Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Physics / Dean A. Zollman / In this study we explored students' transfer of learning in the X-ray medical imaging context, including the X-ray-based computer-assisted tomography (or CAT). For this purpose we have conducted a series of clinical and teaching interviews. The investigation was a part of a bigger research effort to design teaching-learning materials for pre-medical students who are completing their algebra-based physics course. Our students brought to the discussion pieces of knowledge transferred from very different sources such as their own X-ray experiences, previous learning and the mass media. This transfer seems to result in more or less firm mental models, although often not internally consistent or coherent. Based on our research on pre-med students' models of X-rays we designed a hands-on lab using semi-transparent Lego bricks to model CAT scans. Without "surgery" (i.e. without intrusion into the Lego "body") students determined the shape of an object, which was built out of opaque and translucent Lego bricks and hidden from view. A source of light and a detector were provided upon request. Using a learning cycle format, we introduced CAT scans after students successfully have completed this task. By comparing students' ideas before and after teaching interview with the groups of 2 or 3 participants, we have investigated transfer of learning from basic physics and everyday experience to a complex medical technology and how their peer interactions trigger and facilitate this process. During the last phase of our research we also introduced a CAT-scan simulation problem into our teaching interview routine and compared students' perception of this simulation and their perception of the hands-on activity.

The study investigated similarities and differences between refusal strategies conducted by British native speakers of English (NSE) and Javanese learners of English (JLE). The data were elicited, using discourse completion tasks (DCT), from 20 NSE and 50 JLE. Comparative data concerning refusal strategies in Javanese were elicited from 35 native speakers of Javanese (NJ) to provide a baseline for investigating the extent to which differences between JLE and NSE could be explained by the influence of L1 pragmatics. The refusal strategies were classified based on modified refusal taxonomy by Beebe et al. (1990) and were analysed into sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic strategies. Z test and Chi Square (χ2) were applied to test the statistical significance of differences between JLE and NSE usage. The study found that all three groups employed broadly similar sequential orders, frequencies of occurrences, and contents of both semantic formulae and adjuncts. Some differences were found, however, in which the strategies of the two Javanese groups (JLE and NJ) were more alike than either was to NSE. These findings suggest that distinctive JLE usages (i.e. different from NSE) are either due to the influence of L1 (negative pragmatic transfer) or simply deviation (idiosyncratic usage). The former occurred mainly in the utilization of politeness strategies by the Javanese groups. The salient elements of Javanese cultural values and their relation to the expression of politeness are discussed in some detail, and are shown to be reflected in the English of Javanese learners. The latter (deviations) appeared to arise from a conflict between JLE speakers’ notions of “correct” grammar and word meanings, on the one hand, and the pragmalinguistic demands of the interaction, on the other hand.

This thesis is concerned with the investigation of directionality of difficulty in second language acquisition (SLA) by Chinese-speaking learners learning English as a foreign language (EFL) and by English-speaking learners learning Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) . Chinese allows both subject PRO in finite clauses and object pro. However, subject PRO in finite clauses and object pro give rise to ungrammaticality in English. Unlike Chinese, in which topics can be base-generated, English does not allow a base-generated topic. Chinese and English are also different in that while English reflexives can only take a local subject in finite clauses as their antecedent (thus a short-distance reflexive), the Chinese reflexive ziji can take the matrix subject as well as the embedded subject as its antecedent (thus a long-distance reflexive) . With respect to these differences between the two languages, our focus is on whether it is more difficult for CFL learners to acquire subject PRO, object pro, base-generated topics and the long-distance reflexive in the acquisition of Chinese than for EFL learners to unlearn subject PRO, object pro, base-generated topics and the long-distance reflexive in the acquisition of English. The results of our study suggest that there is no single direction of difficulty in the SLA of Chinese and English. In terms of object pro, the direction of difficulty is from Chinese to English. However, in acquiring and unlearning the subject PRO, neither CFL learners nor EFL learners seem to have much difficulty. As for base-generated topics, it is found that the acquisition of this feature by CFL learners is more difficult than the unlearning of this feature by EFL learners. The results concerning the acquisition of the Chinese long-distance reflexive ziji by CFL learners suggest that a lack of long-distance binding for ziji is fossilized in these learners' interlanguage (IL) grammars of Chinese. Based on the findings in this study, we argue that the directionality of difficulty in SLA can only be studied with respect to individual language features and that the mere existence of relevant positive evidence in the input is not a guarantee that there will be a change in the learner's IL grammar. There are many factors involved in deciding the direction of difficulty in SLA. These factors include the availability of informative evidence to the learner, the possibility that the learner makes use of the evidence available for the restructuring of his IL grammar of the target language, the learners' ability to process the relevant data in the input, and the interaction between the structure in the learners' L1 and the inherent developmental stage of the target language.

Many adults who have dual language experience describe themselves as "passive bilinguals," able to understand two languages, but speak only one. The aim of this study was to examine the relation between language production and comprehension in bilingual children in order to determine whether bilingual comprehension is more readily achieved than production. ... Productive and receptive skills in both languages were assessed using standardized tests. Children's relative amount of exposure to each language, as well as their language choice during production was measured via interview with the primary caregiver.... Language exposure as measured via dominance in one language over another appears to affect productive language differently than receptive language, further evidencing that language exposure is a significant predictor of acquisition that predicts production and comprehension differently. Additionally, when input is held constant, child language choice is uniquely related to productive and receptive language skill. The results of this study not only describe patterns of productive and receptive language skills and their correlates in young bilinguals, but they also address competing theories regarding the roles of input and output in the development of language comprehension and production. / by Krystal M. Ribot. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Esse trabalho tem como principal objetivo estudar a influência das similaridades afetivas de problemas mal-definidos no processo de transferência analógica. Procura estudar, de modo mais específico, o efeito sobre a transferência analógica da similaridade entre as tonalidades afetivas agradáveis/alegres e desagradáveis/ tristes de histórias, que apresentam problemas análogos ao problema da radiação de Duncker. Esses efeitos são, por sua vez, investigados a partir da preferência, na situação-problema alvo, por um modo de solução aprendido na situação-problema fonte, quando vários modos de solução são apresentados aos participantes da pesquisa. Objetiva-se investigar esse tipo de influência em dois intervalos de tempo distintos: em sessões consecutivas e em sessões com intervalo de uma semana. Os resultados encontrados apontam para a existência de efeitos positivos dessas similaridades nos dois intervalos de tempo pesquisados, com maior freqüência relativa nas sessões consecutivas. Desse modo, pode-se concluir que, quando há mais de uma solução disponível e funcionalmente adequada para um determinado problema, similaridades de superfície, como as tonalidades afetivas de histórias de problemas, influenciam a preferência por um modo de solução. Verificou-se ainda que esse tipo de influência das similaridades afetivas não depende de uma alteração do estado de humor dos indivíduos. O papel do afeto na cognição poderia ser assim visto como mais abrangente do que o pressuposto na literatura da área, pois mesmo quando os indivíduos não se consideram afetados em seu humor pela leitura de histórias tristes e alegres, eles demonstram sofrer a influência das tonalidades afetivas dessas histórias. / The objective of this work is to study the influence of affective similarities of illdefined problems in analogical transfer. In a specific way, it seeks to study the effect of the similarities of happy/ pleasant and sad/ unpleasant affective tonalities of stories presented in problems analogs to the Dunckers radiation problem. These effects are investigated through the preference, in the target problem, for one kind of solution learned in the source problems, when more than one solution is presented. This research also focuses on such an influence in two different times: consecutive sessions and sessions with one week delay. The results point out to the existence of positive effects of these similarities in both intervals of time, with higher relative frequency in the consecutive sessions. The conclusion is that surface similarities, like the affective similarities of problems, influence the preference for one kind of solution, when there is more than one appropriate solution to the problem. It is showed that such an influence doesnt require a change in the individuals mood. It also suggests that the influence of the affect in cognition is broader than it is assumed in the literature, because even when the individuals dont report a change in their mood, they are influenced by the affective similarities of the problems stories.

O processo de aprendizagem motora permite, por meio de mudanças nos padrões de ativação de redes neurais, a consolidação de modelos internos dos movimentos. Atualmente sabe-se que esses modelos internos podem ser desenvolvidos não só pela prática física, mas também pela prática mental, definida como um ensaio mental repetido dos movimentos, sem a sua execução. Essa forma de prática permitiria a formação de um modelo interno mais flexível e independente do efetor. Embora a prática mental esteja sendo amplamente utilizada para o treino esportivo e a reabilitação em adultos, sua utilização em crianças ainda é muito restrita. Isto se deve, em parte, pela escassez de estudos que mostrem seus efeitos em crianças. Assim, o objetivo desse estudo foi comparar os efeitos da prática física e mental para a capacidade de aprender e reter uma nova habilidade motora de movimentos sequenciais de oposição de dedos, transferir essa aprendizagem para uma sequência reversa de movimentos e para a mão contralateral, não treinada, em crianças de 9 a 10 anos de idade. Participaram deste estudo 36 crianças destras com idade entre 9 e 10 anos divididas aleatoriamente em três grupos: grupo de prática mental (PM), composto por 12 crianças com média de idade de 9,9±0,3 anos; o grupo de prática física (PF), composto por 12 crianças com média de idade de 10±0,5 anos; e o grupo sem prática (SP), composto por 12 crianças de 9,9±0,4 anos. Os grupos de PM e PF foram submetidos a uma sessão de treino com 2400 repetições realizadas com a mão direita, sendo que o primeiro realizou a prática de forma imaginativa e o segundo a prática física. O grupo SP realizou uma atividade de pintura com duração similar ao treino dos demais grupos. O desempenho da sequência de movimentos que recebeu treinamento (ST), dos três grupos foi avaliado nas mesmas condições antes do treino (AT), e após 5 minutos (DT), 4 (4dDT), 7 (7dDT), 14 (14dDT), e 28 (28dDT), dias após o término do treinamento. O desempenho da sequência reversa a treinada (SR), realizada pela mão direita e o da ST na mão esquerda, não treinada (MNT), foi avaliado AT, DT, 7dDT e 28dDT. Os resultados obtidos por meio da ANOVA para medidas repetidas mostraram que não houve diferença entre os efeitos da PM e PF para a aprendizagem, retenção de curta e longa duração. Por outro lado, a ANOVA mostrou que, após o treino, a SR alcançou o mesmo desempenho da ST, bem como a MNT alcançou o mesmo desempenho da MT para a ST, apenas para o grupo que realizou a PM. Adicionalmente, conforme o esperado, o grupo SP não apresentou ganhos significativos de desempenho. Assim, baseados nesses resultados, pode-se concluir que crianças de 9 e 10 anos são capazes de aprender novas habilidades por meio da prática mental, que proporcionou os mesmos efeitos da prática física para a aprendizagem, retenção de curta e longa duração, e efeitos superiores para a transferência entre tarefas e intermanual / Motor learning allows the consolidation of internal models of movement through activation patterns changes of neural networks. Currently it is known that these internal models can be developed not only by physical practice, but also by mental practice, defined as a mental rehearsal of movements repeated without the overt movement. Mental practice allows an internal model formation more flexible and independent of the effector. Although mental practice has been widely used for sports training and adults rehabilitation, pediatric use is still very limited. This is due, in part, to lack of studies which demonstrate effects in children. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of physical and mental practice on learning, retention of a new motor ability of sequential movements of fingers opposition and transfer this learning to a reverse sequence of movements and to the contralateral untrained hand, 9-10 years old children. This study included 36 right-handed children aged between 9 and 10 years old randomly allocated into three groups: mental practice (MP), composed of 12 children with a mean age of 9.9 ± 0.3 years, physical practice group (PP), composed of 12 children with mean age 10 ± 0.5 years, and the group without practice (NP), composed of 12 children aged 9.9 ± 0.4 years. The PP and MP groups were submitted to one session of training with 2400 repetitions with the dominant hand, and MP group trained using only mental rehearsal of movements PP group trained executing the movements. The NP group had a painting activity with similar duration of other groups. The performance of the sequence of movements that received training (TS) of the three groups was evaluated under the same conditions before training (BT), and after 5 minutes (AT), 4 (4dAT), 7 (7dAT), 14 (14dAT), and 28 (28dAT) days after training. The performance of the reverse sequence (RS) by the right trained hand (TH) and the performance of the trained sequence (TS) by the left untrained hand (UTH) was evaluated BT, AT, 7dAT and 28dAT. The results obtained by repeated measures ANOVA showed no differences between MP and PP for learning, retention of short and long term retention. Moreover, ANOVA revealed that, after training, only the MP group reached the same performance of the TS and RS, and UTH reached the same performance of the TS for the HT. Additionally, as expected, the NP group did not show significant performance gains. Thus, based on these results, it is possible to conclude that children aged 9 and 10 years old are able to learn new skills through mental practice, which provided the same effects of physical practice for learning, short and long term retention and higher effects for transfer between tasks and hands

Esse trabalho tem como principal objetivo estudar a influência das similaridades afetivas de problemas mal-definidos no processo de transferência analógica. Procura estudar, de modo mais específico, o efeito sobre a transferência analógica da similaridade entre as tonalidades afetivas agradáveis/alegres e desagradáveis/ tristes de histórias, que apresentam problemas análogos ao problema da radiação de Duncker. Esses efeitos são, por sua vez, investigados a partir da preferência, na situação-problema alvo, por um modo de solução aprendido na situação-problema fonte, quando vários modos de solução são apresentados aos participantes da pesquisa. Objetiva-se investigar esse tipo de influência em dois intervalos de tempo distintos: em sessões consecutivas e em sessões com intervalo de uma semana. Os resultados encontrados apontam para a existência de efeitos positivos dessas similaridades nos dois intervalos de tempo pesquisados, com maior freqüência relativa nas sessões consecutivas. Desse modo, pode-se concluir que, quando há mais de uma solução disponível e funcionalmente adequada para um determinado problema, similaridades de superfície, como as tonalidades afetivas de histórias de problemas, influenciam a preferência por um modo de solução. Verificou-se ainda que esse tipo de influência das similaridades afetivas não depende de uma alteração do estado de humor dos indivíduos. O papel do afeto na cognição poderia ser assim visto como mais abrangente do que o pressuposto na literatura da área, pois mesmo quando os indivíduos não se consideram afetados em seu humor pela leitura de histórias tristes e alegres, eles demonstram sofrer a influência das tonalidades afetivas dessas histórias. / The objective of this work is to study the influence of affective similarities of illdefined problems in analogical transfer. In a specific way, it seeks to study the effect of the similarities of happy/ pleasant and sad/ unpleasant affective tonalities of stories presented in problems analogs to the Dunckers radiation problem. These effects are investigated through the preference, in the target problem, for one kind of solution learned in the source problems, when more than one solution is presented. This research also focuses on such an influence in two different times: consecutive sessions and sessions with one week delay. The results point out to the existence of positive effects of these similarities in both intervals of time, with higher relative frequency in the consecutive sessions. The conclusion is that surface similarities, like the affective similarities of problems, influence the preference for one kind of solution, when there is more than one appropriate solution to the problem. It is showed that such an influence doesnt require a change in the individuals mood. It also suggests that the influence of the affect in cognition is broader than it is assumed in the literature, because even when the individuals dont report a change in their mood, they are influenced by the affective similarities of the problems stories.

The purpose of business training programs is to improve performance, which improved performance changes leadership behaviors based on the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) learned in training. One of the most common criticisms of leadership training is the tendency to focus on teaching theory but not on applying theory into practice, that is, transfer of learning. Research usually ends at the point of identifying, describing, or measuring factors that influence transfer. Ongoing research must identify what constructs in the transfer of learning process should be effectively changed or managed. There is a gap in research on the degree to which performance improvement through KSAs learned in a simulation training program actually transfer to the work environment. Additional research is needed that examines the relationship between transfer of learning and intent to transfer, which are critical outcomes in the field of human resource management and development. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between intent to transfer and four constructs in the transfer of learning process during a simulation-based leadership training program. Participants completed self-report assessments that measured the relationships between intent to transfer and four constructs: ability, motivation, work environment, and learner readiness. A correlational design was administered using a population of mid-level managers in a telecommunications organization.

Evidentials are one of the language codes that convey the speaker's beliefs in terms of the degree of reliability of information and how the speaker obtained information (Chafe, 1986; Ishida, 2006; McCready and Ogata, 2007). Evidentials play an important role in communication since they also function to show the speaker's attitude toward the interlocutors by making a sentence softer (Trent 1998). In his theory of territory of information, Kamio (1990, 1997, 2002) proposed that pragmatic rules of evidentials are different in Japanese than in English. Ishida (2006) studied these differences and argued that learners of Japanese (JF learners) face difficulties when conveying information with evidentials in Japanese. This study aimed to see how learners of Japanese as a foreign language (hereafter JF learners) use evidentials differently from Japanese native speakers by replicating Ishida's (2006) study. Discourse data, consisting of utterances produced by Japanese L1 speakers (J-speakers) in Japanese and JF learners in Japanese and English, was produced based on twelve situations where participants were instructed to convey hearsay information verbally to the specific third party. Collected productions were compared to see differences in the frequencies of evidentials, in general, and in terms of the source of information, the timing of conveyance, and the addressees. The study showed that JF learners use evidentials less frequently both in Japanese and English than J-speakers. This less frequent use of evidentials by JF learners in both languages indicates a transfer effect from English to Japanese. Additionally, a close look at each evidential use revealed other factors that might impact the speaker's choice of evidentials. This study revealed that JF learners tend to prefer to use evidentials such as soo da and to itta, while they tend to avoid using lexical evidentials such as rashii, mitai da, and yoo da which require more practice. These findings have implications for future research and for a classroom pedagogical approaches to the use of evidentials.

Learning and development (L&D) professionals in a Fortune 500 company were unable to determine whether managers who completed leadership development courses were transferring what they learned to their work practices. The purpose of this qualitative single instrumental case study was to uncover the factors that accelerated or impeded the transfer of training for employees in the workplace. The conceptual framework was social cognitive learning theory with emphasis on the triadic reciprocal causation model. Guiding questions were used to explore 2 areas: (a) how managers described their preparedness to transfer the training to their jobs, and (b) how managers described their perceptions of the transfer of training from the concepts learned in class to practical job application. Data were collected through one-on-one online interviews with 12 managers who had completed a leadership development course. Data analysis included organizing the data; reading them multiple times; developing codes, categories, and themes; and interpreting the findings. Over 90% of the participants stated that they felt prepared to implement the training after the class. However, only half reported a moderate to high level of confidence incorporating the training into their work. A 3-day professional development project was designed to heighten awareness of the benefits of advancing the transference and application of training with a strong focus on driving social change in the workplace through improved interpersonal skills between managers and their direct reports.