No description available.

Studies show that some pupils with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) can have difficulties in understanding written texts. The present study seeks to examine whether pupils with ASD differ in their reading comprehension of a factual text and a literary text. Another aim of the study is to obtain a picture of the reading habits of high school pupils with ASD, what reading strategies they use, and how they work with texts in Swedish lessons in school. The study uses texts from PISA surveys from 2009 and 2000. The factual text Varmluftsballongen (The Hot-air Balloon) was taken from the try-out for the 2009 survey and the literary text Gåvan (The Gift) was taken from the 2000 PISA survey. To gain some idea of the pupils’ reading comprehension of the texts, the present study used the tasks accompanying the texts, with certain changes in the questions about the text on the hot-air balloon. The pupils also had to complete a questionnaire about their reading habits, how they go about understanding the texts better, and how they work with texts in Swedish lessons. The pupils were interviewed to yield a little more information about how they comprehended the two different types of text. The study was conducted at two high schools geared to pupils with ASD, including a total of twelve pupils. Four of these pupils were also interviewed. The result of the reading comprehension tests show that the majority of the pupils found it easier to answer the questions about the factual text. The pupils who read a lot and are interested in reading achieved better results in both text assignments. There was a clear association between the pupils who have difficulties concentrating and finishing a book and their results on the reading comprehension tasks, which can be explained by their functional impairment. The result of the pupils’ questionnaire showed that they use different strategies when reading factual texts and literary texts. There were also differences in how the pupils work with different texts in school, both individually and together with other pupils, depending on which type of text it is. The help that pupils receive from their teachers can be limited by the pupils’ functional impairment, but according to the study this help is significant for the pupils’ reading comprehension, especially of literary texts.

No description available.

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2007. / Title from screen (viewed on June 27, 2007) Department of Communication Studies, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-167)

Esta pesquisa apresenta a proposta de utilização da ferramenta SOBEK no apoio à produção textual através de um processo interativo. Trata-se de uma abordagem para apoio à construção textual empregando uma ferramenta de mineração de textos, considerando as dificuldades que envolvem a expressão principalmente escrita do aluno. A metodologia idealizada para implementação da pesquisa foi baseada em tarefa. Para validar esta metodologia, foi feita uma análise de todo o processo de produção textual, e não apenas do seu resultado, contemplando os estágios de pré-escrita e escrita. Destacamos que já no estágio de pré-escrita, propôs-se uma série de passos que permitiram ao estudante se apropriar do tema, estruturar suas idéias, planejar e preparar-se para a tarefa, para só então partir para o estágio da escrita do texto. Um experimento foi realizado com uma turma de alunos do segundo ano do Curso Normal de Nível Médio, onde uma atividade de leitura e produção textual foi proposta, sendo decomposta em várias tarefas. Foram feitos diferentes registros da participação dos alunos no experimento, como vídeo com a captura de todos as ações dos alunos nos sistemas utilizados, bem como questionário com questões fechadas e abertas. Na fase de análise dos dados coletados, cada tarefa foi analisada separadamente. Os resultados reportaram que uma das estratégias adotadas pelos alunos na busca por uma compreensão mais aprofundada do texto, foi a releitura (integral ou parcial) incentivada pelos questionamentos decorrentes da interpretação dos grafos apresentados. As evidências identificadas estavam principalmente relacionadas às “idas e vindas” ao texto original. Outra estratégia identificada, relacionada à comparação que o aluno fez do grafo inicial gerado, foi a adição ou remoção de conceitos na base de conceitos e geração de um novo grafo. As observações feitas pelos estudantes indicaram uma fluência na compreensão do texto original e estruturação das idéias com relação à forma como conceitos relevantes no texto se relacionavam, o que auxiliou no planejamento e preparação para a tarefa final - escrita do texto pelo aluno. Foi observado que as estratégias adotadas pelos alunos utilizando a ferramenta de mineração de texto lhes permitiram escrever de maneira coesa, articulada, apresentando aspectos relevantes e adequados sobre o tema lançado. A principal contribuição deste trabalho residiu na elaboração da metodologia para emprego da ferramenta de mineração de texto como apoio à produção textual e demonstração de seu potencial quando aplicada no contexto escolar. / This work proposes the use of the tool SOBEK to support writing in an interacctive process. This is an approach to text writing with the support of a text mining tool, considering the difficulties involved in the written expression of students. The methodology conceived for the implementation of this research has been based on tasks. To validate this methodology, the whole text production process has been analysed, and not only its results, including the pre-writing and writing stages. We emphasize that in the pre-writing stage, a sequence of steps has been proposed to enable students to better understand the theme, structure the ideas, plan and feel better prepared for the actual task of writing. An experiment has been carried out with second year high school students, where a reading and writing activity has been proposed, being decomposed in several tasks. The students‟ participation in the tasks were recorded in different ways, such as video capture of all their actions in the mining system and text editor, and a questionnaire with multiple selection and open questions. In the analysis phase of the data collected, each task was analysed separately. The results reported that one of the strategies adopted by the students in the search for a better understanding of the text was the act of re-reading it (completely or partially), incentivated by the questioning resulting from the interpretation of the graphs presented. The evidence identified has been mainly related to the number of times the students were observed going back and forth to the original text. Another strategy observed, related to the comparison the students made with the original graph generated, has been the adding or deleting of terms from the system‟s concept base when generating a new graph. The observations made by the students indicated a fluency in the understanding of the original text and in the structuring of their ideas in relation to the ways with which the relevant concepts in the text were related, which has supported the planning of the final task – the actual writing of the text. It has been observed that the strategies adopted by the students using the text mining tool has enabled them to write in a cohesive and articulated way, presenting appropriate and relevant aspects of the theme considered. The main contribution of this work has been the development of the methodology for using the text mining tool as a support for text writing, and the verification of its potential when applied in the educational context.

Esta pesquisa apresenta a proposta de utilização da ferramenta SOBEK no apoio à produção textual através de um processo interativo. Trata-se de uma abordagem para apoio à construção textual empregando uma ferramenta de mineração de textos, considerando as dificuldades que envolvem a expressão principalmente escrita do aluno. A metodologia idealizada para implementação da pesquisa foi baseada em tarefa. Para validar esta metodologia, foi feita uma análise de todo o processo de produção textual, e não apenas do seu resultado, contemplando os estágios de pré-escrita e escrita. Destacamos que já no estágio de pré-escrita, propôs-se uma série de passos que permitiram ao estudante se apropriar do tema, estruturar suas idéias, planejar e preparar-se para a tarefa, para só então partir para o estágio da escrita do texto. Um experimento foi realizado com uma turma de alunos do segundo ano do Curso Normal de Nível Médio, onde uma atividade de leitura e produção textual foi proposta, sendo decomposta em várias tarefas. Foram feitos diferentes registros da participação dos alunos no experimento, como vídeo com a captura de todos as ações dos alunos nos sistemas utilizados, bem como questionário com questões fechadas e abertas. Na fase de análise dos dados coletados, cada tarefa foi analisada separadamente. Os resultados reportaram que uma das estratégias adotadas pelos alunos na busca por uma compreensão mais aprofundada do texto, foi a releitura (integral ou parcial) incentivada pelos questionamentos decorrentes da interpretação dos grafos apresentados. As evidências identificadas estavam principalmente relacionadas às “idas e vindas” ao texto original. Outra estratégia identificada, relacionada à comparação que o aluno fez do grafo inicial gerado, foi a adição ou remoção de conceitos na base de conceitos e geração de um novo grafo. As observações feitas pelos estudantes indicaram uma fluência na compreensão do texto original e estruturação das idéias com relação à forma como conceitos relevantes no texto se relacionavam, o que auxiliou no planejamento e preparação para a tarefa final - escrita do texto pelo aluno. Foi observado que as estratégias adotadas pelos alunos utilizando a ferramenta de mineração de texto lhes permitiram escrever de maneira coesa, articulada, apresentando aspectos relevantes e adequados sobre o tema lançado. A principal contribuição deste trabalho residiu na elaboração da metodologia para emprego da ferramenta de mineração de texto como apoio à produção textual e demonstração de seu potencial quando aplicada no contexto escolar. / This work proposes the use of the tool SOBEK to support writing in an interacctive process. This is an approach to text writing with the support of a text mining tool, considering the difficulties involved in the written expression of students. The methodology conceived for the implementation of this research has been based on tasks. To validate this methodology, the whole text production process has been analysed, and not only its results, including the pre-writing and writing stages. We emphasize that in the pre-writing stage, a sequence of steps has been proposed to enable students to better understand the theme, structure the ideas, plan and feel better prepared for the actual task of writing. An experiment has been carried out with second year high school students, where a reading and writing activity has been proposed, being decomposed in several tasks. The students‟ participation in the tasks were recorded in different ways, such as video capture of all their actions in the mining system and text editor, and a questionnaire with multiple selection and open questions. In the analysis phase of the data collected, each task was analysed separately. The results reported that one of the strategies adopted by the students in the search for a better understanding of the text was the act of re-reading it (completely or partially), incentivated by the questioning resulting from the interpretation of the graphs presented. The evidence identified has been mainly related to the number of times the students were observed going back and forth to the original text. Another strategy observed, related to the comparison the students made with the original graph generated, has been the adding or deleting of terms from the system‟s concept base when generating a new graph. The observations made by the students indicated a fluency in the understanding of the original text and in the structuring of their ideas in relation to the ways with which the relevant concepts in the text were related, which has supported the planning of the final task – the actual writing of the text. It has been observed that the strategies adopted by the students using the text mining tool has enabled them to write in a cohesive and articulated way, presenting appropriate and relevant aspects of the theme considered. The main contribution of this work has been the development of the methodology for using the text mining tool as a support for text writing, and the verification of its potential when applied in the educational context.

Esta pesquisa apresenta a proposta de utilização da ferramenta SOBEK no apoio à produção textual através de um processo interativo. Trata-se de uma abordagem para apoio à construção textual empregando uma ferramenta de mineração de textos, considerando as dificuldades que envolvem a expressão principalmente escrita do aluno. A metodologia idealizada para implementação da pesquisa foi baseada em tarefa. Para validar esta metodologia, foi feita uma análise de todo o processo de produção textual, e não apenas do seu resultado, contemplando os estágios de pré-escrita e escrita. Destacamos que já no estágio de pré-escrita, propôs-se uma série de passos que permitiram ao estudante se apropriar do tema, estruturar suas idéias, planejar e preparar-se para a tarefa, para só então partir para o estágio da escrita do texto. Um experimento foi realizado com uma turma de alunos do segundo ano do Curso Normal de Nível Médio, onde uma atividade de leitura e produção textual foi proposta, sendo decomposta em várias tarefas. Foram feitos diferentes registros da participação dos alunos no experimento, como vídeo com a captura de todos as ações dos alunos nos sistemas utilizados, bem como questionário com questões fechadas e abertas. Na fase de análise dos dados coletados, cada tarefa foi analisada separadamente. Os resultados reportaram que uma das estratégias adotadas pelos alunos na busca por uma compreensão mais aprofundada do texto, foi a releitura (integral ou parcial) incentivada pelos questionamentos decorrentes da interpretação dos grafos apresentados. As evidências identificadas estavam principalmente relacionadas às “idas e vindas” ao texto original. Outra estratégia identificada, relacionada à comparação que o aluno fez do grafo inicial gerado, foi a adição ou remoção de conceitos na base de conceitos e geração de um novo grafo. As observações feitas pelos estudantes indicaram uma fluência na compreensão do texto original e estruturação das idéias com relação à forma como conceitos relevantes no texto se relacionavam, o que auxiliou no planejamento e preparação para a tarefa final - escrita do texto pelo aluno. Foi observado que as estratégias adotadas pelos alunos utilizando a ferramenta de mineração de texto lhes permitiram escrever de maneira coesa, articulada, apresentando aspectos relevantes e adequados sobre o tema lançado. A principal contribuição deste trabalho residiu na elaboração da metodologia para emprego da ferramenta de mineração de texto como apoio à produção textual e demonstração de seu potencial quando aplicada no contexto escolar. / This work proposes the use of the tool SOBEK to support writing in an interacctive process. This is an approach to text writing with the support of a text mining tool, considering the difficulties involved in the written expression of students. The methodology conceived for the implementation of this research has been based on tasks. To validate this methodology, the whole text production process has been analysed, and not only its results, including the pre-writing and writing stages. We emphasize that in the pre-writing stage, a sequence of steps has been proposed to enable students to better understand the theme, structure the ideas, plan and feel better prepared for the actual task of writing. An experiment has been carried out with second year high school students, where a reading and writing activity has been proposed, being decomposed in several tasks. The students‟ participation in the tasks were recorded in different ways, such as video capture of all their actions in the mining system and text editor, and a questionnaire with multiple selection and open questions. In the analysis phase of the data collected, each task was analysed separately. The results reported that one of the strategies adopted by the students in the search for a better understanding of the text was the act of re-reading it (completely or partially), incentivated by the questioning resulting from the interpretation of the graphs presented. The evidence identified has been mainly related to the number of times the students were observed going back and forth to the original text. Another strategy observed, related to the comparison the students made with the original graph generated, has been the adding or deleting of terms from the system‟s concept base when generating a new graph. The observations made by the students indicated a fluency in the understanding of the original text and in the structuring of their ideas in relation to the ways with which the relevant concepts in the text were related, which has supported the planning of the final task – the actual writing of the text. It has been observed that the strategies adopted by the students using the text mining tool has enabled them to write in a cohesive and articulated way, presenting appropriate and relevant aspects of the theme considered. The main contribution of this work has been the development of the methodology for using the text mining tool as a support for text writing, and the verification of its potential when applied in the educational context.

Master of Science / Department of Computing and Information Sciences / Doina Caragea / Social media affects our daily lives. It is one of the first sources for finding breaking news. In particular, Twitter is one of the popular social media platforms, with around 330 million monthly users. From local events such as Fake Patty's Day to across the world happenings - Twitter gets there first. During a disaster, tweets can be used to post warnings, status of available medical and food supply, emergency personnel, and updates. Users were practically tweeting about the Hurricane Sandy, despite lack of network during the storm. Analysis of these tweets can help monitor the disaster, plan and manage the crisis, and aid in research. In this research, we use the publicly available tweets posted during several disasters and identify the relevant tweets. As the languages in the datasets are different, Bing translation API has been used to detect and translate the tweets. The translations are then, used as training datasets for supervised machine learning algorithms. Supervised learning is the process of learning from a labeled training dataset. This learned classifier can then be used to predict the correct output for any valid input. When trained to more observations, the algorithm improves its predictive performance.

Zoltán Gárdonyi is described as having exemplified “the continuation of the Liszt tradition” in his music; however, since for so much of his compositional life he was forbidden to publish by the Communist government in Hungary due to his connection to the Christian church, he has been largely forgotten. Shortly after the composer’s death in 1986, Gárdonyi’s son, Zsolt (b.1946) began publishing his father’s music in addition to his own. However, the elder Gárdonyi’s works are still not widely known outside Hungary and Germany. Gárdonyi’s ability to support and reflect text musically makes his songs excellent teaching tools and recital repertoire. A characteristic example of this may be found in his Fünf Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke. According to his son, Zoltán wrote these songs “in the German romantic tradition (e.g. Brahms) like a mirror for the romantic influenced lyrics.” Examination of the Rilke-Lieder, and of the poems which make up the cycle, demonstrates the composer’s ability to “mirror” text in both general tone and specific idea. Discussion of imagery, textures and sonorities, and elements of harmony, melody and rhythm as they relate to interpretation of the poetry, reveal the depth to which the poetry is embedded in the music of the songs. At times the piano becomes another “narrator” or even a character in the poems, expressing not only text but subtext as well. This document explores the illustration of the extensive imagery of Rilke’s texts in the music of Fünf Lieder nach Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke, with the purpose of both introducing Gárdonyi’s song literature to American singers and voice teachers, and making the case for its inclusion in the canon of repertoire for the studio and the stage.

The ubiquitous presence of automated decision-making systems that have a performance comparable to humans brought attention towards the necessity of interpretability for the generated predictions. Whether the goal is predicting the system’s behavior when the input changes, building user trust, or expert assistance in improving the machine learning methods, interpretability is paramount when the problem is not sufficiently validated in real applications, and when unacceptable results lead to significant consequences. While for humans, there are no standard interpretations for the decisions they make, the complexity of the systems with advanced information-processing capacities conceals the detailed explanations for individual predictions, encapsulating them under layers of abstractions and complex mathematical operations. Interpretability for deep learning classifiers becomes, thus, a challenging research topic where the ambiguity of the problem statement allows for multiple exploratory paths. Our work focuses on generating natural language interpretations for individual predictions of deep learning text classifiers. We propose a framework for extracting and identifying the phrases of the training corpus that influence the prediction confidence the most through unsupervised key phrase extraction and neural predictions. We assess the contribution margin that the added justification has when the deep learning model predicts the class probability of a text instance, by introducing and defining a contribution metric that allows one to quantify the fidelity of the explanation to the model. We assess both the performance impact of the proposed approach on the classification task as quantitative analysis and the quality of the generated justifications through extensive qualitative and error analysis. This methodology manages to capture the most influencing phrases of the training corpus as explanations that reveal the linguistic features used for individual test predictions, allowing humans to predict the behavior of the deep learning classifier.