Learner performance in South Africa is poor in comparison with other countries as a result of poor teaching. At the core of the concern about learners' performance in mathematics in South Africa lies a controversy regarding how mathematics should be taught. The purpose of this study was to explore Grade 8 mathematics teachers' creation and utilisation of opportunities for learners to develop mathematical understanding in their classrooms. To accomplish this, an explorative case study was conducted to explore three mathematics teachers' instructional practices by using Schoenfeld et al.'s (2014) five dimensions of Teaching for the Robust Understanding of Mathematics (TRU Math) scheme, namely, the mathematics, cognitive demand, access to mathematical content, mathematical agency, authority and identity and uses of assessment. The three participants were conveniently selected from three private schools in Mpumalanga. The data collected consist of a document analysis, two lessons observations and a post-observation interview per teacher. This study revealed that only one of the three teachers applied all Schoenfeld et al.'s (2014) TRU Math dimensions. The dimension identified which the teachers applied most in their classrooms was the mathematics. The dimensions identified where teachers still lack skills were cognitive demand, access to mathematical content, agency, authority and identity, and uses of assessment. This study revealed that the content of most tasks and lessons was focused and coherent, and built meaningful connections. However, the content did not engage learners in important mathematical content or provided opportunities for learners to apply the content to solve real-life problems. Due to the small sample used, the results from this study cannot be generalised. However, I hope that the findings will contribute to student-teacher training and in-service teacher training in both government and private schools. Future research could possibly build on this study by examining the learners and how they learn with understanding by using the TRU Math dimensions. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

see document / Master of Science

Les bois gorgés d’eau sont des découvertes rares en archéologie, du fait des conditions inhérentes à leur conservation. Quand ils nous parviennent, ils livrent de nombreuses données sur la place de ce matériau pour les populations anciennes.L’Auvergne est un contexte privilégié pour leur conservation. Des milliers de bois issus de découvertes fortuites ou de fouilles archéologiques sont datés du Néolithique à l’époque moderne, mais le corpus couvre surtout le Second âge du Fer jusqu’au Moyen Âge.La diversité des bois permet d’appréhender les différents usages selon leur destination respective. Le bon état de nombreux éléments renseigne de différentes étapes de façonnage de l’abattage de l’arbre à sa mise en œuvre.Chaque bois est détaillé spécifiquement par domaine et catégorie pour être comparé aux vestiges d’autres régions. L’approche technologique et typologique est traitée le plus exhaustivement possible.Le spectre taxonomique renseigne les pratiques de collecte et leur évolution sur un espace forestier impacté par l’homme.L’apport de la dendrochronologie renseigne les évolutions des approvisionnements, principalement pour la construction, et dégage certains traits des pratiques sylvicoles sur les peuplements forestiers exploités. / Waterlogged woods are rare discoveries in archeology because of the conditions inherent in their conservation. When they reach us, they give a lot of data on the importance of this material for past populations.Auvergne is a privileged context for their conservation. Thousands of woods from fortuitous discoveries or archaeological excavations are dated from the Neolithic to the modern era, however the corpus covers mostly the Second Iron Age until the Middle Ages.The diversity of the woods enables a better understanding of different uses according to their respective destination.The state of conservation of many elements gives information about the different stages of shaping, from the felling of the tree to its implementation.Each wood is detailed specifically by field and category to be compared with the remains of other regions. The technological and typological approach is treated as exhaustively as possible.Taxonomic diversity documents collection practices and their evolution in a forest area impacted by humans.The contribution of dendrochronology informs the evolutions of supplies, mainly for the construction, and releases certain features of the silvicultural practices in the exploited forest stands.

Social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook and My Space have experience rapid worldwide growth. It is crucial that this global phenomenon be investigated within the South African context. Social networking is a relatively new trend in South Africa and there is a paucity of academic literature on the topic. This quantitative study investigated one of the most popular social networking websites to date, namely Facebook. Facebook is a social networking website which was launched in early 2004. The primary research question focused on determining the usage patterns of South African Facebook users. In specific, the study investigated the purposes for which the site was used, the self-reported substitution of Facebook usage for face-to-face interaction and the relationship between Facebook affinity and Facebook use. A survey research design was used to collect data via an electronic questionnaire posted on Facebook. The theoretical point of departure was post-positivist. Media theories applied to the phenomenon under investigation include the uses and gratifications theory and the theory of the niche. The findings suggest that Facebook is primarily used for its intended purpose of communication. The respondents reported the gratification of versatile (multipurpose) communication. Furthermore, only half of the sample reported privacy concerns regarding Facebook. There was no significant indication that Facebook is a substitute for face-to-face interaction. Half of the sample claimed that their interpersonal contact has increased as a result of Facebook use. In addition, in accordance with expectations, the more affiliated a person is to Facebook, the more they will use Facebook. The findings of this study conform to other studies concerning social networking and provide a South African view of the global phenomenon of social networking websites. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Psychology / unrestricted

Syftet med denna studie är att utveckla en förståelse för mottagarnas upplevelse av företags samarbeten med influencers. Forskningsfrågorna för studien är: Hur upplever mottagarna behovstillfredsställelsen när företag samarbetar med influencers? och Varför uppstår en parasocial relation mellan mottagarna och företag? Det teoretiska ramverket är uses and gratifications samt parasocial relation. Studien utgår ifrån en kvalitativ metod, som baseras på fyra fokusgrupper med tre respondenter i varje grupp med en abduktiv forskningsansats. Resultaten av studien kommer fram till att mottagarna upplever att de tillfredsställer identitets-, förströelse- , underhållnings-, samt informationsbehov genom samarbeten mellan influencers och företag på Instagram. Resultaten visar vidare att en parasocial relation kan uppstå mellan mottagaren och influencern om kriterierna relaterbarhet, samhörighet, trovärdighet samt autenticitet uppfylls i samarbetet.

This paper addresses two different aspects of the subject known as knowledge bases, or knowledge graphs. A knowledge base is defined as a comprehensive semantically organized machine-readable collection of universally relevant or domain-specific entities, classes, and facts. The objective of this paper is to explore how a knowledge base can be used to gain information about an entity. First we present one way to access information from the knowledge base using a back-end interface. This back-end interface takes simple parameters as input which are used to query the knowledge base. The main objective here is to be able to access the right entity, to be able to answers the questions correctly.  After that follows a discussion about the need for knowledge bases and possible uses. The discussions will partly be based on results from our implementation, but also consider other similar implementation, and interviews with possible users in the business and society.  We conclude that the back-end interface developed performs well enough, with a high precision, to be ran in an unsupervised system. Furthermore we realise that the interface can be improved in several ways by focusing on smaller domains of information. Several different possible uses have been identified. From these uses a market analysis has been done from which we conclude good market possibilities. Some of the key problems with implementing the interface regards the credibility of the information in the knowledge base. This is one of the main problems that needs to be solved to fully implement knowledge bases in business and society. / Den här rapporten tar upp två olika områden som berör knowledge bases. En knowledge base definieras som en omfattande semantiskt organiserad maskinläslig samling av universellt relevanta eller domän-specifika entiteter, klasser, och fakta. Målet med rapporten är att undersöka hur en knowledge base kan användas för att få fram information om en entitet. Först presenteras ett tillvägagångsätt för kommunikation mot en knowledge base med hjälp av ett back-end gränssnitt. Back-end gränssnittet tar enkla parametrar som input och använder dessa för att köra en query mot en knowledge base. Huvudfokus i denna del kommer ligga i att få rätt svar på frågorna och kommer därmed att utvärderas utifrån det. Det andra området som arbetet berör är en diskussion kring hur knowledge bases kan integreras i samhället och näringslivet för att få ut en ökad nytta. Diskussionerna kommer att baseras på resultaten från den första delen av arbetet till viss del, men även andra liknande studier kommer vägas in för att ge ett bredare diskussionsunderlag. Utöver detta baseras också diskussionen på intervjuer med möjliga intressenter inom näringsliv och samhälle. Det utvecklade gränssnittet presterar på en nivå, med hög precision, som vi bedömer tillräcklig för implementering i oövervakade system. Dessutom har flertalet förbättringsområden identifierats. Huvudsakligen berör dessa att mer specifika implementationer kan få högre precision då specifikare kontroller kan genomföras. Flertal möjliga användningsområden har identifierats. Med dessa som grund har en marknadsanalys genomförts som pekar på goda förutsättningar för tekniken. Ett av det största problemen berör trovärdigheten i informationen i knowledge basen. Det är ett problem som måste lösas innan tekniken kan implementeras fullt ut i näringsliv och samhälle.

Studiens syfte är att bidra med ökad kunskap kring varför medlemmarna i Oatlys brand community engagerar sig i communityn och hur de värderar information som kommer från Oatlykontra från externa källor. Studien syftar även till att undersöka om medlemmarnas konsumtionsbeteenden påverkas av negativ information de får om Oatly. Det empiriska materialet bygger på medlemmar i Oatlys brand community på Instagram och samlades in genom två fokusgruppsdiskussioner. Studien har visat att medlemmarna engagerar sig i communityn för att tillfredsställa behov av gemenskap, identitet, och information samt att medlemmarna värderar information från Oatly som pålitlig och positiv medan de värderar externa källors informationsom felaktig och opålitlig. Ännu en av slutsatserna från studien är att deltagarna i communityntolkar budskap utifrån en gemensam tolkningsram. Vidare visade studien att mer lojala medlemmar uppgav att de ökade sin konsumtion i mötet av negativ information om Oatly.

This study aims to investigate how parents are reasoning when it comes to sharing photos of their children on Instagram. The phenomenon, known as sharenting, has been questioned due to the morality problems that arise from the fact that children don't have the same opportunity to approve their exposure in social channels as an adult. The fact that parents make money off their Instagram account is another aspect that is included in the study, which is relevant because of a new law in France. This law regulates profitable content that includes children, in order to protect the children. The aim and purpose of the survey was therefore to gain a deeper understanding of what motivating factors that surround sharing pictures and information about your child on Instagram, and also investigate how parents are reasoning about moral issues. The theoretical framework for this study is uses and gratification theory and communication privacy management theory. Through interviews and a qualitative method of analysis, the results show that many motivating factors are affecting, but that the connection and communication created between parents online is one of the biggest driving forces. There is a significant variation in awareness of the moral issues, but it was possible to decipher a pattern regarding where the boundaries of integrity go. For example, naked content and conflicts are being held outside Instagram. Discussions are held about whether this could be linked to a media morality where societal norms control what is considered accepted to share or not.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur studenter vid svenska högskolor och universitet utövar samt förhåller sig till informationssökning om potentiella partners i sociala medier samt i tjänster som Lexbase och Ratsit. Studien har genomförts med utgångspunkt i teorier om privat och offentligt i sociala medier samt uses and gratification. Studien undersöker vilken typ av information som eftersöks av studenter, hur informationen tolkas, samt hur studenter förhåller sig till att själva utsättas för informationssökning av potentiella partners. I enkätstudien deltog totalt 127 respondenter från 17 olika högskolor eller universitet, och undersökningen visar att informationssökning om potentiella partners i sociala medier är överväldigande vanligt. Hela 89% av studenter i Sverige bedriver informationssökning, och gör det ofta redan vid första kontakt med en potentiell partner. Informationssökningen motiveras ofta av nyfikenhet, men vid informationssökning i offentliga handlingar spelar motiv som säkerhet även en viktig roll. Undersökningen visar att informationssökning är något som även sker ömsesidigt, och studenter är medvetna om och accepterar att potentiella partners kan komma att söka information om studenterna själva. Slutligen visar undersökningen att studenter vid svenska högskolor och universitet betraktar informationssökning som en naturlig del av skapandet av alla nya relationer. / The purpose of this study is to examine how students at Swedish colleges and universities exercise and relate to information seeking about potential partners in social media and in services such as Lexbase and Ratsit. The study examines the types of information sought by students, how the information is interpreted, and how students relate to themselves being made subject of the information seeking process. The study was conducted on the basis of theories about private versus public in social media as well as uses and gratification. A total of 127 participants from 17 different colleges and universities took part in the survey, and the results show that searching for information about potential partners in social media is overwhelmingly common. As many as 89% of students in Sweden conduct information searching, and often do so already at first contact with a potential partner. The search for information is often motivated by curiosity, but when searching for information in public documents, motives such as security also play an important role. The survey shows that information seeking is something that takes place mutually, and students are aware of and accept that potential partners may seek information about the students themselves. In conclusion the study shows that students in Sweden consider information seeking a natural and given part of creating new relationships.

With the rapid pace of technological development, the way we consume media has changed drastically. Not too long ago, the very idea of never watching TV in the sense of broadcasted TV channels was absurd. Nowadays more and more people spend most if not all their media consumption time on streaming services like Netflix and Viaplay. We conducted a study on the reasons behind this change in media consumption, to find out why more and more people choose to spend their days watching Netflix instead of TV6 like they used to. We chose to perform our study through the lens of two different consumer behavior models: The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Uses and Gratification Model (UGT). With the concepts of perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use from TAM, and information seeking, affinity and accessibility from UGT. A quantitative study was conducted with 72 respondents. Our choice of method was a questionnaire which we designed to gather data on the respondents’ thoughts towards streaming services and towards the different behavior models. The survey, which was web-based, was distributed on different Facebook groups to reach potential respondents. The data gathered was then analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha and linear regression. From the results, we could gather that perceived usefulness was the most important factor of TAM, and the largest explanation behind a consumer’s usage of streaming services. Information seeking, affinity and accessibility were the largest contributing factors in the UGT model, although our results showed that UGT was not as significant as TAM in usage of streaming services. We were able to conclude that streaming services are an innovation that offers usefulness to the respondents that broadcast TV cannot compete with. We also found that TV broadcasts have a potential niche audience which they can reach with the right priorities. There were some aspects of information seeking which our respondents felt streaming services lacked, meaning if broadcast TV capitalizes on this type of informative content that streaming services lack, they can hopefully maintain a significant enough audience.