The purpose of this pilot and main study was to examine teachers' perceptions of the post No Child Left Behind (NCLB) elementary classroom, the perceived changes, and the implications for teachers' feelings of empowerment and student test anxiety. Previous investigators have agreed that the teacher's voice has been missing, but needed in test anxiety research. By engaging veteran teachers who had experience both before and after the enactment of NCLB in reflective conversation about their experiences, valuable information was gained concerning whether or not teachers felt empowered to perform their duties and what impact they perceived that high stakes standardized testing has had on both teacher anxiety and student test anxiety. This information could be used to inform educational practice and decision making. Triangulation of data sources included narrative data collected through face-to-face interviews with the teachers, the writing of field notes, interview process notes, and reflective journal entries from both the pilot and main studies. Three clear themes emerged that fit the division of the data by the research questions: change in the teachers' experiences, change in teaching vocabulary, and change in the students' experiences. These themes emerged through a process of categorical-content perspective analysis for coding the data and sorting it into themes. The Hermeneutic narrative analysis approach was used to analyze and identify the meaning of these related experiences and stories. The context of the pilot and main studies was elementary schools in a rural school system in the Southeastern United States. The participants were eleven elementary teachers from grades three through five with experience before and after NCLB enactment who taught core academic subjects. Member checks of the interview transcripts and data analysis enhanced the credibility of these reports. The analysis revealed both positive and negative perceptions of the changes in the classroom experience of these elementary teachers, their feelings of empowerment, and the impact of the changes on the test anxiety of their students. Participants across the pilot and main studies indicated that increased stress, pressure, frustration, and professional struggles have had a negative impact on teacher anxiety, teacher efficacy beliefs, and student test anxiety. / Ph. D.

Developmental mathematics is a problem for many college students due to high failure rate. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the redesigned course, Math 24. The evaluation examined success, retention, and persistence outcomes of the redesigned course compared to the previous developmental math course. The course's academic and environmental strengths and weaknesses were assessed from the students' and instructors' perspectives. The study utilized the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of Tinto's retention model, Astin's I-E-O model, and Wlodkowski's culturally responsive teaching. A mixed methods program evaluation was employed for the case study using an ex post facto analysis of quantitative data from the college's student database and interviews from 16 students, 4 faculty members, and 1 program director administrator. Quantitative data on persistence, retention and student success rates were analyzed using descriptive statistics to evaluate the outcomes of the redesigned course. Qualitative data from student focus groups and faculty interviews were analyzed using constant comparison analysis to evaluate redesign effect on students. The findings suggested that the redesigned math course's curriculum, resources, assignments, assessments, and the physical classroom setting had many advantages, and assignments and assessments posed major challenges. Online resources, peer collaboration, indirect instruction were strengths; word problems, and the final exam posed the biggest challenges for most students. Retention, persistence and success rates fluctuated over the years and the expected outcomes were not achieved. The social change implication of the redesigned developmental math project study is that faculty should seek students' feedback to help faculty with effective decision making.

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) have historically been difficult to define and measure which has led to uncertainty and controversy. The current study explored the practices of identifying specific learning disabilities in Kentucky by surveying school psychologist practitioners in the state. Information was obtained about current practices with regard to RTI implementation and methods and data used for SLD identification as well as the roles that school psychologists take in the response to intervention (RTI) process. The sample consisted of 97 current or recently (within the past year) practicing school psychologists from 45 districts across the state. It was predicted that the use of RTI data for SLD identification would be associated with the length of time a district had been implementing RTI. The data did not support such a relationship. The majority of the districts represented by respondents were noted to be beyond an initial implementation of RTI practices. Responses to questions regarding the implementation of core features of RTI were grouped into High Implementation (HI; n = 45) and Low Implementation (LI; n = 41) groups. An independent samples t-test found a significant difference between the HI and LI groups for the quality of implementation. The HI group evidenced higher quality ratings than the LI. The use of RTI data as the most frequent method for SLD determination was noted for 30.9% of respondents as opposed to 0% prior to 2007. However, severe discrepancy was the most preferred method (59.3%) used for determining placement followed by RTI (28.4%) and a pattern of strengths and weaknesses (4.9%). Districts were also not likely to utilize non-preferred types of data if a student transferred into their district with that non-preferred data. Finally, the roles of school psychologists in the RTI process were explored. Great variability was found across practitioners with regard to the roles they actively have in the RTI process; however, practitioners in the HI group generally were more involved in the RTI process than those in the LI group. The findings are discussed with regard to the current national SLD identification practices and the limitations of the current findings.

Context: Bug fixing is the process of ensuring correct source code and is done by developer. Automated debugging and bug fixing solutions minimize human intervention and hence minimize the chance of producing new bugs in the corrected program. Scope and Objectives: In this study we performed a detailed systematic literature review. The scope of work is to identify all those solutions that correct software automatically or semi-automatically. Solutions for automatic correction of software do not need human intervention while semi-automatic solutions facilitate a developer in fixing a bug. We aim to gather all such solutions to fix bugs in design, i.e., code, UML design, algorithms and software architecture. Automated detection, isolation and localization of bug are not in our scope. Moreover, we are only concerned with software bugs and excluding hardware and networking domains. Methods: A detailed systematic literature review (SLR) has been performed. A number of bibliographic sources are searched, including Inspec, IEEE Xplore, ACM digital library, Scopus, Springer Link and Google Scholar. Inclusion/exclusion, study quality assessment, data extraction and synthesis have been performed in depth according to guidelines provided for performing SLR. Grounded theory is used to analyze literature data. To check agreement level between two researchers, Kappa analysis is used. Results: Through SLR we identified 46 techniques. These techniques are classified in automated/semi-automated debugging and bug fixing. Strengths and weaknesses of each of them are identified, along with which types of bugs each can fix and in which language they can be implement. In the end, classification is performed which generate a list of approaches, techniques, tools, frameworks, methods and systems. Along, this classification and categorization we separated bug fixing and debugging on the bases of search algorithms. Conclusion: In conclusion achieved results are all automated/semi-automated debugging and bug fixing solutions that are available in literature. The strengths/benefits and weaknesses/limitations of these solutions are identified. We also recognize type of bugs that can be fixed using these solutions. And those programming languages in which these solutions can be implemented are discovered as well. In the end a detail classification is performed. / alla automatiska / halvautomatiska felsökning och felrättning lösningar som är tillgängliga i litteraturen. De styrkor / fördelar och svagheter / begränsningar av dessa lösningar identifieras. Vi erkänner också typ av fel som kan fastställas med hjälp av dessa lösningar. Och de programmeringsspråk där dessa lösningar kan genomföras upptäcks också. Till slut en detalj klassificering utförs / +46 763 23 93 87, +46 70 966 09 51

The aim of the diploma thesis is to create competitive strategy of a middle-size company working in mechanical industry. The thesis analysis the current state and the internal factors of the analyzed firm with respect to the external factors. The competitive strategy and its implementation are suggested on the base of defined firm´s target and competitive advantages.

Content of this thesis is to evaluate the financial situation of the company during the period from 2010 to 2014, using available methods, strategic and financial analysis. Subsequently on the basis of these results are suggested measures to improve the deficiencies in the assets, liabilities, liquidity, profitability and overall financial situation of the company.

Despite an increased interest in autism over the last decades, little research exists about life outcomes of autistic adults. The earliest follow-up studies of autistic individuals suggested that self- understanding and conscious efforts to change could be crucial factors in successfully reaching good life outcomes. However, these initial suggestions have not been further investigated. Therefore, this exploratory qualitative study examined the lives of eight highfunctioning autistic adults aged 25 to 63, from their own perspectives, through in-depth, semistructured interviews, to consider the relation of self-understanding and conscious efforts to change—in this study referred to as intentional personal development—to their life outcomes. All participants demonstrated a level of self-understanding beyond what would be predicted by current theoretical models of autism. Their self-understanding was assessed through participants’ self-definitions, meaning-making of life experiences, and understanding of emotions. In their self-definitions, the participants emphasized their abilities and personality characteristics, rather than their disabilities. For their self-defining memories, as indicators of their meaning making of life experiences, most participants chose positive experiences related to their personal development. Their autobiographical accounts revealed that most participants possess a large iii repertoire of emotion words, supporting an understanding of emotions. When a good life outcome is defined traditionally—as being employed, living independently, and having social relationships—this study, contrary to expectations, did not provide overwhelming evidence for the significant role of intentional personal development in achieving this. However, when a good life outcome is defined in terms of achieving personal excellence, then the study did provide confirmation of intentionality as important to attaining good life outcomes. This study therefore suggests that traditional life outcome measures are inadequate for assessing the life outcomes of autistic individuals because such measures do not take into account the individuals’ own sense of satisfaction with themselves and with their lives.

Despite an increased interest in autism over the last decades, little research exists about life outcomes of autistic adults. The earliest follow-up studies of autistic individuals suggested that self- understanding and conscious efforts to change could be crucial factors in successfully reaching good life outcomes. However, these initial suggestions have not been further investigated. Therefore, this exploratory qualitative study examined the lives of eight highfunctioning autistic adults aged 25 to 63, from their own perspectives, through in-depth, semistructured interviews, to consider the relation of self-understanding and conscious efforts to change—in this study referred to as intentional personal development—to their life outcomes. All participants demonstrated a level of self-understanding beyond what would be predicted by current theoretical models of autism. Their self-understanding was assessed through participants’ self-definitions, meaning-making of life experiences, and understanding of emotions. In their self-definitions, the participants emphasized their abilities and personality characteristics, rather than their disabilities. For their self-defining memories, as indicators of their meaning making of life experiences, most participants chose positive experiences related to their personal development. Their autobiographical accounts revealed that most participants possess a large iii repertoire of emotion words, supporting an understanding of emotions. When a good life outcome is defined traditionally—as being employed, living independently, and having social relationships—this study, contrary to expectations, did not provide overwhelming evidence for the significant role of intentional personal development in achieving this. However, when a good life outcome is defined in terms of achieving personal excellence, then the study did provide confirmation of intentionality as important to attaining good life outcomes. This study therefore suggests that traditional life outcome measures are inadequate for assessing the life outcomes of autistic individuals because such measures do not take into account the individuals’ own sense of satisfaction with themselves and with their lives.

This Master’s thesis analyses the current status of the small selling company, which sells sport articles. The thesis investigates impact extenrnal environment on the firm and also analyse internal environment. It defines strategic targets, contains propsal of competitive strategy of the company and its time implementation.