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In recent years, much attention has been directed to the use of educational games for learning computer science concepts. The motivation of game-based learning with positive experience has been deeply studied in the literature, but game design for improving code reading skills have much room for improvement. Being good at the reading code is important to a professional developer. To address this issue, we defined a new educationally-oriented mobile game application, aimed at promoting the development of code reading skills in a new and fun way. The strategy of this game is to find errors in pieces of codes. At each level, students should find all syntactic and semantic errors in the code in a certain time in order to advance to the next level. Of the numerous programming languages, we chose Java because it is one of the most popular programming languages. In many colleges, Java plays a major role in introductory courses. Our vision is to allow instructors to employ the game in their introduction to programming in Java course. In addition, we hope it could be adapted for use in introductory courses using different programming languages. Data collected during the project helps us evaluate the impact of game-based learning on code reading in programming languages. We asked undergraduate students at the department of computer science at Virginia Tech to play with the game during Spring 2017 semester. The collected data analyzed, and students believe that Code Reading Dojo improves their code reading skills in Java and overall programming ability, in additions to help them find errors in their own program. / Master of Science / In recent years, much attention has been directed to the use of educational games for learning computer science concepts. The motivation of game-based learning with positive experience has been deeply studied in the literature, but game design for improving code reading skills have much room for improvement. Being good at the reading code is important to a professional developer. To address this issue, we defined a new educationally-oriented mobile game application, aimed at promoting the development of code reading skills in a new and fun way. The strategy of this game is to find errors in pieces of codes. At each level, students should find all syntactic and semantic errors in the code in a certain time in order to advance to the next level. Of the numerous programming languages, we chose Java because it is one of the most popular programming languages. In many colleges, Java plays a major role in introductory courses. Our vision is to allow instructors to employ the game in their introduction to programming in Java course. In addition, we hope it could be adapted for use in introductory courses using different programming languages. Data collected during the project helps us evaluate the impact of game-based learning on code reading in programming languages. We asked undergraduate students at the department of computer science at Virginia Tech to play with the game during Spring 2017 semester. The collected data analyzed, and students believe that Code Reading Dojo improves their code reading skills in Java and overall programming ability, in additions to help them find errors in their own program.

The diploma thesis is focused on examination of reading skills in reading printed or digital text from screen by children in elementary school age. Ever younger readers are encountering digital reading at the beginning of the development of their reading skills. Therefore, this work aims to map the effect of screen reading and the differences in the processing and the text comprehension as opposed to printed text. The theoretical part describes the psychological aspects of reading based on Czech and foreign sources. Further, this part summarizes the findings of reading digital text from screen, in particular the factors that affect such reading, its advantages and disadvantages and the processes during this reading. A separate chapter is devoted to reading from the screen by school-age children who were subsequently probands of the research part. The empirical part deals with the verification of several hypotheses. These hypotheses verify differences in reading of printed and digital text of the same difficulty. Proband are elementary school pupils aged 8-10 (n=93, girls n=48, boys n=46). Z. Matějček's Reading Exam was chosen as a method for verifying reading skills, which makes it possible to evaluate the dynamics of reading competencies such as performance in error rate, speed, and comprehension...

Thesis (M. Ed. (Language Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The purpose of this study was to investigate reading challenges experienced by Intermediate Phase learners at Mamothibi Lower Primary school and Molemole Lower primary school at Sekgosese West Circuit, Limpopo province. The study used qualitative research method investigate reading challenges experienced by Intermediate Phase learners. The population consisted of 42 Intermediate Phase learners and four English First Additional Language teachers. Non-probability and probability sampling procedures were used to generate the sample as well as purposive and convenient sampling due to the qualities respondents possess. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and class observation. Data was analysed thematically. The findings of the study indicate that there are various factors that cause poor reading among learners such as poor command of vocabulary because learners do not practice extensive reading; no interest to learn creativity in reading but the goal to pass examination; lack of confidence to practice how to read in class; poor motivation and interest from teachers and parents to help develop the interest in learners; learners lack knowledge of reading strategies and teachers‘ inadequate knowledge on using reading strategies to teach reading skill. The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education should arrange on-going training on reading strategies for teachers and subject Advisors should continuously give teachers support on reading strategies.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur lärare använder sig av högläsning i undervisning för att främja elevernas läsförmåga och hur detta syns i elevernas aktiviteter. Teorin som studien bygger på är det sociokulturella perspektivet med ursprung i Lev Vygotskijs teorier om lärande, utveckling och språk. I studien har fem lärare som arbetar i årskurserna F–3 blivit intervjuade med en semistrukturerad intervju. Lärarna har även blivit observerade under en av sina högläsningslektioner för att se hur de använder sig av högläsning för att utveckla elevernas läsförmåga. Resultatet visar att lärarna försöker använda sig av högläsning dagligen i sin undervisning då de anser att den ger väldigt mycket. Lärarna anser att högläsningen utvecklar elevernas ordförråd, läsförståelse, läslust och koncentrationsförmåga. Utifrån observationerna, tidigare forskning och lärarnas intervjuer visar resultatet även att lärarna använder sig av olika arbetssätt och metoder för att eleverna ska få möjlighet att utveckla sin läsförmåga. / The purpose of this study is to examine some teachers' view of the effect of read-alouds on the development of pupils' reading skills, as well as the opportunities the pupils get to develop their reading skills in teacher practices of reading aloud. The study is based on the sociocultural perspective originating in Lev Vygotsky theories on learning, development and language. In this study, five teachers working in preschool and grades 1–3 have been interviewed using qualitative interviews. Teachers have also been observed during one of their read-aloud lessons in order to see how they use reading aloud to develop pupils' reading skills. The results show that the teachers try to read aloud daily in their teaching because they find it has great advantages. The teachers believe that reading aloud develops pupils' vocabulary, reading comprehension, love of reading and concentration. Based on previous research, observation and teacher interviews, the results also show that teachers use approaches to and methods for giving their pupils opportunity to develop their reading skills.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The construction of macro-structures. Four reading-improvement courses were offered to grade ten pupils in an attempt to improve their general reading skills and more specifically their ability to abstract the gist (macrostructure - Van Dijk and Kintsch, 1983) of texts as well as their ability to recall detail about texts. The macro-structures that learners constructed and the number of propositions recalled from a specific section of the text during a pre-test were compared to the macrostructures they formulated and the number of propositions that they recalled during a post-test. The courses were presented in Afrikaans to four of the five grade 10 classes in a Western Cape school. (The course was also presented in English to the fifth class but that course was not taken into consideration.) The courses were conducted over eight periods of approximately 40 minutes. The content of the first three periods were the same for all four courses. During the first period the learners did a reading exercise in order to determine their reading speed and reading index. During the second and third periods they were taught skimming and study skills respectively. The first course focused on questioning skills in the last five sessions. The second course was presented in order to improve learners' structuring skills. The third course was a combination of the first two courses. A conventional speed reading course was presented to learners who did the fourth course. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine whether (1) the construction of macro-structures and (2) the recall of propositions from the texts could be ascribed to questioning skills, structuring skills or the combination of those skills. This was done after variance in the dependant variables brought about by differences in intelligence was controlled statistically. The results of this study indicate a statistically significant improvement to construct macro-structures for the learners who completed the courses aimed at improving structuring and questioning/structuring abilities. This improvement can be ascribed to the skills that they acquired during the courses. Traditional schema theories regard schemas or schemata as pre-fabricated structures that need only to be activated by readers. In these courses, however the emphasis was placed on the formation of a structure by the reader; on the activity performed by the reader. Hence it was referred to as a structuring course. During the courses the learners were encouraged not only to "chunk" the content of the texts, but to generalize and to construct the structure of the texts. They were encouraged to use their own words or categories. Several studies indicated that an improvement in the ability to structure texts lead to an improvement in text comprehension. There are five other reasons why structuring the content of texts will facilitate the construction of macro-structures. The first is that when subjects are given the task to remember unorganized material they structure the material to be remembered spontaneously. The second is that the semantic organization of material facilitate recall and the third that normal perception is highly structured. The fourth argument is that experts make effective use of schemes. The fifth argument is that the activity of structuring forces the reader to process the text at a deeper level of processmg. Since it was assumed that top achievers are good readers who have mastered the ability to construct macro-structures efficiently, it was argued that they would benefit more from a course that aimed at improving their question-generating skills. Thus, the fact that there was not a statistically significant improvement in their ability to construct macrostructures can be attributed to the fact that they have already mastered that ability sufficiently. It is also possible to attribute the fact that there was not a statistically significant improvement to the fact that they did not master the question-generating activities. The results of this study also indicated that learners who did the structuring, questioning and questioning/structuring courses improved their ability to recall propositions from the texts in a pre-test to a post-test. Their improved ability to recall propositions, can be ascribed to the fact that detail can be inferred from a hierarchical structure since detail facts are subsumed under thematic propositions. Put differently, micro-propositions can be inferred from macro-propositions. The improvement in the ability of subjects who did the questioning course can be ascribed to the fact that questioning helps to focus attention and that the activity of questioning leads to deeper levels of processing. Three assumptions concerning macro-structures were made in this study. It was assumed that the construction of macro-structures is an automatic and integral part of the (normal) reading process. Readers do not construct macro-structures only when they are required to do so. Good readers construct better macro-structures than poor readers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die konstruksie van makrostrukture. Vier leesverbeteringskursusse is vir graad 10-leerders aangebied ten einde hul leesvaardighede te probeer verbeter; meer spesifiek, hul vermoe om die kern (die makrostrukture - Van Dijk en Kintsch, 1983) van tekste te kan konstrueer en ook om proposisies van die tekste te kan herroep. Die makrostrukture wat leerders gevorrn het en die getal proposisies wat hulle kon herroep oor 'n spesifieke teksgedeelte nadat 'n leeskursus vir hulle aangebied is, is vergelyk met die makrostrukture wat hulle gevorrn het en getal proposisies wat hulle kon herroep, voordat die kursus vir hulle aangebied is. Die kursusse is in Afrikaans aangebied vir vier van die vyf graad 10-klasse van 'n skiereilandse skool. (Die kursus is ook in Engels aangebied vir die vyfde klas, maar hul resultate is nie in berekening gebring nie, aangesien die inhoud van die tekste verskil het.) Die kursusse het bestaan uit agt lesure van 40 minute. Die inhoud van die eerste drie ·lesure was dieselfde vir al vier kursusse. Tydens die eerste lesuur het die leerders 'n leesoefening gedoen en daarna het hulle hul leesspoed en leesindeks uitgewerk. Tydens die tweede en derde lesuur is vlugleesvaardighede vir die leerders aangeleer. In die eerste kursus IS die klem tydens die laaste vyf lesure geplaas op vraagstellingsvaardighede bene wens vlugleesvaardighede en studievaardighede. Leerders is geleer om kemvrae en detailvrae te forrnuleer. Tydens die tweede kursus is struktureringsvaardighede vir leerders aangeleer in die laaste vyf lesure. Die derde kursus was 'n kombinasie van die eerste twee kursusse. Tydens die vierde kursus is 'n konvensionele spoedleeskursus vir die leerders aangebied. Deur middel van meervoudige regressie-ontledings is vasgestel of vraagstelling, strukturering of die interaksie tussen vraagstelling en strukturering variansie in (1) die konstruksie van rnakrostrukture en (2) die herroep van proposisies of feite verklaar. Dit is gedoen nadat daar statisties gekontroleer is vir die variansie in die afhanklike veranderlikes wat opgewek is deur verskille in intelligensie. Uit die resultate het dit geblyk dat daar 'n statisties beduidende verbetering was by die leerders wat die strukturering-kursus gevolg het en ook by die leerders wat die vraagstelling/strukturering-kursus gevolg het om makrostrukture te konstrueer. Hierdie verbetering sou toegeskryf kon word aan die vaardighede wat hulle tydens die kursus aangeleer het. In teenstelling met skema-teoriee wat van die veronderstelling uitgaan dat skemas vaste strukture is wat slegs deur lesers geaktiveer word, is die klem in hierdie ondersoek geplaas op die aktiewe strukturering van teksinhoude. Dit is die rede waarom na die kursus verwys word as die "strukturering' -kursus. Tydens die kursus is die leerders aangemoedig om nie net die afdelings van die tekste te groepeer nie, maar om te veralgemeen; om die teksinhoude self te struktureer deur hul eie woorde te gebruik. Benewens die feit dat dit uit verskeie ander ondersoeke geblyk het dat die strukturering van tekste deur lesers hulle leesbegrip verbeter het en hulle gehelp het om meer proposisies van 'n teks te kon herroep, sou nog vyf ander argumente ook aangevoer word waarom strukturering die vorming van makrostrukture vergemaklik. Die eerste is dat toetslinge ongestruktureerde geheuemateriaal spontaan struktureer; die tweede dat semantiese organisasie die herroep daarvan vergemaklik; die derde dat ("alledaagse") persepsie hoogs gestruktureerd is en die vierde dat deskundiges skemas effektiewer benut as beginners. Die vyfde argument is dat die aktiwiteit van strukturering dieper prosessering van leesinhoude sal meebring as gewoonlees; wanneer lesers tekste struktureer, word hulle verplig om dit uitvoerig te prosesseer. Die vraagstelling-kursus is aangebied vir die leerders in die klas wat die beste presteer het, aangesien daar van die veronderstelling uitgegaan is dat hulle goeie lesers is en dat goeie lesers alreeds daartoe in staat is om goeie makrostrukture te kan konstrueer. Die feit dat diegene wat die vraagstelling-kursus gevolg het, se vermoe om rnakrostrukture te vorm, nie 'n statisties beduidende verbetering getoon het nie, sou dus moontlik daaraan toegeskryf kon word dat hulle die vaardigheid om goeie makrostrukture te vorm, alreeds in 'n groot mate bemeester het. 'n Ander moontlikheid waarom hul vermoe om makrostrukture te konstrueer, nie 'n statisties beduidende verbetering getoon het nie, is dat hulle nie die vraagstelling-aktiwiteite deeglik bemeester het rue. Uit die resultate van hierdie ondersoek het dit ook geblyk -dat daar 'n statisties beduidende verbetering was in die vermoe van leerders wat die vraagstelling-, strukturering-, asook die vraagstellinglstruktureringkursus gevolg het om na afloop van die leeskursusse meer proposisies oor die betrokke tekste te kon herroep. Die rede waarom die strukturering-kursus effektiewer herroepprestasie in die hand gewerk het, sou toegeskryf kon word aan die feit dat iemand wat 'n struktuur gekonstrueer het, detail kan herroep na aanleiding van die gekonstrueerde raarnwerk. Anders gestel, mikroproposisies sou afgelei kon word van makroproposisies. Die rede waarom die vraagstelling-kursus 'n verbetering van leerders se herroepvermoens meegebring het, sou waarskynlik daaraan toegeskryf kon word dat vraagstelling 'n leser se aandag fokus of rig. Daarby verplig die vraagstelling-aktiwiteit lesers om tekste uitvoerig te prosesseer. Hierdie vraagstelling-aktiwiteit verplig dieper prosessering van leesinhoude as die meer oppervlakkige prosessering wat tydens gewoonlees plaasvind. In hierdie ondersoek is van die verondersteIling uitgegaan dat die vorrmng van makrostrukture 'n outomatiese en integrale deel van die leesproses is. Lesers konstrueer nie net makrostrukture wanneer die leestaak dit vereis nie. Hoewel aIle lesers makrostrukture konstrueer, vorrn goeie lesers beter rnakrostrukture as swak lesers.

The problem of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of certain recommended procedures in the improvement of reading skills in a sixth-grade class in the Lewisville Elementary School, Lewisville, Texas.

Magister Artium - MA / This ethnographically-orientated intervention explored how members of a Cape Flats reading club “took hold” (Street, 2009) of digital literacy in their engagement with online fictional stories accessed by a mobile phone. The Masifunde reading club takes place inside the premises of a church located in one of the most impoverished and resource-constrained communities on the outskirts of Cape Town. The club is connected to a bigger sets of clubs under the Nal’ibali reading-for-enjoyment campaign seeking to create nurturing spaces for learning by introducing children to literacy through story-telling. I wanted to diversify and increase the literacy material available by introducing mobile phones to the club. This research paper is theoretically grounded in the New Literacy Studies (NLS) framework which argues that the social turn and digital turn to literacy have transformed literacy. I adopted an ethnographic approach to literacy in order to understand how mobile reading is ‘taken hold’ of within an already established activities of the club which are conceptualized using Goffman’s (1983) “interaction order”. Goffman’s (1983) “interaction order” was used to map the established print-based interaction order and then to examine the practices of reading online fiction and the materiality of the mobile phone as taken hold of within this interaction order. The notion of ‘taking hold’ of was further extended to reveal the ways in which mobile stories were resemiotized in the shared practices of the club members. The introduction of mobile phones is viewed within Prinsloo’s (2005) “placed resources” concept that pays attention to the specificity of the context in how the phone was taken hold of. What is more, through Goffman’s (1956) back stage and front stage concept, I was able to trace using Ker’s (2005) “text-chain” concept, how interactions in the back region WhatsApp group chat moved across space-time to the front stage interactions in the Saturday club event. This revealed the ways in which the uses and valuing of the phone changed across these spaces, with the phone being naturalised in the back stage, but being treated as a difficult object in the front stage sessions by the volunteers, while the children took up the phones in easy ways consistent with the existing interaction order and therefore as placed resources. The study reveals that triumphalist claims about uptake of digital technologies in resource-poor contexts and dismal internet connectivity need to be treated with caution.

Leitura recombinativa é a habilidade de ler sob controle de unidades verbais menores. Esse fenômeno é estudado por meio do treino, em MTS, entre palavras orais e impressas; e testes de leitura com novas palavras. Os resultados dos experimentos têm sido variáveis na literatura. Os procedimentos mais eficazes são os que treinam as unidades menores direta ou indiretamente. Experimentos sobre Equivalência demonstraram que reforçadores específicos produzem relações entre reforçadores, estímulos modelo e de escolha. Para investigar o efeito de conseqüências específicas sobre a leitura recombinativa, foi realizado um experimento com três grupos de quatro participantes, com idades entre 20 e 30 anos. Os objetivos foram verificar se sílabas, de palavras dissílabas, seriam relacionadas aos componentes das conseqüências e se estes componentes teriam efeitos sobre a leitura recombinativa. Treinou-se palavras orais dissílabas como modelo e impressas como estímulos de escolha. Foram apresentadas conseqüências específicas compostas por dois estímulos para os Grupos 1 e cada componente do estímulo da conseqüência correspondia a uma sílaba, podendo se constituir em um treino indireto de unidades menores. As conseqüências foram duas cores apresentadas no local dos estímulos de escolha para o Grupo 1 e duas figuras apresentadas no centro da tela para o Grupo 2. Os três grupos passaram por testes de leitura receptivo-auditiva e de comportamento textual. Os Grupos 1 e 2 também passaram por testes entre sílabas e cores, ou figuras. Os dados de cada participante foram analisados individualmente, e os resultados dos grupos foram comparados utilizando o teste de Mann-Whitney. Apesar de não ter havido significância estatística, os participantes do Grupo 1 cometeram menos erros nos treinos e nos testes de leitura receptivo-auditiva e de comportamento textual do que os outros grupos. Os participantes do Grupo 3 cometeram mais erros em todas as fases do experimento, em comparação aos outros grupos. Dois participantes do Grupo 1 e um participante do Grupo 2 desempenharam com mais de 93% de acertos nos testes entre componentes das conseqüências e sílabas. As conseqüências específicas tiveram pouco efeito positivo, ou nenhum, sobre o desempenho nos treinos e testes de leitura recombinativa. A maior efetividade das cores, em comparação com as figuras, em produzir relações entre conseqüências e estímulos modelo e de escolha pode estar ligada à sua proximidade espacial com os estímulos de escolha e/ou à sua maior simplicidade e facilidade de nomeação em comparação às figuras. O insucesso de alguns participantes em relacionar cores, ou figuras e sílabas pode ser decorrência da grande quantidade de relações requeridas pelo procedimento. Simplificações do procedimento realizadas com participantes com pouca experiência verbal podem esclarecer se o sucesso de alguns participantes nos testes com componentes das conseqüências são resultado de sua possível função reforçadora ou da capacidade dos participantes de nomear estímulos. / Recombinative reading is the ability of reading under the control of smaller verbal units. This phenomenon is investigated through the training, in MTS, of dictated and printed words; and tests of reading with new words. The results of these experiments had varied in the literature. The most effective procedures are those in which the smaller units are direct or indirect trained. Experiments in Equivalence have shown that specific outcomes produce relations among reinforcers, samples and choice stimuli. For investigating the effects of specific outcomes over recombinative reading, it was conduced an experiment with three groups of four participants, with ages varying from 20 to 30. The aims of the experiment were verifying if the syllables, of two-syllable words, would be related to the consequences components and the effects of the specific outcomes over the recombinative reading. The training was done between two-syllable dictated words as samples and printed words as choice stimuli. Specific consequences compounded by two stimuli were presented to Groups 1 and 2; each stimulus of the consequence was correspondent to a syllable, which could be an indirect training of smaller units. The consequences were two colors presented in the same place of the choice stimuli for Group 1, and two figures presented on the center of the screen for Group 2. The three groups were tested in auditory-receptive reading and textual behavior. Groups 1 and 2 were also tested in relations between the syllables and the consequences components. The data of each participant was individually analyzed, and comparisons among the results of each group were made through the Mann-Whitney test. Although there has not been occurred statically significant results, the participants of Group 1 were those who have made less mistakes than the other groups in training, auditory-receptive tests and textual behavior tests. The participants of Group 3 have made more mistakes in comparison with the other groups in all phases of the experiment. Two participants of Group 1 and one participant of Group 2 have performed with more than 93% of correct responses in tests between syllables and consequences components. The specific consequences have had little positive effect, or none, over the participants performances in training and recombinativa reading tests. The larger effectiveness of colors, in comparison with the figures in produce relations among the consequences components, samples and choice stimuli, could be connected with its proximity to the syllables, and/or with its higher simplicity and easiness of naming in comparison with the figures. The lack of success of some participants in relating colors or figures to syllables seems to be a consequence of the great amount of relations required by the procedure. Simplifications of the procedure executed with participants with little verbal experience could clarify if the success of some participants in tests with the consequences components were result of its possible reinforcer function or of the ability of the participants in naming stimuli.