Teachers encounter numerous challenges within their first years of teaching. More support needs to be provided to assist novice teachers with navigating challenges that have been persistent in the literature on novice teachers. This study considered how engaging in guided reflective inquiry could support novice teachers' abilities to notice and respond to the challenges they encounter. In particular, this study explored the different identities from which novice teachers can draw inspiration to understand how they may support or constrain the process of responding to challenges. Participating in guided reflective inquiry encouraged novice teachers to explore their responses to individual "wobble moments" (Fecho, 2011) and view those uncertainties as moments of growth. The theories of dialogism (Bakhtin, 1981) and dialogical self theory (Hermans and Hermans-Konopka, 2010) provided a lens through which meanings were created from the generated data. This study focused on six novice teachers within their first three years of full-time teaching and implemented elements of transactional analysis (Stewart, 2011) to analyze the narratives, memos, reflections, and interview discussions generated from the participant and researcher. The ways in which novice teachers noticed the challenges they encountered, used the concept of wobble to engage in dialogue with those challenges, and considered how the exploration of one's identity supported or constrained that process were examined in this study. Three generated understandings indexed the importance of enacting approaches to teacher induction that better support novice teachers: (1) challenges encountered by the participants aligned with persistent struggles that have been well-documented in the literature on teacher challenges, (2) participant responses to wobble moments involved a two-step process of an initial reaction and a decided-upon action, and (3) participant developing teacher identities were influenced by numerous aspects of their dialogical self. The implications of this study point to the need to enact approaches to teacher induction that use guided reflective inquiry as an adaptable structure to support novice teachers' abilities to bring their identities into dialogue with the tensions from challenges they experience in their individual teaching contexts. / Doctor of Philosophy / The purpose of this study was to examine ways in which novice teachers can be better supported through the challenges that are often within the first years of teaching. This study employed the theoretical frameworks of dialogism (Bakhtin, 1981) and dialogical self theory (Hermans and Hermans-Konopka, 2010) to consider how engaging in guided reflective inquiry could support a novice teacher's abilities to notice and respond to the challenges encountered. An in-depth exploration of the novice teacher's identity supported the process of examining influences on their responses to challenges. Six teachers participated in this study after meeting the criteria of being employed as an English or Language Arts teacher, teaching students within secondary 6th-12th grades, and being within their first three years of full-time teaching. The study involved three stages: an intake interview, three rounds per participant of submitting a wobble narrative and then discussing the wobble moment via Zoom, and a final reflection and interview. Transactional analysis (Stewart, 2011) assisted in the process of coding and analyzing the data to develop three generated understandings: (1) challenges encountered by the participants aligned with persistent struggles that have been well-documented in the literature on teacher challenges, (2) participant responses to wobble moments involved a two-step process of an initial reaction and a decided-upon action, and (3) participant developing teacher identities were influenced by numerous aspects of their dialogical selves. The implications of the understandings promote the necessity for teacher induction to implement guided reflective inquiry as a way to better support novice teachers through the challenges they encounter.

Wall, traditionally an enclosing element in architecture, has been used throughout the ages for functions like privacy, protection, definition of spaces, and also to provide attractive facades. Visually walls can be more than a mere static element. Over time, attempts have been made by various architects to explore and redefine the role of a wall as an architectural element. The wall can enhance, adorn, aggrandize, beautify, embellish...... My thesis aims at exploring the role of a wall in a building and moving beyond the boundaries of its primary functions. The wall in this project is a multi-layered , transparent, clear and lucid enclosure wrapping the inner solids. The idea is to have solid and opaque geometrical planes and volumes as inner cores and masking these with an outer envelope of double-glass and steel. The study delves further into the interaction between the three assemblies. / Master of Architecture

Dual process theories of mind have been developed over the last decades to posit that humans use heuristics or mental shortcuts (automatic) and analytical (reflective) reasoning while consuming information. Can such theories be used to support users' information consumption in the presence of problematic content in online spaces? To answer, I merge these theories with the idea of affordances from HCI to into the concept of dual process cognitive affordances, consisting of automatic affordance and reflective affordance. Using this concept, I built and tested a set of systems to address two categories of online problematic content: misinformation and filter bubbles. In the first system, NudgeCred, I use cognitive heuristics from the MAIN model to design automatic affordances for better credibility assessment of news tweets from mainstream and misinformative sources. In TransparencyCue, I show the promise of value-centered automatic affordance design inside news articles differentiating content quality. To encourage information consumption outside their ideological filter bubble, in NewsComp, I use comparative annotation to design reflective affordances that enable active engagement with stories from opposing-leaning sources. In OtherTube, I use parasocial interaction, that is, experiencing information feed through the eyes of someone else, to design a reflective affordance that enables recognition of filter bubbles in their YouTube recommendation feeds. Each system shows various degrees of success and outlines considerations in cognitive affordances design. Overall, this thesis showcases the utility of design strategies centered on dual process information cognition model of human mind to combat problematic information space. / Doctor of Philosophy / Over the last several decades, billions of users have moved to the internet for everyday information gathering, allowing information flow around the globe at a massive scale. This flow is managed by algorithms personalized to each users' need, creating a complicated trio of producer-algorithm-consumer. This has resulted in some unforeseen challenges. Bad information producers takes the advantage of system to promote problematic content, such as, false information, termed as misinformation. Personalized algorithms have created filters of what people see oftentimes isolating them from diverse perspectives of information, creating a distorted perception of reality. Augmenting the online technology infrastructure to combat these challenges has become crucial and the overall goal of this thesis. Cognitive psychologists theorize that two cognitive processes are at play when people consume information, also known as dual process theories. Can we design new tools to combat these challenges by tapping into each of these processes? In this thesis, I answer this question through a series of studies. In each of these studies, I combine this theory from psychology with design guides from Human-Computer Interaction to design socio-technical design. I evaluated each of these systems through controlled experimentation. The result of these studies informs ways we can capitalize on users' information processing mechanism to combat various types of problematic information online.

Entering a new environment is challenging for everyone, including engineers. Despite national efforts to improve graduates' competencies, managers and other critical industry stakeholders consistently describe new hires as underprepared for practice. Nonetheless, as engineers move into their new organizations, they learn to participate in and contribute to their communities of practice. This period is the school-to-work transition, and the goal of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of the salient learning events that characterize individuals' trajectories from engineering student to engineering practitioner. Using a multi-case approach, this study leverages weekly journals and semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences of recent engineering graduates as they enter the workplace and learn to engage in professional practice. Journal entries probed newcomers' perceptions of challenges, accomplishments, and significant learning events during the first 12 weeks of their jobs. Interviews expanded on journal findings and elaborated on participants' experiences. Analysis entailed the development and application of two complementary workplace learning frameworks from Jacobs and Park (2009) and Chao et al. (1994) that describe both the setting and content of salient learning experiences. Cross-case analysis enabled exploration across participants to examine trends and patterns within participants' experiential trajectories. Findings point to several contributions and implications. First, the codebooks developed in this study were contextualized and operationalized for engineering workplaces, and have been refined to enhance descriptive precision and clarity. Second, journals provided thick, rich descriptions of events in ways that hold promise for future exploratory studies as well as formative assessment. Finally, results indicated that newcomer engineers engage in a wide range of learning environments throughout the school-to-work transition and describe learning along myriad socialization dimensions. In particular, workplace learning takes place in unstructured environments through routine tasks and along both technical and sociocultural dimensions. Given this learning, both industry and academic professionals should consider these dimensions as they design experiences and assess learning across organizations. Newcomer learning is challenging, but if we can gain a better understanding of how and what happens during it, we can more effectively develop efforts to enhance the transition—and therefore, practice—for future generations of engineers. / Ph. D. / Entering a new environment challenging for everyone, including engineers. Even though we know this to be true, engineers remain underprepared for the demands of modern practice. Still, engineering students do graduate and work in engineering jobs, and there is not necessarily evidence of engineers losing jobs on behalf of their reported lack of preparation. The school-to-work transition is thus a critical period for new engineers, and understanding the experiences that take place within it can help us improve the effectiveness of both engineers themselves and the organizations they enter. Given our relatively limited knowledge of this important juncture, then, the goal of this research is to explore the experiences and interactions of newcomers as they move from engineering student to engineering practitioner. To do so, I followed 12 recent mechanical engineering graduates from graduation into the first 12 weeks of their jobs. I combined weekly reflective journal entries with semi-structured interviews to capture participants’ salient learning events. I developed frameworks which characterize the environment and content of salient learning events and provide an overview of the kind of learning trajectory each participant underwent. I also compiled results across participants to explore differences, similarities, and other patterns in participant experiences. Overall, findings point to several contributions and implications. First, the codebooks developed in this study were refined to more specifically fit within engineering contexts and therefore provide more accurate descriptions of engineering learning. Second, reflective journaling holds promise for tapping into engineering learning that might be difficult to otherwise capture via traditional measurements or instrumentation. Finally, results indicate that newcomer engineers engage in a wide range of learning environments throughout the school-to-work transition and describe learning along myriad social and technical dimensions. Given this learning, both industry and academic professionals should consider these experiences as they design learning environments in the future. Newcomer learning is challenging, but if we can gain a better understanding of how and what happens during it, we can more effectively develop efforts to enhance the transition for future generations of engineers.

The inverted T-beam system provides an accelerated bridge construction alternative. The system consists of adjacent precast inverted T-beams finished with a cast-in-place concrete topping. The system offers enhanced performance against reflective cracking and reduces the likelihood of cracking due to time dependent effects. Differential shrinkage is believed to be one of the causes of deck cracking in inverted T-beam systems. The objective of this study was to develop mix designs that exhibit lower shrinkage and higher creep compared to typical deck mixtures, recommend a prescriptive mix design and a performance criterion to VDOT that can be further investigated and used in the inverted T-beam system to combat effects of differential shrinkage. Ten different mix designs using different strategies to reduce shrinkage were tested for their compressive strength, splitting tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and unrestrained shrinkage. The four best performing mixes were selected for further study of their time dependent properties. The test data was compared against the data from various prediction models to determine the model that closely predicts the measured data. It was observed that ACI 209.2R-08 model best predicted the time dependent properties for the four mixes tested in this project. Tensile stresses in the composite cross-section of deck and girder, created due to difference in shrinkage and creep are quantified using an age adjusted effective modulus method. In this analysis, it was observed that mixes with normal weight coarse aggregate (NWCA) developed smaller stresses compared to those of mixes with lightweight coarse aggregate (LWCA). Mixes with fly ash as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) developed smaller stresses at the bottom of deck when compared to mixes with slag as the SCM. / Master of Science / The inverted T-beam system provides an accelerated bridge construction alternative. The system consists of adjacent precast inverted T-beams finished with a cast-in-place concrete deck. The system reduces the likelihood of cracking due to time dependent deformations of concrete – Shrinkage and Creep. The difference in rate of shrinkage of deck and the girder, also called as differential shrinkage, is believed to be one of the causes of deck cracking in inverted T-beam systems. The objective of this study was to develop concrete mix designs that exhibit lower shrinkage and higher creep that can be further investigated and used in the inverted T-beam system to combat effects of differential shrinkage. Studies resulted in the observation that ACI 209.2R-08 – model used to predict concrete behavior, best predicts the time dependent properties of the concrete tested in this project. Also, mixes with normal weight coarse aggregate (NWCA) developed smaller stresses compared to those of mixes with lightweight coarse aggregate (LWCA). Mixes with fly ash as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) developed smaller stresses when compared to mixes with slag as the SCM.

Students are rarely explicitly taught how to develop their writing within a subject discipline, as there is usually a focus on teaching content. However, academic writing, and in particular Academic Reflective Writing (ARW), is very challenging for most students. In this study, a series of three embedded writing development interventions were trailed with successive cohorts of postgraduate Nursing students writing a summative 4000 word piece of ARW. The interventions included the use of example texts to make task requirements more explicit, formative peer feedback on draft texts and facilitating increased dialogue between staff and students regarding expectations of this task. Overall the interventions represented a shift towards assessment for learning. Quantitative results showed a decrease in the number of students investigated for plagiarism, a rise in pass rates and mean grades, and an increased uptake of academic supervision over the three cohorts. In addition, complementary findings from a self-selected focus group interview indicated that respondents perceived the writing development activities to be very useful. In particular, the formative peer and tutor review of written drafts, was valued. However, a limitation of this pragmatic mixed method study was that the three cohorts were non-equivalent. Despite this, it is argued that, as ARW is so complex, disciplinary academics should embed explicit guidance and scaffolding in their teaching in order to enhance written reflection and learning. Failure to do so may lead ARW to become an exclusive educational practice leading to unintentional plagiarism and poor written reflection on practice.

No / Reflection is widely regarded as important for learning from practice in Nursing. Academic reflective writing (ARW) is increasingly being used to assess reflective practice. However, there is currently scant literature on ARW, which is extremely complex, requiring students to link their own experiences to published literature. There are also concerns in the literature about the validity of ARW as a medium of assessment. In this paper, an exploratory discussion on ARW is illustrated with reference to the views of 8 self-selected students on a course for post-registered nurses. These students found ARW extremely challenging, and highlighted a range of difficulties associated with it. In conclusion, it is argued that the student experience of ARW warrants further investigation. In addition, it is suggested that either scaffolding should be put in place to facilitate the production of successful ARW, or alternatives should be explored.

ABSTRACT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF PRESERVICE BIOLOGY TEACHERS THROUGH REFLECTIVE THINKING Savran Gencer, AySe Ph.D., Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education Supervisor : Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jale &Ccedil / akiroglu Co-Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ceren Tekkaya January 2008, 230 pages The study aims to explore preservice biology teachers&rsquo / reflective thinking content and levels by examining the use of a reflective framework integrated into one semester Practice Teaching course. More specifically, this study focused on the development of reflective thinking skills of preservice teachers and their metaphorical images about learning and teaching process. Data were collected through both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The written documents and audiotaped debriefings taken during the activities of reflective autobiography and journal writing, metaphor using, peer coaching, microteaching, and problem discussion along with the summative interview were the main data sources of the qualitative data. The written and transcribed data collected through these sources were then utilized through the selected three case studies in order to reach a deep understanding on their reflective thinking skills and content. The quantitative data were collected through the instruments of Reflective Thinking to evaluate the development of the preservice biology tecahers&rsquo / reflectivity and Metaphorical Images to explore their beliefs about learning and teaching process. Results indicated that the reflective activities offered opportunities preservice biology teachers to reflect on their experiences and strive for a conscious awareness of their professional development through experience, collaboration, guidance, and modeling. All of the participants were able to reflect mostly at the technical level, followed by contextual and dialectical levels of reflective thinking among the content categories of teacher characteristics, instructional processes, classroom management, students, and teaching profession. Results of reflective thinking instrument indicated that all participants individually perceived a developmental reflective thinking skill. Keywords: Reflective Thinking, Reflective Journal, Peer Coaching, Professional Development, Preservice Biology Teacher

This study focuses on reflection in an e-learning environment. The reflection was done nline in the form of a weblog. Participants used tools such as Blogger to post their reflection on the web. There are various contributing factors that determine the success of reflection in an e-learning environment. This study will look into these factors, for example tools used for reflection, reflection topics, online facilitation and learning style preferences. This dissertation focuses on the role that reflective questions, reflection tools and online facilitators play in the reflection process. It determined which of these elements were more important to learners and how satisfied they were with the tools and techniques used in this study. The importance to learners, and their satisfaction was determined by using the Customer Satisfaction Index. The findings of this study indicate that the participants feel that the online facilitator plays an imperative role in online reflection. / Dissertation (MEd (Computer Integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / MEd / unrestricted

In this presentation I will report on a work-in-progress study that I am presently undertaking with second year General Mathematics undergraduate B.Ed students at a private institution for teacher education in South Africa. I first implemented the idea of reflective writing informally with scholars and then later for assessment purposes with undergraduate students. These tasks provoked very different responses from the scholars and university students, both positive and negative and prompted informal research by myself to ascertain how reflective practices can be incorporated into the mathematics curriculum. My primary objective is to investigate how I, as a lecturer can encourage and motivate students to engage in and make reflective practices an integral part of both their learning and understanding of mathematics and their teaching practice. Thus the focus of my presentation will be on different types of reflective practices and how they can be incorporated into a higher education mathematics programme.