Disertacijoje nagrinėjama bendrojo lavinimo mokyklos šeštų klasių mokinių teksto supratimo kaip universalaus bazinio akademinio gebėjimo ir motyvacijos skaityti stiprinimo problema, atsižvelgiant į heterogeninės (ugdymosi poreikių požiūriu) klasės nulemtus iššūkius didaktiniam procesui. Tyrimo problemą konkretina šie klausimai: kokios mokymo strategijos dominuoja, kiek dėmesio pamokose skiriama racionalių mokymosi strategijų formavimui bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje? kokie bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose besimokančių vaikų skaitymo motyvacijos ir teksto supratimo ypatumai? kiek metakognityvinių skaitymo strategijų mokymas klasikinės ugdymo paradigmos kontekste yra efektyvus ugdant heterogeninės klasės mokinių teksto supratimo gebėjimus ir skaitymo motyvaciją? Tyrimo objektas – teksto supratimo gebėjimų ugdymas ir skaitymo motyvacijos stiprinimas. Tyrimo dalykas – metakognityvinės skaitymo strategijos. Disertacinio tyrimo tikslas – įvertinti metakognityvinių skaitymo strategijų mokymo(si) efektyvumą stiprinant skaitymo motyvaciją ir ugdant teksto supratimo gebėjimus. Tyrimo mokslinį naujumą ir reikšmingumą pagrindžia tai, kad struktūruoto stebėjimo metodu įvertinti didaktinio proceso bendrojo lavinimo mokykloje ypatumai; sukurta ir empiriškai patikrinta metakognityvinėmis skaitymo strategijomis grindžiama teksto supratimo gebėjimų ugdymo ir skaitymo motyvacijos stiprinimo metodika; parengti teksto supratimo gebėjimų ir skaitymo motyvacijos klausimynai, įvertintas jų patikimumas ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The thesis analyses the problem of text comprehension by comprehensive school sixth form pupils as a universal basic academic ability and of enhancement of reading motivation considering the challenges determined by heterogenic (from the standpoint of self-development needs) class to the didactic process. Research problem is specified by the following questions: What teaching strategies prevail in the comprehensive school? What are the peculiarities of comprehensive school pupils’ reading motivation and text comprehension? How much is teaching of metacognitive reading strategies in the context of classical education paradigm effective developing heterogenic class pupils’ text comprehension abilities and reading motivation? Research subject – development of text comprehension abilities and enhancement of reading motivation. Research object – metacognitive reading strategies. Research aim of the thesis – to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching and learning metacognitive reading strategies enhancing reading motivation and developing text comprehension abilities. Scientific novelty and significance of the research is substantiated by the creation and experiential testing of methods of developing text comprehension abilities and of enhancing reading motivation, grounded on metacognitive reading strategies; preparation of questionnaires for text comprehension abilities and reading motivation, evaluation of their reliability and suitability; preparation of the theoretical model of... [to full text]

Learner beliefs about language learning influence the language learning process. Addressing learner beliefs is central to enhancing teaching effectiveness and learning outcomes. To date, most previous research has described beliefs of learners of related second/foreign languages. In this study, belief dimensions were examined using a standardized survey of beliefs, BALLI, which was completed by 218 post-secondary beginning learners of Chinese and a modified BALLI completed by 62 teachers of Chinese at North American universities. Dimensions were identified using Exploratory Factor Analysis and a model of the relationship between dimensions developed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), a statistical technique for testing and estimating causal relations using a combination of statistical data and qualitative causal assumptions. A theoretical framework was established that integrated cognitive and metacognitive domains. The learner beliefs were described and compared between three sub-samples of learners, non-Asian students, Chinese-origin students, and non-Chinese Asians. Chinese and Asian students tended to have more similar beliefs than non-Asian students. The research used a mixed-methods design: quantitative data from the Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with six Chinese language students and six Chinese language instructors. Quantitative data analyses identified four belief dimensions: Motivation for learning Chinese; Formal language learning strategy (FLLS); Communication-oriented learning strategy (CLLS); and Difficulty of language learning. Learners overall reported high motivation to learn Chinese while concurrently acknowledging a language difficulty hierarchy and seeing Chinese as a difficult language. Both Chinese-origin and non-Chinese origin Asians reported more agreement with beliefs in FLLS than non-Asians. In contrast, non-Asians reported stronger support for CLLS than their Chinese-origin counterparts. Overall, teachers exhibited comprehensive knowledge about language learning. Comparisons between teacher and learner beliefs overall found more mismatches than matches. Compared with learners, teachers reported less agreement with beliefs in FLLS, but more support for CLLS. A hypothetical learner belief model, derived from the BALLI and based on the theoretical framework, was constructed and tested using SEM, which illustrated the causal relationships among the belief dimensions. Within the model, learners who were highly motivated to learn Chinese tended to believe in FLLS whereas learners who believed in FLLS rejected CLLS. In addition, beliefs in difficulty of language learning in general and Chinese learning in particular also led to rejection of CLLS. The model was tested against the results from the student interviews and the model was confirmed. These results demonstrated the role of cultures in shaping learner beliefs, thereby providing insight into teaching practices. The mismatches between learner and teacher beliefs need to be addressed because continued differences could lead to classroom tension and a potential loss of motivation. / Graduate / 0727 / 0279 / 0290 / cypbd156@gmail.com

xiii, 117 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Students who struggle academically frequently lack or are unable to apply cognitive-motivational processes imperative for self-regulated learning. It is increasingly evident that deficits in self-regulation are a shared characteristic across students who qualify for special education. For example, impaired executive functions, or the cognitive processes responsible for managing and directing goal-directed activity, is a prevalent symptom domain across students with diverse special education identifications. Higher-order cognitive deficits become increasingly relevant as students progress to the secondary level as this transition necessitates the use of more complex organizational schemes to manage increased academic workload. Assignment management is a particularly challenging task for these students as poor organizational skills and lack of strategic approach translate to excessive time spent on assignments, lost materials, and negative attitude toward academic work. There is a growing body of research suggesting interventions targeting self-regulation have potential to improve performance on complex academic tasks such as assignment completion. Broadly speaking, these interventions are referred to as "self-management" strategies and are intended to help students actively reflect on their own cognitive and learning processes while engaged in academic tasks. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of self-management strategy instruction on student "Assignment Attack" and related academic, behavioral, and cognitive variables. This study extended a line of inquiry examining implementation and efficacy of interventions targeting organized, independent student completion of assignments in resource contexts for adolescents who qualify for special education. Utilizing a multiple baseline, across participants research design, this study revealed positive effects of a Self-Regulated Assignment Attack Strategy (SAAS) on assignment attack and teacher-reported student behavior during assignment completion. The results indicated the effect was domain specific with minimal generalized improvement to the other academic, behavioral, or cognitive outcome measures. A discussion of the results is provided focused on the implications of improved assignment attack, generalization, and measurement challenges. Suggestions for further research in this area are provided. / Committee in charge: McKay Sohlberg, Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Robert Horner, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Richard Albin, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Bonnie Todis, Member, Not from U of 0; Thomas Dishion, Outside Member, Psychology

La perception visuelle de l’espace est largement déterminée par les capacités visuelles des individus. Cependant, la recherche sur l’influence de variables dites non visuelles semble indiquer une importance déterminante des dimensions corporelle et émotionnelle sur la perception visuelle. Dans cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à la perception des distances et avons tenté de comprendre en quoi nos perceptions pouvaient refléter la nature de nos interactions sensorimotrices avec notre environnement. Dans une première étude nous avons montré que des contraintes d’actions, tel que le coût énergétique, générées par les dispositions de l’environnement, pouvaient avoir une influence sur la perception de distances allocentriques. Dans une seconde étude, nous avons tenté de mettre en évidence le rôle du processus d’intégration sensorimotrice dans des tâches d’évaluation de distances, ainsi que de comprendre l’influence des modalités non visuelles, telles que l’audition et la motricité, dans ce même type de tâche. Enfin, dans une troisième étude, nous nous sommes intéressés au concept de fluence – i.e., information métacognitive renseignant le système sur la qualité de ses interactions dans son environnement – et proposons l’idée selon laquelle ce signal contenu dans le flux perceptif permettrait d’expliquer différentes variations perceptives liées aux contraintes de nos actions. Finalement, cette thèse défend une approche unifiée de la perception, selon laquelle la limite entre les concepts d’action et de perception devrait être repensée afin de rendre compte de la nature sensorimotrice de nos connaissances. / Visual perception of space is mainly known as depending upon one’s vision capacity. However, research about the influence of non-visual variables seems to indicate that the body also plays an important role in visual perception. In this Ph.D. thesis, we support the idea that distance perception has to be studied as a function of the sensorimotor interactions between the individuals and their environment. In the first study, we showed that action constraints in the environment such as energetic cost could influence allocentric distance perception. In the second study, we focused on the role of the sensorimotor integration process in distance perception tasks, as well as the influence of non-visual variables such as audition and motor activity. In the third study, we investigated the phenomenology of perception, and more precisely in the relative fluency of motor activity. In other words, we focused here on the metacognitive feedback that emerges from the quality of the interactions with the environment. We highlighted that such a metacognitive signal could explain the influence of action constraints on distance perception. Finally, this work provides strong supports to the idea of an integrative approach of perception according to which the theoretical boundary between perception and action is questioned by the sensorimotor nature of our knowledge.

Submitted by Thiago Bronzeado de Andrade (thiago@ch.uepb.edu.br) on 2018-05-22T14:48:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Valquíria da Silva Souza.pdf: 17182575 bytes, checksum: 25ad9bca532e47317da27ec174575efe (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Milena Araújo (milaborges@ch.uepb.edu.br) on 2018-06-05T17:56:44Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Valquíria da Silva Souza.pdf: 17182575 bytes, checksum: 25ad9bca532e47317da27ec174575efe (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-05T17:56:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Valquíria da Silva Souza.pdf: 17182575 bytes, checksum: 25ad9bca532e47317da27ec174575efe (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-11-30 / CAPES / The mastery of reading and writing is essential to fully live in the modern society, which is permeated by visual, oral and, mainly, written texts. Given this, it is known that the social individual will only have conditions to exercise his full citizenship from the moment he is capable of using reading and writing competently in their various practices in his social context. Therefore, this research analyzes the relevance of the reading metacognitive strategies, mediated by the teacher, in reading/text comprehension classes, in order to contribute to the formation of a proficient reader. It was chosen to develop this research a quantitative and qualitative method, as this study presents information of partial and absolute values, in a practice in which it is used metacognitive reading strategies, as well as the development processes and reading comprehension results of the subjects involved. This work was developed in a 6th grade class of elementary school II, of a State public school from Campina Grande – PB. As theoretical support to the development of this research, it was based, mainly, in Leffa (1996), Solé (1998), Soares (2002), Kleiman (2007), Koch and Elias (2013), PDE (2011) and Brasil (1997), because these authors contribute in a significant way with theories on reading, reading strategies, teacher’s mediation, literacy skills and reading competences. For this study, the following hypotheses were raised: the reading students do not reach 6th grade of Elementary School II with adequate reading competence for the grade in which they are located; and the use of reading metacognitive strategies can contribute to the formation of more competent readers. Based on the results obtained in this assignment, it can be said that the proposed goal was achieved, for the results point out that the students, in general, after the intervention activities, achieved significant advances in regards to textual comprehension. Therefore, it is verified that the teaching of reading metacognitive strategies in classroom is very important to the formation of the proficient reader. / O domínio da leitura e da escrita é essencial para se viver plenamente, na sociedade contemporânea, que está permeada por textos visuais, orais e, principalmente, escritos. Diante disso, sabe-se que o sujeito social só terá condições de exercer sua cidadania plena a partir do momento que estiver capacitado a utilizar com competência a leitura e a escrita em suas diversas realizações no seu contexto social. Assim, esta pesquisa analisa a relevância das estratégias metacognitivas de leitura, mediadas pelo professor, nas aulas de leitura/compreensão textual, a fim de contribuir para a formação de um leitor proficiente. Escolheu-se para desenvolver esta investigação um método quanti-qualitativo, já que este estudo mostra informações de valores absolutos e relativos, em uma prática, na qual se usa as estratégias metacognitivas de leitura, bem como os processos de desenvolvimento e os resultados da compreensão leitora dos sujeitos envolvidos. Este trabalho foi desenvolvido em uma turma do 6º. ano do ensino fundamental II, de uma Escola Pública Estadual de Campina Grande – PB. Como aporte teórico para o desenvolvimento da presente pesquisa, fundamentou-se, principalmente, em Leffa (1996), Solé (1998), Soares (2002), Kleiman (2007), Koch e Elias (2013), PDE (2011) e Brasil (1997), porque esses autores contribuem de forma significativa com teorias acerca da leitura, estratégias leitoras, mediação do professor, letramento, habilidades e competências leitoras. Para este estudo, levantaram-se as seguintes hipóteses: os alunos leitores não chegam ao 6º. ano do Ensino Fundamental II com competência leitora adequada para a série na qual estão inseridos; e o uso das estratégias metacognitivas de leitura pode contribuir para formação de leitores mais competentes. Com base nos resultados coletados neste trabalho, pode-se dizer que o objetivo proposto foi alcançado, pois os resultados apontam que os alunos, no geral, depois das atividades de intervenção, obtiveram avanços significativos no que diz respeito à compreensão textual. Diante disso, constata-se que o ensino das estratégias metacognitivas de leitura em sala de aula é de muita importância para a formação do leitor proficiente.

This research is logged in the field of language acquisition, focusing on Spanish as a foreign language learnt at university level. It investigates how learning strategies are used by students to develop proficiency in Spanish over a three-year period (from the first year to the third year). Adopting a cognitive lens that places special attention to how linguistic knowledge is constructed, deconstructed and reconstructed, this study focuses on the language learning process, specifically on what the students do to learn a language. Taking into account that the learning of foreign language poses particular and distinctive challenges – as opposed to the learning of a second language – and using a multiphase design that combines sequential strands encompassing quantitative and qualitative techniques, this study finds that those who successfully complete all the Spanish courses are the ones who report significantly more use of metacognitive strategies in the first year. The study concludes by proposing a framework that helps to classify the role that the use of strategies play in learning a foreign language from a student’s perspective. This framework adds a new dimension and provides valuable information to similar types of studies. Considering the above-mentioned findings, the study recommends introducing first-year students to the potential value of using metacognitive strategies in foreign language learning, and suggests that lecturers should recommend more activities for students to engage in the language outside the classroom. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Modern European Languages / PhD / Unrestricted

Language learning strategies have been given a large role in the Swedish curriculum for modern languages and the usage of strategies is one of the requirements for getting a passing grade in the subject. However, language learning strategies is a term that is hard to grasp when seeing it without a context. Even in a context it can be hard to explain what is really meant. This study tries to explain what language learning strategies are in relation to the Swedish school system and aims to find out if these strategies are to be found and how they are used in two Swedish-German textbooks.The study shows that there are no explicit examples where a certain type of languagelearning strategy is to be found. Nevertheless, there are multiple instances where both books offer assignments that can lead to the usage of said strategies.

I denna systematiska litteraturstudie presenteras resultat av vad tidigare forskning konstaterat om lässtrategier i frågan om hur de används och vad de innebär för elever i skolåren 9–12. Uppsatsen visar att den utbildningsforskning som berört lässtrategier under de senaste tio åren inte behandlar strategisk läsning med konsensus i begrepp eller förklaringsmodeller, utan att det istället finns olika synpunkter om både vad lässtrategier är och vad de innebär för läsaren. Studien visar också att lässtrategier används frekvent hos elever i skolåren 9–12 inom och utanför Sverige, både bland skickliga läsare och bland mindre skickliga läsare, för att främja läsförståelse. Vad som skiljer dessa skickliga respektive mindre skickliga läsare från varandra tycks till viss del vara kvaliteten av deras strategiska läsning och hur de använder lässtrategier till sin fördel för att förstå text. Uppsatsen undersöker olika aspekter av lässtrategier och konstaterar att det finns främst tre faktorer som påverkar lässtrategiers effektivitet. Dessa är: 1) Huruvida eleven besitter metakognitiv medvetenhet och gör aktiva val vid strategisk läsning. 2) Elevens förmåga att kombinera olika strategier med varandra. 3) Elevens förmåga att utvärdera sin egen läsning. / In this systematic review, results of previous research on strategic reading were analyzed and presented regarding the question of how students (year 9–12) use reading strategies, and what these strategies mean to reading comprehension levels. The review found that studies which have investigated strategic reading during the past ten years subscribe to different viewpoints and models regarding what reading strategies are, how they should be described, as well as how they should be used by students to further their reading comprehension. While the review further concludes that both good readers and less skilled readers among students in secondary school, frequently do use reading strategies, it also provides evidence to support the idea that these strategies must be used in a certain way for them to be effective. The review presents information from previous research which pertains to the different aspects of reading strategy, and what makes strategic reading effective in terms of furthering reading comprehension. These aspects include: 1) The level of metacognitive awareness that the reader possesses when choosing and using strategies. 2) The readers ability to effectively combine strategies with each other. 3) The readers level of insight into his or her strategy use via the use of control strategies and reflection.

To operate in our modern society an individual need to possess a well-rounded reading ability, and to know of and use reading strategies is crucial for learners to develop this ability. The present study sets out to explore the beliefs of Swedish English teachers regarding the significance of reading and reading strategies. Furthermore, the study aims to investigate to what extent their classroom practice of teaching explicit reading strategies instructions is consistent with their beliefs. In this qualitative study, four 7-9 English teachers and two student groups participated. These come from two Swedish schools with different social-economic backgrounds. The data was collected by conducting content analysis of the teachers' lesson plans and conducting semi-structured interviews with both the teachers and students. The results show that the teachers express positive attitude to reading and reading strategies as they believe that these constitute essential elements in the communicative classroom. However, the results also indicate that the teachers’ actual classroom practice for reading strategies is not always consistent with their beliefs: for example, despite all teachers being positive to reading and reading strategies’ instruction, only the teachers from the school with lower social-economic background provide reading strategies’ instruction explicitly. Further, the results indicate that factors such as the teachers’ theoretical conceptions, time contraints, student composition and proficiency level, the school’s socio-economic background are the reasons for the teachers including explicit reading strategies’ instruction in their repertoire.

Metacognitive therapy (MCT) has been shown to be a promising treatment approach for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The changeability of metacognitions by (metacognitive) treatment and its relevance to treatment outcome is, however, still unclear. The current study investigates, (1) if treatment with MCT or exposure and response prevention (ERP) in a randomized-controlled pilot trial (n = 24 patients with OCD) changes OCD-specific metacognitions of thought fusion beliefs, beliefs about rituals and stop signals, and (2) if these changes are relevant for the treatment outcome in terms of patient- and therapist-rated OCD symptoms. ANOVA with pretest, posttest and follow-up scores could show that all three metacognitions significantly decreased during both treatments. Regarding thought fusion beliefs, a significant interaction effect indicated a higher decrease after MCT than ERP treatment. In hierarchical regression analyses, changes in stop signals from pre- to post-treatment significantly predicted patient-rating OCD symptoms at post-treatment and follow-up at 3 months after treatment. These changes were even predictive of post-treatment outcome after controlling for general metacognitions and dysfunctional cognitive beliefs. These findings support the assumption thatmetacognitions can change during both treatments and that changes in stop signals might be relevant for the treatment outcome on the symptom level in OCD.