The purpose of this study was to examine the persistence of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students at a large multi-campus community college/baccalaureate degree-granting institution in South Florida. The study aimed to determine whether there was a relationship among a specific set of independent variables, background and defining variables (age, enrollment status, prior college education, gender, race, ethnicity, and marital status), academic integration variables (academic goal and first semester GPA), social integration variables (faculty interaction, college facilities and grounds, sense of community, college services, and student life), and environmental variables (family responsibilities, employment status, outside encouragement, and financial aid) and the dependent variable, EAP student persistence. The variables were extrapolated both from student academic transcripts and from an adapted version of the State University of New York (SUNY) Student Opinion Survey-Form A (ACT, 2006). T test and chi square analyses were performed. No relationship was found between any of the independent variables and the dependent variable. The thirteen respondents had high first semester GPA, favorable environmental support, and were socially integrated into the institution. / by Pradel R. Frank. / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Spanish and Portuguese, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 66-68).

Les modèles de la perception du langage écrit et du langage oral mettent au premier plan l’importance du lexique mental. En effet, parmi les nombreux indices hiérarchisés et guidant la segmentation du flux continu de parole chez l’adulte et l’enfant, les indices lexicaux ont une place prépondérante. Tout au long de ce travail, nous nous intéressons aux spécificités du stockage des séquences multimots dans le lexique mental et à l’hypothèse d’une mémorisation de ces séquences en une seule unité.Ce travail se divise en deux parties, chacune composée d’une série d’expériences. La première partie interroge en premier lieu les indices impliqués dans les effets facilitateurs de la reconnaissance des noms au sein du groupe nominal. Pour cela, sont mis en perspective l’effet du genre grammatical porté par les déterminants et l’effet de fréquence de co-occurrence des séquences déterminant-nom sur le traitement du nom. C’est ensuite l’effet de la cohésion des séquences multimots sur leur reconnaissance qui est examiné.La seconde partie aborde l’influence de la variabilité interne des combinaisons déterminant-nom dans l’acquisition de la structure du groupe nominal chez l’enfant de deux ans à deux ans et demi. Au travers d’une étude longitudinale, nous opposons deux grandes conceptions de l’acquisition du langage chez le jeune enfant: la Grammaire Universelle et les approches Basées sur l’Usage. / The mental lexicon is usually assumed as the main foundation of written and spoken-language perception. Numerous and hierarchically-organized cues drive speech segmentation in adults and infants but lexical cues appear as overriding. Throughout this work, we question multiword-sequence storage idiosyncrasy and multiword-sequence memorizing as one unit in the mental lexicon.This work splits into two parts, each composed of a set of experiments. The first one assesses the cues involved in recognition facilitation of nouns in noun phrases. For that purpose, we disentangled grammatical-gender effects and co-occurrence frequency effects on the processing of determiner-noun sequences. Then, we tested the cohesiveness effect on three-word sequences’ recognition.The second set of experiments is about the influence of determiner-noun sequences’ internal variability in noun-phrase’s structure aquisition in 2 to 2,5 year-old children. In a three-month longitudinal study, we contrast two main conceptions of first-language acquisition: Universal Grammar and Usage-Based approaches.

When the Bush administration set out to revolutionize public education through the requirements commanded by No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), framers of the legislation chose language that appeared inclusive of all students in U.S. schools. The law demands that English language learners take the mandated exams early in their academic careers in the United States even though research indicates most will fail due to lack of time to acquire sufficient language proficiently to demonstrate their learning on the exams. Viewed through a critical theory lens, the inclusive nature of NCLB is in fact, oppressing ELL students. One district in Texas The study involved ELL students in grades 1-12 in a school district in North Central Texas that uses its family literacy center as an intervention to aid ELL families in English language acquisition. Students fell into three categories: students and parents who attend the family literacy center English classes, students whose parents attend the family literacy center English classes but the students do not attend, and students and parents who do not attend the family literacy center English classes. The quantitative data for the study were reading and math Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) scores of ELL students administered by the district in spring 2005. The independent variable was attendance at the family literacy center English classes. A series of one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) and descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, homogeneity of variance) was applied to the data and significant differences were observed on only two measures of the TELPAS. The qualitative data were phenomenological interviews of teachers at the district-run family literacy center. Data derived from in-depth phenomenological interviews were between August and September 2005.

No description available.

Aim – The paper at hand has three aims which are based on the recent adjustments made to the Swedish curriculum which take effect in summer 2018 and stipulate the implementation of digital competence in all subjects. Firstly, the study examines the effect of ICT and digital media/ aids on the WTC and motivation of second language learners. Secondly, a look is taken at how ICT and digital media/ aids are implemented in teaching today and thirdly, the challenges teachers face by the diverse interpretation and definition of the term digital competence and its realization in the classroom are investigated. Design/methodology/approach – The study is a literature review in which recent literature and research papers in the field of ICT in teaching with focus on second language teaching and learning were examined. Findings – According to the results, the author found that the use of ICT and digital media/ aids have a positive effect on the WTC and motivation of second language learners when used appropriately. The challenges teachers face in this respect is a lack of methods and strategies as well as technical support that are needed to successfully implement ICT in their lessons. Especially the lack of technical support is viewed as a time consuming one as it requires teachers to have a back-up-plan which in effect means more lesson planning on their part. Additionally and in regard to the implementation of digital competences in all subjects, teachers are faced with new challenges which comprise a technical; theoretical and didactical knowledge of the term and its practical realization. Due to the recency of the changes made to the curriculum, the investigation of the challenges that present themselves to the teachers open up for new research that can be made in this field.

(in English) This thesis discusses the methodology of teaching reading comprehension and using text in the process of teaching Czech for foreigners. It is aimed at developing an approach to teaching reading skills in language classes on the basis of contemporary literature on the subject and in offering structured exercises for utililizing this approach. The theoretical section of this thesis offers a complex analysis of the topic, approaches to evaluating text and developing reading competence in the process of teaching. The practical chapter Cvičení a aktivity (Exercises and Activities) illustrates, through example exercises and activities, how to teach particular aspects of reading competence on the basis of types of reading and reading strategies described in the theoretical and methodological framework of the thesis.

English as a Second Language (ESL) learners at the upper elementary level have struggled to demonstrate the vocabulary required to read in English at grade-level. Although multimedia technologies have demonstrated positive effects as language acquisition educational tools at the university level, it remains unclear how useful they are for language acquisition at the elementary level. This quasi-experimental study used dual coding theory as a framework to examine the relationship between the level of reading comprehension upper elementary students developed and their construction of word meanings through use of multimedia technologies. The study utilized convenience sampling of 85 students divided into treatment and control groups in a Puerto Rican Montessori school. The treatment consisted of use of multimedia technologies that included video, audio, images, and words in a digital environment for vocabulary acquisition instruction. Data sources included pretest and posttest results for the Maze Close test that measures reading comprehension. These results were analyzed using a paired t test. Results indicated that students in treatment groups developed greater reading comprehension than did those in control groups. However, the difference in scores between the groups was not significant, so the null hypothesis was not rejected. Further research is required in order to determine whether a positive relationship can exist between multimedia technology usage and development of upper elementary student vocabulary and reading comprehension. This study indicates the importance of examining whether multimedia technology use in elementary student English reading comprehension can create reading gains for upper elementary ESL students.

Είναι ευρύτατα γνωστό ότι ο θόρυβος δημιουργείται από δονούμενες επιφάνειες. Για την αντιμετώπιση του θορύβου στην πηγή του, δηλαδή τη δονούμενη επιφάνεια, δύο κυρίως τρόποι έχουν αναπτυχθεί. Ο πρώτος τρόπος αφορά τη χρησιμοποίηση παθητικών μέσων, δηλαδή ηχομονωτικών υλικών που αποσβένουν συγκεκριμένες συχνότητες. Ο δεύτερος τρόπος αφορά τη χρήση ενεργητικών μέσων. Τα ενεργητικά μέσα είναι διατάξεις που αποτελούνται από ένα σύστημα ελέγχου και ένα σύνολο αισθητήρων και ενεργοποιητών. Η λειτουργία ενός τέτοιου Συστήματος Ενεργού Ελέγχου Δονήσεων (ΣΕΕΔ) βασίζεται στην καταγραφή μέσω των αισθητήρων του τρόπου δόνησης της επιφάνειας (πρωτεύον πεδίο δόνησης), την δημιουργία σημάτων ελέγχου από τον ελεγκτή (ίδιου πλάτους αλλά με διαφορά φάσης 180o) και την αποστολή τους στους ενεργοποιητές που θα δημιουργήσουν ένα δευτερεύον πεδίο δόνησης. Η υπέρθεση των δύο πεδίων έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα την δημιουργία ενός εναπομείναντος πεδίου με πλάτη δόνησης αισθητά χαμηλότερα από αυτά του πρωτεύοντος. Το αντικείμενο της παρούσας διατριβής είναι η ανάπτυξη ενός γενικευμένου ΣΕΕΔ, ο έλεγχος του οποίου βασίζεται σε εργαλεία Τεχνητής Νοημοσύνης όπως τα Τεχνητά Νευρωνικά Δίκτυα και οι Γενετικοί Αλγόριθμοι για την αναγνώριση του τρόπου δόνησης οποιασδήποτε επιφάνειας και το βέλτιστο έλεγχο της δόνησής της, χωρίς να απαιτείται καμία πρότερη γνώση της δυναμικής συμπεριφοράς της επιφάνειας. Επιπλέον, το υπό μελέτη ΣΕΕΔ είναι ικανό να ελέγχει τέσσερις συχνότητες αντί μιας που απαντάται συνήθως στην πλειονότητα των εφαρμογών. Ο σκοπός της διατριβής αυτής είναι η απόδειξη της αρχής λειτουργίας ενός τέτοιου συστήματος. Η προσέγγιση για την επίτευξη αυτού του στόχου περιλαμβάνει πειραματικές μετρήσεις ενός πρωτότυπου ΣΕΕΔ σε μία απλοποιημένη πειραματική διάταξη. Τα αποτελέσματα από την εφαρμογή του εν λόγω ΣΕΕΔ δείχνουν ότι παρά τους περιορισμούς που υπεισέρχονται λόγω των δυνατοτήτων του υλικού (hardware) του χρησιμοποιούμενου εξοπλισμού, το υπό μελέτη ΣΕΕΔ λειτουργεί επιτυχώς στη βασική αρχή του, ενώ έχει τις προϋποθέσεις και τη δυναμική για περαιτέρω βελτιστοποίηση και εξέλιξη σε ένα ευρύ φάσμα εφαρμογών. / It is generally approved that noise is created by vibrating surfaces. In order to tackle this phenomenon at its source, mainly two approaches have been followed. The first approach involves passive means, that is sound insulation materials that dampen certain frequencies. The second approach involves the use of active means. The active means are arrangements that consist of a control system and a set of sensors and actuators. The application of such an arrangement for vibration control is called Active Vibration Control (AVC) and is based on the sampling (by means of sensors) of the primary field of vibration of the surface, the creation of control signals by the controller (secondary field - of the same amplitude but with phase difference of 180o) and finally applying these control signals on the vibrating surface, by means of the actuators. The superimposing of the two vibration signals (primary and secondary) results to a residual field where the amplitudes of vibration are significantly lower than in the primary. The objective of the thesis at hand is to develop a Generic AVC with the controller developed using Artificial Intelligence tools such as the Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) and Genetic Algorithms (GAs), in order to identify the vibration patterns of any surface and the optimal control of its vibration, without any prior knowledge of the dynamic behavior of the surface. Moreover, the developed AVC system will be able to identify and control four dominating frequencies instead of one that is usually the choice in the majority of similar applications. The scope of this work is the ‘Proof of Concept’ of the successful operation of such a generic AVC system. The approach to this end includes experimental testing of a prototype AVC system on a simplified experimental set-up. The results of the application of the developed AVC system, performed also by independent parties in the framework of a EC-funded Basic Research project, prove the successful operation of the developed AVCS, even within the limitation of the contemporary data acquisition platform (hardware and software) used, imposes limitations in the efficiency of the AVCS, and provide the basis for its further development and application in a multitude of problems.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T17:38:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JULIA GRASIELA BUSARELLO WOLFF.pdf: 4663430 bytes, checksum: 6c78e4867094b8623e5a0412abf9b544 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-02 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Magnetic induction tomography is a developing technique for visualization of electromagnetic properties of an object. It differs from others imaging techniques from electromagnetic signals because it is a noninvasive and contactless method whose main purpose is to obtain the distribution of conductivity in objects, which has important applications in industry and medicine. This master s degree dissertation discusses the development of the impedance method in three dimensions and its use in a modeling system of magnetic induction tomography. This method allows the calculation of induced currents in an object from an applied magnetic field, using valid approximations for quasi-static conditions of operation, which allows the modeling of the medium by a three-dimensional network of impedances. Thus, the impedance method was used for the calculation of eddy currents while the primary and secondary fields were calculated using the Biot-Savart Law. A simulation program in the C language has been developed to obtain the current and field distributions and calculate the sensitivity matrix of the system. The simulation has been compared with analytical models and experimental results. Two methods have been used to obtain images of the conductivity distribution from the simulated values of phase variation in signals from sensors in the tomograph: Tikhonov regularization and an original method proposed in this study called successive approximations. The methods are discussed and their results compared. It has been found that both underestimate the conductivity value, but they provide images with good linear correlation with respect to the real object. The successive approximations method has slightly better performance. / A Tomografia de Indução Magnética é uma técnica em desenvolvimento para a visualização das propriedades eletromagnéticas de um objeto. Difere de outras técnicas de produção de imagens a partir de sinais eletromagnéticos por se tratar de um método não invasivo e sem contato cuja sua finalidade principal é a obtenção da distribuição de condutividade em objetos, o que encontra aplicações importantes na indústria e na medicina. Essa dissertação aborda o desenvolvimento do método das impedâncias em três dimensões e o seu uso na modelagem de um sistema de tomografia de indução magnética. Este método permite o cálculo de correntes induzidas em um objeto a partir de um campo magnético aplicado, usando aproximações válidas para as condições quaseestáticas de operação, o que permite a modelagem do meio por uma rede tridimensional de impedâncias. Assim, o método das impedâncias foi utilizado para o cálculo das correntes eddy enquanto que os campos primário e secundário foram calculados usando a lei de Biot-Savart. Um programa em linguagem C foi desenvolvido para realizar as simulações, obter as distribuições de corrente e campos e calcular a matriz de sensibilidade do sistema. Os resultados das simulações foram confrontados com modelos analíticos e com resultados experimentais. Dois métodos foram usados para obter imagens da distribuição de condutividade a partir de valores simulados da variação de fase nos sinais obtidos nos sensores do tomógrafo: a regularização de Tikhonov e um método original proposto neste estudo denominado aproximações sucessivas. Os métodos são discutidos e seus resultados comparados. Verificou-se que ambos subestimam o valor da condutividade, mas fornecem imagens com boa correlação linear em relação ao objeto real. O método de aproximações sucessivas apresenta desempenho levemente superior.