VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The impact of a tutoring program on teachers' development as literacy teachers
Keywords: Elementary school teachers, Training of
Literacy, Study and teaching (Elementary)
Tutors and tutoring

This is a qualitative inquiry concerning the impact of a tutoring program on student teachers' development as elementary school literacy teachers. Student teachers enrolled in a preservice education program tutored individual struggling literacy learners on a weekly basis as an extended fieldwork opportunity that differs from more traditional forms of practice teaching. A comprehensive review of the literature related to fieldwork sets the context for this particular type of experience. Prior to tutoring, the student teachers learned about current literacy theory on campus. Each student teacher then assessed, planned and taught an individual learner in an elementary school. Key research questions included: What did student teachers learn about becoming an effective literacy teacher through the tutoring experience? What were the student teachers' initial perceptions about literacy? In what ways were the knowledge and skills that were realized in the tutoring program different from those gained in the practicum setting? What were the benefits and challenges for the school/university partnership arising from involvement in the tutoring program? Using data such as in-depth interviews with six of the student teachers that participated in tutoring as well as artifacts such as assignments and reflection papers, it seems tutoring provides a valuable learning experience in helping student teachers forge theory/practice connections and move towards effective literacy teaching. Student teachers demonstrated learning in key areas such as assessment, reading and writing processes, meeting individual pupil needs, material selection, and literacy resources acquisition. They were able to implement a wide range of literacy strategies and evaluate the effectiveness of various strategies. A limitation of the study was the lack of opportunity for the tutors to engage in discussion with one another regarding issues such as planning instruction and meeting pupil needs.
Longing to become, coming to belong: ESL students' engagement of integrative antiracism social justice education
Keywords: Dissertation

Based on the premise that powerful discourses of national identity, of racialized, culturalist, gendered and language difference unevenly overlap and diverge as they map onto the bodies of ESL learners in processes of becoming Canadian, this dissertation proposes the need for a model of cultural activist anticolonialist English language pedagogy in Canadian public schools. Pursuing this proposal, this dissertation brings critical race, feminist post-structuralist, postcolonial and cultural studies theory to a qualitative study of the identity translation processes of a group of high school ESL students who have participated in an anti-discrimination leadership programme. Incorporating the concepts of cultural translation and identity 'transcreation' from postcolonial translation theory, this research holds two agendas in tension: the first examines the transformative pedagogical aspirations, strategies and assumptions of the anti-discrimination ESL leadership programme in relation to the processes by which they are engaged by participating students; the second agenda asks what insights participant experiences and learning gives us into the specificities of language minority students' negotiations of high-stakes relations of difference, recognition, authority, belonging and meaning within the complex discursive landscape of Canadian schools. The significance of this study lies in its articulation of the fields of second language, integrative antiracism/social justice and critical pedagogy. The interdisciplinary theoretical framework developed here opens onto three urgent questions: (1) How might ESL students be understood as subjects of language difference? (2) How might we conceive of language difference as a form of social difference which articulates with but is distinct from other forms of social difference and systems of discrimination? (3) What processes are recognized and invited into the classroom when we reconceive the learning experiences and socio-discursive negotiations of ESL students as cultural translation and identity transcreation? These questions are pursued in the study through the development and application of a model for the design and evaluation of integrative antiracism social justice educational programmes for ESL students. I conclude with recommendations for the specific equity leadership programme and for transformative ESL pedagogy for new Canadians in a general.
Social identity negotiation in critical literacy learning: a case study in a Japanese heritage
Keywords: Japanese language, Study and teaching
Japanese language, Ontario
Group identity, Ontario
Japanese, Education
Japanese, Ontario
Japanese language, Ontario

A critical literacy perspective suggests that literacy is a social process embedded in a sociopolitical context and history, and implies that classroom literacy learning contains an important aspect of identity. Building on this perspective, I examined how and which social identities emerged through discussions of a novel describing Japanese Canadian history. In a Japanese heritage/community language classroom in Canada, I organized literature discussion groups with 12 youths and a teacher. I analyzed the contents and the procedures of interactions in focal episodes where participants talked about themselves and the texts simultaneously, by using the analytical framework for social identity, The analysis revealed that different social identities emerged depending, on the interpretive discussion of the text and also depending on the power dynamics within the classroom. These results have implications for pedagogy and curriculum development for classroom critical literacy with learners crossing multiple borders of ethnicity, language, and national identity.
Employee protection and pension fund governance: possibilities for convergence?
Keywords: Employee rights, China
Pension trusts, China
Employee ownership, China

The question raised in this thesis is whether the power granted by employee ownership of a significant amount of shares through pension funds can be used to promote employee interests rather than solely shareholders' interests. Chapter I studies the impact of globalization on employee rights' protection and concludes that a market-based approach, using the power generated by the ownership of shares on corporate management should be privileged to ensure that employee issues are taken into account. However, a study of the legal and practical limits facing shareowners willing to exercise some influence on corporate management needs to be done, which will consist of Chapter II. A review of the practical and legal constraints in investments in the context of fiduciary duties will form Chapter III. The conclusion, taking account of the different limits facing pension funds, will recommend a more active approach to pension fund governance, but in line with the interests of employees as pension fund shareholders.
The role of knowledge in the integration experience of Ethiopian immigrants to Toronto
Keywords: Ethiopians, Canada
Ethiopians, Social life and customs
Ethiopians, Canada
Ethiopians, Ethnic identity
Ethiopians, Canada
Identity (Psychology)
Emigration and immigration

Migration of populations involves not merely physical transplantation but often a movement from one framework of knowledge to another. The decision to migrate is often based on the recognition of imminent threats at the present location or better opportunities elsewhere. Hence, migrants do not leave their countries with blank slates nor do they flow in certain directions without some knowledge to guide their journeys. In this thesis, the preeminence of knowledge in facilitating migratory transitions is investigated through multiple methods (census data, document analysis, interviews and a survey). The qualitative and quantitative methods used allow a concurrent examination of the roles of indigenous and western knowledge in the migratory experience of Ethiopian immigrants to Toronto. The findings that emerged from the study discern that these two knowledge systems interact both in consensual and confrontational styles--the dual styles further integrative knowledge acquisition in different fashions. (1) While indigenous knowledge stabilizes immigrants' psychological states, Western knowledge facilitates life-sustaining material acquisition. In other words, while indigenous knowledge serves to explain emotional salience, Western knowledge serves to explain epistemic salience in the lives of immigrants. (2) Knowledge age integration is a personal and processional. Immigrants' pace of integration is dependent on their capacities to perform in various domains, such as employment, housing and education. The study shows that the concurrent utilization of indigenous and host knowledge systems facilitates integration. This research approaches both systems of knowledge as a fluid mixture of experiences, values, contextual information and insights. They both provide a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences. Both indigenous and host society knowledge is embedded not only in documents but also in social routines, processes, practices and norms, guiding migrants throughout the phases of migration.
Collaborative and independent writing among adult Thai EFL learners: verbal interactions, compositions, and attitudes
Keywords: English language, Spoken English
English language, Written English
Group work in education
Thai students, Attitudes

This study examined, among 24 Thai undergraduate students of English, the effects of collaborative writing on their verbal interactions, the effects of collaborative writing and independent writing on their compositions, and the students' attitudes toward collaborative writing and independent writing. Data were collected in a counterbalanced design incorporating two writing topics and two writing conditions. Under the collaborative writing group condition (CG) participants wrote in pairs to produce one essay. Under the independent writing condition the same participants wrote their essays alone. For analyses, the independently written essays were separated into an independent higher group (IHG), representing the better writer from each dyad when they wrote alone, and an independent lower group (ILG), the weaker writer from each dyad when they wrote alone. Regarding verbal interactions, the collaborative condition: (1) promoted the participants' discussion of ideas for their essays; (2) engaged learners in language episodes (focused on lexis, grammar, and mechanics) with potential for collaborative scaffolding; and (3) led the learners to debate the organization of their essay. Concerning text quality, (1) there were no statistically significant differences between the global score and the writing aspect scores of the English texts produced under the CG and the average scores of the IHG and the ILG texts together, but (2) the IHG texts were significantly better than the ILG texts on the global score and on four of the five scores for aspects of writing (organization, argumentation, communication, and linguistic accuracy), and (3) the CG texts were significantly better than the ILG texts on the global score and on three of the five scores for aspects of writing (organization, communication, and linguistic appropriacy). In relation to learners' attitudes: (1) the majority of participants preferred the writing processes of planning, writing, and editing/revising under the collaborative condition and thought they wrote a better essay with their partners than alone; (2) students expressed some reservations about criticizing their partners during collaboration; and (3) some suggested that the time allotments were insufficient under the collaborative writing condition.
Epistemic agency and pervasive knowledge building in a grade two classroom: examining the potential of handhelds in collaborative inquiry
Keywords: Learning, Psychology of
Teaching, Computer-assisted instruction
Educational technology
Education, Primary, Computer network resources
Education, Primary, Computer-assisted instruction
Human-computer interaction

The central goal of this thesis is to engage students in new pedagogies that enable them to take control of their own knowledge advancement and allow such pursuit to pervade all aspects of mental life. This study describes a design experiment examining the use of handheld computers in a grade two knowledge-building classroom. Specifically, the focal problem under investigation asks, how can the technological affordances of inexpensive handhelds be directed towards the support of pervasive knowledge building and epistemic agency? Researcher observations are documented over a six-week period as a number of innovations utilizing collaborative inquiry are designed for use within a technologically enriched grade two classroom (N = 22). Findings suggest that handhelds can be an effective technological assist in the knowledge-building classroom and there is some evidence to suggest that handhelds may have a role in fostering epistemic agency. Implications of these findings for computer-supported collaborative learning environments are explored.
Effects of a classroom-based direct instruction reading intervention for young children with sickle cell disease
Keywords: Sickle cell anemia in children
Reading, Remedial teaching

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at increased risk for early learning and academic difficulties, independent of their stroke status. The efficacy of empirically-tested academic interventions to remediate learning difficulties in SCD has not yet been described. In the current study, a Direct Instruction (DI) reading intervention targeting decoding and phonological awareness skills was administered to 12 early elementary school students with SCD (M age = 6.32 years) without stroke and presenting with early reading difficulties as part of an intensive 16-week program. Pre-DI psychoeducational profile revealed a pattern of globally depressed scores within 1 SD of the mean on IQ, academic, and visual-motor measures. Significant improvement in word reading and a trend for improved non-word decoding was found pre-test to post-test, but no improvement in reading fluency, spelling, and math outcomes was observed. Findings are discussed in the context of the SCD neurocognitive literature and future directions proposed.
Optimal shape design of aerodynamic configurations: a Newton-Krylov approach
Keywords: Aerodynamics, Mathematics
Engineering design, Mathematical models

Optimal shape design of aerodynamic configurations is a challenging problem due to the nonlinear effects of complex flow features such as shock waves, boundary layers, and separation. A Newton-Krylov algorithm is presented for aerodynamic design using gradient-based numerical optimization. The flow is governed by the two-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes equations in conjunction with a one-equation turbulence model, which are discretized on multi-block structured grids. The discrete-adjoint method is applied to compute the objective function gradient. The adjoint equation is solved using the preconditioned generalized minimal residual (GMRES) method. A novel preconditioner is introduced, and together with a complete differentiation of the discretized Navier-Stokes and turbulence model equations, this results in an accurate and efficient evaluation of the gradient. The gradient is obtained in just one-fifth to one-half of the time required to converge a flow solution. Furthermore, fast flow solutions are obtained using the same preconditioned GMRES method in conjunction with an inexact-Newton approach. Optimization constraints are enforced through a penalty formulation, and the resulting unconstrained problem is solved via a quasi-Newton method. The performance of the new algorithm is demonstrated for several design examples that include lift enhancement, where the optimal position of a flap is determined within a high-lift configuration, lift-constrained drag minimization at multiple transonic operating points, and the computation of a Pareto front based on competing objectives. In all examples, the gradient is reduced by several orders of magnitude, indicating that a local minimum has been obtained. Overall, the results show that the new algorithm is among the fastest presently available for aerodynamic shape optimization and provides an effective approach for practical aerodynamic design.
Speech motor skills in persons who stutter
Keywords: Speech therapy

The purpose of the current research is to explore speech motor behaviours in persons who stutter (PWS) and those who do not (PNS) with the assumption that if PWS have limitations in speech motor skills then they would differ from PNS on tasks that put specific demands on these skills. To this end, three specific research questions were identified and tested. These related to the ability of PWS to use and benefit from practice, their ability to compensate and adapt to changes in oro-motor task demands as induced by a bite-block, and their dependency on sensory (auditory, proprioceptive and tactile) feedback for the control of speech movements. These three research questions were examined in five studies, which utilized kinematic, acoustic and perceptual measurements to assess the speech motor behaviours in PWS and PNS in response to task demands.
How can effective international environmental governance be promoted in harmonization with trade governance?: A case study of the biosafety regime
Keywords: Environmental law, International
International trade

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how international environmental governance can be promoted in concert with trade governance. The first part analyzes the structural characteristics of trade and environmental governance, and identifies the overlap or synergies between the two areas of governance. The second part takes the emerging biosafety regime as a case study of the potential for both conflict and synergy between a multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. In particular, the focus is on the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the WTO agreements. The third part looks at ongoing attempts to create interaction between trade and environmental governance, based on the biosafety case study. Additionally, by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of existing international environmental governance, it asks how international environmental governance can establish a mutually supportive relationship with trade governance.
Numerical study of planar shock reflection over wedges
Keywords: Shock waves

The transition between regular and Mach reflection for a planar shock reflection from a wedge is investigated numerically by using computational fluid dynamics code for perfect gases without viscosity and heat conduction. The predicted transitions are compared to theoretical transition criteria and other experimental data. The predicted transitions are close to the theoretical criteria and show no significant persistence of regular reflection in the absence of viscosity and heat conduction. This result supports the experimental result by F.J. Barbosa B.W. Skews.
Recasts in classroom interaction: a teacher's intention, learners' attention, and second language learning
Keywords: Linguistics, Psychological aspects
Linguistics, Social aspects
Second language acquisition
Verbal learning
Interaction analysis in education
Discourse analysis

This thesis investigates the nature, roles and effects of a native speaker teacher's recasts in relation to adult learners' second language (L2) learning. The recast's role as linguistic corrective feedback is controversial in second language acquisition (SLA) research: although experimental studies found recasts effective for facilitating L2 learning (e.g., Mackey & Philp, 1998), classroom-based SLA studies suggested that the learner did not react to the teacher recasts (e.g., Lyster, 1998b). The present small-scale study investigates the recast in the interaction occurring in a theme-based communicative L2 classroom, focusing on the teacher's intentions for providing, and the Japanese college students' attention to, recasts. The data are composed of videotaped classroom observations, stimulated recall interviews, the students' uptake claim surveys, results of customized grammaticality judgment tests based on the classroom discourse, and two stimulated recall interviews with the teacher. Recast episodes identified in the classroom discourse were then related to the students' recalls of their attention and to their grammaticality judgment test results. The teacher's recalls were also coded in relation to the types of recast episodes. The data analyses were conducted and reported in two different theoretical frameworks: cognitive-interactionist and socio-cultural. In contrast to the findings from other recast studies, the teacher in this study provided feedback less frequently. The students were found more attentive to the recasts in group than in teacher-fronted contexts. The effect of recasts for L2 learning in the cognitive-interactionist SLA framework was mixed. However, in the socio-cultural approach to examining the relationships among the feedback types, the students' attention, and their test results, the teacher's and students' agency in their L2 teaching and learning manifested itself. It was not the linguistic input (i.e., recasts) that facilitated L2 learning; it was rather the interaction between the teacher and learners using mediational means that was important. This thesis raises problems with the cognitive-interactionist approach to SLA focusing exclusively on the linguistic environment in contrast to the socio-cultural approach focusing on human agency using language. Further, the teacher's conscious feedback iii response to the learner's needs is suggested as one of the pedagogical implications of this research.
Gender stereotypes in South African law: Hugo and beyond
Keywords: Sex discrimination against women, Law and legislation
Sex discrimination against women, South Africa
Equality before the law, South Africa
Women, Legal status, laws, etc
Women, South Africa
Constitutional law, South Africa

This paper examines the extent and effects of gender stereotyping in South African equality law. In using the case of Hugo v the Republic of South Africa, I argue that the stereotype that women are the natural caretakers of children and that men are not has the undesirable impact of preventing the attainment of substantive equality. This stereotype is only one aspect preventing the attainment of substantive equality. Racial stereotypes also exist. These problems are not peculiar to South Africa and are similarly evidenced in Canada. It is argued that benefits to women ought to be framed in terms of functional categories. This combined with a progressive court and long term social policies would bring about substantive equality to women.