The PCAOB inspection reports for large audit firms are primarily anecdotal in nature, providing only a list of deficiencies found without any statistical context (e.g., the inspection sample size). This is problematic when trying to determine the extent of a firm's audit weaknesses. However, simply adding statistical data to the reports, as currently provided in the PCAOB reports of small firms, may not solve the problem. Prior research suggests that statistical data are often ignored or underweighted when anecdotal data are present. This study investigates whether a bias for anecdotal data overwhelms the statistical data as currently presented in small firm reports, and whether any anecdotal bias can be overcome by possible decision aids. I first demonstrate that the anecdotal data presented in PCAOB reports can lead to incorrect perceptions of audit firms. I then find that the PCAOB's practice of providing statistical context in small firm reports is ineffective; that is, users continue to focus on anecdotal data even in the presence of informative statistical data. Finally, I provide evidence to indicate that two easily implemented decision aids can successfully help incorporate statistical data into perceptions of audit firms, resulting in more informed audit engagement decisions.

This practice-based research is concerned with a collection of fixed media compositions written between 2005 and 2012 with accompanying contextual writing. The primary focus of this research was to produce sound works, but the concept of place has played a significant role throughout both the compositional process and in the reflection of each composition. This research explores how place is ‘heard and felt’ (Feld, 2005) in a composition and how recollected memory impacts on the compositional process. Artistic decisions made with regard to creating the compositions reflect my personal place and associations with these sound materials at a given time whether they are field recordings or synthesised materials. The way in which sound material is subsequently processed and structured reflects this. Place and the compositional practice inform each other in a two-way process. This results in what Katharine Norman (2010) has referred to in her writing on sound art as an ‘autoethnographic’ journey; a representation of the creator’s personal experience. I have begun to reflect on these compositions as art works that represent a particular time or place. The artwork represents the trace of the place from which it was composed (Corringham, 2010). I believe that I cannot totally transport a person to my place; rather, I intend this creative representation to enable the listener to create and inspire their own narrative.

Aversive tasks and activities are commonly encountered in the everyday routines of most individuals. For individuals with intellectual disabilities, a means to assess individual sensitivities to aversive stimulation could allow caregivers to avoid unnecessary contact with aversive events, teach appropriate ways to avoid or escape aversive situations, and condition tolerance to unavoidable aversive tasks and activities. The current study, conducted at a large, state-operated residential facility for adults with intellectual disabilities, used an anecdotal assessment, the Sensitivities to Aversive Stimulation Survey (SASS), to evaluate the relative aversiveness of an array of commonly encountered tasks and activities for each participant. Five caregivers complete the 25-question assessment, using Likert-type scales to rate individual participants' affect, compliance or tolerance, and severity of problem behavior related to each item. The mean scores of the raters were used to estimate the aversiveness of each task, condition, or activity. The outcomes from the SASS were then compared with outcomes of an experimental analysis in which participants could emit responses to escape situations that were ranked either high or low using the SASS. Relative aversiveness was evaluated by comparing the percentage of trials with escape behavior and duration of exposure for each stimulus. Preliminary results indicate that the SASS may be useful in identifying aversive tasks and stimuli.

On considère volontiers que la légende est un objet que se partagent les communautés « extra-modernes ». Traditionnelle, elle est donc lointaine dans le temps et/ou dans l’espace. C’est cette légende qu’étudient, par exemple, les anthropologues. Une autre alternative consiste à penser que la légende est, au contraire, très proche de notre « modernité ». Elle est alors urbaine ou contemporaine, n’est plus vraiment une légende mais une rumeur et s’impose comme le terrain privilégié des « rumorologues ». Traditionnelle, elle se manifeste ainsi dans un ailleurs de la modernité urbaine ; moderne, elle s’y incarne, mais n’est plus traditionnelle. En somme, on refuse à la légende, en tant qu’objet traditionnel, une opérativité socioculturelle à l’intérieur de nos propres sociétés. Or, si les guides les médiatisent, c’est bien qu’elle possède cette opérativité. Toute la question est de savoir comment la définir. À partir d’analyses sémiotiques menées sur un corpus de guides généralistes présentant New York et l’Écosse (Le Routard, les guides Bleu, Vert et Voir, le Lonely Planet, le Petit Futé et la Bibliothèque du voyageur) mais aussi de guides « spécialisés » (Guide du Paris mystérieux, Le Guide de la France mythologique et les Sites mystérieux et légendaires de nos provinces françaises), cette étude qui défend une approche communicationnelle se propose d’aborder le légendaire – à savoir les légendes et la façon dont elles sont commentées par les guides – comme un objet de discours capable d’instituer un certain rapport à la culture qui serait de l’ordre de la curiosité ou de l’insolite. La première partie met ainsi en évidence le fait que le légendaire se manifeste comme un objet anecdotique dans les guides de voyage. Ceux-ci disent, en effet, le caractère extraordinaire du référent légendaire tout en postulant et/ou en instituant, cependant, son insignifiance du point de vue culturel. Anecdotique, le légendaire est, en outre, insaisissable. C’est ce que montre la seconde partie en se concentrant sur la façon dont les guides font des énoncés légendaires des objets proprement inclassables : curieux, ils disent l’étrangeté de l’ordre du monde ; insolites, ils ne disent rien de plus que leur incongruité. S’il est à la fois anecdotique et insaisissable, comment se fait-il que le légendaire fasse pourtant culture ? La troisième partie répond à cette question en montrant que c’est précisément parce qu’il se définit comme tel qu’il fait culture. Ainsi, le légendaire est un objet de discours qui permet, à celui qui le dit, de se manifester dans le monde social à travers une forme d’auctorialité définie par une désinvolture à l’égard des hiérarchies de valeurs traditionnelles. Par ailleurs, elle montre qu’il est un objet de discours qui se livre au lecteur/voyageur dans le but d’être réitéré. Autrement dit, le légendaire circule, à partir de ces dispositifs touristiques que sont les guides, en proposant à ceux qui se l’approprieraient de renverser ou de détourner l’ordre culturel ; d’habiter le monde en tant qu’il est social, le temps infime de l’énonciation légendaire / It is a widespread thought that legends are either traditional or modern, but never both at the same time. When traditional, they are supposed to be told in far away countries, in space and/or in time. These legends are usually studied by anthropologists. When urban, they stop being traditional and are not really legends anymore. They are called “rumours” and are mostly studied by “rumourologists”. However, their presence in travel guides shows that they do have an operativity as traditional objects in our modern culture. Starting with a semiotic analysis of some French-written travel guides conducted through a communicational perspective, this research aims to show that legendary speech – i.e. legends and the way they are told and commented in travel guides – is an object that can institute a specific relationship to culture identified as curiosity or uniqueness (“insolite” in French). The first part of the research enlightens the fact that legendary speech appears as an anecdotal object in travel guides. Indeed, these books suggest that legendary speech does say something extraordinary, but they also seem to believe or want to prove that it is insignificant from a cultural point of view. Anecdotal, legendary speech is also elusive. It is what the second part of the research shows focusing on the way travel guides manage to build up the impossibility to classify this kind of speech. When curious, legendary speech tells us about the strangeness of the world order. When unique, it says no more than its own incongruity. If legendary speech is at the same time anecdotal and elusive, what makes it cultural? The third and last part of the research answers this question. It shows that legendary speech does deal with culture precisely because it appears as both anecdotal and elusive. It is an object of discourse that allows the one who implements it to come out into the social world as an “author”, in the sense that one signs a cultural point of view characterized by a certain casualness towards the common hierarchy of values. It also shows that this speech is delivered to the reader/traveller in order to be reiterated. In other words, the possible circulation of this speech, from travel guides to tourists, suggests that it can be appropriated, so as to reverse or divert the cultural order, so as to inhabit, for the one who says it, the social world, the fractional time of its enunciation

An analysis of interrater agreement across multiple respondents on anecdotal assessments and correspondence between functional analysis outcomes was completed. Experiment I evaluated overall agreement among multiple respondents (direct-care staff) on the hypothesized function of each residents (28 adults with mental retardation) problematic behavior using the Motivational Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Functional Analysis Screening Tool (FAST). Results of the questionnaires indicated that respondents agreed on the function of the problematic behavior for 10 of the 28 residents. Experiment II examined whether, for selected cases in which 4 out of 5 respondents agreed on the function of the problematic behavior, correspondence occurred between functional analyses and anecdotal assessments outcomes. Two of the 6 functional analyses did not evoke the problematic behavior. However, 4 functional analyses did produce corresponding outcomes suggesting that, when the functional analyses produced interpretable data, the results of the functional analyses corresponded with those of the anecdotal assessments.

We administered the Motivation Assessment Scale (MAS) and the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF) to five raters and compared the results with functional analysis outcomes for 12 cases in which agreement was obtained for at least four out of five raters on either anecdotal assessment. The scores for functional categories on the MAS and QABF were ranked by averaging the scores for the raters who agreed on the primary maintaining variable. Functional analysis results were ranked by examining average responding across all conditions. A comparison showed correspondence between the highest category and the highest functional analysis condition for 10 out of 11 cases for the MAS and all 10 cases for the QABF. Correspondence for the category and condition ranked second was found for 2 out of 11 cases for the MAS and 2 out of 10 cases for the QABF. The magnitude of difference between categories on the MAS/QABF did not appear to predict the amount of difference in responding in the corresponding functional analyses.

Text in Afrikaans with summaries in Afrikaans and English / This study addresses the problem of the lack of an assessment model for the reception year that is theoretically grounded and can be implemented in practice by developing an outcomes-based assessment model. Assessment in an outcomes-based approach moves from an evaluative model to a model designed to appraise the learner's development and learning. Learners are assessed continuously and in an holistic manner by means of multiple methods that are part of the daily facilitation of learning. Following an introductory orientation (chapter 1), it is indicated that despite the radical transformation in education there are as yet few signs of any direct impact on assessment practices in the reception year. The importance of assessment in an outcomes-based model is firmly rooted in official policies but its implementation in practice is problematic. Assessment in the reception year is also complicated by problems in teaching practice. The unique nature of outcomes-based teaching is analysed in depth in chapter 2 in order to draw up theoretical guidelines on which to base the assessment model. The theoretical reflection in chapter 3 provides answers to the question: "Why should assessment take place?" The question is answered after considering the distinctive nature of and main reasons for reception year teaching. In an outcomes-based teaching approach it is particularly important to answer this question because assessment is more than simply evaluating the extent to which demarcated contents have been mastered. Chapter 4 explores authentic assessment methods that accommodate the unique nature of reception year teaching and an outcomes-based approach. Methods such as parent interviews, portfolios of learners' work and observation by means of incident records, checklists and participation charts are appropriate assessment methods. The points at which assessment information is collected and how it is interpreted and communicated are also examined. The proposed model, based on the theoretical findings, was presented to experts in the field of early childhood development for their input on its practical implementability. It was found that the model can be implemented in practice, provided in-service training is provided. The final chapter of the study consists of a summary, findings and recommendations regarding the practical implementation of the assessment model in the reception year. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Teacher Education)

Text in Afrikaans with summaries in Afrikaans and English / This study addresses the problem of the lack of an assessment model for the reception year that is theoretically grounded and can be implemented in practice by developing an outcomes-based assessment model. Assessment in an outcomes-based approach moves from an evaluative model to a model designed to appraise the learner's development and learning. Learners are assessed continuously and in an holistic manner by means of multiple methods that are part of the daily facilitation of learning. Following an introductory orientation (chapter 1), it is indicated that despite the radical transformation in education there are as yet few signs of any direct impact on assessment practices in the reception year. The importance of assessment in an outcomes-based model is firmly rooted in official policies but its implementation in practice is problematic. Assessment in the reception year is also complicated by problems in teaching practice. The unique nature of outcomes-based teaching is analysed in depth in chapter 2 in order to draw up theoretical guidelines on which to base the assessment model. The theoretical reflection in chapter 3 provides answers to the question: "Why should assessment take place?" The question is answered after considering the distinctive nature of and main reasons for reception year teaching. In an outcomes-based teaching approach it is particularly important to answer this question because assessment is more than simply evaluating the extent to which demarcated contents have been mastered. Chapter 4 explores authentic assessment methods that accommodate the unique nature of reception year teaching and an outcomes-based approach. Methods such as parent interviews, portfolios of learners' work and observation by means of incident records, checklists and participation charts are appropriate assessment methods. The points at which assessment information is collected and how it is interpreted and communicated are also examined. The proposed model, based on the theoretical findings, was presented to experts in the field of early childhood development for their input on its practical implementability. It was found that the model can be implemented in practice, provided in-service training is provided. The final chapter of the study consists of a summary, findings and recommendations regarding the practical implementation of the assessment model in the reception year. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Teacher Education)

This study is an interpretive form of qualitative research that is founded in educational connoisseurship and criticism, which uses the author’s personal experiences as a holistic educator in a public school to connect theory and practice. Key research questions include: How do I, as a teacher, work with the Ontario curriculum to make it more holistic? What strategies have I developed in order to teach a more holistic curriculum? What kinds of difficulties interfere with my practice as I attempt to implement my holistic philosophy of education? This dissertation seeks to articulate a methodology for developing holistic curriculum that is in conformity with Ontario Ministry guidelines and is also responsive to the multifaceted needs of the whole student. The research findings will serve to inform teachers who wish to engage in holistic education in public schools and adopt a curriculum that is transformative while still being adaptable within mainstream education.

This study is an interpretive form of qualitative research that is founded in educational connoisseurship and criticism, which uses the author’s personal experiences as a holistic educator in a public school to connect theory and practice. Key research questions include: How do I, as a teacher, work with the Ontario curriculum to make it more holistic? What strategies have I developed in order to teach a more holistic curriculum? What kinds of difficulties interfere with my practice as I attempt to implement my holistic philosophy of education? This dissertation seeks to articulate a methodology for developing holistic curriculum that is in conformity with Ontario Ministry guidelines and is also responsive to the multifaceted needs of the whole student. The research findings will serve to inform teachers who wish to engage in holistic education in public schools and adopt a curriculum that is transformative while still being adaptable within mainstream education.