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This research is an exploratory study and concerns the effectiveness of specific design features in talking book software. Children need to acquire a variety of skills and strategies to become competent readers and these are commonly taught together in the context of meaningful text. Talking book software, replicating real books with additional features such as sound, has the potential to complement this approach. Common features of such software include word pronunciations, hearing sentences read aloud and page turning facilities. These features could facilitate the scaffolding of reading development. The strengths and weaknesses of commercial software were identified through a pilot study. A survey of practitioners was also conducted to investigate how such software is being used in the classroom and whether talking hooks could be improved. The outcomes of these studies together with a review of the literature were used to inform an innovative design that was implemented. In addition to common features, the implementation also included sub-syllabic word pronunciations, hints to encourage independent word identification and activities to reinforce specific reading skills. Two versions of the software were compared using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies including word recognition measures, interviews, observations and case studies. One software version incorporated commonly available features only and the other was a full implementation of the innovative design. Each version of the software was used daily for a period of four weeks by 16 children, aged 6 to 7 years, in the naturalistic environment of their classrooms. The findings of the study were complex due to variations in learner preferences and reading abilities. Nevertheless, it seems that electronic books can complement teaching approaches in infant classrooms and can positively affect both cognitive and affective learning outcomes. It is evident that children of lower reading ability can benefit from common features alone, such as word pronunciations. Those children using the enhanced software who had already acquired a limited sight vocabulary may benefit from additional features such as reinforcement activities. However, these features were not perceived as being fun by the children in this study. Rather, they were seen as educational tasks. The children who had made the greatest progress in reading development prior to the study made more use of the complex features such as hints to assist them in the decoding of unknown words. This study provided evidence to support the theories of scaffolding and the benefits that can be achieved by aiding learners in the zone of proximal development.

Researchers have discovered that native speakers (NSs) and non-native speakers (NNSs) of Mandarin Chinese use different strategies in recalling visual-based texts. Since written Chinese can be represented in logograph, syllabary, and alphabet, it is important to know how and to what extent a representational system (RS) will affect the processing of Chinese texts by both NSs and NNSs. The two surveys in this study explored the effects of RSs on text processing by NSs and NNSs of Chinese. Native groups consisted of subjects from Taiwan and China and were asked in the first survey to match Chinese vocabulary items in pinyin and in characters to their closest English equivalents in meaning. Subjects in the second survey, which included two native and one non-native groups, identified Chinese syllables in either pinyin or zhuyin version, discriminated the differences of sounds of identical characters, and chose the right words to fit in the phrase-level contexts. Two conceptual hypotheses were proposed and tested: (1) NSs of Chinese will demonstrate better performance than NNSs in comprehending texts represented in Chinese characters, and (2) NNSs of Chinese will demonstrate better performances than NSs in comprehending texts represented in pinyin in terms of accuracy and speed. The findings show that (1) Beginning and intermediate non-native learners of Mandarin Chinese benefited from alphabetic representation of the Chinese language in terms of processing speed and accuracy rate--requiring less time and achieving higher performances; and (2) Native Chinese who learned either zhuyin or pinyin as a primer demonstrated lower performances in processing texts represented in either zhuyin or pinyin in terms of speed and accuracy. The findings suggest that logographic representation might provide more rapid and precise access than syllabic and alphabetical representations for text processing at the advanced level. One particular pattern is apparent: An RS which is more efficient at the beginning level will become less efficient at the advanced level and vice versa. This implies that instructors should teach both RSs, logographic plus syllabic or alphabetic systems, to beginning readers, and switch to logographic representation once the learning of the two systems become balanced.

Annotation The aim of this work is to evaluate whether the current system of education at secondary schools contributes to the growth of financial literacy. This work is divided into three parts. The first part deals with the description of financial literacy in the Czech Republic, in this part is used the descriptive method. Next part is about description of a survey of the Ministry of Finance and insurance company ING attempt. The second part deals with Framerwork and School education programs and school autonomy in their creation, the teaching methods used in teaching and core competences that students should acquire during their studies. The last part is a description of practical teaching tax issues at the Czechoslovak Academy of Commerce, Dr. Edvard Benes. This is a comparison of two different teaching methods and their evaluation in terms of efficiency in the impact on financial literacy. The following is a summary and comparison of results of the Ministry of Finance, ING's insurance and practical parts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-89). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 79-89). Also available on the Internet.

Many people believe folk and fairy tales convey a set of universal truths and beliefs; however, scholars, researchers, and folklorists have questioned or challenged this supposition. There are many versions of traditional tales and reworked tales that provide different points of view. Tale Type 500: The Name of the Helper, classified by Aarne-Thompson, is one tale that has a number of counter perspectives. While there are many variations of this tale, the Grimms' Rumpelstiltskin is the most well known. There is a lack of scholarly investigation of both the original tale and its manifestations and reconstructions. Reconstructed versions of Tale Type 500 provide more information about characters' motives with the intent of providing a different ideology. The methodology of this dissertation applies a critical multicultural analysis (Rudman & Botelho, forthcoming) to examine power in adaptations of Tale Type 500 written for children and young adults. Critical multicultural analysis is an approach that helps readers identify and analyze power relations in literature. Specifically, this study examines the fluidity of the power that characters exercise on a continuum: domination, collusion, resistance, and agency. First, this study examines characters' actions regarding how power is exercised by identifying the power on a continuum of domination through agency. Second, this study examines which characters benefit from the power exercised, and how they benefit. Third, this study identifies which characters are disadvantaged from power and how. Following each analysis is a discussion about the implications for children in America's society today. The findings of this study, indicate that power relationships are a prominent theme in the reconstructed versions of Tale Type 500. Three general themes emerged in this study: (1) readers can look at power relations in children's literature and see how the texts reflect critical theory about power relations, (2) some authors of children's literature consciously apply critical literacy practices, and (3) few texts portray characters exercising the power of agency. By identifying social implications of text ideologies and questioning the issues of power in children's literature, critical readers can consider how texts counteract, maintain, or promote alternative systemic power structures.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research is part of the line of research Training, Knowledge and Professional Development of the Graduate Program, Master of Education of Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. From the wires of theoretical studies that include Vygotsky (1997, 2006, 2007, 2010), Bakhtin (1988, 2003, 2010), Bolzan (2001, 2009, 2010), Leontiev (1984), Tardif (2002); Nóvoa (1991, 1995), Skliar (1995, 1997, 2010), we seek to understand the processes engendered in the constitution of teaching literacy and elements that constitute the process of learning to be a literacy teacher of deaf learners; know the conceptions about the teaching of teachers. To this end, we decided to work with qualitative research approach of socio-cultural end in which Vygotsky (2006, 2007, 1997), Bakhtin (1988, 2003), Freitas (1994, 2002), Connelly and Clandinin (1995) and Bolzan (2001, 2006, 2009) contributed to the process of analysis of the narratives of four literacy teachers of the Public Education State of Santa Maria. We understand the subject as the construction of historical and social interactions, based on Vygotskian and Bakhtinian conceptions of learning. Therefore we use as a tool for data collection, narrative interviews, guided by topical guides, we believe that this tool is favorable to understanding the senses and meanings of teaching in the context of deafness. From the analysis of narratives of literacy teachers, it was possible to identify three categories that indicate aspects of the teacher learning of literacy teachers of deaf learners: the incipient nature of teaching in the context of deafness, the production of teaching in the context of deafness and the consolidation of teaching in the context of deafness. In the path taken during the research, we also identified that the categories explored are linked to pedagogical action which is constituted in the awareness of the requirements of the field of knowledge, the narratives show that as in the teachers were lecturing in the context of deafness, they developed as teachers, changing ways of doing from knowledge built through the practice established in collaboration between the individuals involved in the process. It was possible to understand that the categories are consolidated in the texture of the professorial design with different brands that permeate the mode of action of the teachers, source of reflection and understanding of the demands of teaching in the context of deafness. In this sense, we understand that learning teaching in this specific point takes place in the dialogical context, requires knowledge and action that are different, because of the specifics related to cultural context. We understand that solidarity in teaching is a mark that cuts across the three categories presented, the constituent element of the learning field of knowledge. Deaf teachers and hearing individuals are estimulated each other, constituting the shared pedagogical knowledge as a favorable element to teaching learning process in the context of deafness. / Esta pesquisa insere-se na linha de pesquisa Formação, Saberes e Desenvolvimento Profissional do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. A partir de fios teóricos que contemplam estudos de Vygotski (1997, 2006, 2007, 2010a), Bakhtin (1988, 2003, 2010), Bolzan (2001, 2009, 2010); Leontiev (1984); Tardif (2002); Nóvoa (1991, 1995), Skliar (1995, 1997, 2010), buscamos compreender os processos engendrados na constituição da docência alfabetizadora e os elementos que constituem o processo de aprender a ser professor alfabetizador de aprendizes surdos; e conhecer as concepções acerca da docência desses professores. Para tanto, optamos por trabalhar com a abordagem de pesquisa qualitativa de cunho sociocultural de Vygotski (2006, 2007, 1997); Bakhtin (1988, 2003); Freitas (1994, 2002); Connelly e Clandinin (1995) e Bolzan (2001, 2006, 2009) cujas ideias contribuíram para o processo das análises das narrativas de quatro professoras alfabetizadoras do Sistema Público Estadual de Educação de Santa Maria. Tendo como base as concepções vygotskianas e bakhtinianas de aprendizagem, compreendemos o sujeito como construção das interações históricas e sociais, assim, utilizamos como instrumento para a coleta de dados, entrevistas narrativas, orientadas por tópicos guias, e acreditamos que esse instrumento é favorável para compreendermos os sentidos e significados da docência no contexto da surdez. A partir da análise das narrativas das professoras alfabetizadoras, foi possível evidenciarmos três categorias que assinalam elementos referentes à aprendizagem docente de professores alfabetizadores de aprendizes surdos: a incipiência da docência no contexto da surdez; a produção da docência no contexto da surdez e a consolidação da docência no contexto da surdez. No caminho percorrido durante a pesquisa, identificamos também que as categorias exploradas estão vinculadas à ação pedagógica que se constitui na tomada de consciência sobre as exigências do campo de saber; as narrativas mostram que à medida que as professoras foram exercendo a docência no contexto da surdez, se desenvolveram como professoras, alterando modos de fazer a partir de saberes construídos por meio da prática constituída na colaboração entre os sujeitos envolvidos no processo. Foi possível compreender que as categorias se consolidam na tessitura do desenho professoral com distintas marcas que permeiam o modo de atuação das professoras, fonte de reflexão e entendimento das exigências da docência no contexto da surdez. Nesse sentido, compreendemos que a aprendizagem da docência nessa especificidade se dá no contexto dialógico, demanda saberes e atuação diferenciados devido às especificidades relacionadas ao contexto cultural. Compreendemos que a solidariedade docente é marca que perpassa as três categorias apresentadas, elemento constituinte da aprendizagem do campo de saber. Os professores surdos e ouvintes são estímulos auxiliares uns para os outros, constituindo o conhecimento pedagógico compartilhado como elemento favorável ao processo de aprendizagem docente no contexto da surdez.

A report from a 2015 descriptive study of the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) showed that 85% of the participants who were trained in strategies to address students’ reading difficulties in high school were not implementing them. Teachers’ implementation of ARI was the focus of this study. Pragmatism was the epistemological framework of the study, and Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory was the conceptual framework used to support the study. The purpose and corresponding research questions examined the extent of ARI implementation, reasons for not implementing those strategies, and ideas for future professional development in ARI. Six content-area teachers who taught Grade 9 participated in the study. A basic qualitative study was used to address research questions through individual interviews. Inductive and deductive coding was used to analyze data and identify themes. The results indicated that content area teachers who teach science and social studies implemented ARI strategies in their content to teach literacy. Math teachers did not implement ARI, citing time and a mismatch of ARI strategies with math content and ARI strategies. Strategies suggested to implement ARI were time with the literacy coach, embedded professional development, and collaboration among teachers. The results were used to create a 3-day teacher training project, which included these strategies. Results and project implementation can help administrators and teachers understand how to better implement school-wide reading initiatives in secondary schools, creating positive social change.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T20:31:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BarbaraBianca.pdf: 786589 bytes, checksum: 5313085ac6f29723bba90466fafb0856 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-14 / This study talks about the critic formation of the educator in the context of national curricular reformulations, having as aims: analyze the critical formation of the educator in the context of teaching subjects reformulations; analyze the National Curricular Directives for Elementary Education, the National Curricular Directives for Pedagogy Course and the Pedagogic Project of a course, which expresses the critic formation in the teaching graduation; know the process of elaboration of the Pedagogical Project of the course and the main changes carried out as well as investigate the comprehension of teachers and coordinators about the critic formation of the educator. This research is part of a wider study project sponsored by CNPq entitled “Learning of the Teaching Competence in Licentiates in the context of changes in the Teaching Courses”, which is done by the program of Post-Graduation in Education – Mastership, from the State University of Ponta Grossa. The methodological approach of the research is qualitative, whose procedures of information collection are based on the documental researches and on semi-structured interviews with the ones responsible for the formation of the chosen course. The collected data was taken to analysis and confronted with the theorical referentials of the Critic Pedagogy, from the contributions of Giroux, Contreras and Freire. We obtained nine analysis units: the relation theory and practice; the research as essential element in the teachers´ graduation; the speeding of PPC elaboration; the discontinuity of participation of the professors; the non-definition of the course identity and the curricular structure; the absence of schools in the PPC elaboration; the critic formation and its different conceptions; a more articulated course; the institutional conditions. Summing up the analyzed information, we confirmed the necessity of thinking about the critic formation of the educator being desired by the collective educators and based on emancipator perspectives, which enable reading of the world and some reading of the school to the educator. / Este estudo trata da formação do pedagogo no contexto das reformulações curriculares nacionais, tendo como objetivos: analisar a formação do pedagogo no contexto das reformulações curriculares das licenciaturas; analisar como as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para a Formação de professores da Educação Básica, as Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais para o curso de Pedagogia e o Projeto Pedagógico de um Curso expressam uma perspectiva crítica na formação docente do pedagogo; conhecer o processo de elaboração do Projeto Pedagógico de Curso e as principais mudanças realizadas nos mesmos e investigar a compreensão de professores e coordenadores sobre a formação do pedagogo. Esta pesquisa integra um projeto de pesquisa mais amplo financiado pelo CNPq intitulado “Ensino e aprendizagem da Competência Docente em Licenciandos no contexto das mudanças nos cursos de Licenciatura”, que é realizado pelo programa de Pós-graduação em Educação – Mestrado, da Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa. A abordagem metodológica da pesquisa é qualitativa, cujos procedimentos de coleta de informações são fundamentados na pesquisa documental e em entrevistas semi-estruturadas com formadores do curso pesquisado. As informações coletadas foram submetidas à análise e confrontadas com os referenciais teóricos da Pedagogia Crítica, a partir das contribuições de Giroux, Contreras e Freire. Obtivemos nove unidades de análise: a relação teoria e prática; a pesquisa como elemento essencial na formação de professores; o aligeiramento da elaboração do PPC; a descontinuidade da participação dos formadores; a indefinição da identidade do curso e a estruturação curricular; a ausência das escolas na elaboração do PPC; a formação crítica e suas diferentes concepções; um curso mais articulado; as condições institucionais. Como conclusão das informações analisadas, confirmamos a necessidade de se pensar na formação crítica do pedagogo sendo almejada pelo coletivo dos formadores e fundamentada em perspectivas emancipatórias, que possibilitem uma leitura de mundo e uma leitura da escola ao pedagogo.