Towards critical literacy : literature and teachers' reactions to reader-response theories : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Second Language Teaching at Massey University

Much poststructuralist literary theory, in particular that derived from reader-response theories, points to the need for the development in readers of a more critical literacy. Earlier researchers and educators in the field of reader-response theories, indicated a move away from the New Critics' structuralist focus on the author's intention and a text-based meaning, to acknowledge the active role of the student/reader in the creation of meaning. Enlarging on the subjective role of the student/reader, later researchers, in particular the Social and Cultural theorists, introduced a more critical element by focusing on the importance of context itself. Further studies, under the influence of Foucault, developed this focus to include the idea that author, text and reader are constructed by discourses. A renewed awareness of how texts actually work and of the power inherent in all language, has led to the emergence of critical literacy. This research, working on the premise that practice often lags behind theory, examines constraints that may inhibit the development of critical literacy (through teaching with literature) in the New Zealand contexts of both secondary English (including classrooms with mainstreamed ESOL students) and ESOL (from a range of institutions). Two surveys, one for each teaching context, analyse teachers' reactions to concepts of reader-response theories with a view to determining the nature and prevalence of these constraints. The analysis reveals that in the mainstream context, contraints emerge in the areas of curriculum design (including examination and assessment procedures), teacher education, and students' receptivity while in the ESOL context, curriculum design and teacher development are significant. The ESOL context also reveals that there is a paucity of teaching with literature in language classrooms which means that the vehicle for the development of critical literacy, is denied students

Gen X and Digital Games: Looking back to look forward

Despite there being increased attention in recent years to older adults who actively play digital games, it seems that there has been comparatively minimal scholarly focus on the next generation of older adult gamers – Generation X gamers. Although there have been few, current audience studies that examine this population within a gaming context, a temporal perspective reveals another story. Older members of this generation were the first age cohort to be exposed to and engage in video gameplay at an early age (i.e., childhood). With the emerging popularity of video games in the 1980s, this did not escape the attention of scholars. This study provides an overview of those early studies that assessed video game use and its potential (for better or worse) among the older members Gen X. The study themes identified include: health, education, and behavior. In addition, the first studies that identified gaming characteristics of this generation in their formative years emerged in the latter half of that decade. By identifying themes in these early studies, scholars have the potential to track an entire generation’s gaming history and characteristics from childhood to present day. Ultimately, this may glean richer insight into those qualities when they become the next older generation of digital game players

Views and Experiences of New Zealand Women with Gestational Diabetes in Achieving Glycaemic Control Targets: The Views Study

Introduction. Optimal glycaemic control in women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) reduces maternal and infant morbidity. Method. A survey was administered to women diagnosed with GDM to explore their views and experiences in achieving optimal glycaemic control. Results. Sixty women participated. Enablers included being taught to test capillary blood glucose in group settings where the health professional demonstrated this on themselves first (60, 100%); health professionals listening (41, 68%); being reminded to perform blood glucose testing (33, 55%); and being provided healthy meals by friends and family (28, 47%). Barriers included not having information in a woman’s first language (33, 55%); being offered unhealthy food (19, 31%); not being believed by health professionals (13, 21%); receiving inconsistent information by health professionals (10, 16%); never being seen twice by the same health professional (8, 13%); and long waiting hours at clinics (7, 11%). Two-thirds of women (37, 62%) reported that food costs were not a barrier, but that they were always or frequently hungry. Conclusion. Optimising experiences for women with GDM for achieving glycaemic control and overcoming barriers, regardless of glycaemic targets, requires further focus on providing meaningful health literacy and support from health professionals, family, friends, and work colleague

Let’s Play: Understanding the Role and Significance of Digital Gaming in Old Age

Despite a marked increase in the use of digital games among older persons, there is insufficient research that provides insight into the gaming experiences of this population. A major demographic shift within the senior gaming market has ushered in a new perspective on the use of digital games as a tool for physical and cognitive health, and improved socialization. It is proposed that individual notions of play, which are developed over the life course, influence digital game play engagement and interaction preferences, and contribute to well-being. This study explored how self-perceptions of play over the course of the senior gamer’s life influence digital game engagement. Because the emerging area of senior gaming lacks theoretical structure, grounded theory methodology was employed. A qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews of aging gamers was conducted. A total of forty participants (age 44 to 77 with a digital gameplay average of 11 hours per week) were identified and interviewed with the aid of an interview guide. Designed with a life course perspective in mind, this guide sought to explore each participant’s perception of play, personal forms of play throughout their life, and the role of digital games as a component of play in old age. Transcription and analysis (open, axial, and selective coding utilizing the method of constant comparisons) was employed throughout the entire interview process. Findings indicated that digital gaming is a valued form of play and a means for play continuity. An analysis of emergent themes led to the development of a theory that emphasizes three domains: ability, motivation, and experience. Two theoretical models that represent the static and dynamic nature of these domains within the life of a gamer demonstrate the theory. This theory provides understanding of the key factors that influence gameplay, which has the potential of being applied toward the development of better age- and ability-appropriate digital games for aging gamers

Selection Connection: Creating an Internal Web Page for Collection Development

Collection development librarians often use Web resources as they select materials, but only a few libraries have built a working Web page for this purpose. The authors suggest that a collection development Web page is a valuable asset to an academic library. The Web page can be used to communicate with university faculty and others outside the library, and can provide a single source for links to Web tools used by collection development librarians. The authors discuss sources of Web-based bibliographer’s tools and suggest useful types of information to include

BiSped: Filling a Critical Shortage Area

This article is # 18 in a larger 140 page work described here: The monograph showcases professional development projects by school districts and colleges of education that train teachers to work successfully with English learners (ELs) across the nation. The papers presented in this monograph offer real-life examples of successful and innovative practices, including institutionalized mentoring programs, new classroom methodologies, best practices for ELs with disabilities, collaboration between colleges of education and school districts, and the evaluation of PD programs. This monograph contains the following articles: (1) Professional Development in Action: Introduction; (2) The National Professional Development Program (Cynthia Ryan and Ana Garcia); (3) Guidelines for Professional Development: An Overview (Judith Wilde); (4) Facts, Figures & Further Resources; (5) Coaching and Mentoring in Practice (Mariana Castro); (6) Measuring the Effectiveness of an ESL Coaching Model (Annela Teemant); (7) Coaching and Implementation Level of English Language Learner Strategies in Teacher Practice (Janet Penner-Williams and Diana Gonzales Worthen); (8) Providing Teachers with Strategies and On-Going Support for Teaching English Language Learners At-Risk (Ramona Stowe); (9) Collaborative Mentoring among K-12 Teachers: Professional Development on the Effective Instruction of English Language Learners (Susan Spezzini and Julia S. Austin); (10) Satisfying Conclusion to a Five-Year Grant (Kristin Lems); (11) Content and Language: A Critical Overview (Phyllis Jacobson); (12) The Academic Literacy for All Project: A Professional Development Model (Holbrook Mahn and Melissa Bruce); (13) Meeting the Professional Development Needs of Teachers of ELLs (Carol Bearse); (14) Math ACCESS: Building Mathematical Proficiency in Linguistically Diverse Schools (Mary Truxaw and Megan Staples); (15) Curriculum Mapping to Support the Linguistic and Academic Development of K-6 ELLs (Linda Roth, Lisa Sells-Asch and Andrea Honigsfeld); (16) Professional Development for Teaching ELLs with Disabilities (Laurene L. Christensen, Kristin Kline Liu, and Martha L. Thurlow); (17) The Role of Professional Development in Helping English Learners with Disabilities Achieve High Standards (Jana Echevarria); (18) BiSped: Filling a Critical Shortage Area (Julie Esparza Brown and Bruce Miller); (19) School-University Collaborations for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (Socorro Herrera and Kevin Murry); (20) Collaboration is the Key to Successful Professional Development: The STEP T for ELLs Program in Maryland (Joan Kang Shin, Lori Edmonds and Christopher Browder); (21) Professional Development in Eastern North Carolina: Collaboration in ESL (Diane Rodriguez and Jane Manner); (22) Project ESOL MIAMI: Infusing the Teacher Education Curriculum to Address the Needs of English Language Learners (Martha E. Castaneda, Amy E. Fisher-Young and Bruce E. Perry); (23) Collaboration in Professional Development for ELL Content Achievement (Ye He and Kathryn Prater); (24) National Professional Development Project for Secondary Content Teachers of English Language Learners (Holly Hansen-Thomas and Pat Casey); (25) A Conversation with Thomas R. Guskey; (26) Quality Teacher Preparation for ELLs: Preliminary Findings from Florida (Maria R. Coady, Ester J. de Jong and Candace Harper); (27) Increasing Accountability in the Preparation of Teachers to Work with English Learners: The Teacher Education English Learner Survey (TEELS) (Nadeen T. Ruiz and Albert Lozano); (28) Project EXCELL (Laureen Cervone); (29) Implementing an English as a Second Language Institute in Higher Education (Maria G. De la Colina and Barbara Davis); and (30) Abstracts from 2007 National Professional Development Grantees. (Individual articles contain figures, tables, footnotes, online resources, and references.

Treatments for women with gestational diabetes mellitus: an overview of Cochrane systematic reviews

Background Successful treatments for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) have the potential to improve health outcomes for women with GDM and their babies. Objectives To provide a comprehensive synthesis of evidence from Cochrane systematic reviews of the benefits and harms associated with interventions for treating GDM on women and their babies. Methods We searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (5 January 2018) for reviews of treatment/management for women with GDM. Reviews of pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes were excluded. Two overview authors independently assessed reviews for inclusion, quality (AMSTAR; ROBIS), quality of evidence (GRADE), and extracted data. Main results We included 14 reviews. Of these, 10 provided relevant high-quality and low-risk of bias data (AMSTAR and ROBIS) from 128 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), 27 comparisons, 17,984 women, 16,305 babies, and 1441 children. Evidence ranged from high to very low-quality (GRADE). Only one effective intervention was found for treating women with GDM. Effective Lifestyle versus usual care Lifestyle intervention versus usual care probably reduces large-for-gestational age (risk ratio (RR) 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50 to 0.71; 6 RCTs, N = 2994; GRADE moderate-quality). Promising No evidence for any outcome for any comparison could be classified to this category. Ineffective or possibly harmful Lifestyle versus usual care Lifestyle intervention versus usual care probably increases the risk of induction of labour (IOL) suggesting possible harm (average RR 1.20, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.46; 4 RCTs, N = 2699; GRADE moderate-quality). Exercise versus control Exercise intervention versus control for return to pre-pregnancy weight suggested ineffectiveness (body mass index, BMI) MD 0.11 kg/m², 95% CI -1.04 to 1.26; 3 RCTs, N = 254; GRADE moderate-quality). Insulin versus oral therapy Insulin intervention versus oral therapy probably increases the risk of IOL suggesting possible harm (RR 1.3, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.75; 3 RCTs, N = 348; GRADE moderate-quality). Probably ineffective or harmful interventions Insulin versus oral therapy For insulin compared to oral therapy there is probably an increased risk of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (RR 1.89, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.12; 4 RCTs, N = 1214; GRADE moderate-quality). Inconclusive Lifestyle versus usual care The evidence for childhood adiposity kg/m² (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.11; 3 RCTs, N = 767; GRADE moderate-quality) and hypoglycaemia was inconclusive (average RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.52; 6 RCTs, N = 3000; GRADE moderate-quality). Exercise versus control The evidence for caesarean section (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.16; 5 RCTs, N = 316; GRADE moderate quality) and perinatal death or serious morbidity composite was inconclusive (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.12 to 2.61; 2 RCTs, N = 169; GRADE moderate-quality). Insulin versus oral therapy The evidence for the following outcomes was inconclusive: pre-eclampsia (RR 1.14, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.52; 10 RCTs, N = 2060), caesarean section (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.14; 17 RCTs, N = 1988), large-for-gestational age (average RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.35; 13 RCTs, N = 2352), and perinatal death or serious morbidity composite (RR 1.03; 95% CI 0.84 to 1.26; 2 RCTs, N = 760). GRADE assessment was moderate-quality for these outcomes. Insulin versus diet The evidence for perinatal mortality was inconclusive (RR 0.74, 95% CI 0.41 to 1.33; 4 RCTs, N = 1137; GRADE moderate-quality). Insulin versus insulin The evidence for insulin aspart versus lispro for risk of caesarean section was inconclusive (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.09; 3 RCTs, N = 410; GRADE moderate quality). No conclusions possible No conclusions were possible for: lifestyle versus usual care (perineal trauma, postnatal depression, neonatal adiposity, number of antenatal visits/admissions); diet versus control (pre-eclampsia, caesarean section); myo-inositol versus placebo (hypoglycaemia); metformin versus glibenclamide (hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, pregnancy-induced hypertension, death or serious morbidity composite, insulin versus oral therapy (development of type 2 diabetes); intensive management versus routine care (IOL, large-for-gestational age); post- versus pre-prandial glucose monitoring (large-for-gestational age). The evidence ranged from moderate-, low- and very low quality. Authors’ conclusions Currently there is insufficient high-quality evidence about the effects on health outcomes of relevance for women with GDM and their babies for many of the comparisons in this overview comparing treatment interventions for women with GDM. Lifestyle changes (including as a minimum healthy eating, physical activity and self-monitoring of blood sugar levels) was the only intervention that showed possible health improvements for women and their babies. Lifestyle interventions may result in fewer babies being large. Conversely, in terms of harms, lifestyle interventions may also increase the number of inductions. Taking insulin was also associated with an increase in hypertensive disorders, when compared to oral therapy. There was very limited information on long-term health and health services costs. Further high-quality research is needed

Interlot, intralot, and time variations in pH of commercially available artificial tears

This study examines the stability and range of pH in several commercially available artificial tear preparations. pH immediately upon opening varies between 6.4 and 8.5 among the preparations. pH fluctuation was not found to occur in five of the seven preparations. The pH of one lot of a multiple use artificial tear decreased 0.4 units during the first week and then remained stable for the following 21 days. pH was found to vary by 0.5 units between lots in one brand of a single use artificial tear preparation. These results allow for informed selection of artificial tears in the treatment of dry eye

Research on the International Space Station - An Overview

The International Space Station (ISS) celebrates ten years of operations in 2008. While the station did not support permanent human crews during the first two years of operations November 1998 to November 2000 it hosted a few early science experiments months before the first international crew took up residence. Since that time and simultaneous with the complicated task of ISS construction and overcoming impacts from the tragic Columbia accident science returns from the ISS have been growing at a steady pace. As of this writing, over 162 experiments have been operated on the ISS, supporting research for hundreds of ground-based investigators from the U.S. and international partners. This report summarizes the experimental results collected to date. Today, NASA's priorities for research aboard the ISS center on understanding human health during long-duration missions, researching effective countermeasures for long-duration crewmembers, and researching and testing new technologies that can be used for future exploration crews and spacecraft. Through the U.S. National Laboratory designation, the ISS is also a platform available to other government agencies. Research on ISS supports new understandings, methods or applications relevant to life on Earth, such as understanding effective protocols to protect against loss of bone density or better methods for producing stronger metal alloys. Experiment results have already been used in applications as diverse as the manufacture of solar cell and insulation materials for new spacecraft and the verification of complex numerical models for behavior of fluids in fuel tanks. A synoptic publication of these results will be forthcoming in 2009. At the 10-year point, the scientific returns from ISS should increase at a rapid pace. During the 2008 calendar year, the laboratory space and research facilities were tripled with the addition of ESA's Columbus and JAXA's Kibo scientific modules joining NASA's Destiny Laboratory. All three laboratories, together with external payload accommodations, support a wide variety of research racks and science and technology experiments. In 2009, the number of crewmembers will increase from three to six, greatly increasing the time available for research. The realization of the international scientific partnership provides new opportunities for scientific collaboration and broadens the research potential on the ISS. Engineers and scientists from around the world are working together to refine their operational relationships and build from their experiences conducting early science to ensure maximum utilization of the expanded capabilities aboard ISS. This paper will summarize science results and accomplishments, and discuss how the early science utilization provides the foundation for continuing research campaigns aboard the ISS that will benefit future exploration programs