This study is a discourse analysis of media representations of young people’s participation in the summer riots that spread across the UK in August 2011. Drawing on articles published in three UK newspapers The Guardian, The Daily Mail and The Sun this paper critically assesses the ways in which the media identified the behaviour of young people as symptomatic of a general moral decline in British society. Along with the media portrayal of children and young people during these events, the study also highlights the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as a further way of questioning the reporting practices of mainstream media. Articles 2, 12 and 13 will have specific focus in the study, in order to evaluate the media’s recurrent misrepresentation of young people’s participation in decision making on matters concerning their own wellbeing.

In this thesis, we present a new clustering algorithm we call <em>Significance Feature Clustering</em>, which is designed to cluster text documents. Its central premise is the mapping of raw frequency count vectors to discrete-valued significance vectors which contain values of -1, 0, or 1. These values represent whether a word is <em>significantly negative</em>, <em>neutral</em>, or <em>significantly positive</em>, respectively. Initially, standard tf-idf vectors are computed from raw frequency vectors, then these tf-idf vectors are transformed to significance vectors using a parameter alpha, where alpha controls the mapping -1, 0, or 1 for each vector entry. SFC clusters agglomeratively, with each document's significance vector representing a cluster of size one containing just the document, and iteratively merges the two clusters that exhibit the most similar average using cosine similarity. We show that by using a good alpha value, the significance vectors produced by SFC provide an accurate indication of which words are significant to which documents, as well as the type of significance, and therefore correspondingly yield a good clustering in terms of a well-known definition of clustering quality. We further demonstrate that a user need not manually select an alpha as we develop a new definition of clustering quality that is highly correlated with text clustering quality. Our metric extends the family of metrics known as <em>internal similarity</em>, so that it can be applied to a tree of clusters rather than a set, but it also factors in an aspect of recall that was absent from previous internal similarity metrics. Using this new definition of internal similarity, which we call <em>maximum tree internal similarity</em>, we show that a close to optimal text clustering may be picked from any number of clusterings created by different alpha's. The automatically selected clusterings have qualities that are close to that of a well-known and powerful hierarchical clustering algorithm.

This study examined teacher pedagogical content knowledge changes through a Middle School Mathematics Program professional development workshop, development of noticing use of student representations, and teacher changes in hypothetical learning trajectories due to noticed aspects of student representation corresponding to the hypothetical learning trajectory model. Using constant comparatives and repertory grid analysis, data was collected in two phases. Phase one, the teacher pre-test, occurred at the beginning of the summer of the 2003 professional development workshop. Phase two, the teacher post-test, occurred at the end of the workshop. Twenty-four teachers supplied data on pre- and post-tests during phases one and two. Eleven teachers were from Texas and 13 from Delaware. Six Texas and eight Delaware teachers worked with the algebraic expression concepts. Five Texas and five Delaware teachers worked with the equivalent fraction concepts. Four mathematics education researchers from Texas, three from Delaware, and two from the American Association for the Advancement of Science participated in facilitating the professional development. The results show that teacher pedagogical content knowledge changes with the help of a professional development partnership. The differences in knowledge can be measured with a hierarchal cluster analysis of the repertory grid by analyzing relationships between constructs and elements. Teacher hypothetical learning trajectories change depending on student representations of what they do and do not know about concepts. The study encourages teachers to use knowledge of students’ representation about a concept to determine what to teach next and how the concept should be taught. Teachers should use different types of representations including formal, imagistic, and action representations in teaching mathematical ideas. This will promote student development in all process standards including reasoning and proof, communication, problem solving, and connection. The findings suggest that teacher pedagogical content knowledge can be redefined during professional development partnerships. Furthermore, teachers’ knowledge of representation is varied and emphasis on the imagistic representation should be explored further. Finally, professional development models that facilitate how to extract what a student does and does not know based on representation, can be the basis for defining hypothetical learning trajectories.

<p>This thesis investigates the possibilities of explaining higher cognition as internal simulations of perception and action at an abstract level. Relatively recent findings in both neuroscience and psychology indicates that both perception and action can be internally simulated by activating sensory and motor areas in the brain in absence of sensory input and without any resulting overt behavior. An investigation was conducted in order to test the hypothesis that perception can be simulated in a mobile robot using abstractions. The result from this investigation showed that this was indeed the case but that the accuracy was limited. The simulations allowed the robot to anticipate long chains of future situations but were not good enough to support any overt behavior. To further improve the results there is a need for better training techniques and/or a more complex architecture.</p>

This study will look into to the concepts of Peripersonal Space, The Body Schema and The Body Image. It examines how the terms are typically used and describes the various views about the concepts found in the literature, as well as the contradictions between these views. In the section “The Difficulty to Differentiate the Concepts” the reader gets a deeper understanding of which criteria researchers use to differentiate the concepts from one another. The fact that there are changes in kineamethic model and sensation in humans when they are using a rake is proposed as support for the idea that also the body schema is involved in tool use. In differentiating the Body schema – Body Image from each other (and other types of body representation) we come to the conclusion that positive definitions about different representations is needed and that researchers should unite their views what the definitions should be. We also mention a problem based on the possibility on infinite body representations and a solution by a Bayesian model is proposed that looks at the input as well as the output in experiments.

Movement and memory are two of the most fundamental components of our existence. From the moment of birth, we rely on a variety of movements to interact with people and objects around us, and as we grow, we continuously form new motor memories to improve the fidelity of these interactions by exploring and learning more about our environment, especially in unfamiliar situations, ultimately becoming better equipped to handle novel and unknown environments. In this dissertation, we explore four facets of motor memory associated with voluntary movement and postural control in the upper limbs: (1) Optimal motor memory formation via sensorimotor integration. We ask whether the motor system combines prior memories with new sensory information to produce statistically-optimal weight estimates. We find that the weight estimate that the motor system makes in order to re-stabilize one’s arm posture when an object is rapidly removed from the hand that supports it, reflected information integration in a Bayesian, statistically-optimal fashion. Remarkably, we demonstrate that when experiencing the well-known size-weight illusion, the motor and perceptual system’s weight estimates are biased in opposite directions, suggesting two divergent modes for information integration within the central nervous system. (2) Movement features important for the learning and generalization of motor memories. We show that, velocity-dependent adaptation generalizes across different movements, even from discrete straight point-to-point to continuous circular movements, however the amount of generalization is limited and context-dependent. In a series of experiments, we quantified the contributions of different movement features to the elicited adaptation transfer. In particular, we show that other movement states (i.e. position and acceleration) make only minor contributions whereas, the contexts provided by movement geometry and movement continuity are critical. (3) Internal representation of motor memories in intrinsic-extrinsic coordinates. We show that motor memories are based not on fully intrinsic or extrinsic representations but on a gain-field (multiplicative) combination the two. This gain-field representation generalizes between actions by effectively computing movement similarity based on the Mahalanobis distance across both intrinsic and extrinsic coordinates, in line with neural recordings showing mixed intrinsic-extrinsic representations in motor and parietal cortices. (4) Motor memories with local and global generalization. We demonstrate the existence of two distinct components of motor memory displaying different generalization footprints: One generalizes only locally, around the trained movement direction and with the trained end-effector, whereas the other generalizes broadly across both., We proceed to show that broad generalization results from a rapidly-learning adaptive process, dominates on easier-to-learn tasks, and performs high-level processing, producing adaptation vectors that integrate multiple sources of information, in line with a recent theory for perceptual learning. / Engineering and Applied Sciences

To investigate the role of action representations in the identification of upright and rotated objects, we examined the time course of their evocation. Across five experiments, subjects made vertically or horizontally oriented reach and grasp actions primed by images of handled objects that were depicted in upright or rotated orientations, at various Stimulus Onset Asynchronies: -250 ms (action cue preceded the prime), 0 ms, and +250 ms. Congruency effects between action and object orientation were driven by the object's canonical (upright) orientation at the 0 ms SOA, but by its depicted orientation at the +250 ms SOA. Alignment effects between response hand and the object's handle appeared only at the +250 ms SOA, and were driven by the depicted orientation. Surprisingly, an attempt to replicate this finding with improved stimuli (Experiment 3) did not show significant congruency effects at the 0 ms SOA; a further examination of the 0 ms SOA in Experiments 4 and 5 also failed to reach significance. However, a meta-analysis of the latter three experiments showed evidence for the congruency effect, suggesting that the experiments might just have been underpowered. We conclude that subjects initially evoke a conceptually-driven motor representation of the object, and that only after some time can the depicted form become prominent enough to influence the elicited action representation. / Graduate / 0633 / ragavk@uvic.ca

Κύριος στόχος αυτής της διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η εξέταση της δυνατότητας δημιουργίας ενός project μικρής διάρκειας με την χρήση κατάλληλων μαθησιακών αντικειμένων, καθώς και η μελέτη των μαθησιακών αποτελεσμάτων του. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, αξιοποιήθηκε το ιστορικό πλαίσιο για την μέτρηση του χρόνου από το βιβλίο « Time for Science Education. How Teaching the History and Philosophy of pendulum Motion Can Contribute to Science Literacy» του Matthews M., σχετικά με τις εργασίες του Γαλιλαίου και του Χόιχενς πάνω στο απλό εκκρεμές και του Χουκ πάνω στο ελατήριο και κατασκευάσαμε δυo ιστορικές αφηγήσεις. Με βάση αυτές αναπτύχθηκαν δυο βίντεο με την βοήθεια του προγράμματος Microsoft Movie Maker, του λογισμικού ζωγραφικής και ηχογράφησης των windows, αντλώντας κείμενα και εικόνες από βιβλία, περιοδικά και άλλες διαδικτυακές πηγές. Ο διδακτικός σχεδιασμός του project, που περιλάμβανε μαθησιακά αντικείμενα, οδήγησε στη δημιουργία ενός δυναμικού περιβάλλοντος μάθησης. Βασίστηκε στην ιστορία της επιστήμης και αξιοποίησε τόσο την τεχνολογία, όσο και πραγματικές εργαστηριακές δραστηριότητες για την μελέτη των ταλαντώσεων. Υιοθετήθηκε μια εξερευνητική αρχιτεκτονική σχεδιασμού, η οποία εστιάζει στην εμπλοκή των μαθητών μέσω διαδικασιών αναζήτησης, εφαρμόζοντας τις αρχές και τα στάδια της Συνεργατικής Έρευνας Δράσης. Σε όλη την διαδικασία εφαρμογής του project, ακολουθήσαμε τις αρχές της θεωρίας του Κοινωνικού Εποικοδομισμού (social constructivism) σε συνδυασμό με τις αρχές της βιωματικής διδασκαλίας. Η υλοποίησή του project έγινε σε σχολικές τάξεις Γ’ γυμνασίου αποτελούμενες από 66 μαθητές, ηλικίας 14-16 ετών που συμμετείχε κατά κανόνα στις μαθησιακές δραστηριότητες. Ποικίλα δεδομένα συλλέχτηκαν τόσο μέσα από παρατήρηση και φύλλα εργασίας, πριν και μετά τη διδασκαλία, όσο και μέσα από μαγνητοφωνήσεις συζητήσεων στις ομάδες. Υιοθετήθηκε η επαγωγική ανάλυση δεδομένων και τόσο κατά την ανάλυση, όσο και για την παρουσίαση, χρησιμοποιήθηκε η τεχνική των συστημικών δικτύων. Η ανάλυση έγινε σε έναν αριθμό ερωτημάτων που απάντησαν οι μαθητές. Πίνακες και γραφήματα παρουσιάζουν συγκεντρωτικά τα ευρήματα της μελέτης. Η υλοποίηση του project με τα μαθησιακά αντικείμενα που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν, τα ιστορικά βίντεο, το applet, οι συσκευές και τα όργανα του πραγματικού εργαστηρίου και τα φύλλα εργασίας που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν, φαίνεται ότι προκάλεσε το ενδιαφέρον των μαθητών και οδήγησε στην αποτελεσματική εμπλοκή με τις δραστηριότητες. Οι μαθητές μέσα στο ιστορικό πλαίσιο ήρθαν σε επαφή με τους προβληματισμούς ιστορικών προσώπων, όπως του Γαλιλαίου και του Hooke, σχεδίασαν και στη συνέχεια μελέτησαν τις ταλαντώσεις και τις εμπλεκόμενες παραμέτρους και με πραγματικές εργαστηριακές δραστηριότητες και με προσομοιώσεις τύπου applet. Οι διάφορες πλευρές στις απαντήσεις τους αποκαλύπτουν ότι οι μαθητές κατά την προσωπική εμπλοκή τους εμβάθυναν στην μελέτη των φαινομένων και τα μαθησιακά αποτελέσματα κρίνονται ως ικανοποιητικά Η ανταπόκριση των μαθητών στις διάφορες φάσεις του project συνηγορεί στη συμβολή της βιωματικής διδακτικής προσέγγισης στην αύξηση των κινήτρων των μαθητών για πειραματική διερεύνηση και αναζήτηση της επιστημονικής γνώσης. Οι εμπειρίες και τα ευρήματα της μελέτης αυτής αναδεικνύουν την αξία ανάπτυξης μικρών project στο πλαίσιο των διδακτικών ενοτήτων με μαθησιακούς στόχους. Η αξιοποίηση της ιστορίας και οι αφηγηματικές μορφές διδασκαλίας δίνουν τη δυνατότητα για δημιουργία αυθεντικών πλαισίων μάθησης και λειτουργούν ως κίνητρα για προσωπική εμπλοκή των μαθητών, για ομαδική συνεργασία και ενασχόλησή τους με επιστημονικές πτυχές, σημαντικές στην κατανόηση του θεματικού πεδίου. / --

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With the implementation of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in over forty states, teachers are putting into practice the CCSS text exemplars of text complexity. Of particular concern for the purpose of this research are the kindergarten and first grade (K-1) read aloud and independent text exemplar lists. While not intended as core reading lists, many schools are using these lists as mandated texts. A fundamental goal of primary school education is to help facilitate readers and one way is through the use of interesting and engaging books to motivate students as readers. At the initial stage of the reading process, selecting quality books for a specific group of students or an individual student constitutes an important aspect in engaging young readers. When a story provides a young reader with a material that encourages connections, their motivation to read increases. Research shows that motivation to read increases if a student identifies with elements of the story such as the characters or the setting. This research takes a close look at the kindergarten and first grade read aloud and independent texts through both a descriptive and a critical analysis to evaluate power dynamics and representations in the texts. The research questions used for this research were: (1) What are the characteristics of the CCSS K-1 text exemplars? and (2) What representations of people of color and women are present in the CCSS K-1 exemplars? The first research question was answered with information gathered from the descriptive analysis. The second question was primarily answered with information gathered from the critical analysis though the descriptive analysis also provided insight. Findings from the analyses provided data when viewed collectively that have implications for teacher educators, classroom teachers, and policy makers.