Consisting of both theoretical and empirical inquires, this study examines the primary functions of narrative and the relationship between narrative and mental imagery. The study proposes a new framework to interpret semiotic resources. Combining this with the linguistic functional theory of Halliday (1978), a functional method to empirically investigate semiotic representations was also developed. In the empirical inquiry, the study developed a latent construct method to empirically test the effects of narrative in a real learning situation. This study is the first to investigate the functional relationship between narrative and mental imagery, and among the first to suggest a theory and empirically investigate representations of a multimodal nature. The study is also among the first to use latent constructs to investigate the learning experience in a real educational setting. Data were collected from 190 library professionals who enrolled in three sections (two in narrative and one in plain text) of an online course administered through Vista 4.0 and who completed the course and responded to several instruments. Essay data (n = 82 x 2) were analyzed using content analysis based on the narrative analysis framework developed. Quantitative data analysis methods include univariate data analysis, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling that tests the proposed model and verifies the relationships between the latent variables. Overall, the findings support the hypotheses about the functional effects of narrative identified, and narrative is found to provide a favorable and positive learning context which is tested by the proposed model of learning experience measured by several latent constructs (X2 = 31.67, df = 47, p = .9577, RMSEA = .00, SRMR = .047, NNFI = 1.05, CFI = 1.00, and GFI = .94). The results indicate that participants who enrolled in the narrative sections of the course gained higher creative scores and showed better results in performance-based and attribution-based experiences. The model testing results indicate that even though more time spent during learning led to better outcome and performance in both groups, more time spent means more satisfaction for the individuals in the narrative group, but led to less satisfaction for the individuals in the non-narrative group.

This study aims to investigate how the choice of media form, i.e. printed format, audiobook or reading and audio combined, affect the ability of ESL students to achieve comprehension, and how different ways of asking questions can affect their comprehension ability. Lastly, the study aims to investigate the relationship between comprehension and students’ proficiency levels in their L2. To answer this question, 155 students were recruited and divided into three groups and assigned one type of media form. The quantitative data was collected through an online comprehension test and analysed. The results showed a significant difference between the media forms and revealed that printed reading was superior. However, a printed and audio combination was the most time efficient way for students to achieve comprehension, which indicates that the inclusion of audio does not impede student learning. Previous research in the same field shows that the results are inconclusive, but shares one common conclusion, that students enjoy the audio format. As a result, the educational system should make every effort to media choices for students to choose their preferred media, and more research in the field needs to be done, as students enjoyment leads to increased learning.

Internal consistency reliability and validity were established for a new 31 item Imagery Manipulation Scale. Previous attempts to correlate subjectively rated control of visual imagery with tests of spatial ability have been unsuccessful. However, no attempt to construct a subjectively rated control of imagery scale was located which tried to establish internal consistency reliability and both content and construct validity. Further, no research was located in which subjects were requested to rate their imagery ability utilized during the performance of the actual spatial tasks used to try to establish validity. A new scale of subjectively rated control of imagery was devised in which subjects were requested to rate their imagery while solving spatial tasks which involved visualizing the manipulation of geometric forms. Content validity was established by analyzing the transformation involved while solving the spatial problems. Internal consistency reliability for the 31 item scale was established across two samples. Validity was established with the second sample (100 university students: 26 male and 74 female). The task utilized to provide validity could be objectively scored, and was made up of four spatial subtests, which were adapted from the Vandenberg and Kuse Mental Rotations Test, the Kosslyn Directions Test, performed in both the forward and backward direction, and a block task utilized by Snyder. A convergent and discriminant validity analysis established construct validity. Further, the hypotheses of three investigators, Kosslyn, Shepard and his colleagues, and Snyder, were supported by the results of the present investigation, thus substantiating the conclusion that reported control of imagery processing can be operationalized with performance scores on spatial ability tasks.

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The dissertation is devoted to the study of ecphrasis in the“Three stories” cycle by G. Flaubert. The theoretical chapter deals with the problem of ecphrasis in literary criticism in the following aspects: the genesis of ecphrasis as a literary device, ecphrasis in ancient literature and rhetoric, new theories of ecphrasis, ecphrasis as a genre, ecphrasis in the context of the narrative approach, types and functions of ecphrasis, ecphrasis in relation to intermediality. Further, the paper reveals and investigates ecphrastic descriptions in each of the stories included in the collection by G. Flaubert, particularly those referring to the well-known paintings by European artists and the bas-relief of the cathedral of Rouen. Much attention is paid to investigating the semantics of these descriptions against the background of Christianity, which is broadly present in the cycle, as well as their relation to imagery, plot development, composition, and the motive structure of the stories. / Данная работа посвящена исследованию экфрасиса в цикле «Три повести» Г. Флобера. В теоретической главе рассматривается проблема исследования экфрасиса в литературоведении в следующих аспектах: генезис экфрасиса, экфрасис в античной литературе и риторике, новейшие теории об экфрасисе, экфрасис как жанр, экфрасис с точки зрения нарративного подхода, функции экфрасиса, виды экфрасиса, экфрасис в историко-литературной перспективе, экфрасис в контексте явления интермедиальности. Во второй главе исследуются экфрастические описания в каждой из новелл, входящих в сборник Г. Флобера, отсылающих, в частности, к известным картинам европейских художников, а также к барельефу Руанского собора.. Большое внимание уделяется взаимосвязи экфрасиса с христианским подтекстом, имеющим большое значение для понимания смысловой структуры цикла, а также с системой образов, сюжетом, композицией, основными мотивами повестей цикла.

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With the high development of economic and demand for city research, an issue of detecting city boundaries plays an extremely important role in urbanization that promotes the progress of human civilization. Some critical applications such as land use, urban planning and city sprawl have been constantly discussed, which rely on the acquisition of city areas. For the better acquisition of city areas, choosing a proper method to capture city boundaries becomes significant where it greatly improves the value of city study. Although conventional data can be used to define the city boundaries, some drawbacks still exist when measuring the city boundaries in a global scale. Remote sensing (RS) data of nightlight imagery (2010) by Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) acquired from National oceanic and atmospheric administration's National Geoscience Data Center (NOAA/NOGA) is applied to extract the city boundaries in fifty countries, of which these countries are chosen followed by the Gross Domestic Product that are ranked in top 50. In this case, the data distribution of nightlight imagery followed by heavy-tailed distribution. Head/tail break algorithm poses a possibility of calculating reasonable threshold and extracting the natural cities with the help of software based on the Geomatics information system (GIS). An extended study of power law is made by using of power law estimator from previous studies to check whether the extracted natural cities can match the power law distribution. Result shows that combination of the nightlight imagery data and the head/tail break is capable of extracting the city boundaries and a set of possible thresholds with visual inspection by using the head/tail break are executed. There is only one country, namely Belgium, cannot be processed due to its data properties. Result also address how well the natural cities of the fifty countries can be extracted in terms of visual inspection, among the chosen cities, 33 of countries boundaries can be better matched and 13 countries can fundamentally match the city boundaries. Meanwhile, an extended study of power law is provided and four countries have to be found that do not follow the power law distribution. From the result obtained, the study expects that integration of support data will efficiently increase the accuracy of extraction and more useful information can be acquired in further study. On the other hand, a comparative study of threshold decision needs to be verified, put it differently, whether using head/tail break with visual inspection on extracted city boundaries is helpful or not.

The majority of adolescents diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Gauteng complained of being tired of 1'talk therapy" . This study used imagery as a technique in the treatment of two adolescents suffering from MDD. The initial identification was based on the results of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). After a number of sessions of implementing imagery techniques, the BDI was readministered. To determine the long-term effectiveness of imagery, the BDI was again administered a month-and-a-half after completion of the sessions. The results before and after indicate a reduction in the severity of depression. The results at the month-and-a-half follow-up session indicated a further reduction in the level of depression in both cases. This indicates the long-tenn effectiveness of imagery in treating depression. Further research is required, but there are significant indications that imagery may be an effective technique in the treatment of depressed adolescents under psychiatric supervision. / Educational studies / M.Ed (Guidance and Counseling)

La rétrodiffusion associée aux effets de géométrie de surface à des angles d’incidence élevés (62°—76°) et pour quatres angles azimutaux (Q0, 3Q0, 60° et 90°) a été étudiée pour des champs de maïs du Québec (Canada) à l’aide de 3 images du ROS-C du Centre canadien de télédétection. Selon les conditions de drainage des champs, le couvert végétal apporte une plus ou moins grande contribution à la rétrodiffusion. L’effet de géométrie de surface est nettement plus prononcé (amplitude 3,2 dB) pour les champs de maïs sans drainage souterrain que ceux ayant un drainage souterrain (1,5 dB). Le contraste entre ces deux types de champ est rattaché aux différences de pente du couvert végétal ainsi qu’aux variations de biomasse.

Les militaires canadiens sont souvent confrontés à des situations stressantes et une partie de ceux-ci rapportent avoir des troubles du sommeil et faire des cauchemars. Depuis 2006, un traitement basé sur l’Imagery Rehearsal Therapy (IRT) nommé « groupe de traitement du sommeil » (GTS) est offert à la base de Valcartier pour traiter les troubles du sommeil et les cauchemars. Le GTS intégral inclut un volet psychoéducatif (une séance) et un volet traitement des cauchemars (deux séances). Les militaires aux prises avec un trouble du sommeil qui ne font pas de cauchemars sont dirigés vers le volet psychoéducatif du GTS donné seul (une séance). La présente étude a pour but d’évaluer l’efficacité du GTS auprès des militaires canadiens et poursuit quatre objectifs de recherche. Le premier est d’évaluer l’effet de la participation au GTS intégral sur le sommeil et les cauchemars. Le deuxième objectif est d’évaluer l’effet de la participation au volet psychoéducatif donné seul sur le sommeil. Le troisième objectif est d’évaluer l’effet de la participation au GTS intégral sur les symptômes associés à l’état de stress post-traumatique (ESPT), à l’anxiété et à la dépression. Enfin, le dernier objectif est d’évaluer l’effet de la participation au volet psychoéducatif donné seul sur les symptômes d’ESPT, d’anxiété et de dépression. L’échantillon de 37 militaires est réparti en quatre groupes. Deux groupes sont formés de participants liés au GTS intégral, soit un groupe expérimental (11 participants) et un groupe contrôle (trois participants), et deux groupes sont formés de participants liés à la psychoéducation donnée seule, soit un groupe expérimental (17 participants) et un groupe contrôle (six participants). Les groupes contrôle sont formés de participants sur la liste d’attente du GTS. Les mesures (prétest et post-test) incluent des agendas du sommeil (qualité du sommeil, nombre d’heures de sommeil, nombre et intensité des cauchemars) et trois questionnaires : PCL C (symptômes post-traumatiques), IDB-II (symptômes dépressifs) et IAB (symptômes d’anxiété). Les dossiers médicaux des participants ont aussi été consultés (données sociodémographiques et traitements psychothérapeutiques et pharmacologiques). Étant donné la taille limitée de l’échantillon, des tests non paramétriques (p. ex. test de Wilcoxon, etc.) ont été effectués afin de vérifier les changements entre le prétest et le post-test et pour comparer les groupes expérimentaux aux groupes contrôle. À la suite du GTS intégral, une amélioration significative de la qualité du sommeil et une diminution significative du nombre de cauchemars ont été rapportées, et ces améliorations sont significativement supérieures à ce qui est observé après le passage du temps. On observe aussi une augmentation significative du nombre d’heures de sommeil et une diminution significative de l’intensité des cauchemars à la suite du GTS intégral. Après la psychoéducation donnée seule, les résultats indiquent une augmentation significative du nombre d’heures de sommeil et une amélioration significative des symptômes dépressifs. Le GTS nécessite peu de temps et peu de ressources. Sachant que plusieurs militaires canadiens ont un problème de sommeil ou de cauchemars, les résultats de la présente étude indiquent que le GTS peut être une solution efficiente pour traiter les troubles du sommeil et les cauchemars.