A MULTIDIMENSIONAL INVESTIGATION OF DEEP AND SURFACE PROCESSING

Within the psychological literature, there is the general assumption that deeper-level processing should be consistently associated with better academic performance (e.g., Block, 2009). However, studies exploring the relation between depth of processing (e.g., deep and surface processing) and learning outcomes have not produced consistent results. The argument guiding the current investigation was that these inconsistent findings regarding the relation between depth of processing and performance may be attributable to individual and situational factors that moderate this relation. Specifically, in this study, the potential moderating effects of a situational factor (i.e., text type) and an individual factor (i.e., subject-matter knowledge) on the relation between depth of processing and performance were investigated. Support for these individual and situational factors were derived from a systematic review of the literature that also examined conceptualization and operationalization of deep and surface processing. The participants for this study were 151 college undergraduates from a wide variety of majors. Participants completed measures of subject-matter knowledge, read either an expository or persuasive text about the existence of extraterrestrials while thinking aloud, and then completed both a passage recall task and an open-ended task in which they were asked to justify their position on the existence of extraterrestrials. Participants' verbal reports were coded using a scheme based on Pressley and Afflerbach's (1995) Verbal Protocols of Reading and the Construction-Integration Model (Kintsch, 2004). The open-ended task was coded using Biggs and Collis's (1982) Structured Observation of the Learning Outcome (SOLO). Three findings of interest emerged. First, results indicated that the relation between depth of processing and the open-ended tasks were moderated by the type of text (expository or persuasive) participants read. Second, no significant interaction of depth of processing and subject-matter knowledge on either the recall or open-ended learning emerged. Third, significant differences were found in the interaction of depth of processing and type of text between the passage recall measure and open-ended task. Plausible explanations for these findings and implications for future research and instructional practice are discussed

On applying Or-Parallelism and Tabling to logic programs

Dissertação de Doutoramento em Ciência de Computadores apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Port

A Study Of Reading Achievement Of Bilingual (Spanish/English) Pupils In Grades Three And Five Taught Under Three Different Models Of Instruction

PROBLEM: Teaching limited English proficient pupils to read English is a primary concern of teachers in the United States. The problem educators face is how to accomplish the goal effectively. The emphasis on acquisition of oral fluency of English and quick introduction to reading has had mixed results. The controlled studies testing the hypotheses of primary language approaches are scarce. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine achievement test results of bilingual Spanish/English third and fifth grade students who were taught to read: 1) initially in the primary language and then English, 2) were taught to read English with enroute assistance in the primary language, and 3) were taught to read English without recourse to the pupils\u27 primary language. The achievement test scores of the pupils were subjected to statistical treatment to assess the effectiveness of the three approaches to instruction. PROCEDURES: The achievement test scores of fifty-one third grade and thirty-five fifth grade pupils taught under three different models of instruction, i.e., the Primary Language Approach, the Concurrent Language Approach, and the Direct Language Approach, were analyzed. The analytic procedure adopted was to compare pre and post test scores by both parametric (t-test) and non-parametric (Wilcoxin) tests. A .05 level of confidence was adopted for all analysis. The results of the Bilingual Syntax Measure administered individually in Spanish and English were used as a measure of bilingualism. As a preliminary measure to the ANCOVA, a test was conducted to determine if the groups differed on the pretest. FINDINGS: By the time of the post test by both the parametric and nonparametric tests for the third grade, there was no statistically significant difference between pre and post test results. The results of the regression analysis did find a significant decrease between pre and post tests for the Concurrent approach group. For the fifth grade, by both the parametric and non-parametric tests, the Primary Language approach group scored higher on both pre and post tests. For the Concurrent Approach group, there was a statistically significant decrease between pre and post tests at the .05 level by both parametric and non-parametric tests. RECOMMENDATIONS: A long range study that provides for control of variables, such as teacher selection, delivery of instruction, and language proficiency of teachers and students should be conducted in an urban center. A study that controls for these variables before the fact will provide more conclusive evidence regarding the more effective instructional approaches for Spanish/English bilingual pupils in the United States

Customizable Wearable Vibrotactile Display for Gait Biofeedback Research

ME450 Capstone Design and Manufacturing Experience: Winter 2021Approximately a third of American adults experience balance problems throughout their lifetime which can lead to a fear of falling, activity avoidance, and an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. While gait and balance training regimens are the most common therapeutic solution for adults with increased risk for falling, interventions that involve personalized biofeedback have been successfully shown to improve standing balance in research studies; however, it is still unclear how best to provide meaningful biofeedback during gait-related activities. Current gait correction systems are limited to providing feedback on a single gait parameter which cannot capture the full complexity of gait, and commonly use only one feedback scheme/modality. Additionally, many devices cannot provide the device wearer with immediate feedback. Therefore, there is a need to develop a customizable/reconfigurable wearable device to be used in a research setting, which will explore the effects of vibrotactile feedback on individuals with vestibular disorders. This device must be able to gather information on multiple kinematic parameters related to gait and provide vibrotactile feedback for the device wearer to interpret and correct their balance irregularities within each testing trial. Ultimately, this research platform will inform the development of a clinic-based and home-based biofeedback system.Christopher DiCesare, Safa Jabri, Kathleen Sienko: Sienko Research Labhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/167651/1/Team_7-Customizable_Wearable_Vibrotactile_Display_for_Gait_Biofeedback_Research.pd

General aviation environment

The background, development, and relationship, among economic factors, airworthiness, costs, and environment protection are examined. Government regulations for airports, air agencies, aircraft, and airmen are reviewed

Model checking for a first-order temporal logic using multiway decision graphs

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

An investigative study of English vocabulary acquisition patterns in adult L2 tertiary learners with Chinese/Malay L1

This study investigates patterns of second language (L2) learners’ vocabulary acquisition of English in pedagogical contexts, and develops a vocabulary acquisition model, specifically a pre-receptive to productive vocabulary (PR-PV) model which analyses the patterns of inferencing strategies, the role of context on the strategies, and the influence of teaching explicit strategies on vocabulary development. Research in the area of vocabulary development is unclear on the interrelationships among various aspects of lexical competence, learning, and production processes in second language lexical acquisition. Models of vocabulary acquisition in English as a second language are scarce and the lack often prompts L2 researchers to draw from first language vocabulary study models to correlate vocabulary developmental patterns. Research is also uncertain about how L2 learners respond to reading texts however, it is quite clear that the receptive vocabulary of L2 learners is larger than productive vocabulary.The study employed a mixed-method research approach and the findings suggest that both content and context play significant roles in the extent to which L2 learners interact efficiently with reading texts. The findings from the study may have pedagogical and theoretical implications for curriculum developers, instructors and policy makers in second language tertiary English learning contexts

An abstract model for parallel execution of prolog

Logic programming has been used in a broad range of fields, from artifficial intelligence applications to general purpose applications, with great success. Through its declarative semantics, by making use of logical conjunctions and disjunctions, logic programming languages present two types of implicit parallelism: and-parallelism and or-parallelism. This thesis focuses mainly in Prolog as a logic programming language, bringing out an abstract model for parallel execution of Prolog programs, leveraging the Extended Andorra Model (EAM) proposed by David H.D. Warren, which exploits the implicit parallelism in the programming language. A meta-compiler implementation for an intermediate language for the proposed model is also presented. This work also presents a survey on the state of the art relating to implemented Prolog compilers, either sequential or parallel, along with a walk-through of the current parallel programming frameworks. The main used model for Prolog compiler implementation, the Warren Abstract Machine (WAM) is also analyzed, as well as the WAM’s successor for supporting parallelism, the EAM; Sumário: Um Modelo Abstracto para Execução Paralela de Prolog A programação em lógica tem sido utilizada em diversas áreas, desde aplicações de inteligência artificial até aplicações de uso genérico, com grande sucesso. Pela sua semântica declarativa, fazendo uso de conjunções e disjunções lógicas, as linguagens de programação em lógica possuem dois tipos de paralelismo implícito: ou-paralelismo e e-paralelismo. Esta tese foca-se em particular no Prolog como linguagem de programação em lógica, apresentando um modelo abstracto para a execução paralela de programas em Prolog, partindo do Extended Andorra Model (EAM) proposto por David H.D. Warren, que tira partido do paralelismo implícito na linguagem. É apresentada uma implementação de um meta-compilador para uma linguagem intermédia para o modelo proposto. É feita uma revisão sobre o estado da arte em termos de implementações sequenciais e paralelas de compiladores de Prolog, em conjunto com uma visita pelas linguagens para implementação de sistemas paralelos. É feita uma análise ao modelo principal para implementação de compiladores de Prolog, a Warren Abstract Machine (WAM) e da sua evolução para suportar paralelismo, a EAM