School reform programs focus on making educational changes; however, research on interventions past the funded implementation phase to determine what was sustained is rarely done (Beery, Senter, Cheadle, Greenwald, Pearson, et al., 2005). This study adds to the research on sustainability by determining what instructional practices, if any, of the Teaching SMART[reg] professional development program that was implemented from 2005-2008 in elementary schools with teachers in grades third through eighth were continued, discontinued, or adapted five years post-implementation (in 2013). Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions: What do teachers who participated in Teaching SMART[reg] and district administrators share about the sustainability of Teaching SMART[reg] practices in 2013? What teaching strategies do teachers who participated in the program (2005-2008) use in their science classrooms five years post-implementation (2013)? What perceptions about the roles of females in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) do teachers who participated in the program (2005-2008) have five years later (2013)? And, What classroom management techniques do the teachers who participated in the program (2005-2008) use five years post implementation (2013)? A mixed method approach was used to answer these questions. Quantitative teacher survey data from 23 teachers who participated in 2008 and 2013 were analyzed in SAS v. 9.3. Descriptive statistics were reported and paired t-tests were conducted to determine mean differences by survey factors identified from an exploratory factor analysis, principal axis factoring, and parallel analysis conducted with teacher survey baseline data (2005). Individual teacher change scores (2008 and 2013) for identified factors were computed using the Reliable Change Index statistic. Qualitative data consisted of interviews with two district administrators and three teachers who responded to the survey in both years (2008 and 2013). Additionally, a classroom observation was conducted with one of the interviewed teachers in 2013. Qualitative analyses were conducted following the constant comparative method and were facilitated by ATLAS.ti v. 6.2, a qualitative analysis software program. Qualitative findings identified themes at the district level that influenced teachers' use of Teaching SMART[reg] strategies. All the themes were classified as obstacles to sustainability: economic downturn, turnover of teachers and lack of hiring, new reform policies, such as Race to the Top, Student Success Act, Common Core State Standards, and mandated blocks of time for specific content. Results from the survey data showed no statistically significant difference through time in perceived instructional practices except for a perceived decrease in the use of hands-on instructional activities from 2008 to 2013. Analyses conducted at the individual teacher level found change scores were statistically significant for a few teachers, but overall, teachers reported similarly on the teacher survey at both time points. This sustainability study revealed the lack of facilitating factors to support the continuation of reform practices; however, teachers identified strategies to continue to implement some of the reform practices through time in spite of a number of system-wide obstacles. This sustainability study adds to the literature by documenting obstacles to sustainability in this specific context, which overlap with what is known in the literature. Additionally, the strategies teachers identified to overcome some of the obstacles to implement reform practices and the recommendations by district level administrators add to the literature on how stakeholders may support sustainability of reform through time.

Individuals with dyslexia have an unexpected difficulty learning to read. This difficulty produces other effects, such as poor reading attitudes, meaning many choose not to read. Reading is a valuable source of information and entertainment, therefore individuals with dyslexia require better reading support. This study attempted to develop an intervention to improve reading attitudes using video self-modelling (VSM). VSM involves individuals watching carefully created videos of themselves correctly performing target behaviours. During this 1 month intervention, 14 participants (13 male and 1 female) aged 9-14 who had dyslexia were asked to watch a weekly video of themselves silently reading one of four types of material: academic digital, academic print, recreational digital or recreational print. The participants’ reading attitudes and ability were measured before and after the intervention using the Survey of Adolescent Reading Attitudes and the Wide Range Achievement Test–Fourth Edition, respectively. Their reading habits and affect while reading (as a proxy measure of reading attitudes) were monitored during the intervention using a daily reading diary. This study did not detect any systematic or reliable changes in reading habits, affect while reading, reading attitudes and reading skills. This may have been due to limitations in the procedure, or it is possible that VSM cannot affect attitudes and that reading attitudes alone do not have a strong influence on ability. Consequently, future research should use VSM to help individuals with dyslexia by focusing on specific reading skills, such as phonological awareness.

Orientador: Rozely Ferreira dos Santos / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-13T08:45:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bertolo_LidiaSanches_M.pdf: 3619396 bytes, checksum: b68ca9434140b9f463e0575693bc6807 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Em planejamentos ambientais as decisões sobre o futuro dependem da compreensão das mudanças da paisagem resultantes das pressões humanas através do tempo, que ocorrem em diversas escalas no espaço. A literatura científica reforça a necessidade de desenvolver caminhos metodológicos que permitam uma análise precisa desta questão. Nessa direção, este estudo pretendeu identificar, quantificar, indicar espacialmente e definir a direção e intensidade das mudanças provenientes da ocupação humana numa paisagem ecotonal costeira, por meio de métodos e técnicas usuais em ecologia da paisagem. Para tanto, foram determinadas três forças motoras por meio da construção do quadro histórico e linha do tempo, que por sua vez permitiram a definição e espacialização de 5 fases históricas, pela sobreposição de mapas datados em escala generalizada e cálculo do índice de dominância. A aplicação de índices de uso e conservação estabeleceu e espacializou três tipos de momentos históricos para cada unidade histórica considerada. Os resultados obtidos em escala generalizada foram comparados às medidas de mudança em uma escala de detalhe, provenientes do mesmo caminho metodológico. A partir dos resultados foram selecionadas três paisagens históricas para definição, espacialização e qualificação de vetores de mudança obtidos por meio da compartimentação hexagonal, aplicação de métrica da paisagem e determinação de saldo de conservação. Esses resultados permitiram uma interpretação pormenorizada da dinâmica do ecótono costeiro, que facilita a definição e a localização de ações de manejo. / Abstract: Decisions about the future in environmental planning depend of the landscape changes interpretations that result from human pressures over time, occurring at different scales. The literature emphasizes we need to develop methodological paths that allows an accurate analysis of this subject. Therefore these study intents to identify, to quantify, to spatial indicate and to determine the direction and intensity of changes inherent from human occupation in a coastal ecotone by usual methods in landscape ecology. The construction of timeline and historical scenario determined three drive forces of changes. From them, it could be defined five historical phases of occupation, by overlapping dated maps in a broad scale and calculating the dominance index. Thereafter, the application of the use and conservation index has established and so were mapped three kinds of historical moments for each historical unit considered. The results from the broad scale were compared to change measures in a fine scale, using the same methodological path. Based on those results, three historical landscapes were selected to define, to map and to qualify a change vector. The division of the landscape in hexagons, the application of landscape metrics and the determination of the conservation balance were obtained from the vectors. The results allowed a detailed interpretation of the coastal ecotone landscape dynamics, which facilitates the definition and location of management actions. / Mestrado / Recursos Hidricos, Energeticos e Ambientais / Mestre em Engenharia Civil

Yes / We aimed to co-produce and validate an accessible, evidence-based questionnaire measuring 'living well' with dementia that reflects the experience of people with mild-to-moderate dementia. Nine people with dementia formed a co-production group. An initial series of workshops generated the format of the questionnaire and a longlist of items. Preliminary testing with 53 IDEAL cohort participants yielded a shortlist of items. These were tested with 136 IDEAL cohort participants during a further round of data collection and assessed for reliability and validity. The co-production group contributed to decisions throughout and agreed the final version. An initial list of 230 items was reduced to 41 for initial testing, 12 for full testing, and 10 for the final version. The 10-item version had good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and a single factor structure. Analyses showed significant large positive correlations with scores on measures of quality of life, well-being, and satisfaction with life, and expected patterns of association including a significant large negative association with depression scores and no association with cognitive test scores. The co-produced My Life Questionnaire is an accessible and valid measure of 'living well' with dementia suitable for use in a range of contexts. / This work was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council, National Institute for Health and Care Research (ES/L001853/2), and Alzheimer’s Society (348, AS-PR2-16-001).

Energy use in buildings account for about one third of the total global energy supply and contributes as much as 30% of the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that energy use in buildings will increase to 67% by 2030. The need for better thermal comfort and air quality in indoor environments is the leading cause for high energy use in buildings.  Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems take up about 50% of the total energy use in buildings which is about 10-20% of the national energy use in most developed countries. The development and adoption of sustainable ventilation systems is a viable solution to mitigate climate change and curtail carbon emissions. The experimental study was conducted in a room resembling a modern office in a laboratory environment. The study involved investigating the ability of the system to provide cooling and heating. Concentration decay tracer gas technique using Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) gas was used to determine the local air change index and air change efficiency in the room. Low-velocity omni-directional thermistor anemometer type CTA88 were used to measure the air velocity and temperature in the room. Smoke was used to visualise the flow patterns created in the room.  The climate chamber was used to mimic climatic conditions in winter. Fifteen cases were investigated with five air flow rates set points (30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 l/s) at three supply air temperatures, i.e., 17.6 °C, 21.0 °C and 25.3 °C. The results of the local air change index and air change efficiency for the nominal supply temperature of 17.6 °C showed that the system had strong characteristics of a mixing ventilation system. At the supply air temperature of 21.0 °C, the performance of the system deteriorated slightly to below that of a mixing ventilation system and could not satisfactorily provide heating at supply temperature of 25.3 °C. Better performance of the system at all supply air temperature setpoints was observed at lower airflow rates. At all supply air temperature setpoints, relatively higher degree of temperature stratification was observed at lower supply. The draught rate levels decreased with increase in supply air temperature and height. The location of the air inlet terminals in relation to the workstations had significant effect on the performance of the system. The stratum ventilation system did not work efficiently because the air streams were heavily mixed before reaching the occupants.

Antalet sjukskrivningar till följd av stressrelaterade sjukdomar har ökat kraftigt för vårdpersonal. Därtill saknas det evidens för internetbaserade interventioner mot stressrelaterad ohälsa för vårdpersonal. Syftet var att undersöka och utvärdera en internetbaserad kognitiv beteendeterapi-intervention (iKBT) avseende graden av samvetsstress, arbetsrelaterad stress samt självmedkänsla hos vårdpersonal. Enkäter bestående av Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ), Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire version II (COPSOQ II) och Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) besvarades av deltagarna (N = 8), samtliga var kvinnor mellan 27 – 53 år. Resultaten analyserades med PEM och RCI på individnivå och T-test på gruppnivå. RCI-analysen visade begränsade resultat för SCQ, blandade resultat för COPSOQ II och övervägande positiva resultat för SCS. Analysen på gruppnivå visade en signifikant minskning i Sömnbesvär (p = .032) och Self-Judgment (p = .021) samt signifikant ökning i Self-Kindness (p = .016). Studien behöver replikeras i framtida studier med ett större antal deltagare och en studiedesign som är metodologiskt robust. / The amount of sick leave due to stress-related illnesses has increased significantly for healthcare staff. In addition, there is a lack of evidence for internet-based interventions for stress-related illness for healthcare staff. The aim was to examine and evaluate an internet-based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (iCBT) intervention regarding the degree of stress of conscience, work-related stress and self-compassion among healthcare staff. Questionnaires consisting of Stress of Conscience Questionnaire (SCQ), Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire version II (COPSOQ II) and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) were answered by the participants (N = 8), all were women between 27 - 53 years. The results were analyzed with PEM and RCI at the individual level and T-tests at group level. The RCI analysis showed limited results for SCQ, mixed results for COPSOQ II and predominantly positive results for SCS. The analysis at group level showed a significant decrease in Sleep Disorders (p = .032) and Self-Judgment (p = .021) as well as a significant increase in Self-Kindness (p = .016). The study needs to be replicated in future studies with a larger number of participants and a study design that is more methodologically robust.

Despite well-established diagnostic measures and measures of specific dimensions of eating disorder symptomatology, little work has been done to develop a brief, comprehensive, and valid measure for assessing change in eating disorder symptoms. Further, empirically-supported change indices to assess treatment progression and outcome have not yet been developed. The Change in Eating Disorder Symptoms Scale (CHEDS) is a new comprehensive measure designed to assess progress and change during treatment in persons with diagnoses on the eating disorder spectrum. Previous studies have demonstrated the subscale structure, reliability, and validity of the CHEDS. This study determined clinically significant change criteria for the CHEDS to complement the studies that have supported the CHEDS as a reliable and valid measure of eating disorder symptomatology. The CHEDS was also compared to a life functioning scale, the Clinical Impairment Assessment. A reliable change index (RCI) was developed, which generated an inferential statistic that estimates the magnitude of change in a score necessary for a change score to be considered statistically reliable. A cutscore was also developed, which differentiates between functional and dysfunctional populations, between eating disordered clinical subjects and non-clinical subjects. Trajectories were identified using hierarchical linear modeling methods for use in conjunction with clinical significance criteria to aid in the tracking of symptoms during treatment, treatment decision-making, and tailoring treatment according to expected and observed progress. The clinical significance change criteria were then applied to the clinical sample to determine change patterns descriptive of recovered, reliable improvement, deterioration, and no change. Finally, a scoring program with clinical significance change criteria and trajectory analyses for total and subscale scores was developed.