This project is a case study of writing assessment practices in a particular workplace called "High Hits," a local search engine optimization (SEO) company. The writing tests given to new hires serve a parallel purpose to academic placement exams, in that they are a high-stress, high-risk situation that aims to evaluate writer ability rather than the quality of the completed task (Haswell 242, Elbow 83, Moss 110). However, while academic assessment measures ability with the aim to improve the students' learning, workplace assessment is driven by market forces and is seen in terms of return on investment. This case study used qualitative and quantitative measurements to examine the writing tests of employees; this examination was followed by analyzing a random sampling of subsequent writing tasks of copywriters to determine whether the assessment methods being used by the company to assess the writing tests adequately predicted the writing ability of the copywriters.

Orientador: Gladis Camarini / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e Urbanismo / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T20:33:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Moreira-Lima_MariaMargaridaTeixeira_M.pdf: 1594548 bytes, checksum: 38f498b14a56cd02f47e608c6fa62728 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: A poeira gerada no processo de fabricação de materiais cerâmicos pode ser um agente de risco à saúde dos trabalhadores, em especial quando em sua composição houver a presença de polimorfos da sílica nas formas cristalinas do a-quartzo e da cristobalita. A exposição ocupacional à poeira respirável desses polimorfos pode ocasionar o aparecimento da silicose e de outras doenças associadas. Na indústria de revestimentos cerâmicos as informações sobre as características da poeira gerada nos seus processos e sobre a prevalência da silicose no setor são insuficientes para definir a magnitude do risco da exposição ocupacional à sílica. Este estudo de campo busca identificar parâmetros físicos e a concentração em sílica cristalina do material particulado suspenso no ar em indústrias de revestimentos cerâmicos para pisos e paredes. Foram selecionadas nove indústrias no município de Santa Gertrudes, no estado de São Paulo, com processo de fabricação por via seca, onde a matéria-prima principal é a argila vermelha proveniente da Formação Corumbataí. O estudo realizou-se por meio da observação sistemática das etapas do processo industrial, da coleta e análise de amostras da poeira presente nos ambientes de trabalho e da análise mineralógica da massa cerâmica manufaturada. As amostras de poeira foram analisadas por ravimetria e por difratometria de raios-X (DRX). Foi determinada a presença na poeira de partículas com tamanho na fração respirável (< 10 µm), sendo identificado o a-quartzo em 72% das amostras de poeira respirável analisadas. Não se encontraram outros polimorfos da sílica cristalina na poeira coletada. As avaliações realizadas indicaram concentrações de a-quartzo respirável entre 0,01 mg/m³ e 0,16 mg/m³, sendo a concentração média de a-quartzo respirável nos setores de moagem e de recepção de massa de 0,06 mg/m³, nos setores de prensas de 0,03 mg/m³, nas linhas de esmaltação de 0,02 mg/m³ e na preparação dos esmaltes e engobe de 0,09 mg/m³. Foi caracterizada por DRX a presença de minerais do grupo das micas, dos feldspatos e da esmectita na composição das massas cerâmicas analisadas, juntamente com a hematita e o quartzo, como mineral predominante / Abstract: Dust generated in the process of manufacturing ceramic materials may be a hazardous agent to the health of workers, especially when silica polymorphs in crystal forms of a-quartz and cristobalite are present in its composition. Occupational exposure to respirable dust of such polymorphs may lead to the onset of lung disease named silicosis and other associated diseases. In the ceramic wall and floor tiles industry data on the characteristics of dust generated in their processes and on the prevalence of silicosis in the sector are not sufficient to define the magnitude of occupational exposure risk to silica in this industry. This field study aims to identify physical parameters and the mass concentration and the composition in crystalline silica of airborne particulate material in industries of glazed ceramic tiles for floors and walls. Nine plants in Santa Gertrudes Municipality, São Paulo State, with dry manufacturing process, where the main raw material is red clay from the Corumbataí Formation have been selected. The study was conducted through systematic observation of the industrial process steps with dust generation, the collection and analysis of air samples from the environments and the mineralogical analysis of the raw ceramic bodies manufactured. Dust samples were analyzed with gravimetric and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) techniques. The air samples indicated that there was dust in the respirable fraction (< 10 µm) and the a-quartz was identified in 72% of the analyzed respirable dust samples. Other polymorphs of the crystalline silica were not found in the collected dust. The dust samples indicated concentrations of respirable a-quartz between 0.01 mg/m³ and 0.16 mg/m³ in the main stages of the process. The mean concentration of respirable a-quartz in the sectors of clay grinding was 0.06 mg/m³, in the pressing sectors it was 0.03 mg/m³, in the glazing lines it was 0.02 mg/m³ and in the preparation of enamels and engobe sectors it was 0.09 mg/m³. Minerals of the group of the micas, feldspars and smectite had been identified by XRD in the composition of all the ceramic masses, together with hematite and quartz, as the predominant mineral / Mestrado / Arquitetura e Construção / Mestre em Engenharia Civil