and (c) conclusion drawing/ verification. For the collection of data, I used two instruments: qualitative interviews, and documents. The following research questions guided this study: 1) what are the beliefs of faculty members about the role of assessment in the teaching of English as a foreign language in undergraduate programs in a higher educational institution in Colombia? 2) How do EFL faculty members describe the practice of assessment in a Colombian higher educational institution, both in terms of their teaching EFL pre service teachers and in their interactions with departmental colleagues? 3) How do EFL faculty members interpret the implications of the guiding principles about assessment of a Colombian university, contained in its undergraduate student manual, for their instructional practice of English as Foreign Language?

Collaboration is an important yet difficult skill for learners in the 21st century. Recent research has examined how supports, such as group scripts and roles, can help learners collaborate effectively. However, little is known about the perceptions learners have of these supports when provided to them. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) learner’s choices and reasonings for role choices and (b) the impact of group roles. Participants included 111 undergraduate students in a learning strategies for university success course. During the course, students completed two required collaborative tasks, including pre-task planning and a post-task reflection. Students made choices regarding roles in individual and group planning sessions and explained their reasoning for making those choices. Students frequently chose roles relating to strategic task enactment, motivation, and concept/domain knowledge in their individual and group planning sessions with their primary reasons being focused on “self” knowledge, or information about themselves, such as strengths or weaknesses. These findings suggest learners may believe these are important roles for collaboration. The reliance on “self” knowledge for making decisions may be attributed to the fact these groups were collaborating for the first and second times and may not have a plethora of group information to utilize. Contributions of this study to theory, research, and practice will be discussed. / Graduate

Factors affecting job satisfaction among regulated nurses and allied health workers in long-term care (LTC) facilities remain poorly understood. A secondary analysis using data from the Translating Research in Elder Care program was done to model determinants of job satisfaction. Demographic, individual-level, and context-level variables were assessed. Separate GEE models were constructed for regulated workers (n = 756) and allied health workers (n = 334). Emotional exhaustion and cynicism predicted lower job satisfaction in regulated nurses and allied health workers, respectively. Psychological empowerment and adequate orientation predicted higher job satisfaction in both groups. Work engagement, culture, and organizational slack-space predicted higher job satisfaction in regulated nurses. Social capital, organizational slack-time, and formal interactions predicted higher job satisfaction in allied health workers. These findings provide empirical support for individual-level and context-level variables and identify the importance of adequate orientation in job satisfaction in this population.

Les adaptations cellulaires et moléculaires induites par les drogues jouent un rôle central dans les altérations comportementales à long terme observées dans l’addiction. Cette étude s’inscrit dans une démarche de compréhension des processus cellulaires rapidement mis en jeu par la cocaïne et susceptibles d’impacter durablement le fonctionnement neuronal et les comportements. La protéine Arc joue un rôle clé dans l’établissement de la plasticité synaptique à long-terme et la consolidation de la mémoire. Cette étude visait à caractériser l’induction de Arc dans le striatum en réponse à la cocaïne et d’analyser son rôle dans les réponses moléculaires et comportementales qu’elle induit. Notre étude a montré que l’expression de Arc est augmentée rapidement et transitoirement dans le striatum après une injection de cocaïne sous la dépendance de l’activation de la voie ERK. Nous montrons que la cocaïne induit une forte accumulation de la protéine Arc dans le noyau des neurones striataux où Arc se localise dans des zones actives de transcription, à proximité des histones H3 phosphorylées. In vitro, la surexpression de Arc diminue la phosphorylation des histones H3 induite par le glutamate indiquant qu’elle altère le remodelage de la chromatine. L’invalidation génétique de la protéine in vivo dans un modèle de souris transgénique conduit à une décompaction de la chromatine associée à une augmentation de l’activité de la RNA Polymerase II démontrant que Arc exerce un effet répresseur sur les mécanismes transcriptionnels. La perte totale d’expression de Arc favorise le développement d’altérations comportementales à long terme chez des animaux exposés à de faibles doses de cocaïne. / Molecular and cellular adaptations induced by drugs of abuse in the reward system play a key role in long-term behavioral alterations encountered in addiction. This work falls within an approach of understanding the cellular processes rapidly engaged by cocaine that could underlie the persistent alteration of neuronal physiology and behaviors. Arc protein is a major player in neuronal plasticity. Arc is induced in many behavioral paradigms and is essential for long-term synaptic plasticity and memory consolidation. The aim of this study was to characterize the profile and modality of Arc induction within the mouse striatum in response to cocaine administration. Our study shows that Arc expression is rapidly and transiently increased in the striatum after acute cocaine in an ERK-dependent fashion. This work revealed that cocaine-induced Arc protein rapidly and transiently accumulates in the nucleus of striatal neurons. In the nucleus, Arc is preferentially expressed in active transcription regions and localizes at the vicinity of phosphorylated histones H3. In vitro Arc overexpression decreased glutamate-induced Histones H3 phosphorylation showing that Arc interferes with activity-dependent chromatin remodeling. In vivo genetic invalidation of Arc expression in a transgenic mouse model was associated with a decreased chromatin compaction and increased RNA Polymerase II activity suggesting a repressive role of Arc on transcriptional mechanisms. Total Arc loss of expression leads to increased sensitivity to cocaine and promotes long-term behavioral alterations induced by low doses of cocaine.

Students in Saudi Arabia need opportunities to develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills, but teachers typically rely upon knowledge transmission in face-to-face teaching. Flipped learning (FL), which integrates the features of online and face-to-face learning, has demonstrated potential for increasing higher-level learning. However, learners may not be able to manage FL activities on their own, such as by watching short videos outside the classroom, and thus might not be well prepared for in-class activities. Therefore, the self-regulated flipped learning (SRFL) approach seeks to address this challenge by integrating self-regulated learning (SRL) into the FL environment.

This thesis explores the impact of an inquiry-based learning programme on students’ self-reported levels of self-regulated processes and related motivations in the science classroom. Appreciating the interest seen in developing self-regulated learning and motivation in young students (Gläser-Zikuda & Järvelä, 2008; Zimmerman, 2002) and considering current discussions regarding the way science is taught around the globe (Kalman, 2010, Leou, Abder, Riordan, & Zoller, 2006), it was deemed important to explore the development of these constructs in young science students through participation in a curriculum initiative currently being implemented across the UK - the CREativity in Science and Technology (CREST) programme. The three studies included in this thesis followed a longitudinal quasi-experimental design using a naturalistic setting. After placing the research within a theoretical framework (Chapters 1 & 2) and describing the pilot work and methodology for the three investigations (Chapter 3), Study 1 (presented in Chapter 4) explored the impact of the CREST programme on developing self-regulated processes and related motivations in young students (n=34) compared to a control group of students from the same school (n=39). The findings indicated that students participating in the programme experienced significant increases in their self-reported levels of self-regulated learning and career motivation in comparison to the control group of students and that these developments were retained six months following programme completion. The results also demonstrated the potential for the CREST programme to reduce the decreasing trends relating to self-determination and intrinsic motivation found in the control group and reported in the wider literature in the field. Study 2 (presented in Chapter 5) built on the methodology of Study 1 and investigated class differences in response to the CREST programme. Study 2 aimed firstly to replicate the findings from Study 1 regarding group differences in self-reported levels from pre-test to post-test on the measured variables. While a reference control class (n=18) showed no significant changes from pre-test to post-test, on average, students taking part in the CREST programme showed significant increases in self-regulated learning, self-determination, self-efficacy, intrinsic motivation, and overall science motivation. However, due to the lack of an appropriate control group of equal size (n=160), conclusions were drawn cautiously. Another aim of this second study was to gain an understanding of whether individual classes of students experienced the programme differently and identify classroom dynamics that might predict the degree of benefit students obtain. The findings showed no class differences in response to the CREST programme relating to the self-regulated processes and related motivational constructs measured, and highlighted the sensitivity of the analyses used in classroom effects research. Study 3 (presented in Chapter 6) followed a similar quasi-experimental design (n=188) to Studies 1 and 2, with the addition of another intervention condition of students who had participated in CREST the year before the study was conducted. This, more, rigorous methodological design allowed for longer-term retention effects to be investigated. The results from this study highlighted the immediate and three-month delayed impact of the CREST programme on increasing self-reported for this sample of students. However, retention at the nine-month delayed post-test was not observed, suggesting that strategies need to be in place in order to maintain any developments through CREST programme participation. Teacher ratings of students’ self-regulated learning were also measured and did not align with the students’ self-reported results, highlighting the difficulty for teachers to identify and quantify internal processes like self-regulation among their students. While extensive research has been conducted on self-regulated processes and related motivations in students of all ages, the need for an increased understanding in natural classroom settings through implementing more rigorous research designs in specific learning contexts has been identified. Bringing the findings together, the three studies included in this thesis illustrate the beneficial impact of CREST programme participation on self-regulated processes and related motivations in young science students. The series of intervention studies presented provides a distinct contribution to research, demonstrating that these constructs can be developed in natural classroom settings by promoting an environment that encourages students to be more self-regulated and motivated in their science learning.

There has been a rapid increase in the emergence of minority groups during the past few decades in the United States. Hispanics are the largest minority group that has people who speak English as a second language. The increasing proportion of English Language Learning (ELL) students has made it more difficult to maintain high learning standards. Furthermore, this increase has led to other problems such as the over and underrepresentation of ELL students in special education, high dropout rates and the underachievement obtained in standardized tests such us the Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS). For this reason, researchers have strongly emphasized the importance of studying self-regulated learning (SRL) as a critical component in the learning process as it is suggested to improve the academic outcomes of students. However, SRL has mostly been researched in middle class Caucasians but there has not been much research in relation to minorities or ELL students. Due to the paucity of research, the present study examined the relationship between SRL and academic achievement of ELL students. The study was conducted in a southern Arizona school district. The sample was comprised of 30 students attending seventh and eighth grades from a solicited sample of 130 students. The students completed the Motivated Strategies Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Results indicated that SRL is related to the academic achievement of students in reading, writing, and mathematics. Similarly, the components of SRL (i.e., motivation and learning strategies), especially motivation, were found to be significantly related to achievement as well. Additionally, the MSLQ was encountered to be a reliable instrument to be used with ELL students as indicated by the reliability indexes. The implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The importance of developing learners’ self-regulated learning and critical thinking has captured the attention of researchers in recent decades. But interventions that are effective in developing such skills are scarce in the English school context. This study reports on the creation, design, implementation, piloting and evaluation of such an intervention - a four-week internet-based extra-curricular critical thinking course, Is this the right room for an argument? Designed by the researcher as a University of Oxford outreach course, it was provided, for the purposes of this study, to a group (N = 617) of eleven and twelve year old state-school students in England. Based upon self-regulated learning (SRL) and critical thinking (CT) research literature, the intervention comprised four elements which have been linked to progress in both SRL and CT: dialogic argumentation, written counterargumentation, self-reflection in a learning journal and critical thinking tests. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated by constructing three experimental conditions and one control condition, which isolated the effects of different combinations of the intervention activities. Structural equation modelling, regression techniques and repeated measures analysis of variance were used to detect main and experimental effects on change in SRL and CT over time, whilst autoregressive cross-lagged path analysis models were specified to explore the process of SRL in action over the course of four learning events. There was an anticipated overall main effect of the intervention, on change in aspects of SRL, with small and medium effect sizes, and on CT, with a medium effect size. It was hypothesised that the use of the learning journal would promote change in SRL and that participation in argumentation would promote progress in CT. Both hypotheses were supported. Participants who self-monitored their learning experience in a learning journal reported significantly more gains in aspects of their SRL, compared with those who did not, with small and medium effect sizes. The extent of participation in dialogic argumentation predicted change over time in CT, with a small effect size, in metacognitive knowledge, with a large effect size and in motivational beliefs and efficacy for learning, with medium effect sizes. Repeated measures analyses detected significant and positive trends over time in metacognitive activity (elaboration strategies, volitional strategies, critical thinking and metacognitive experiences), with effect sizes ranging from small (volitional strategies) to large (elaboration strategies). A process analysis tracked metacognitive activity over four learning events, detecting statistically significant reciprocal relationships between observed critical thinking and self-reported elaboration strategies, and between volitional strategies and metacognitive experiences. Findings suggest that this intervention had a positive effect on change in both self-regulated learning and critical thinking. Specifically, the more participants engaged in dialogic argumentation the more the change in both outcomes. The effects of the intervention, on change in self-regulated learning, were significantly enhanced when the critical thinking activity (argumentation) was accompanied by the self-regulatory activity (the learning journal).

66 Abstract Title: Regulated markets in financial instruments Author: Michal Petr Supervisor: JUDr. Petr Kotáb, Ph.D. Regulated markets play important role in market economy since they enable effective allocation of capital and thus enforce the economic growth. First charter of the thesis is devoted to trace history of capital markets in order to illustrate their importance and specific function throughout last centuries. We discuss separately their development and evolution in the Czech Republic and in the rest of the world. In particular, we focus on European legislative framework and its significant changes in last decades as it substantially influences inland law. For this purpose we also consider conclusions of the final report of the committee chaired by Alexandre Lamfalussy which affected the European legislative. In the first part of the chapter we also analyze the institution of regulated markets, as determined by current legislation. In the second part we define investment instruments which are traded on the regulated markets. The second part of the thesis discusses in detail causes of regulation and supervision with particular focus on the Czech Republic. We argue inevitability of the supervision and consider its optimal extent. The next part analysis regulated markets in the spirit of its...

Collaboration has become an integral part of software engineering. The widespread availability and adoption of social channels has led to a culture where developers participate and collaborate more frequently with one another. While collaboration in software engineering has been studied extensively, models and frameworks do not adequately capture how development team members “regulate” themselves, one another, and their projects. I borrow the term “regulate” from the learning sciences to refer to mindful processes developers engage in to determine what tasks they need to complete and who should be involved, what their goals are relative to those tasks, how they should meet their goals, what domain knowledge needs to be manipulated, and why they use a particular approach or tool. This research starts by borrowing constructs from the theory of regulated learning in the learning science domain, adapting and extending them as a model of collaboration for software engineering: the Model of Regulation. This model was composed to capture how individuals self-regulate their tasks, knowledge and motivation, how they regulate one another, and how they achieve a shared understanding of project goals and required tasks. The model provides a vocabulary for comparing and analyzing collaboration tools and processes. In this thesis, I present the Model of Regulation as a new and complementary theoretical model of collaboration for software engineering and showcase its potential by using the model to analyze features of a collaborative tool, gain insights into an open-source software development community and to create an instrument that investigates about collaboration practices and tool support in units of collaboration (e.g., group, project, community). / Graduate