Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Monica Lemos.pdf: 2091228 bytes, checksum: c9a407360d1d6e0e1646b3597a1d962e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-10-31 / The focus of this study is a research entitled: The Remedial work activity at São Paulo s public school as a space for citizenship construction which had as the main objective to contribute with teachers from a São Paulo public shool to reflect upon the spaces they promote for citizenship in a students´s formation space. Taking into consideration citizens awareness in their actions, through proposed tasks and the discussions promoted in formation spaces. The research had the aim at discussing how this remidial work activity was organized as a citizenship space for the public school students. From a Socio Historical Cultural Activity Theory - SHCAT (Vygotsky, 2000/1934, Leontiev, 2003/1977 and Engestöm,1999), Citizenship as a Legal Condition and Desirible Activity (Wayne, N. & Kymlicka, W. 1997) and Critical Thinking (Brookfield and Preskill, 1987 & Brookfield, 1999), I had as action project to discuss the didatic tasks proposed by the teacher. From the same theoretical approach, I analised the discursive spaces promoted by the teacher through discussions during the tasks. This research is inserted in a critical perpsective and adopts a collaborative posture (Magalhães, 1994 and Liberali & Liberali, 2001) in the whole work development. The data was collected in a São Paulo public school teaching formation Program entitled Citizen Action. More specifically, during both 2004 semesters in a public school in Carapicuiba, a city placed in the sorroundings of São Paulo. There were eight classes recorded and three of them were analized and discussed. The context of production and thematic content analizys (Bronckart, 1997) had the objective of verifying which object was constructed during the data collection period and how this object relates with the critical citizenship concept. The three classes analized interpretation shows that the themes were conducted to colaborate with more participative citizens in the classroom operations / Este trabalho tem como foco apresentar uma pesquisa denominada: A atividade de reforço na escola pública como espaço para construção da cidadania que visou contribuir com professores de uma escola pública estadual a refletirem a respeito dos espaços que promovem em sala de aula para a formação de cidadãos mais conscientes. A pesquisa teve por objetivo discutir como essa atividade de reforço se organizou como espaço de formação cidadã para os alunos. Partindo das perspectivas: da Teoria da Atividade Sócio Histórico Cultural - TASHC (Vygotsky, 2000/1934, Leontiev, 2003/1977 e Engestöm,1999), de Cidadania como Condição Legal e Atividade Desejável (Gentili2001) e de Pensamento Crítico (Brookfield e Preskill, 1987 & 1999), tive como projeto de ação discutir as tarefas didáticas propostas pela professora. A partir do mesmo arcabouço, investiguei que espaços discursivos a professora promoveu através das discussões utilizadas no decorrer dessas tarefas. Esta pesquisa se enquadra em uma perspectiva crítica e adota uma postura Colaborativa (Magalhães, 1994 e Liberali & Liberali, 2001) na condução de todo o trabalho. Os dados foram coletados no contexto de um Programa de formação de educadores de escolas públicas do estado de São Paulo denominado Ação Cidadã. Mais particularmente, no primeiro e segundo semestres de 2004 em uma escola da rede pública localizada no município de Carapicuíba, grande São Paulo, foram coletadas oito aulas sendo utilizadas três aulas para análise e discussão. A análise do Contexto de Produção e do Conteúdo Temático (Bronckart, 1997) foi realizada com o objetivo de verificar qual objeto foi construído ao longo do período de coleta e como esse objeto se relaciona com o conceito de cidadania crítica. A interpretação das aulas analisadas mostra que a transformação dos temas foram conduzidos de forma a colaborar para a formação de cidadãos mais participativos nas operações de sala de aula

The aim of this dissertation is to increase understanding of being a pupil in a remedial class. The thesis is based on interviews, questionnaires, and observations and includes parents, teachers, and pupils in ten remedial classes. Fifty-five percent of the studied pupils had no specific diagnosis. The thesis is based on five articles emanating from the interdisciplinary BASTA project (Basic skills, social interaction and training of the working memory). Article I focuses on self-concept, with a rating scale completed by the children. In Article II ethical issues related to the methodology of interviewing children are stressed. Article III focuses on teaching children in remedial classes, and is based on questionnaires completed by teachers and parents. Article IV is based on interviews with pupils. Article V is based on interviews with teachers and on classroom observations, and highlights the classroom climate. The theoretical approach used is a sociocultural perspective. From this perspective, learning is seen as becoming involved in different discourses, where interaction is seen as part of learning and development. The results of the thesis show that the pupils become bearers of the school’s perspective and blame the referral to remedial class on shortcomings in themselves. In transferring to the remedial class the pupils can lose their friends. Factors that reinforce this construction are the structured teaching and organisation of the classroom. These may hinder the pupils both in terms of friendship and of learning of subject knowledge. The main result is, however, that what the pupils in remedial classes primarily learn is to be pupils in remedial classes.

The purpose of this study was not to disprove the effects of the current, common remedial literacy course design and the literacy practices within that help adolescent RLLs pass statewide assessment tests, but to describe the potential long-term impact of an innovative comprehensive approach to literacy (CAL) framed through an integrated course design model. In this study I sought to determine if the 2012 CAL design with a particular demographic of student produced "significant" or lasting learning as defined by Fink (2003). In other words, did the 2012 CAL design promote sustained or increased practices of literacy and PYD over time with adolescent remedial literacy learners? Findings were documented through the participants' voices one year after participation in the CAL design. These findings demonstrate metadiscursivity with literacy and personal development in all six of Fink's taxa, thus indicating the design produced significant learning as defined by Fink (2003). All four participants demonstrated evidence of sustained or increased growth in their awareness of their learning practices and purposes, as well as their personal development. A major conclusion of this study was that remedial literacy educators and policy makers who impact the current remedial curriculum designs in secondary schools can no longer assume that students who enter the secondary remedial classroom with a deficiency in literacy do not have the potential for academic success and personal growth. Findings from this study demonstrate that this demographic of student can move from a negative to a positive trajectory and come to see themselves as successful and thriving individuals.

The purpose of this study was to examine the predictive validity of several variables to determine if the Florida Computerized Placement Test - Reading (CPT-R) score alone, or other variables, could determine whether or not a student would successfully pass the highest level college preparatory reading course. The study examined fall sessions 1997-2004 (n=276,079) reading scores for all forms of the CPT to determine at what standard deviation below the cutoff score of 83 a student could still successfully complete the highest level college preparatory reading course. According to the College Board, the 83 scaled score, which exempts a student from taking the reading course, equates to approximately a 70% on the paper/pencil version of the test, yet the study revealed that a scaled score of 64 was the average score for fall sessions 1997-2004, which according to previous studies equates to 9/10th reading grade level on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (Napoli & Raymond, 1998). In addition, the most frequently obtained scaled score was 75 for fall sessions 1997-2004, which equates to an 11th grade reading level on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test; however, the results of this study showed only 61% (49, 281 out of 79,167) of the upper quartile of students (scaled scores >74) passed the highest level college preparatory reading course. Although a statistically significant relationship was found between the entry test and successful completion of the highest level college preparatory reading course, the relationship was small, and therefore does not provide very good predictive validity. Interestingly, the study revealed that students who were exempt from the reading course, and still enrolled in the course, did not have higher passing rates in the course. In addition, students with higher placement scores did not have significantly higher passing rates in the reading course than students with lower placement scores. In fact, students with the lowest scaled scores of 11-20 had the highest percentage of successfully completing the highest level college preparatory reading course.The placement test scores in reading indicate a large number of students entering Florida's community colleges are not prepared for college-level courses. In addition, the results of this study indicated that the placement test did very little to discriminate between levels of students' actual reading abilities and predict which students will ultimately pass required remedial/developmental reading classes. Although many first-time-in-college students are not recent high school graduates, high schools should be required to include reading as part of the core curriculum, separate and distinct from the language arts courses.Teachers, credentialed in reading, should be teaching reading courses in all four years of high school. Diagnostic testing and year-end testing should occur each year to chart a student's progress for all four years of high school. In addition, Florida's college entrance reading placement test should be revised so that it provides a comprehensive measurement of college-level reading skills.

M. Tech. Education / Given the challenges of shortage of skills as informed by low performance in Grade 12 Mathematics, it seemed appropriate that a study on factors behind poor performance in Mathematics amongst grade 12 learners be undertaken. The study explored various factors that contribute to poor performance of learners in Mathematics in grade 12.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Education

The chemical and physical processes controlling contaminant fate and transport in the vadose zone limit the options for application of many remedial technologies. Foam delivery technology (FDT) has been developed as a potential solution to overcome these limitations for remediating subsurface and deep vadose zone environments using reactive amendments. Although there are many advantages to utilizing FDT for treatment in the deep vadose zone, little information is available on how the addition of these surfactants and remedial amendments affect the indigenous microbial communities in the deep vadose zone as well as the impact of biological transformations of surfactant-based foams on remediation efforts. The purpose of this study was to develop a rapid method for assessment of microbial communities in contaminated subsurface environments. This research was divided into two phases: (1) assess the toxicity of proposed FDT components on a single bacterial species, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1; and (2) determine the effects of these components on a microbial community from the vadose zone. In Phase I, S. oneidensis MR-1 was exposed to proposed FDT components to assess potential growth inhibition or stimulation caused by these chemicals. S. oneidensis MR-1 cultures were exposed to the surfactants sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), and NINOL 40-CO, and the remedial amendment, calcium polysulfide (CPS). Results from this phase revealed that the relative acute toxicity order for these compounds was SDS>>CPS>>NINOL40-CO>SLES≥CAPB. High concentrations of SDS were toxic to the growth of S. oneidensis MR-1 but low concentrations were stimulatory. This benchtop system provided a capability to assess adverse microbial-remediation responses and contributed to the development of in situ remedial chemistries before they are deployed in the field. For Phase II, sediments from the BC Cribs and Trenches (BCCT) area of the Hanford Site, WA, were characterized before and after exposure to potential FDT components. First, the phylogenetic and metabolic diversity of sediment from the BCCT was assessed by sequencing the microbial community and measuring the metabolic activity. The sediment was also incubated with various concentrations of SDS, CAPB, and CPS. Phylogenetic analysis detected phylotypes from the Alpha-, Beta-, Delta-, and Gammaproteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Unlike the S. oneidensis MR-1 studies conducted in Phase I, the surfactants and CPS stimulated the metabolic activity of the native microbial communities. The observed stimulation could be caused by sorption of the chemicals to the sediment particles, or utilization of the surfactants by the microbial communities. These findings emphasize the importance of monitoring microbial activity at remediation sites in order to determine short and long term efficacy of the treatment, compliance with regulatory mandates, and act as an early warning indicator of unintended changes to the subsurface.

No description available.

Genetics has been identified as a subject area which many students find difficult to comprehend. The researcher, who is also a lecturer at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, had noted over a number of years that students find the field of quantitative genetics particularly challenging. The aim of this investigation was two-fold. Firstly, during the diagnostic phase of the investigation, to obtain empirical evidence on the nature of difficulties and alternative conceptions that may be experienced by some students in the context of quantitative genetics. Secondly, to develop, implement and assess an intervention during the remediation phase of the study which could address the identified difficulties and alternative conceptions. The research was conducted from a human constructivist perspective using an action research approach. A mixed-method, pragmatic paradigm was employed. The study was conducted at the University of KwaZulu-Natal over four years and involved third-year students studying introductory modules in quantitative genetics. Empirical evidence of students' conceptual frameworks, student difficulties and alternative conceptions was obtained during the diagnostic phase using five research instruments. These included: free-response probes, multiple-choice diagnostic tests, student-generated concept maps, a word association study and student interviews. Data were collected, at the start and completion of the modules, to ascertain the status of students' prior knowledge (prior knowledge concepts), and what they had learnt during the teaching of the module (quantitative genetics concepts). Student-generated concept maps and student interviews were used to determine whether students were able to integrate their knowledge and link key concepts of quantitative genetics. This initial analysis indicated that many students had difficulty integrating their knowledge of variance and heritability, and could not apply their knowledge of quantitative genetics to the solution of practical problems. Multiple-choice diagnostic tests and interviews with selected students were used to gather data on student difficulties and alternative conceptions. The results suggested that students held five primary difficulties or alternative conceptions with respect to prior knowledge concepts: (1) confusion between the terms variation and variance; (2) inappropriate association of heterozygosity with variation in a population; (3) inappropriate association of variation with change; (4) inappropriate association of equilibrium with inbred populations and with values of zero and one; and, (5) difficulty relating descriptive statistics to graphs of a normal distribution. Furthermore, three major difficulties were detected with respect to students understanding of quantitative genetics concepts: (1) students frequently confused individual and population measures such as breeding value and heritability; (2) students confused the terms heritability and inheritance; and, (3) students were not able to link descriptive statistics such as variance and heritability to histograms. Students found the concepts of variance and heritability to be particularly challenging. A synthesis of the results obtained from the diagnostic phase indicated that many of the difficulties and alternative conceptions noted were due to confusion between certain terms and topics and that students had difficulty with the construction and interpretation of histograms. These results were used to develop a model of the possible source of students' difficulties. It was hypothesized and found that the sequence in which concepts are introduced to students at many South African universities could be responsible for difficulties and alternative conceptions identified during the study, particularly the inappropriate association of terms or topics. An intervention was developed to address the identified difficulties and alternative conceptions. This intervention consisted of a series of computer-based tutorials and concept mapping exercises. The intervention was then implemented throughout a third year introductory module in quantitative genetics. The effectiveness of the intervention was assessed using the multiple-choice diagnostic tests and interview protocols developed during the diagnostic phase. The knowledge of the student group who participated in the intervention (test group) was compared against a student group from the previous year that had only been exposed to conventional teaching strategies (control group). t-tests, an analysis of covariance and a regression analysis all indicated that the intervention had been effective. Furthermore, an inductive analysis of the student responses indicted that most students understanding of the concepts of variance, heritability and histograms was greatly improved. The concept maps generated by students during the remediation phase, and data from the student interviews, provided an indication of the nature and extent of the conceptual change which had occurred during the teaching of the module. The results showed that most of the conceptual change could be classified as conceptual development or conceptual capture and not conceptual exchange. Furthermore, it seemed that conceptual change had occurred when considered from an epistemological, ontological and affective perspective, with most students indicating that they felt they had benefited from all aspects of the intervention. The findings of this research strongly suggest an urgent need to redesign quantitative genetics course curricula. Cognisance should be taken of both the sequence and the manner in which key concepts are taught in order to enhance students' understanding of this highly cognitively demanding area of genetics. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

The present study investigated the neuropsychological predictors of auditory/verbal and visual/written arithmetic performance in a large sample of children with learning disorders. In addition, the efficacy of a cognitive based arithmetic problem solving model (Dinnel, Glover, & Halpain, in press; Dinnel, Glover, & Ronning, 1984) in accounting for neuropsychological functioning in arithmetic performance was considered. Subjects were from a small midwestern school district, and were identified as learning disabled in accord with state (i.e., Rule S-1) and federal guidelines (i.e., PL-94-142). Specifically, subjects' scores on the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery (HRNB) (Reitan, 1969) for older children and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) (Wechsler, 1974) were used to predict performance on the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) Arithmetic subtest, and WISC-R Arithmetic subtest. Analyses were conducted with criterion measures considered separately and as a composite. In an attempt to examine the utility of the Dinnel et al., (in press; 1984) model, a simple index was formed using the criterion measures. This index was then predicted using the HRNB and WISC-R variables. Neuropsychological variables were found to account for some 31%, and 36% of the variability in visual/written and auditory/verbal arithmetic performance, respectively. However, neuropsychological variables accounted for some 87% of the shared variance when arithmetic measures were considered as a linear composite. Neuropsychological variables predicted a mere 12% of the variability associated with the index designed to test the Dinnel et al. (in press; 1984) arithmetic problem solving model. These data offered some support to Dinnel and others' (Dinnel et al., in press; 1984) formulations accounting for arithmetic performance under visual/stimulus conditions. However, the present findings indicated a more complex neuropsychological underpinning for overall arithmetic problem solving. Moreover, the neuropsychological constructs predicting arithmetic scores varied as a function of the stimulus/performance modes required for problem solving.Auditory-verbal attention and short-term memory, remote verbal memory, symbolic language integration, mental flexibility, and nonverbal abstract reasoning were the common neuropsychological constructs underpinning both auditory/verbal and visual/written arithmetic performance. Verbal facility, verbal abstract reasoning, nonverbal short term memory, and nonverbal concrete concept formation were uniquely implicated in auditory/verbal arithmetic performance. Visual/written arithmetic performance was uniquely related to nonverbal attention and intermediate nonverbal memory functions. In overview, it would seem that neuropsychological measures would be clinically useful in identifying deficits underlying poor arithmetic performance. / Department of Educational Psychology