The article deals with a special kind of modelling tass. These problems are used for learning and researching as well. So the results of an empirical study on mathematical modelling of pupils in secondary schools are presented. Pupils of forms 8-10 were observed working on open, realistic problems. These observations were recorded and evaluated. The goal of the presented part of the study is a detailed look at the control processes of modelling problems. In this context changes between real life control and mathematical control during the control phases are studied and evaluated. We describe in detail the sub phases of controlling and explain their connection with modelling process. The problems used in this project can also be used in math lessons, so this kind of research can put teachers and researchers together. These tasks are suitable to support ongoing in-service development and teacher education.

The study aimed to find out and compare what skills and task-types that could be found in two workbooks for the ninth grade in English as a second language in Sweden. The research was conducted using a quantitative content and text analysis in order to compare two workbooks and categorize their tasks into production and interaction skills and task-types. The workbooks were chosen as they were the latest editions at the time. The study showed that both workbooks prioritized production and interaction skills. Both had a low focus on speaking skills but Sparks 9 had more integrated skills in tasks. Wings 9 had a major focus on writing skills and grammar. Both workbooks focused on comparing, problem solving, listing and sorting and ordering task-types. Task-types such as creative tasks and sharing personal experience were low in both workbooks but Sparks 9 had a better overall spread of all task-types in general. The understanding that tasks incorporate much more than simply goals to achieve could potentially be used in a practical teaching environment by adapting tasks to fit students´ different needs.

Den pågående digitaliseringen genomsyrar flera av samhällets olika yrkesområden och där dess inverkan inom redovisningsbranschen är påtaglig. Tidigare forskning menar att de större förändringarna har skett inom det senaste decenniet och efterfrågar därmed fler kvalitativa studier som berör området redovisningsekonomer och hur de uppfattar digitaliseringen i sin yrkesroll. Studien ämnar därmed att undersöka hur digitaliseringen påverkar svenska redovisningsekonomers arbetsmoment och vilken inverkan detta har på yrkesrollen. För att besvara syftet har en kvalitativ metod tillämpats i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer där urvalet bestod av sex redovisningsekonomer verksamma inom mindre redovisningsbyråer och företag. Det teoretiska ramverket som har använts grundar sig på Knudsens (2020) studie och hans fyra beståndsdelar som enligt honom utgör redovisning. Det teoretiska ramverket heter Modified framework for research on accounting. Studiens resultat påvisade att digitaliseringen har bidragit till att arbetsmoment kan utföras mer effektivt som därmed har lett till en förändrad yrkesroll. De traditionella arbetsmomenten går snabbare att utföra så att redovisningsekonomer numera kan ägna mer tid åt kvalificerade arbetsmoment som är mer värdeskapande. Andra faktorer som bidrar till en förändrad yrkesroll är att de upplever en högre efterfrågan av digitala kunskaper från både branschen och kunder. Dessa är bidragande faktorer till att de numera beskriver sin yrkesroll mer som rådgivare alternativt systemvetare. Effektiviseringsmöjligheter är inte ett unikt resultat för denna studie då effektivitet är i likhet med vad många andra forskare redan kommit fram till. Digitaliseringen är en pågående process som öppnar upp för just effektivisering, nya möjligheter och utmaningar samt mål, där redovisningsekonomer måste lära sig att navigera bland dessa. Vårt teoretiska bidrag blir således att det blir svårt att prata om redovisningsekonomen i singular med anledning av att redovisningsekonomer anammar digitaliseringen på olika sätt som därmed får en varierad inverkan på yrkesrollen. För en fortsatt konkurrenskraft i branschen kan redovisningsekonomer dock inte bortse från digitaliseringen. / The ongoing digitalization permeates several occupations within the society, where its impact within the accounting sector is palpable. Earlier research suggests that major changes have taken place in the last decade and are calling for more qualitative studies connected to the role of the accountant and how they perceive digitalization within their profession. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate how the digitalization affects Swedish accountants’ work tasks and what the role this plays in their occupational role. To answer the purpose, a qualitative method has been applied in the form of semi-structured interviews, where the selection consisted of six accountants, operating in small-sized accounting firms and companies. The theoretical foundational framework is built on Knudsen’s (2020) study and the four keycomponents that, according to him, constitute accounting. The name of the theoretical framework is Modified framework for research on accounting. The result of the study showed that the digitalization has contributed to the fact that tasks can be executed with more efficiency, leading to the change of the role of the accountant. The traditional tasks are quicker to perform so that the accountant can devote more time to more skilled tasks, creating more value in their role. Other factors contributing to a change of the role are that the accountants are experiencing a higher demand for digital literacy, both from the sector and clients alike. These are contributing factors to the fact that they nowadays describe their professional role lean more of business consultants or systems engineers. However, efficiency is not an exceptional result for this study as it is similar to what many other researchers have already concluded. Digitalization is an ongoing process that opens up for efficiency, new opportunities and challenges, and goals, where accounting economists must learn to navigate among these. Our theoretical contribution is the difficulty in terms of talking about the accounting economist in a singular form since accounting economists adopt digitalization in different ways which have a varying impact on the professional role. For continued competitiveness in the industry, accounting economists can thus not ignore digitalization.

In parallelen Anwendungen, die auf Grundlage des Programmiermodells der gemischten Parallelität implementiert wurden, lassen sich meist unabhängige Programmteile (Tasks) identifizieren, die sowohl parallel zueinander als auch selbst parallel ausgeführt werden können. Zur Reduzierung der Ausführungszeit solcher Anwendungen auf einem parallelen System wird eine zeitliche und räumliche Zuordnung dieser parallelen Tasks zu den Prozessoren benötigt, welche mithilfe von Schedulingverfahren ermittelt werden kann. Jedoch ist bereits das Scheduling voneinander abhängiger Single-Prozessor-Tasks auf ein paralleles System mit zwei Prozessoren NP-schwer, weshalb zur Lösung von Schedulingproblemen häufig List-Scheduling-Heuristiken verwendet werden. Das Scheduling unabhängiger paralleler Tasks ist aufgrund der vielen zusätzlichen Zuordnungsmöglichkeiten deutlich komplexer und erfordert daher dedizierte Lösungsverfahren. Einen vielversprechenden Ansatz zur Lösung komplexer Schedulingprobleme bilden suchbasierte Verfahren, die lokale oder globale Suchstrategien zur Lösungsfindung nutzen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wird untersucht, inwieweit sich derartige Verfahren für das Scheduling unabhängiger paralleler Tasks auf heterogene Systeme bestehend aus Multicore- Rechnern mit unterschiedlichen Eigenschaften eignen. Zu diesem Zweck werden vier suchbasierte Schedulingverfahren entwickelt und untersucht. Konkret werden zwei modifizierende und zwei inkrementelle Verfahren vorgestellt, die von Suchverfahren wie der A*-Suche und Metaheuristiken wie der Tabu-Suche und des Simulated Annealing inspiriert sind. Zusätzlich wird eine Kostenmodellierung in Form von parametrisierten Laufzeitformeln präsentiert, mit der die Ausführungszeiten der parallelen Tasks auf heterogenen Systemen modelliert werden können. Die Verfahren werden in Laufzeitmessungen auf heterogenen Rechnerplattformen untereinander und mit existierenden List-Scheduling-Heuristiken verglichen. Als Anwendungen für die Messungen werden sowohl Programme der SPLASH-3-Benchmark-Suite als auch eine praxisnahe Simulationsanwendung zur Bauteilbelastung untersucht. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass alle vier Verfahren im Vergleich zu existierenden List-Scheduling-Heuristiken eine signifikante Reduktion der Ausführungszeit erreichen können.

Today's society is multicultural which means that also our classrooms are multicultural. The teaching must then be designed so that all pupils can develop as far as possible, which is expressed in the curriculum. The purpose of this study is therefore to investigate how Swedish teachers work with language development in the mathematics subject, to support these multilingual students’ knowledge development to the maximum.This study has a qualitative approach as it is based on semi-structured interviews. A total of four teachers participated and were thus able to give their picture of how they work with language development in mathematics. The results of the study indicate a large divergence between the teachers' ways of working, relating to multilingual classrooms, and language development work. In addition, some aspects are more crucial to the development of languages and knowledge for multilingual students. This includes collaborative work where language has a central role in which students get to talk, reason, and communicate mathematics with others. Other key strategies that emerge are reality anchoring, customized tasks, and multilingualism as a resource. The work is analyzed in relation to theories of socio-cultural learning and pragmatism.

South Africa is the first country in the world to offer Mathematical Literacy as a school subject. This subject was introduced in 2006 as an alternative to Mathematics in the Further Education and Training band. The purpose of this subject is to provide learners with an awareness and understanding of the role that mathematics plays in the modern world, but also with opportunities to engage in real-life problems in different contexts. A problem is the beliefs some people in and outside the classroom have regarding this subject such as teachers believing ML is the dumping ground for mathematics underperformers (Mbekwa, 2007). Another problem is the belief of some principals that any nonmathematics teacher can teach ML. In practice there is Mathematics teachers who teach ML in the same way that they teach Mathematics; non-Mathematics teachers who in many cases lack the necessary mathematical content knowledge and skills to teach ML competently; and Mathematics teachers who adapted their practices to teach ML using different approaches than those required for teaching Mathematics. Limited in-depth research has been done on the ML teachers, what they believe and what knowledge is required to teach this subject effectively and proficiently. The purpose of this study is to investigate the way in which ML is taught in a limited number of classrooms with the view to exploring the relationship between ML teachers’ knowledge and beliefs and their instructional practices. According to Artzt, Armour-Thomas and Curcio (2008) the instructional practice of the teacher plays out in the classroom where teachers’ goals, knowledge and beliefs serve as the driving force behind their instructional efforts to guide and mentor learners in their search for knowledge. To accomplish this aim, an in-depth case study was conducted to explore the nature of teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about ML as manifested in their instructional practices. A qualitative research approach was used in which observations and interviews served as data collection techniques enabling me to interpret the reality as I became part of the lives of the teachers. My study revealed that there is a dynamic but complex relationship between ML teachers’ knowledge and beliefs and their instructional practices. The teachers’ knowledge, but not their stated beliefs were reflected in their instructional practices. Conversely, in one case, the teacher’s instructional practice also had a positive influence on her knowledge and beliefs. It was further revealed that mathematics teacher training and teaching experience played a significant role in the productivity of the teachers’ practices. The findings suggest that although mathematical content knowledge is required to develop PCK, it is teaching experience that plays a crucial role in the development of teachers’ PCK. Although the study’s results cannot be generalised due to the small sample, I believe that the findings concerning the value of teachers’ knowledge and the contradictions between their stated beliefs and practices could possibly contribute to teacher training. Curriculum decision-makers should realise that the teaching of ML requires specially trained, competent, dedicated teachers who value the subject. This exploratory study concludes with recommendations for further research. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

Ce travail de thèse de doctorat est dédié à l'étude d'un problème de placement de tâches dans le domaine de la compilation d'applications pour des architectures massivement parallèles. Ce problème vient en réponse à certains besoins industriels tels que l'économie d'énergie, la demande de performances pour les applications de type flots de données synchrones. Ce problème de placement doit être résolu dans le respect de trois critères: les algorithmes doivent être capable de traiter des applications de tailles variables, ils doivent répondre aux contraintes de capacités des processeurs et prendre en compte la topologie des architectures cibles. Dans cette thèse, les tâches sont organisées en réseaux de communication, modélisés sous forme de graphes. Pour évaluer la qualité des solutions produites par les algorithmes, les placements obtenus sont comparés avec un placement aléatoire. Cette comparaison sert de métrique d'évaluation des placements des différentes méthodes proposées. Afin de résoudre à ce problème, deux algorithmes de placement de réseaux de tâches de grande taille sur des architectures clusterisées de processeurs de type many-coeurs ont été développés. Ils s'appliquent dans des cas où les poids des tâches et des arêtes sont unitaires. Le premier algorithme, nommé Task-wise Placement, place les tâches une par une en se servant d'une notion d'affinité entre les tâches. Le second, intitulé Subgraph-wise Placement, rassemble les tâches en groupes puis place les groupes de tâches sur les processeurs en se servant d'une relation d'affinité entre les groupes et les tâches déjà affectées. Ces algorithmes ont été testés sur des graphes, représentants des applications, possédant des topologies de types grilles ou de réseaux de portes logiques. Les résultats des placements sont comparés avec un algorithme de placement, présent dans la littérature qui place des graphes de tailles modérée et ce à l'aide de la métrique définie précédemment. Les cas d'application des algorithmes de placement sont ensuite orientés vers des graphes dans lesquels les poids des tâches et des arêtes sont variables similairement aux valeurs qu'on peut retrouver dans des cas industriels. Une heuristique de construction progressive basée sur la théorie des jeux a été développée. Cet algorithme, nommé Regret Based Approach, place les tâches une par une. Le coût de placement de chaque tâche en fonction des autres tâches déjà placées est calculée. La phase de sélection de la tâche se base sur une notion de regret présente dans la théorie des jeux. La tâche qu'on regrettera le plus de ne pas avoir placée est déterminée et placée en priorité. Afin de vérifier la robustesse de l'algorithme, différents types de graphes de tâches (grilles, logic gate networks, series-parallèles, aléatoires, matrices creuses) de tailles variables ont été générés. Les poids des tâches et des arêtes ont été générés aléatoirement en utilisant une loi bimodale paramétrée de manière à obtenir des valeurs similaires à celles des applications industrielles. Les résultats de l'algorithme ont également été comparés avec l'algorithme Task-Wise Placement, qui a été spécialement adapté pour les valeurs non unitaires. Les résultats sont également évalués en utilisant la métrique de placement aléatoire. / This Ph.D thesis is devoted to the study of the mapping problem related to massively parallel embedded architectures. This problem arises from industrial needs like energy savings, performance demands for synchronous dataflow applications. This problem has to be solved considering three criteria: heuristics should be able to deal with applications with various sizes, they must meet the constraints of capacities of processors and they have to take into account the target architecture topologies. In this thesis, tasks are organized in communication networks, modeled as graphs. In order to determine a way of evaluating the efficiency of the developed heuristics, mappings, obtained by the heuristics, are compared to a random mapping. This comparison is used as an evaluation metric throughout this thesis. The existence of this metric is motivated by the fact that no comparative heuristics can be found in the literature at the time of writing of this thesis. In order to address this problem, two heuristics are proposed. They are able to solve a dataflow process network mapping problem, where a network of communicating tasks is placed into a set of processors with limited resource capacities, while minimizing the overall communication bandwidth between processors. They are applied on task graphs where weights of tasks and edges are unitary set. The first heuristic, denoted as Task-wise Placement, places tasks one after another using a notion of task affinities. The second algorithm, named Subgraph-wise Placement, gathers tasks in small groups then place the different groups on processors using a notion of affinities between groups and processors. These algorithms are tested on tasks graphs with grid or logic gates network topologies. Obtained results are then compared to an algorithm present in the literature. This algorithm maps task graphs with moderated size on massively parallel architectures. In addition, the random based mapping metric is used in order to evaluate results of both heuristics. Then, in a will to address problems that can be found in industrial cases, application cases are widen to tasks graphs with tasks and edges weights values similar to those that can be found in the industry. A progressive construction heuristic named Regret Based Approach, based on game theory, is proposed. This heuristic maps tasks one after another. The costs of mapping tasks according to already mapped tasks are computed. The process of task selection is based on a notion of regret, present in game theory. The task with the highest value of regret for not placing it, is pointed out and is placed in priority. In order to check the strength of the algorithm, many types of task graphs (grids, logic gates networks, series-parallel, random, sparse matrices) with various size are generated. Tasks and edges weights are randomly chosen using a bimodal law parameterized in order to have similar values than industrial applications. Obtained results are compared to the Task Wise placement, especially adapted for non-unitary values. Moreover, results are evaluated using the metric defined above.

Researchers have explored how different balances of first language (L1) and target language (TL) use in a foreign language classroom impact students' fluency and proficiency in TL acquisition. Research has shown that the use of the L1 in a foreign language classroom is done in order to determine the most effective way to raise the proficiency of second language learners to the level that is expected within their classrooms (Lee & Muncie, 2006). The use of the L1 is not something that is uncommon, even in the highest levels of foreign language instruction, although some believe it could inhibit learner growth in target language (TL) acquisition (Tanveer, 2007). Some scholars contend that there is a place for the L1 to be used in a second language classroom, rather than relying on complete usage of the TL (Biggs, 1999). Results have been mixed when it comes to whether or not the L1 should be used as much as the TL, and studies have seldom investigated what students and teachers believe regarding that matter. To this end, the present study examines the impact of the use of the L1 vs the use of the TL on 50 students at different levels in the French language classroom. Subjects were all enrolled in French classes ranging from the 101-level to the 201-level, and the 8 student instructors teaching these levels also participated in this study. Both a student survey and a teacher survey were administered at the end of the semester in order to look at the use of the TL vs the use of the L1 among students and teachers in their classrooms. Results show that the utilization of the L1 in foreign language classrooms is preferred by the students but that it is not fully justified. Numerous proponents of L1 use (Atkinson, 1987; Cook 2001; Swain & Lapkin, 2000; Wells, 1999) have cautioned against excessive use, instead recommending that it be used judiciously, and according to learner need. Future researchers might consider surveying students who are learning in an environment where L1 use is similar to student demand on this survey (very high, especially for things like giving instructions), as well as surveying students who are exclusively using TL in their learning environment.

This doctoral thesis deals with the issue of solving massive tasks in GIS. These tasks process large volumes of geographic data with different formats. The thesis describes a theoretical analysis of the complexity of tasks and the possibilities to optimize sub-processes which lead to an acceptable solution. It considers the possibility of using parallelism in GIS, which leads to an acceleration in the processing of large volumes of geographic data. It also proposes a method for the optimization of processes through an algorithm which determines the number of means necessary for the successful solution of a task at a specified time and assigns processes to these means. Additionally, there is a proposed algorithm for the optimization of the preparation of data for extensive GIS projects. The algorithms have been validated by the results of a research project, the aim of which was to analyse the terrain surface above a gas line in the Czech Republic. The primary method of analysis was the classification of an orthophoto image, which was further refined through filtration using the ZABAGED layers. Therefore, the thesis deals with the possibility of improving the results of image classification using GIS instruments as well as dealing with the determination of the error rate in analysis results. The results of the analysis are now used for the strategic planning of maintenance and the development of gas facilities in the Czech Republic. The results of the work have general importance regarding the performance of other operations of the same class in GIS.

En utgångspunkt för denna studie har varit att flera svenska elever har svårigheter att lösa matematiska textuppgifter. I ett försök att utveckla elevers förmågor att lösa matematiska textuppgifter har Singaporemetoden blivit allt mer populär. I Singaporemetoden används blockmodellen för att visualisera textuppgifter. Syftet med följande uppsats är att, utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv, synliggöra hur fem lärare uppfattar att blockmodellen kan stötta elever i att utveckla problemlösningsförmågan när de löser textuppgifter. Uppsatsen syftar även till att synliggöra vilka erfarenheter lärarna har av att arbeta med blockmodellen i matematikundervisningen för årskurserna 1–6. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ metod där syftet besvaras genom fem enskilda semistrukturerade intervjuer med grundlärare som undervisar utifrån blockmodellen i matematikämnet. Studien har utgångspunkt i Vygotskijs sociokulturella teori och har inspirerats av en tematisk metodanalys. Resultatet visar att lärare uppfattar att det finns såväl fördelar som nackdelar med att använda blockmodellen i matematikundervisningen. Lärarna uppfattar att blockmodellen främst är stöttande genom att modellen strukturerar textuppgifter och stödjer elever och lärare att ta sig an textuppgifter. Med stöd av blockmodellen visualiseras dessutom matematiska områden och elever ges möjlighet att utveckla matematisk förståelse. Modellen kan även hjälpa lärare att skapa samtalssituationer för att låta elever utvecklas i den proximala utvecklingszonen. I samtalen får elever möjlighet att utveckla problemlösnings-, begrepps-, resonemangs- och kommunikationsförmåga. Resultatet visar även att främsta utmaningen är att modellen innehåller många steg som kräver att rita och skriva vilket inte passar för alla elever. Blockmodellen ger dessutom upphov till utmaningar när det gäller att differentiera undervisningen, eftersom arbetet oftast sker gemensamt med uppgifter på en specifik svårighetsgrad. Slutsatsen är att blockmodellen kan stötta elever i att utveckla problemlösningsförmågan i textuppgifter i kombination med lärarens kompetens. / The premise for this study has been that swedish upper primary- and lower secondary pupils have been shown to have difficulties in solving textual tasks in mathematics. In an attempt to develop pupils’ abilities in solving these textual tasks, the Singapore model has become increasingly popular. The Singapore model utilizes what is known as the bar model, which is used to visualize the text within these tasks. The purpose of this study is to highlight how five teachers perceive that the bar model can support pupils in developing problem-solving skills in textual tasks, from a socio-cultural perspective. The study also aims to highlight the experiences the teachers have gained from working with the bar model in mathematics teaching for grades 1-6. The study's purpose has been answered through five individual, qualitative and semi-structured interviews, with primary teachers who teach mathematics with the support of the the bar model. The study uses Vygotskij’s sociocultural theory and has been further inspired by a thematic method analysis to present and understand the results. The results show that teachers perceive both advantages and disadvantages in using the bar model in mathematics teaching. The teachers expressed that the bar model is primarily supportive in that the model structures textual tasks and supports pupils and teachers when approaching textual tasks. With the support of the bar model, abstract areas are also visualized and the pupils gain an increased mathematical understanding. The model can also contribute to creating conversational situations in order for pupils to develop in regards to the proximal development zone. In these conversations, pupils are given the opportunity to develop problem-solving, conceptual, reasoning and communicational skills. The results also show that the main challenge is that the model contains many elements that require drawing and writing, which are not suitable for all pupils. The bar model also gives rise to challenges in regard to differentiating the teaching, since the work usually takes place jointly with tasks at a specific degree of difficulty. The conclusion is that the bar model can support pupils in developing problem-solving skills in textual tasks in combination with teacher competence.