The subject of iterative prototyping with data is still in its infancy and problems arise when people with low programming skills aim to build a full-stack interactive web application on their own. This research attempts to evaluate how providing a framework with predefined notations and data structures can improve this process for novice developers. The work consists of an initial reimplementation of a model website and the evaluation of study participants with little experience in the frontend development field through the application of the Cognitive Dimensions and the Think-aloud methods. We have found that by eliminating the requirement of dealing with back-end queries through the offering of such a framework, the process of designing an interactive web application can be facilitated and hastened. There are, nevertheless, some improvements that can be made to further refine their programming experience. / Ämnet kring att framställa iterativa prototyper med data är fortfarande i sin begynnelse och problem uppstår när personer med låg kunskap i programmering har som mål att bygga en full-stack interaktiv webbapplikation. Denna forskning utvärderar hur utvecklingsprocessen kan förbättras för nya utvecklare genom att erbjuda ett ramverk med fördefinierade beteckningar och datastrukturer. Denna studie består av en implementerad modell av en webbapplikation samt utvärdering av studiedeltagare med begränsad erfarenhet inom front-end-utveckling. Utvärderingen gjordes genom användning av ramverket “Cognitive Dimensions” med tillhörande “Think-aloud”-metod. Resultatet visar att genom att eliminera krav för att hantera back-end-anrop har processen att designa en interaktiv webbapplikation kunnat underlättats och påskyndats med hjälp av ett ramverk. Resultatet identifierade även förbättringspunkter som kan implementeras för att vidare underlätta ramverkets programmeringsupplevelse för användare.

The overall aim of this thesis was to study the thinking strategies and clinical reasoning processes of registered nurses (RNs) and to implement and test a computerized decision support system (CDSS) integrated into the electronic health care record (EHR) to improve patient outcomes, i.e. to prevent pressure ulcers (PUs) and malnutrition among residents in nursing homes.  A think-aloud (TA) study with a purposeful sample of RNs (n=30) was conducted to explore their thinking strategies and clinical reasoning (Paper I). A quasi-experimental study with a convenience sample of residents (at baseline, n=491 and at follow-up, n=480) from nursing homes (n=15) allocated into two intervention groups and one control group was carried out in 2007 and 2009 (Paper II). In Paper III residents’ records were reviewed with three instruments. Nursing personnel (n=25) from four nursing homes that had used the CDSS for eight months were interviewed and the CDSS was tested by nursing personnel (n=5) in two usability evaluations (Paper IV). The results showed that the RNs used a variety of thinking strategies and a lack of systematic risk assessment was identified (Paper I). The proportion of malnourished residents decreased significantly in one of the intervention groups after implementing the CDSS, however there were no differences between the groups (Paper II). The CDSS resulted in more complete and comprehensive documentation of PUs and malnutrition (Paper III). The nursing personnel considered ease of use, usefulness and a supportive work environment as the main facilitators of CDSS use in nursing homes. Barriers were lack of training, resistance to using computers and limited integration of the CDSS within the EHR system (Paper IV). In conclusion, the findings support integrating CDSSs into the EHR in nursing homes to support the nursing personnel.

The objective of this multiple case study was to examine how three pairs of high school students from a northern Vermont high school approached quadratic functions through traditional and multiple representation tasks. Four research questions were examined: 1) How do students think about the quadratic function as they work on a series of tasks? 2) What mathematical strategies do students employ when they work on a series of tasks related to the quadratic function? 3) How does the type of task, traditional versus multiple representation, impact students' understanding of the quadratic function? 4) What kinds of knowledge (procedural or conceptual) do students utilize when completing a series of tasks about the quadratic function? Qualitative research methods that utilized think-aloud protocols while students were engaged in four tasks pertaining to the quadratic function were employed in this study. Results suggested that students tend to think about isolated parts of the problem when solving quadratic problems. Early on in their learning about quadratics, students primarily relied on procedural strategies such as think-alouds, gestures, algebraic formulas, converting equation forms, process of elimination, dissecting problems, backtracking, and drawing pictures. In addition, students preferred the standard form to the vertex form when solving quadratics and often confused the y-intercept of the standard form with the y-coordinate of the vertex when the function was in vertex form. Results also indicated that students preferred to algebraically solve a problem versus tabular or graphical strategies. By exploring how students approach the quadratic function through their own voices, this study offers some insight into the conceptions and strategies that students use for solving problems that involve the quadratic function as well as possibilities for how quadratics may be taught in high school.

This study examined the metaphors used in contemporary American conservative discourse between October 2018 and March 2019, focusing on material published by conservative think tanks (CTTs) and tweets made by Republican senators in relation to climate change. For the CTTs, a domain-specific corpus (36,388 words) was compiled and a smaller corpus (3967 words) was assembled based on 135 tweets. These datasets showed that conspiracy scepticism was the most common type of scepticism used to discredit climate change data, scientists and environmental policies. In addition, the datasets indicate that conservative agents frequently used metaphors of WAR, RELIGION, HEALTH, BUILDING, JOURNEY, WATER and PRODUCT to convey negative frames. These domains linked to the conceptual key LIFE IS A STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL and were presented in a moral context. In response to these findings it is suggested that the scientific community incorporate emotional language, metaphors and moral values when communicating environmental issues.

The subject of this thesis is the identification of strategies, which are used by lower-secondary school students when solving problem tasks in chemistry. The strategies were identified during talks with ninth-grade students. The talks conducted by using the Think-aloud method were connected with solution of selected problem tasks. The ascertained strategies were classified as expansive strategies (such strategy can be used to solve more types of problems) and limiting strategies (such strategy can be used to solve easy task, but they can fail when solving more difficult tasks). Furthermore, reader's strategies, which help students to understand the tasks were separately identified. Also, other problems that students had to face when solving the tasks were identified. To identify problematic elements a collection of problem tasks named Metodické komentáře a úlohy ke standardům pro základní vzdělávání - chemie (Methodical comments and tasks for educational standards for elementary education - chemistry) were used. The results showed that when students solved the tasks, which were larger and more difficult, they often used reading strategies, which consist in multiple reading and reading aloud. Some of the expansive strategies the students used consisted in analogous deducing and logical reasoning....

In time, more historical documents have become accessible through various technological modes including the Internet, CD-ROMs, and local databases. Teachers are now able to infuse a rich variety of resources into lessons with relative ease. This study measured expert historian heuristics in secondary students engaged in analysis of technologically-enhanced historical documents relating to women in the early United States republic. Nine 10th grade Advanced Placement world history students from an urban high school in the southeastern United States were assigned randomly to one of three conditions: paper historical documents, HTML historical documents, and HTML historical documents with simulated, limited Internet access. Using a think-aloud protocol developed by Jonassen et al. (1999), the qualities and frequencies of expert historian heuristics were measured. The findings support and enhance previous research related to how secondary students learn history while performing a task using primary and secondary source documents and the effects of hypermedia technology. Most of the time, students engaged in a simplistic read-and-react pattern, except for two participants who recognized greater levels of subtext. The two students account for slightly more than 50% of all heuristics. Moreover, the students in general failed to perceive nuances between the documents, engaged in presentism, and viewed history as a uniform expansion of civil rights and increased opportunities. However, all the participants achieved some level of understanding indicating that women enjoyed fewer rights than their white, male counterparts. In the HTML groups, the participants moved within and between the documents with greater frequency and nonlinearly. While in the Internet group, forays to the simulated Internet invoked a high proportion of expert heuristics and resulted in statements of clear understanding. The results imply that computer technologies promote authenticity and learner control. Furthermore, expert heuristics can help students manage information from the Internet. In addition, the paucity of heuristics exhibited by most subjects suggests a lack of prior knowledge and inexperience with historical documents. This may be a result of the way history is taught in the schools. The results are discussed within the framework of previous research and the cultural wars.

<p>This paper aims to tell out a “what next” question of the future scenarios that the European Union (EU), as a security community, is most likely to face in its development as a world power up to the year 2020. The EU is a rapidly evolving concept consolidating with comprehensive internal and external dimension and implication. Key concepts such as power, security, global governance and international order have been used as the underlying themes that will determine the course of the future. In this context Neo-realism, Constructivism and Security Community’s model have been used as the theoretical framework to examine how EU’s role in the international system can be analyzed in the conceptual framework of security. This is followed by a discussion on the concurrent ESDP instruments initiated by the new Constitution as a key momentum of security community buildup internally. To broaden understanding and to get a variety of perspectives, research reports and policy papers of some transatlantic think tanks were analyzed. While multi- perspectives of some prominent think tanks were reviewed, analyzed and discussed, the opinions of policy makers at the United Nations Head Quarters, New York, were also explored to reflect on how EU’s role in international affairs is being perceived in the corridors of power, both concurrently and futuristically. These views were consequently augmented by attending General Assembly and Security Council sessions during September 2004 to January 2005 to observe what sorts of power and influence EU exerts in the contemporary international system and what potential it has for the future. Based on these findings, the paper identified three scenarios that EU is most likely to face in its efforts to be an international power. The paper concluded with the understanding that EU has vision and potential to be a power in the international system futuristically, which can be further enhanced if EU enhances its military capabilities and improves its power perception in the eyes of various stakeholders. However since the international system is volatile, its future role cannot be predicted with accuracy, only alternative options can be identified. EU’s roles are dependent upon the degree of success of the integration process internally and the structural interaction with other major actors in the international system. Whereas EU may enhance its role up to the year 2020, it may not enter into a power conflict with other major powers. However it will play its role comparable with the magnitude of its size, power and influence to manage the international system, futuristically in an improvised way.</p>

This paper aims to tell out a “what next” question of the future scenarios that the European Union (EU), as a security community, is most likely to face in its development as a world power up to the year 2020. The EU is a rapidly evolving concept consolidating with comprehensive internal and external dimension and implication. Key concepts such as power, security, global governance and international order have been used as the underlying themes that will determine the course of the future. In this context Neo-realism, Constructivism and Security Community’s model have been used as the theoretical framework to examine how EU’s role in the international system can be analyzed in the conceptual framework of security. This is followed by a discussion on the concurrent ESDP instruments initiated by the new Constitution as a key momentum of security community buildup internally. To broaden understanding and to get a variety of perspectives, research reports and policy papers of some transatlantic think tanks were analyzed. While multi- perspectives of some prominent think tanks were reviewed, analyzed and discussed, the opinions of policy makers at the United Nations Head Quarters, New York, were also explored to reflect on how EU’s role in international affairs is being perceived in the corridors of power, both concurrently and futuristically. These views were consequently augmented by attending General Assembly and Security Council sessions during September 2004 to January 2005 to observe what sorts of power and influence EU exerts in the contemporary international system and what potential it has for the future. Based on these findings, the paper identified three scenarios that EU is most likely to face in its efforts to be an international power. The paper concluded with the understanding that EU has vision and potential to be a power in the international system futuristically, which can be further enhanced if EU enhances its military capabilities and improves its power perception in the eyes of various stakeholders. However since the international system is volatile, its future role cannot be predicted with accuracy, only alternative options can be identified. EU’s roles are dependent upon the degree of success of the integration process internally and the structural interaction with other major actors in the international system. Whereas EU may enhance its role up to the year 2020, it may not enter into a power conflict with other major powers. However it will play its role comparable with the magnitude of its size, power and influence to manage the international system, futuristically in an improvised way.

Library media specialists (LMSs) have a unique position within a school, which is the opportunity to reach out to every student, especially to gifted and talented students who can benefit from having more advocates within their learning communities. Collaborating with other education professionals is beneficial to all students and many library media specialists already make this a normal part of their job responsibilities. The LMSs who are participants of Project CATALYST (Collaboration among Teachers and Librarians Yields Successful Teaching) are required to collaborate with classroom teachers in order to provide more enriching opportunities for students when they come to the library media center. So, the purpose of this project was to introduce gifted and talented terminology and strategies that focus on differentiated instruction for gifted and talented students to LMSs participating in Project CATALYST grant through the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC). This will meet two specific needs: providing the LMSs opportunities to collaborate with classroom teachers while becoming another resource for gifted and talented students that can enhance their learning beyond the classroom. The LMSs who participate in Project CATALYST were introduced to specific gifted and talented terminology and strategies that focus on differentiated instruction for gifted and talented students through a three-hour professional development. The participants completed an online pre-survey that identified the specific needs of the group and the professional development was designed with these needs in mind. After participating in the professional development, the participants were asked to complete an online post-survey to determine if the professional development was effective in changing the awareness and instructional practices of the participants when working with gifted and talented students. The pre- and post-surveys were analyzed to validate the effectiveness of the project and found that there was positive response by library media specialists to professional development on using differentiated instruction with gifted and talented students in the library media center. The small changes in instructional practices by 70 percent of the participants validate the effectiveness of the project in enlightening educators in the needs of gifted and talented students and the need to collaborate with other educators to provide enriching and challenging learning activities for these unique students.

I prodotti fitosanitari sono considerati uno dei principali strumenti di difesa contro le più rilevanti avversità che colpiscono la produzione agricola. Per garantire che il loro utilizzo sia realmente basato su principi di sostenibilità, nel 2009 l’Unione Europea ha introdotto la cosiddetta direttiva sull’Uso Sostenibile dei Pesticidi (EU 128/2009/EC) dove lo sviluppo di appropriati indicatori di rischio insieme all’implementazione di una corretta attività di formazione e sensibilizzazione sono da considerare fondamentali per ridurre l’esposizione. Per contribuire in questa direzione, in questo studio sono stati prodotti: a) un toolbox di pratici indicatori di rischio indiretti per essere utilizzati da parte delle autorità nazionali per monitorare le performance; b) un nuovo strumento e-learning (OpenTEA) di formazione e sensibilizzazione per raccogliere e condividere i più efficienti e consistenti materiali a disposizione. Questi contributi sono stati sviluppati utilizzando un approccio pragmatico basato sia su una consultazione degli stakeholders sia su un’analisi completa del rischio (usando dei modelli previsionali di esposizione e svolgendo un’indagine sistematica “sul campo”). Tutto è stato reso possibile grazie al coinvolgimento nelle attività nel centro di ricerca OPERA, un “think tank” che attraverso il suo approccio innovativo basato su costruire reti con gli stakeholders e ponti tra scienza e politica, permette il raggiungimento di soluzioni pragmatiche condivise. / Pesticides are considered one of the principle tools of defence against the most relevant adversity affecting the agricultural production. To ensure that their use is really based on sustainability principle, in 2009 the European Union introduced the so called Directive on Sustainable Use of Pesticides (EU 128/2009/EC) where the establishment of appropriate risk indicators to monitor the performances together with the implementation of appropriate training and awareness raising to improve behaviours are considered fundamentals. To contribute in this direction, in this study were produced: a) a toolbox of practical indirect risk indicators to be used by EU Member States to monitor the performances; b) a new e-learning tool (OpenTEA) for training and awareness raising to collect and share the most efficient and scientifically sound training and communication material. These contributions were developed using a pragmatic approach focusing either on a complete stakeholder consultation process either on a comprehensive analysis of risk (looking at some exposure models and performing a systematic surveys “on the field”). All the process was possible getting involved in the OPERA research centre, a “think tank” that through its innovative approach based on building network among stakeholders and bridges between science and policy, allow the achievement of pragmatic and agreed solutions.