The aim of this project was to evaluate the Contingencies for Learning Academic and Social Skills (CLASS) programme in four New Zealand classrooms. Four students with antisocial behaviour were nominated by their teachers to take part in an intervention that included differential attention, increased praise and rewards. Direct observations were made of compliance to teacher instructions, on-task behaviour, teacher praise and teacher instructions. Results indicated that on-task behaviour and compliance to teacher instructions increased during the intervention phase and was maintained during the follow-up. Teachers were also able to increase their rate of praise per hour during the intervention phase and their praise rate remained greater at follow-up than during the baseline phase. In the absence of pre-service and in-service behaviour management training for teachers, the CLASS programme proved to be a useful tool to assist teachers who have to work with children with high rates of antisocial behaviour.

The purpose of this study was to discover and describe how two teachers effectively interacted with and differentiated instruction for students who displayed off-task behaviors in the classroom. Through the use of observations and interviews, I described how two teachers interacted with students who display high-frequency, low-intensity off-task behaviors; identified strategies these effective teachers used in dealing with these behaviors; described where the teachers’ behaviours, attitudes, and practices lay on the Preventive-Restorative (P-R) continuum of beliefs of inclusion; and discovered how the teachers’ self-efficacy is related to P-R orientations and effective teaching behaviors. The teachers were chosen based on their principals’ belief in their effectiveness in dealing with off-task behaviours. The principal and the teacher collaboratively chose the students who displayed off-task behaviours on a consistent basis. The findings of this study confirm the existing research; the two teachers, whose beliefs lay on the preventive end of the continuum of beliefs of inclusion, tended to use effective teaching practices; these beliefs and practices were related to the teachers’ beliefs of their capability in being able to effectively help their students; these two teachers, who have preventive beliefs and high efficacy beliefs, interact in ways that are beneficial to students who display off-task behaviours. The common themes that emerged through the analysis of both teachers’ data included the belief in and the use of differentiated instruction; the belief in the importance of having a positive classroom environment; the practice of ensuring student engagement; the teachers’ use of their knowledge about students; and the teachers’ beliefs about inclusion and efficacy beliefs. The diversity of the teachers and their classroom contexts resulted in some differences in the findings, which are also discussed. This research extends previous research about teachers’ beliefs about inclusion and efficacy beliefs to teaching practices used for and interactions with students who display off-task behaviours. The findings also extend previous research revealing a relationship between teachers’ beliefs about inclusion and the belief in the importance of creating a positive classroom environment. Implications of this research for practice and for future research are discussed. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2010-08-26 09:43:54.336

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a persistent pattern of behaviours characterized by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This study evaluates the effects of a tailored Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IYTCM) programme aimed to improve participating children’s on-task behaviour and literacy performance, as well as reducing ADHD symptoms in a group of 6 to 10 year old children with ADHD in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Nine children, who were identified with ADHD symptoms on the basis of teacher and parental reports, were involved in the IYTCM-ADHD programme. The children’s behaviour symptoms were assessed using the Conners 3-T, Conners 3-P(S), SESBI-I, ECBI and SDQ. Ten teachers received the IYTCM-ADHD training in a full-day session once a week for 6 weeks. The children received individual behaviour plans implemented by their teachers with close supervision. A single-subject design was implemented to record the behaviour changes over time: at baseline, during teacher training with the IYTCM-ADHD programme, and at both immediate and long-term follow-ups. The on-task behaviour of children with ADHD and normative comparison children was recorded using Behavioural Observation of Students in Schools (BOSS). In addition to visual analysis, a non-parametric test Percentage of All Non-Overlapping Data (PAND) was used to examine the magnitude of effect in each child. The result of the study indicated that on-task behaviour of all the children with ADHD improved an average of 78% during the teacher training and this maintained during the follow-up phases. The children’s on-task behaviour also generalised to classrooms with non-trained teachers. Visual analysis indicated that the children’s behaviour was maintained during the follow-up phases. The pre- and post-intervention analyses of children with ADHD showed a significant effect of the intervention as a group. Clinical significance was obtained for more than half of the children on teacher reports of ADHD symptoms and conduct problems after the intervention. The literacy performance of all children with ADHD improved at the conclusion of the study. In light of the findings, limitations and implications for future research were discussed.

I samhällsdebatten belyses ofta den fysiska aktivitetens påverkan på människors välmående och kognitiva utveckling. Enligt Folkhälsomyndigheten bör barn mellan 6 och 17 år vara fysiskt aktiva minst 60 minuter dagligen. Rörelsepauser har därför blivit ett allt vanligare inslag under lektionerna, framförallt för de yngre eleverna. Från vår verksamhetsförlagda utbildning har vi dock fått uppfattningen av att en del lärare väljer att avstå rörelsepauser på grund av att tid tas från de olika teoretiska ämnena. Syftet med denna systematiska litteraturstudie var att bidra med en större förståelse för hur rörelser kan användas och organiseras i matematikundervisningen. Samt huruvida rörelsepauser kan påverka elevers matematiklärande i årskurs F-6. Resultatet visade att rörelse kan användas i matematikundervisningen, både som en rörelsepaus men också som ett medierande redskap. Resultatet visade också att en 5 till 10 minuters rörelsepaus av pulshöjande karaktär, som var frikopplad från lärandeinnehållet, var mest effektiv för elever i åldern 8 till 12 år gällande matematikprestationer och koncentrationsförmåga. Resultatet tyder på att alla elevers matematiklärande gynnas av rörelser och rörelsepauser i matematikundervisningen. / The social debate often highlights the impact of physical activity on people's well-being and cognitive development. According to the Public Health Authority, children between the ages of 6 and 17 should be physically active for at least 60 minutes per day. Movement breaks have become an increasingly common feature during lessons, especially for younger pupils. This means that time is taken from the theoretical subjects and therefore some teachers choose not to use movement breaks. Therefore the purpose of this systematic literature review was to contribute to a greater understanding of how physical activity could be implemented and organized in mathematics education. As well as whether movement breaks could affect pupils mathematical learning in ages 6 to 12. The results that was found showed that physical activity could be implemented as movement breaks or as a learning tool. The result also showed that a 5 to 10 minutes long aerobe movement break that was not connected to the learning content was most effective amongst children between the ages of 8 to 12. Using physical activity in mathematics education improves the pupils on task- behaviour and commitment for the subject. The result indicates that all pupils’ mathematics learning is favoured by physical activity and movement breaks.

Les facteurs humains et l’ergonomie (HF/E) sont devenus une discipline scientifique fournissant des contraintes pour la conception d’interaction entre l’homme et le système (le produit). La plupart des études sur HF/E couvrent non seulement les aspects d’ergonomie physique, mais aussi les sciences cognitives et organisationnelle. De nombreux travaux attestent que l’intégration insuffisante d’informations HF/E mène à une conception « pauvre ». Intégrer que ces informations de la phase de conception peuvent améliorer la performance du produit ou du système et de l’expérience utilisateur. Les méthodes existantes pour l’intégration de l’information HF/E (HF/EII) sont catégorisées par deux types de conception : la conception Centrée sur la Technologie (TCD) et la conception Centrée sur l’Utilisateur (UCD). Les méthodes TCD intègrent des informations HF/E dans la phase de conception détaillée ou plus tard, ce qui peut causer des modifications et des itérations de conception. Par contre, les approches UCD prennent en considération les informations HF/E dès la première phase de conception et sont consommatrices de temps à cause de l’intégration des exigences HF/E. L’objectif de cette thèse est de développer une nouvelle méthodologie de conception et un outil pour l’intégration de HF/E dès la première phase de conception dans le but de réduire le temps de conception, notamment en ayant moins de boucles itératives. Au cours de ce travail de recherche, un cadre « fonction-tâche-comportement » (FTB) a été développé, fournissant un guide systématique et détaillé pour l’intégration de HF/E dès la première phase de conception. Une étude de cas est présentée pour valider la faisabilité de la méthode et permettre une assistance pour la mise en œuvre. Ainsi, un module de Centre de Conception d’Interaction (IDC) a été développé et intégré dans un logiciel de CAO pour aider le travail de conception, en fournisant une procédure pratique de mise en œuvre du cadre FTB. Il permet aux concepteurs (1) d’intégrer les exigences fonctionnelles et non fonctionnelles dès la première phase de conception, et (2) de les convertir en des paramètres de conception pour effectuer au mieux le travail de conception. En utilisant le module d’IDC, les modifications et les boucles d’itération de conception peuvent être significativement réduits, fournissant ainsi une expérience utilisateur plus satisfaisante lors du respects les exigences fonctionnelles. De plus, les méthodologies actuelles de génération de solutions de conception s’appuient trop sur l’expérience des concepteurs, c’est pourquoi un « modèle de d’aide à la génération de solution » a commencé à être développé pour produire les solutions de conception recherchées. Différentes approches de résolution de problèmes existent, ce modèle proposé est plus facile à appréhender et à utiliser par les concepteurs. Ce modèle offre une pensée divergente pour la génération de solution de conception basée sur la tâche de conception individuelle. En résumé, dans les conclusions, les contributions majeures et les limitations de notre étude sont présentées et les perspectives de recherche future sont proposées. / Human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) as a scientific discipline provide constraints for the engineering design of human and system (product) interactions. Most existing studies on HF/E cover the specialization of physical, cognitive, and organizational ergonomics. Numerous evidences show that insufficient consideration of HF/E information leads to poor design, and fully considering this information in the design phase can improve both the user experience and system performance. Existing methods for HF/E information integration (HF/EII) can be categorized into two types: Technology-Centred Design (TCD) and User-Centred Design (UCD). TCD methods integrate HF/E information from the detailed design phase or later, which may cause design modifications and iterations. UCD approaches address HF/E information from the early design phase, which are time-consuming for HF/E requirements collection. The objective of this thesis is dedicated to a new design methodology and tool for HF/EII from the early design phase in a systematic, time-saving, less expensive, and less iteration way. In this thesis, a function-task-behaviour framework has been developed, which provides a systematic and detailed guide for HF/EII from the early design phase. A case study has been presented to validate its feasibility, which offers the theoretical support for method implementation. Thus, an Interaction Design Centre (IDC) module was developed and integrated in CAD software to aid the design work, which provides a practical way for the implementation of FTB framework. It enables designers to (1) catch both functional requirements and non-functional requirements from the early design phase, and (2) convert them into design parameters to carry out the design work. By using IDC module, design modifications and iterations due to belated effort for HF/E consideration can be significantly reduced, thereby providing a satisfactory user experience in the case of meeting the functional requirements. Regarding current method of design solution generation overly relies on designers’ experience, a design solution generation model is developed for producing design solution. Different from current problem solving approaches, this model is easy for designers to cognize and operate. It offers a divergent thinking for design solution generation based on the individual design task. Finally, the major contributions and limitations of our study are presented and the future studies are previewed.