This thesis is concerned with the problem of learning comprehensible theories from structured data and covers primarily classification and regression learning. The basic knowledge representation language is set around a polymorphically-typed, higher-order logic. The general setup is closely related to the learning from propositionalized knowledge and learning from interpretations settings in Inductive Logic Programming. Individuals (also called instances) are represented as terms in the logic. A grammar-like construct called a predicate rewrite system is used to define features in the form of predicates that individuals may or may not satisfy. For learning, decision-tree algorithms of various kinds are adopted.¶ The scope of the thesis spans both theory and practice. On the theoretical side, I study in this thesis¶ 1. the representational power of different function classes and relationships between them;¶ 2. the sample complexity of some commonly-used predicate classes, particularly those involving sets and multisets;¶ 3. the computational complexity of various optimization problems associated with learning and algorithms for solving them; and¶ 4. the (efficient) learnability of different function classes in the PAC and agnostic PAC models.¶ On the practical side, the usefulness of the learning system developed is demontrated with applications in two important domains: bioinformatics and intelligent agents. Specifically, the following are covered in this thesis:¶ 1. a solution to a benchmark multiple-instance learning problem and some useful lessons that can be drawn from it;¶ 2. a successful attempt on a knowledge discovery problem in predictive toxicology, one that can serve as another proof-of-concept that real chemical knowledge can be obtained using symbolic learning;¶ 3. a reworking of an exercise in relational reinforcement learning and some new insights and techniques we learned for this interesting problem; and¶ 4. a general approach for personalizing user agents that takes full advantage of symbolic learning.

This diploma thesis aims at presenting principles and techniques of giving instructions during English lessons and their practical use. It stresses the awareness of the importance of delivering clear and understandable instructions and of their influence on students' comprehension. Theoretical part of this thesis describes general rules of giving instructions and focuses on instruction techniques suitable for students' learning styles. It also deals with the language of instruction appropriate for A1 - A2 level students. Practical part consists of applying the theoretical principals in practice through an action research. The aim of the practical part is the improvement of the author's instructions. The findings have shown that modifying the language of instruction as well as using various verbal and non- verbal instruction techniques promotes the students' comprehension of instructions. Key words: Language acquisition, comprehensible input, language of instruction, students' comprehension, learning styles, gestures, action research, instructions

The purpose of this research study was to explore the possibilities of using children's and adolescent literature with lower-level students of Spanish. The study investigated second-semester students' perceptions of their experiences reading children's and adolescent literature in Spanish and the relevance of reading this literature on their acquisition of Spanish and their understanding and appreciation of Latino culture. Seventy-eight students enrolled in three second-semester Spanish courses in a large Southwestern university read two children's books in Spanish as part of the course curriculum; sixty-eight of these students agreed to participate in the research study. Quantitative data concerning students' periodic self-ratings of their communicative abilities in Spanish were collected via questionnaires. Qualitative data concerning students' perceptions of their experiences reading the children's books were collected through journal entries, surveys, focus-group interviews, and compositions. Students indicated that their communicative skills in Spanish increased throughout the course of the semester. Students in Classes #1 and #2 believed that their reading abilities in Spanish increased from novice-mid to novice-high. Students in Class #3, however, concluded that their reading abilities in Spanish increased from novice-mid to the intermediate-low. Students affirmed that reading the children's books helped them see Spanish vocabulary and grammar in context and reinforced the vocabulary items and grammatical features of Spanish they previously learned in the course textbook. Many students indicated that reading and discussing the children's books contributed to the development of their reading ability as well as other communicative abilities in Spanish. Students' opinions varied concerning the extent to which curricular engagements supported or impeded their comprehension of the children's books. Additionally, students asserted that the children's books contributed to their understanding and appreciation of Latino culture and that the books supported the development of their intercultural competence. A number of research and pedagogical implications of the study are included along with avenues for further research.

Die seit 2010 in Einzelbänden erscheinende Deutsch-polnische Kommunikative Grammatik setzt die Linie fort, fokussiert aber dezidiert den kommunikativen und somit funktionalen Ansatz, demgegenüber die vorhergehenden Grammatiken noch stärker systemlinguistisch und sogar schulgrammatisch aufgebaut waren. Um die kommunikative Zielrichtung besonders hervorzuheben, tragen alle Bände den Untertitel Sprechen im deutsch-polnischen Kontrast. Als dritter Band erschien 2014 im Hamburger Verlag Dr. Kovač Über Sachen reden. Ihm gingen 2010 und 2013 Wie wir reden und Argumentieren (beide im Dresdner Neisse-Verlag) voraus. Folgen sollen Von Sachverhalten reden, Komprimieren und als sechster und letzter Band Sachlich reden.

Master of Arts / Department of Modern Languages / Douglas K. Benson / Students have opportunity to reach learner autonomy and achieve real world applications utilizing communicative competence, a learner centered environment and comprehensible input, incorporated into a unit for student success. The acquisition of language and culture is facilitated in the classroom environment with low affective filters and comprehensible input combining different learning strategies. The activities in this cultural thematic art unit engage student’s interest and activate his or her background knowledge, making meaningful connections with the unit content and their personal lives. Literature, paintings, grammar and vocabulary enable students to build communicative competence in L2. Language learners collaborate and engage in the target language while simultaneously learning about literature, history and culture and learning how artists and writers represent empathy for others as they process words by various Spanish speakers. Additionally, authentic texts and the use of technology enhance students’ linguistic performance. The unit begins with my teaching philosophy followed by a sequence of activities that allow students to process language while they study the consequences of war on those who are affected by it, and a brief section on potential learning outcomes for those who participate in the activities.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:28:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gisella Mouta Fadda.pdf: 1531724 bytes, checksum: 5f1c6a7df7c643532e51f12db5044df4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-02 / Pontif?cia Universidade Cat?lica de Campinas / Autism is a syndrome with very heterogeneous characteristics that constitute a complex spectrum. In this context, a qualitative research of exploratory nature with the aim of understanding the phenomenological experience of parents in their relationship with a child diagnosed with autism has been developed. The study involved 11 parents (3 men and 8 women) of children diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder living in a small town in the state of Minas Gerais. The researcher invited them to a dialogical meeting individually or as a couple, according to their own choices. After each meeting, a narrative containing elements of daily life in the way they were understood by the researcher was drawn up. As this step was concluded, a narrative synthesis was built considering the main significant elements of the experience of all participants in order to make a phenomenological interpretation possible. The analysis of this material revealed: a) diagnosis as a triggering element of a new comprehension of the child; b) the exclusive relationship of mothers with the child as a reason for isolation imposed by the mother herself; c) mothers neglecting to themselves to take good care of the child; d) the relationship with the child becoming more rewarding for the parents as they experience playing activities; e) school perceived as the only reliable link with the community in the care of a child. Although mothers have shared feelings of loneliness, helplessness and physical and mental exhaustion, their experiences point to the existence of an affective relationship with child beyond the limitations that the pathology imposes. This link can be enhanced by psychological listening that includes the parents as subjects, not as caregivers. / O autismo ? uma s?ndrome com caracter?sticas bastante heterog?neas que constituem um espectro complexo. Nesse contexto, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa qualitativa de natureza explorat?ria com o objetivo de compreender fenomenologicamente a experi?ncia de m?es e pais no relacionamento com o filho diagnosticado com autismo. Os participantes foram 11 progenitores (3 homens e 8 mulheres) de crian?as com diagn?stico de Transtorno do Espectro Autista que residem num pequeno munic?pio do interior do estado de Minas Gerais. A pesquisadora os convidou para estarem com ela num encontro dial?gico individualmente ou como casal a partir da escolha deles pr?prios. Ap?s cada encontro, foi redigida uma narrativa contendo elementos do vivido na forma como foram compreendidos pela pesquisadora. Conclu?da essa etapa, uma narrativa-s?ntese foi constru?da contemplando os principais elementos significativos da experi?ncia de todos os participantes a fim de possibilitar uma interpreta??o fenomenol?gica. A an?lise desse material revelou: a) o diagn?stico como elemento desencadeador de uma nova compreens?o sobre o filho; b) a rela??o de exclusividade das m?es com o filho como motivo para um isolamento imposto pela pr?pria m?e; c) as m?es descuidando-se de si mesmas para cuidarem bem do filho; d) o relacionamento com o filho tornando-se mais gratificante com brincadeiras compartilhadas; e) a escola percebida como o ?nico elo confi?vel com a comunidade no cuidado ao filho. Apesar de as m?es terem compartilhado sentimentos de solid?o, desamparo e esgotamento f?sico e ps?quico, suas viv?ncias apontam para a exist?ncia de um relacionamento afetivo com o filho para al?m das limita??es que a patologia imp?e. Esse elo pode ser potencializado por uma escuta psicol?gica que contemple os pais como sujeitos, e n?o como cuidadores.

O principal objetivo desta dissertação é investigar, dos pontos de vista teórico e prático, o processo de didatização de textos autênticos no âmbito do ensino do italiano como língua estrangeira (LE). Quanto aos aspectos teóricos, procuramos apresentar as definições dos termos material didático, material autêntico e didatização. Procuramos, também, enfatizar a importância dos textos autênticos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem do italiano LE. Para alicerçar nosso trabalho, baseamo-nos na Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa, de David Ausubel, na Teoria de Aquisição de Segunda Língua, de Stephen Krashen, e na Linguística Textual. A primeira consiste em uma teoria do âmbito da educação em geral e explica a importância dos conhecimentos prévios dos alunos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. A segunda é uma teoria da área de aquisição/aprendizagem de línguas e interessa-nos, particularmente, pelo conceito de input compreensível. Já a terceira consiste em uma vertente da Linguística cujo objeto de estudo é o texto, que é considerado um instrumento resultante de processos cognitivos e de interações sociais. Essas três teorias têm bases cognitivistas e ofereceram-nos subsídios para a elaboração desta dissertação. Tentamos mostrar, com base em tais teorias, que a didatização de materiais autênticos pode ser uma maneira de oferecer insumo compreensível aos alunos e favorecer a aprendizagem significativa da língua-alvo por parte deles. No tocante aos aspectos práticos, por sua vez, realizamos uma pesquisa com os estudantes e com os professores do Italiano no Campus, curso de difusão cultural da Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo, no qual demos aulas de 2009 a 2011. Ademais, descrevemos algumas atividades que construímos com base em materiais autênticos e que utilizamos em uma classe de nível elementar (A1 do Quadro Comum Europeu de Referência para as Línguas). Essa pesquisa consiste em dois questionários: o que elaboramos para os alunos contém dezenove perguntas, e o que fizemos para os professores possui apenas quatro questões. A análise das respostas dos discentes, bem como a análise das respostas dos docentes parece ter evidenciado que os materiais que mais interessam aos alunos são, geralmente, aqueles que o professor mais utiliza em suas aulas. Os comentários dos aprendizes corroboram o que postulam muitos teóricos da pedagogia de línguas, isto é, que é importante que o professor de LE não use apenas o livro didático (LD) e que, para os discentes, a variedade de materiais e atividades pode tornar as aulas mais motivantes. A análise das respostas dos docentes parece ter mostrado que, na opinião dos professores, faz-se necessário utilizar outros materiais além do manual didático, mas que este ocupa, ainda, um lugar central no processo de ensino-aprendizagem do italiano LE. Com base nos dados analisados, parece-nos que essa centralidade deva-se, sobretudo, a três motivos: a obrigatoriedade do uso do LD; o fato de este ser uma referência para os aprendizes; e a praticidade desse instrumento aliada à falta de tempo que o professor tem para selecionar outros materiais e elaborar suas próprias atividades. / The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate, from the theoretical and practical point of view, the process of didactization of authentic texts in the teaching of Italian as foreign language (FL). Regarding the theoretical aspects, we have attempted to present the definition of the terms didactic material, authentic material and didactization. We also have sought to emphasize the importance of authentic texts in the process of teaching-learning Italian as a foreign language. In order to establish a foundation for our work, we have based it on David Ausubels Theory of Meaningful Learning, on Stephen Krashens Theory of Second Language Acquisition, and on Textual Linguistics. The first consists of a theory of the scope of education in general and explains the importance of the students previous knowledge in the teaching-learning process. The second is a theory in acquisition/learning of languages and interests us especially because of the concept of comprehensible input. The latter consists of a branch in Linguistics whose purpose is the study of the text, which is considered an instrument that results from cognitive processes and social interactions. These three theories have cognitivist bases and provide us with tools for the development of this work. We have tried to show, based on such theories, that the didactization of authentic materials can be a way to provide comprehensible input to the students and to favor the meaningful learning of the target-language by them. Regarding the practical aspects, we have conducted a research with the students and teachers of Italian in the campus, the cultural dissemination course at the Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Human Sciences at the University of São Paulo, in which we have taught from 2009 to 2011. Also, we have described some activities we developed that were based on authentic materials, which we used in an elementary level class (A1 from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). This research comprises of two questionnaires: the one with the students includes nineteen questions and the one conducted with the teachers includes four questions. The analysis of the students answers and the analysis of the teachers answers show that the materials that most interest the students are the ones used the most by the teachers in classes. The apprentices comments corroborate what is postulated by many theoreticians in language teaching, i.e., it is important for the FL teacher not to be restricted to the textbook, and for the student, the variety of materials and activities might render the classes more captivating. The analysis of the teachers answers seems to show that in their opinion it is necessary to use other materials apart from the teaching manual, which still occupies a central position in the process of teaching-learning Italian as foreign language. Based on the analyzed data, it seems to us that this centrality has three reasons: the obligation to use the textbook; the fact that the textbook is a reference for the apprentices; and the practical aspect of this tool connected to the teachers lack of time to choose other materials and create their own activities.

O principal objetivo desta dissertação é investigar, dos pontos de vista teórico e prático, o processo de didatização de textos autênticos no âmbito do ensino do italiano como língua estrangeira (LE). Quanto aos aspectos teóricos, procuramos apresentar as definições dos termos material didático, material autêntico e didatização. Procuramos, também, enfatizar a importância dos textos autênticos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem do italiano LE. Para alicerçar nosso trabalho, baseamo-nos na Teoria da Aprendizagem Significativa, de David Ausubel, na Teoria de Aquisição de Segunda Língua, de Stephen Krashen, e na Linguística Textual. A primeira consiste em uma teoria do âmbito da educação em geral e explica a importância dos conhecimentos prévios dos alunos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem. A segunda é uma teoria da área de aquisição/aprendizagem de línguas e interessa-nos, particularmente, pelo conceito de input compreensível. Já a terceira consiste em uma vertente da Linguística cujo objeto de estudo é o texto, que é considerado um instrumento resultante de processos cognitivos e de interações sociais. Essas três teorias têm bases cognitivistas e ofereceram-nos subsídios para a elaboração desta dissertação. Tentamos mostrar, com base em tais teorias, que a didatização de materiais autênticos pode ser uma maneira de oferecer insumo compreensível aos alunos e favorecer a aprendizagem significativa da língua-alvo por parte deles. No tocante aos aspectos práticos, por sua vez, realizamos uma pesquisa com os estudantes e com os professores do Italiano no Campus, curso de difusão cultural da Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo, no qual demos aulas de 2009 a 2011. Ademais, descrevemos algumas atividades que construímos com base em materiais autênticos e que utilizamos em uma classe de nível elementar (A1 do Quadro Comum Europeu de Referência para as Línguas). Essa pesquisa consiste em dois questionários: o que elaboramos para os alunos contém dezenove perguntas, e o que fizemos para os professores possui apenas quatro questões. A análise das respostas dos discentes, bem como a análise das respostas dos docentes parece ter evidenciado que os materiais que mais interessam aos alunos são, geralmente, aqueles que o professor mais utiliza em suas aulas. Os comentários dos aprendizes corroboram o que postulam muitos teóricos da pedagogia de línguas, isto é, que é importante que o professor de LE não use apenas o livro didático (LD) e que, para os discentes, a variedade de materiais e atividades pode tornar as aulas mais motivantes. A análise das respostas dos docentes parece ter mostrado que, na opinião dos professores, faz-se necessário utilizar outros materiais além do manual didático, mas que este ocupa, ainda, um lugar central no processo de ensino-aprendizagem do italiano LE. Com base nos dados analisados, parece-nos que essa centralidade deva-se, sobretudo, a três motivos: a obrigatoriedade do uso do LD; o fato de este ser uma referência para os aprendizes; e a praticidade desse instrumento aliada à falta de tempo que o professor tem para selecionar outros materiais e elaborar suas próprias atividades. / The main purpose of this thesis is to investigate, from the theoretical and practical point of view, the process of didactization of authentic texts in the teaching of Italian as foreign language (FL). Regarding the theoretical aspects, we have attempted to present the definition of the terms didactic material, authentic material and didactization. We also have sought to emphasize the importance of authentic texts in the process of teaching-learning Italian as a foreign language. In order to establish a foundation for our work, we have based it on David Ausubels Theory of Meaningful Learning, on Stephen Krashens Theory of Second Language Acquisition, and on Textual Linguistics. The first consists of a theory of the scope of education in general and explains the importance of the students previous knowledge in the teaching-learning process. The second is a theory in acquisition/learning of languages and interests us especially because of the concept of comprehensible input. The latter consists of a branch in Linguistics whose purpose is the study of the text, which is considered an instrument that results from cognitive processes and social interactions. These three theories have cognitivist bases and provide us with tools for the development of this work. We have tried to show, based on such theories, that the didactization of authentic materials can be a way to provide comprehensible input to the students and to favor the meaningful learning of the target-language by them. Regarding the practical aspects, we have conducted a research with the students and teachers of Italian in the campus, the cultural dissemination course at the Faculty of Philosophy, Languages and Human Sciences at the University of São Paulo, in which we have taught from 2009 to 2011. Also, we have described some activities we developed that were based on authentic materials, which we used in an elementary level class (A1 from the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). This research comprises of two questionnaires: the one with the students includes nineteen questions and the one conducted with the teachers includes four questions. The analysis of the students answers and the analysis of the teachers answers show that the materials that most interest the students are the ones used the most by the teachers in classes. The apprentices comments corroborate what is postulated by many theoreticians in language teaching, i.e., it is important for the FL teacher not to be restricted to the textbook, and for the student, the variety of materials and activities might render the classes more captivating. The analysis of the teachers answers seems to show that in their opinion it is necessary to use other materials apart from the teaching manual, which still occupies a central position in the process of teaching-learning Italian as foreign language. Based on the analyzed data, it seems to us that this centrality has three reasons: the obligation to use the textbook; the fact that the textbook is a reference for the apprentices; and the practical aspect of this tool connected to the teachers lack of time to choose other materials and create their own activities.

At a competitive level, football teams often have multiple matches per week. Thus, time can be a limited resource for match analysts tasked with analysing the performance of their team and its opponents. Increased availability of data in the field offers possibilities to automate processes to save time. This thesis presents a method to automatically detect pre-defined moments of interest in the game, and how they can be analysed to gain insights into the play style of football teams and how they create and concede goal-scoring opportunities in open play. An algorithm was developed to synchronise Wyscout event data with Signality tracking data of 240 matches from the Swedish Allsvenskan, which resulted in a mean absolute error of 280 ms. Comprehensible features were extracted from the combined data to detect eleven moments of interest in the absence of manually labelled data: crosses, passes to the golden zone, switches of play, central through balls, wing plays, keeping possession, long balls from the back, counterattacks, establish possession, counterpresses and fall back. The detection for fall back failed, but the remaining moments of interest were detected with a precision of 0.84. The automatic moment detection was made accessible through a web-based application, enabling analysts to focus on analysing aspects of the game rather than spending time searching for them. The detected moments were then analysed, demonstrating that by conducting a more extensive analysis, a data-driven playbook providing insights into how football teams play and create or concede goal-scoring opportunities can be established. / På elitnivå har fotbollslag ofta flera matcher per vecka. Tiden kan därmed vara en begränsad resurs för matchanalytiker som har i uppgift att analysera prestationen hos sitt eget lag och dess motståndare. Ökad tillgänglighet av data i fotboll ger möjligheter att automatisera processer för att spara tid. Denna studie presenterar en metod för att automatiskt upptäcka fördefinierade spelfaser av intresse och hur de kan analyseras för att få insikter i fotbollslagens spelsätt och hur de skapar och släpper till målchanser i öppet spel. En algoritm utvecklades för att synkronisera Wyscout händelsedata med Signality spårningsdata från 240 matcher från Allsvenskan, vilket resulterade i ett genomsnittligt absolut synkroniseringsfel på 280 ms. Begripliga variabler extraherades från den kombinerade datan för att upptäcka elva spelfaser av intresse utan manuell datamärkning: inlägg, passningar till de gyllene zonerna, spelvändningar, centrala genomskärare, spel på kanterna, bibehållning av bollinnehav, långbollar från backlinjen, kontringar, etablering av bollinnehav, direkta återerövringar och tillbakafall. Detekteringen av tillbakafall misslyckades, men de återstående faserna av intresse upptäcktes med ett positivt prediktivt värde på 0,84. Den automatiserade fasupptäckten gjordes tillgänglig genom en webbaserad applikation, vilket möjliggör för analytiker att fokusera på att analysera olika aspekter av spelet i stället för att tillbringa tid på att söka efter dem. De upptäckta faserna av intresse analyserades sedan, vilket visade att genom att genomföra en mer omfattande analys kan en datadriven spelbok skapas som ger insikter i hur fotbollslag spelar och skapar eller släpper till målchanser.

Considering teacher talk as the main input into the English as a foreign language classroom, this study aims to highlight and gain a deeper understanding of how target language use can look like in a foreign language classroom in Sweden. To investigate in this essay, the following research questions are addressed: • What is the teachers´ attitude towards the use of the target language in English teaching? • To what extent does the teacher communicate orally in English during English lessons? And on what occasions does the teacher choose to use the target language andthe first language during English lessons? The study was conducted in four different elementary schools, and four teachers were observed who taught in different grades. An interview was held after every observation, and through the interviews a deeper understanding was obtained. The material consists of notes through observation schedules and recordings of interviews and recording of observation. The study is based on Krashen's (1981) input hypothesis as well as Vygotskijs (2001) notion of Zone of proximal development. Research indicates that using the target language consistently can create learning opportunities for students, and a relaxing environment for them to use the target language themselves fluently during English lessons. Furthermore, studies has alsoshown using the first language can affect the students own language production and learning of the target language. However, other have shown that in some cases it can be an advantage to use the first language to include all students during English lessons, especially for the weak students in the class. Therefore, taking into consideration these different perspectives, I investigate four teachers´ use of English and Swedish in the Swedish EFL classroom.The findings show that three out of the four teachers observed used the target language in the beginning of the English lesson, while giving instructions, commanding the students to use the target language and asking them questions however, only one of them used the target language consistently during the English lesson. The findings also shows that the teachers used the first language to facilitate the students´ comprehension and to translate when they didn’t seem to understand what was said in English. Notably, some of the participating teachers indicated a desire to use the target language to a larger extent during English lessons, but they felt obligated to use Swedish in order to include all the students. The overall 3conclusion of this study is that it can be beneficial for both teachers and students if the teacher is aware of their approach toward the target language. They can thereby reflect on the impact this can have on their students´ language learning, their English lessons and their students´ use of the target language.