This thesis examines the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to Second-language (L2) learning. It analyzes the use of electronic mail as a cognitive tool and aims at providing a better understanding of the learning process in a computerized environment. In this meta-analysis, qualitative data were drawn from independent studies (n=29) published between 2000 and 2010. The thesis briefly reviews historical and theoretical perspectives on Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and language learning strategies. Then, with reference to Oxford’s (1990) typology, it investigates the use of learning strategies in email exchanges or projects of L2 learners. The identification of five categories of learning strategies (cognitive, social, meta-cognitive, compensatory and affective) constitutes the ground work to defining the paradigms of L2 learning associated with the use of electronic mail. The study draws parallels between this electronic learning environment and Jonassen et al.’s (1999, 2008) five principles of meaningful learning, namely active, constructive, intentional, authentic and cooperative learning. Furthermore, a (non-exhaustive) list of five variables associated with successful L2 learning via email interaction (sustained communication, proficiency level in L2, audience interaction, structure of the language-related task and the topics of email correspondence) is presented. As demonstrated in this research, this ICT’s ability to provide a favorable L2 learning environment is threefold. First, the use of electronic mail, as a cognitive tool, fosters learners’ activation of learning strategies. Second, patterns reflecting the principles of self-appropriated learning in the electronic environment suggest its role in the development of transversal skills. Finally, attitude changes towards L2 culture and stereotypes and towards L2 learning, among others, indicate modifications to learners’ behavior. This study also provides updates to Oxford’s (1990) typology of learning strategies in the five categories identified, based on data from the 29 studies. The pedagogical implications, discussed in the conclusion, draw attention to the qualitative and non-linguistic learning outcomes, as well as to the social, affective and cultural dimensions related to the use of email interaction in L2 learning.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jun. 30, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

In the last decade, the number of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities by emerging market firms has rapidly increased to exploit growing markets at home and abroad. In order to be successful in their M&A goals, these firms need to develop a specific M&A capability and manage post-M&A processes effectively. Drawing on the dynamic capabilities view, I develop a theoretical framework for emerging market acquirers that outlines the development of the acquisition capability mechanisms. I first examine the influence of prior acquisition experience on acquisition performance. I then go on to study the integration capability of emerging market firms and examine the effect of post-M&A integration strategies on the performance of acquisitions by emerging market firms. The overall results indicate that a firm‘s focal acquisition performance positively relates to prior acquisition experience that is similar to the focal acquisition. Moreover, post-M&A integration strategies vary depending on the geographical similarity of the focal acquisition. Replacing the target‘s top manager is a particularly important determinant of acquisition performance in domestic M&A. Finally, in this research, I also extend the organisational learning view and develop a multi-level analysis that examines the role of business groups alongside firm-level learning from acquisitions. The usual focus in emerging market studies is on the big emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC). I focus instead on the country case of Turkey, one of the second tier of ―biggish‖ growing economies of ―MIST‖ (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey). The empirical results are based on a unique hand-collected dataset of acquisitions in Turkey culled from publicly available data. The final dataset consists of 279 acquisitions between 1998 and 2011.

This study intended to investigate the language learning strategies used by learners of English as a foreign language, aiming to find the amount of strategies and the domain differences of the strategies used / to reveal the link between strategy use and success levels / and to find out the difference in strategy use between genders and its influence on their achievement in English. 257 (153 male, 104 female) students from Atilim University English Preparatory School participated in the study. At the time of the study all the participants were in the same proficiency level, and were distributed to different classes of the same level. The data were gathered through strategy inventory for language learning (SILL) of Oxford (1990), which was translated to Turkish by Cesur and Fer (2007). The instrument, based on Oxford&rsquo / s (1990) classification of the language learning strategies, is composed of 50 items in six subscales. The participants responded to the inventory before the end of the level they were in. The data were analyzed through SPSS (15.0) to find the relationship of language learning strategies, gender and achievement in learning the target language. To reveal the interconnections between these factors, independent t-tests and an ANOVA test, along with post hoc procedures were performed on the gathered data. The findings of the study revealed that use of language learning strategies are positively effective in success in English, that females were significantly more successful than males in terms of achievement tests, and that they used more language learning strategies in learning English. Depending on the statistical results, it is discovered that there is a significant connection between gender, language learning strategies and achievement in English.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T13:16:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1355433 bytes, checksum: 15ca08b029e2eca76dd9734180c2c693 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-08-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The school is a space of multiplicities and that it favors the comment of the manifestation of the first depressive signals, as much through oscillations of the mood, the difficulties of socialization and the participation in the activities extra classroom, as for the presence of difficulties in the cognitive performance and the motricidade that will go to exert fort influence in the pertaining to school income. With respect to the process of learning, and in the search of the it improves of this process, it is that gifts become the strategies of learning In view of not having been joined, the least in the Brazilian context, no study on the relation enters the prevalence of the depression and the use of learning strategies in High School, was decided then to carry through the present thesis, whose main objectives had been: 1) To analyze the relation enters the symptoms of the depression and the use of strategies of learning for the pupils of High School in five cities of the northeast region; 2) To verify the index epidemiologist of the depression in adolescents in the Northeast region; 3) To evaluate the repertoire of strategies of learning used for the sample; 4) To investigate the existing relation between depressive symptoms and the use of learning strategies; 5) To verify where ratio the depression symptoms can vary in function of the partner-demographic 0 variable: sex, age and scholarity. They had participated of this study 1.535 adolescent students of the hight school, distributed in FIve cities: Joao Pessoa ( n= 301); Natal-RN (n=349); Teresina- PI (n= 265); Recife (n=310) e Maceió (n = 310). The used instruments had been: Inventory of Infantile Depression (CDI), Scale of Evaluation of Strategies of Learning and sociodemographic questionnaire. The results gotten in the public and private schools had been processed by the SPSS 15.0, they had demonstrated to an index epidemiologist of the depressive symptoms of 10,2%, being this considered by literature, a sufficiently expressive number. Being that of these 63.5% of the feminine sex with ages varying between 14 and 17 years, 24% had presented disapprove history, the results of the AFC had pointed three clarifying factors that they had been: understanding, motivation e distraction; components these considered essential for the learning process. What it concerns to the use of the learning strategies if observed a not-significant correlation, the punctuation of the scale of strategies of learning with the Age (years) variable - p-value = 0,263 > 0,05 and Series of the pertaining to school (1º., 2º. e 3º. Years) - p-value = 0,837 > 0,05. Other observed aspects had been the fact of that the women make greater use of the strategies of what the men, and that the students with depressive symptoms had presented to make little use of the strategies of learning of what those without depressive symptoms. One expects with this thesis auxiliary in the construction of practical knowing, in order to mobilize new actions in the praxis psychological, over all in the elaboration of joint interventions between affective strategies and cognitive strategies in the proper pertaining to school environment, aiming at to the improvement and the prevention of problems related to the presence of the depression and the use of strategies of learning on the part of the pupils of High School. / A escola é um espaço de multiplicidades e que favorece a observação da manifestação dos primeiros sinais depressivos, tanto através de oscilações do humor, das dificuldades de socialização e da participação nas atividades extraclasse, como pela presença de dificuldades no desempenho cognitivo e na motricidade que irão exercer forte influência no rendimento escolar. No que concerne ao processo de aprendizagem, e na busca da otimização deste processo, é que se fazem presentes as estratégias de aprendizagem Tendo em vista a importância de estudos sobre a relação entre a prevalência da depressão e o uso de estratégias de aprendizagem no ensino médio, decidiu-se então realizar a presente tese, cujos objetivos principais foram:1) Analisar a relação entre os sintomas da depressão e o uso de estratégias de aprendizagem pelos alunos do Ensino Médio em cinco cidades da região nordeste; 2) Verificar o índice epidemiológico da depressão em adolescentes na região Nordeste; 3)Avaliar o repertório de estratégias de aprendizagem utilizado pela amostra; 4) Investigar a relação existente entre sintomas depressivos e o uso de estratégias de aprendizagem; 5) VeriFIcar em que proporção os sintomas de depressão podem variar em função das variáveis sócio-demográficas: sexo, idade e escolaridade. Participaram deste estudo 1.535 adolescentes, alunos do ensino médio, distribuídos nas seguintes cidades: João Pessoa ( n= 301); Natal-RN (n=349); Teresina- PI (n= 265); Recife (n=310) e Maceió (n = 310). Os instrumentos utilizados foram: Inventário de Depressão Infantil (CDI), Escala de Avaliação de Estratégias de Aprendizagem e Questionário Sociodemográfico. Os resultados obtidos nas escolas públicas e privadas foram processados pelo SPSS 15.0, demonstraram um índice epidemiológico da sintomatologia depressiva de 10,2%, sendo este considerado pela literatura, um número bastante expressivo. Sendo que destes 63,5% do sexo feminino com idades variando entre 14 e 17 anos, 24% apresentaram história de reprovação, Os resultados da AFC apontaram três fatores explicativos que foram: compreensão, motivação e distração; componentes estes considerados essenciais para o processo de aprendizagem. Ao que concerne ao uso das estratégias de aprendizagem se observou uma correlação não-significativa, entre a pontuação da escala de estratégias de aprendizagem com a variável Idade (anos) p-valor = 0,263 > 0,05 e Série dos escolares (1º., 2º. e 3º. Anos) - p-valor = 0,837 > 0,05. Outros aspectos observados foram o fato de que as mulheres fazem maior uso das estratégias do que os homens, e que os estudantes com sintomatologia depressiva apresentaram fazer menos uso das estratégias de aprendizagem do que aqueles sem sintomatologia depressiva. Espera-se com esta tese auxiliar na construção do saber prático, a fim de mobilizar novas ações na práxis psicológica, sobretudo na elaboração de intervenções conjuntas entre estratégias afetivas e estratégias cognitivas no próprio ambiente escolar, visando à melhoria e à prevenção de problemas relacionados à presença da depressão e ao uso de estratégias de aprendizagem por parte dos alunos do Ensino Médio.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-26T18:49:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao.pdf: 529853 bytes, checksum: af572056683ba0bfa619de3c0e11aed7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-11 / The survey aimed to identify the level of understanding in reading and strategies for learning in universities, establishing comparisons between students and beginners concluintes the course of an IES Lyrics of the interior of the state of Tocantins (N = 80). The instruments used to gather data were Text Scheduled in Cloze and Scale of Assessment of Strategies for Learning. The results showed that with respect to understanding in reading, the majority of subjects (42%) presents serious difficulties, with no statistically significant differences between the classes of periods. With regard to strategies for learning it was found that students of Term 1 (Beginners) have an average of more significant positive strategies that the subject of the 8 th Period (Concluintes). It is suggested the holding of other studies that explore more widely in understanding the relationship between reading and learning strategies, and evaluate the effectiveness of programmes remediativos of reading with students. / A pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar o nível de compreensão em leitura e as estratégias de aprendizagem em universitários, estabelecendo comparações entre alunos iniciantes e concluintes do Curso de Letras de uma IES do interior do Estado do Tocantins (N=80). Os instrumentos utilizados para a coleta de dados foram Texto Programado em Cloze e Escala de Avaliação de Estratégias de Aprendizagem. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que, com relação à compreensão em leitura, a maioria dos sujeitos (42%) apresenta sérias dificuldades, não havendo diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre as turmas dos Períodos. Com relação às estratégias de aprendizagem verificou-se que os alunos do 1º Período (Iniciantes) apresentam uma média mais significativa de estratégias positivas do que os sujeitos do 8º Período (Concluintes). Sugere-se a realização de outros estudos que explorem mais amplamente a relação entre compreensão em leitura e estratégias de aprendizagem, bem como avaliem a eficácia de programas remediativos de leitura com estudantes universitários.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-18T17:54:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao.pdf: 529853 bytes, checksum: af572056683ba0bfa619de3c0e11aed7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-11 / The survey aimed to identify the level of understanding in reading and strategies for learning in universities, establishing comparisons between students and beginners concluintes the course of an IES Lyrics of the interior of the state of Tocantins (N = 80). The instruments used to gather data were Text Scheduled in Cloze and Scale of Assessment of Strategies for Learning. The results showed that with respect to understanding in reading, the majority of subjects (42%) presents serious difficulties, with no statistically significant differences between the classes of periods. With regard to strategies for learning it was found that students of Term 1 (Beginners) have an average of more significant positive strategies that the subject of the 8 th Period (Concluintes). It is suggested the holding of other studies that explore more widely in understanding the relationship between reading and learning strategies, and evaluate the effectiveness of programmes remediativos of reading with students. / A pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar o nível de compreensão em leitura e as estratégias de aprendizagem em universitários, estabelecendo comparações entre alunos iniciantes e concluintes do Curso de Letras de uma IES do interior do Estado do Tocantins (N=80). Os instrumentos utilizados para a coleta de dados foram Texto Programado em Cloze e Escala de Avaliação de Estratégias de Aprendizagem. Os resultados obtidos indicaram que, com relação à compreensão em leitura, a maioria dos sujeitos (42%) apresenta sérias dificuldades, não havendo diferenças estatisticamente significantes entre as turmas dos Períodos. Com relação às estratégias de aprendizagem verificou-se que os alunos do 1º Período (Iniciantes) apresentam uma média mais significativa de estratégias positivas do que os sujeitos do 8º Período (Concluintes). Sugere-se a realização de outros estudos que explorem mais amplamente a relação entre compreensão em leitura e estratégias de aprendizagem, bem como avaliem a eficácia de programas remediativos de leitura com estudantes universitários.

The purpose of the current study was to learn how gender and learning method affect motivation and learning strategies in psychology, counseling, and social work graduate students. The variables of gender, learning method, motivation, and learning strategies are used by the self-regulation model to learning and the theory of independent learning to measure a student's academic success. Increasing the knowledge of these variables will be of interest to academic institutions and to the field of educational psychology because little is known about their interaction. The study's design was factorial quasi-experimental; it used a cross sectional survey consisting of a 2 x 2 factorial design. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) were used to evaluate the variables. Gender and method of instruction (distance/traditional) served as the independent variables; the dependent variables were comprised of 6 motivation variables and 9 learning variables, as measured by the Motivated Strategies of Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Age/ethnicity served as covariates. A sample of 86 psychology, counseling, and social work learners who were in a master's or doctoral program was used. The results showed significant differences in learning strategies and motivation of graduate learner's between gender. Men were significantly higher than women in control belief (p = .02) and extrinsic goal orientation (p = .01); they were also higher in rehearsal (p = .03), peer learning (p < .01), and help seeking (p = .03). These findings suggest that learning strategies and motivation were not influenced by learning method, but learning strategies and motivation were influenced by gender. These findings could be used to enhance retention and graduation rates as well stimulate future research on the topic.

While there has been research on development of multiplicative reasoning, and how to teach multiplication facts, there is little research on how children consider they learn these. This study explores the children's learning as they consider how they commit their multiplication facts to memory, discover calculation strategies and develop multiplicative thinking. A group of eleven Year 4 children (8 years old) participated in a series of 13 lessons where they became coresearchers in the exploration of their learning. A contextually based thematic approach was provided through 'Crocodilian Studies'. The mixed-method approach to this study included formal assessment, participant observation, individual interviews, the children's written ideas, and individual case studies. The most significant finding of this study was the powerful influence of peer learning. The children enriched and directed each other's learning as they shared ideas and reflected on their own mathematical learning as they observed and critiqued the thinking of peers. As the children were involved in thinking about how they learn they were able to identify gaps and construct their own learning pathways. A significant finding was that children can develop their multiplicative strategies while they commit their multiplication facts to memory, in a relatively short time provided that the learning process facilitates strategy development and understanding. By exposing the children to multiplication facts in sequenced clusters provided them with a manageable number of facts to be learnt at one time. Another finding related to how children develop calculation strategies through lesson activities rather than being explicitly taught them. The children considered practice important for memorisation. Parental support was significant in enriching the children's learning.