Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Slow learners'

This qualitative research inquiry explores the perspectives of a diverse range of participants, namely head teachers, teachers and mothers, towards inclusion of "slow learners" in two primary mainstream schools in the State of Kuwait. The concept of inclusion, through a review of major issues and limitations in the current practice of inclusion is highlighted by this case study. A multi-method data collection approach, using semi-structured interviews and critical discourse analysis of the policy document for inclusion in Kuwait, has led to identifying what has been done, so far in practice, for inclusion, as well as identifying the potential changes that need to be made. Kuwait is a signatory to the UNESCO Salamanca Statement, set out in 1994, which requires states to move towards systems "enabling schools to serve all children". However, to date, "inclusion" in Kuwaiti mainstream schools is limited to two groups of children: those with Down's Syndrome and those referred to as "slow learners", a term used to describe certain children with low IQ. All other children with special educational needs are educated in segregated settings. This study examines policy and explores participants' perspectives towards the inclusion of children identified as "slow learners" in primary mainstream schools in Kuwait, in order to arrive at insights which might further the policy and practice of supporting inclusion of children with special educational needs. This study found that the dominant conceptual model underpinning policy and practice in Kuwait is the "medical model" of disability, as the current understanding and practice of inclusion, teachers' and mothers' perspectives towards inclusion and articulation of the inclusion policy in Kuwait is informed, conceptualized and affected by this model. This understanding lends itself to practices of integration rather than inclusion, However, "the term 'inclusion' replaced 'integration' and is often contrasted with 'exclusion' " (Topping & Maloney, 2005, p.42). Inclusion means equal access and increasing the participation of students with special needs in mainstream school as promoted by the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO,1994), while integration means limited access and less participation of students with special needs in mainstream school, thus integration is "largely a 'disability' or SEN issue" (Topping & Maloney, 2005, p.42). This study also found that perspectives of inclusion are influenced by the social, cultural and religious context of the country. Finally, this study concludes that in the context of Kuwait, there is a clear effect of the cultural understanding of disability on the way that the current policy of inclusive education is represented. Such cultural influence not only affects the policymakers of the region and the way inclusion is implemented, but also it effects "slow learners" in the light of how disability and inclusion are constructed by the head teachers, teachers and mothers in this study. Such cultural and social values and beliefs of Kuwaiti culture pose obstacles to the existence of inclusion in Kuwait, as promoted by the Salamanca Statement. As a signatory to the Salamanca Statement, this study suggests that in order to adequately accommodate "slow learners" and other students with disability in mainstream schools in Kuwait, policy needs to be reconceptualised.

Syftet med studien är att förstå och beskriva sju elevers och tre lärares erfarenheter av skolan under deras treåriga gymnasietid tillsammans. Målet är att kunna utveckla kunskap om hur gymnasieskolan ska kunna möta behovet hos elever som lämnar grundskolan med ofullständiga betyg. Bakgrunden till studien är den snabba förändring som skett i Sveriges utbildningssystem de senaste decennierna. Från att ha varit en urvalsskola går idag mer än 99 procent av varje årskull vidare till gymnasieskolan i Sverige. Det innebär att gymnasieskolan ställts inför en betydligt svårare uppgift med nya elevgrupper och helt andra krav på det pedagogiska arbetet. Eleverna i den här studien lämnade grundskolan med ofullständiga betyg och sökte själva till en liten undervisningsgrupp på gymnasiets individuella program med inriktning mot restaurang och storkök. Det empiriska materialet består främst av forskningsintervjuer och fältanteckningar från deltagande observationer. Forskningen utgår ifrån en livsvärldsansats och en central utgångspunkt är elevernas och lärarnas erfarenheter av skolan. Resultatet visar att eleverna bär på mycket negativa erfarenheter av grundskolan som genererat en negativ inställning till skolarbete. Att få eleverna mer positivt inställda till skolarbete var en förutsättning för att lärande i kärnämnena skulle ske. Två faktorer framträder tydligt som avgörande för att de här ungdomarna upplevt gymnasietiden som meningsfull. Den första är lärares elevsyn och den relation som uppstår i mötet mellan eleven och läraren. Den andra är huruvida eleverna upplever innehållet som meningsfullt. Skolans innehåll blev meningsfullt när eleverna upplevde att lärandesituationer var på riktigt och när de samtidigt kände att innehållet var anpassat till dem, då släppte plötsligt spärrarna för dem.

This study compared the effectiveness of independent lesson reviews with teacher-directed lesson reviews using the same content material. Student improvement was measured by improvement of the mean scores of the students, as determined by their performance on teacher-made tests. The students taking part in the study were grade nine vocational students at W.J. Fenton Secondary School in The Peel Board of Education. The students were tested on their ability to recall names of equipment, on their comprehension of a scientific phenomenon and on their ability to apply a mathematical formula to quantify experimental results. The predicted superior performance of the independent study technique was not confirmed. The students in the teacher-directed reviews performed equally well or better than the students using independent study techniques. However, during the study there was overall improvement in the scores of both groups of students indicating that the teaching strategies applied for this study were effective in assisting the students to improve their subject mastery. Based on these findings it was concluded that independent study strategies are not superior to teacher-directed review methods for students who have learning disabilities but they do have some value in instructional situations where independent study methods must be used.
Education, Faculty of
Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of
Graduate

This applied dissertation was designed to provide a better understanding of the effectiveness of out-of-class safety net corrective instructional activity practices conducted beyond regular classroom instruction for lower secondary level (9th- and 10th- grade high school) students within mastery learning educational environments. The study was designed to shed light on the impact and implications of these practices on Bloom’s vanishing point (Bloom, 1971) and Arlin’s leveling effect (Arlin & Westbury, 1976). Seven mastery learning structured international schools in geographic proximity, of similar size, and utilizing the same program of study were used in this study. Three of the schools that employed a safety net program were the basis of this study, and the four schools that did not have in place a safety net program were used as a control for this observational research. Normed Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) RIT scores (Northwest Evaluation Association, 2005), grade point averages, and safety net program data were used in a series of case-control tests to determine the effectiveness of out-of-class corrective instructional activity safety net programs for above-average and below-average achieving students. The mean study and control group RIT percentile ranking scores for the students was nearly 1 standard deviation above the averages reported by the Northwest Evaluation Association (2005), so these relative comparisons involved bright students. This large volume of data enabled analysis of the effects of out-of-class safety net activities on school-wide and individual improvement in literature, writing, mathematics, and comprehensive results. Series of conclusive nonparametric analysis were used instead of normal distribution tests because of the out-of-bounds skewed nature of the data. Analysis of the data suggested that safety netting programs benefit all students, irrespective of whether or not students received out-of-class corrective instructional activities. The MAP RIT scores of below- average achieving students were not affected by attending a school with a safety net program but their GPA results improved in all subjects. Arlin’s leveling effect (Arlin & Westbury, 1976) most likely accounted for improvement of MAP RIT scores for above- average students who attended a school with a safety net program but their GPA results were not affected. These contrasting benefits masked the school-wide test results, which suggested that a school district might not realize an overall increase in MAP RIT and GPA results when adopting a safety net program. Students identified in need of safety netting services benefited by having been placed in the program up to twice in any respective course, but a point of diminishing returns was reached when a student fell 3 or more units behind in a course in relation to the progress of the class.

In this thesis, an attitude control system based on Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) technique is developed for a hypothetical Earth observation satellite with a long flexible boom. To improve pointing performance of the satellite, the piezoelectric actuators are used as well. The boom is rectangular made of aluminum with the surface bonded piezoelectric layers on all four surfaces. The boom is modeled using finite elements. The pointing performance of the satellite using various metrics is evaluated through simulations. Effectiveness of the piezoelectric actuators is demonstrated.

碩士
國立彰化師範大學
英語學系
87
Abstract Owing to the fact that language learners often confront with the overwhelming fast speed in English speech, the present study aims to examine the effect of slow speech on Chinese EFL students' listening comprehension by conducting two phases of experiments: the preliminary study and the main experiment. Forty freshman English majors participated in this study. In the preliminary study, 3 passages of about 300 words were used; each passage was tape-recorded by a female English native speaker at approximate 3.2 syllables per second (s.p.s.) (or 140 w.p.m. (word per minute)), or 2.6 s.p.s. (110 w.p.m.) or 2.1 s.p.s. (90 w.p.m.) respectively. After listening to the text, subjects listened to five comprehension questions, and wrote down their answers, perception of the length, difficulty level of the passages, and sources of difficulty on an answer sheet. The design of the main experiment was slightly modified from the preliminary study. The same 40 subjects were randomly assigned to either the Experimental Group or the Control Group. Another 3 passages of about 300 words were used in this study; each passage was tape-recorded by the same female native speaker at two speaking rates: approximate 3.2 s.p.s (or 140 w.p.m.), and 2.6 s.p.s. (110 w.p.m.). The Control Group listened to tapes in the normal speed (3.1 s.p.s.) while the Experimental Group the slow speed (2.6 s.p.s.). The experiment procedure was identical to the preliminary study. The results showed that the effect of slow speech on listening comprehension was not consistent in the two phases of experiment. The findings of the preliminary study indicated positive effect of slow speech on aural comprehension. However, the results of the main experiment showed no significant effect of slow speech on aural comprehension. Possible explanations to the seemly conflicting results were participants' progress in their listening proficiency and the increase of exposure to the aural target language. As for the effect of subjects' listening proficiency, it was found to be significant in both studies. Besides, there was no significant relationship between speech rate and students' listening proficiency. It was also found that the major sources of difficulty lied in the design of questions and vocabulary in the passages.

Dissertação de mestrado em Temas de Psicologia do Desenvolvimento, apresentada à Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra.
Os Slow Learners são alunos com Funcionamento Intelectual Borderline (FIB) que frequentemente se debatem para acompanhar as exigências académicas. O presente estudo teve como objetivo contribuir para aumentar o conhecimento em relação a estes alunos, tendo-se realizado um estudo empírico comparativo e correlacional, com uma amostra constituída por um grupo com FIB, de 40 crianças e adolescentes (7-15 anos), do 2º ao 6º ano, e um grupo de controlo, com QI médio, de 40 alunos, selecionados através de uma metodologia de emparelhamento de pares idênticos. Aplicaram-se os seguintes instrumentos: Escala de Inteligência de Wechsler para Crianças  Terceira Edição; Bateria de Avaliação Neuropsicológica de Coimbra (Lista de Palavras; Memória de Histórias; Figura Complexa de Rey; Memória de Faces; Nomeação Rápida; Fluência Verbal); e Inventário de Identificação de Dificuldades de Aprendizagem (tradução e adaptação portuguesa do "Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory"). Os resultados apontaram para que os Slow Learners têm um défice na memória verbal de curto prazo, na nomeação rápida, na fluência verbal fonémica e na memória visual de curto prazo, especificamente numa tarefa de reconhecimento visual, em comparação com o grupo de controlo. Registou-se, ainda, que os Slow Learners têm dificuldades de aprendizagem generalizadas, nomeadamente no raciocínio, na matemática, escrita e leitura; e algumas destas dificuldades estão associadas, moderadamente, a resultados mais baixos nas notas escolares das disciplinas de Português e Matemática. Conclui-se que os Slow Learners não estão a atingir sucesso académico nas escolas portuguesas, sendo clara a necessidade de desenvolver linhas de atuação científica, legislativa e educativa.
Slow Learners are students with Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) that frequently struggle to keep up academic demands. The purpose of the present study was to contribute to enlarge the knowledge about these students. A cross-sectional, comparison and correlational study was carried out with a sample composed of a group with BIF, of 40 children and adolescents (7-15 years old), in grades two through six; and a control group with average IQ, of 40 students, selected by the method of case matching. The following instruments were used: Portuguese version of third edition of The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; Portuguese Battery of Neuropsychological Assessment of Coimbra (Words List; Narrative Memory; Rey Complex Figure; Face Memory; Rapid Naming; Verbal Fluency); and Portuguese translation and adaptation of the Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory. The results showed deficits in Slow Learners verbal short-term memory, rapid naming, phonemic verbal fluency and visual short-term memory, specifically on a visual recognition task, in comparison to the control group. Also, Slow Learners showed generalized learning disabilities, namely in reasoning, mathematics, writing and reading; and some of these disabilities are associated, moderately, with lower academic scores in the Portuguese and Mathematics school subjects. Thus, Slow Learners are not getting academic success in Portuguese schools, and there is a clear need to develop scientific, legislative and educational actions.

Motivation and motivational strategies are believed to enhance student participation in the learning of a second language. As an educator, I wanted to conduct my own research to investigate whether a teacher can motivate slow learners by using different motivational strategies. Fifteen pupils of Form I participated in completing a questionnaire to show how much they were intrinsically and extrinsically motivated in the learning of the Arabic language before applying the motivation strategies. At the end, the same questionnaire was given after these strategies were applied. As a result, my goal was achieved. Pupils seemed to be motivated after applying the motivational strategies. However, based on the findings, extrinsic motivation showed no sign of improvement and obviously, this matter merits further research. Some recommendations are provided. At last, it is hoped that results of this study could be used to adapt the curriculum to the needs of slow learners.
Classics and World Languages
M.A. (Arabic Language)

Background: This study formed part of a larger longitudinal research study by Jordaan (2009), who tracked the development of language for academic purposes in grade 1- 3 English Additional Language (EAL) and English First Language (EFL) learners attending English only programmes in Gauteng over a period of three years. These learners attended schools in two different educational contexts where there is a marked heterogeneity in the linguistic backgrounds of both the learners and teachers investigated. Results from Jordaan’s (2009) study revealed that some EAL and EFL learners appeared to be slow in the development of their academic language abilities (as no progress was evident over the period of three years), relative to their peers, and thus these learners may have a language impairment. Purpose: This study investigated in detail, these “slow to learn” EAL and EFL learners in the foundation phase, in order to determine whether they have a language impairment and to determine how the language impairment manifests in these learners. Participants: Sixteen learners (5 EFL learners and 16 EAL learners) who demonstrated no improvement in their academic language abilities from grade one to grade two as determined by their performance on the Diagnostic Evaluation of Language Variation Criterion Referenced (DELV-CR) test were the participants of this study. Method: The participants were assessed on the Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA) test, a Non Word Repetition test (Dollaghan & Campbell, 1998), a Sentence Repetition test (Redmond, 2005) and the Gray Oral Reading Test (GORT-4). Educators were also asked to rate these learners’ oral language, written language and reading comprehension abilities on a scale of 0- 5. The research design utilized was a non experimental, descriptive quantitative design, involving both correlational and comparative components. The data obtained was then analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to establish whether there was a relationship between the cognitive processing and the language proficiency measures as well as the teacher ratings in order to provide information regarding these tests as assessment tools for EAL learners as well as to further enhance the validity of this study. Independent sample t-tests were also conducted to determine whether there were any significant differences between the EFL and EAL learners’ performance in the two different educational contexts, so as to establish whether bilingual learners with language impairment are more severely impaired than monolingual learners with language impairment. Results: Based on the analysis of these learners’ performance on the DELV-CR test, results indicated that all sixteen participants presented with SLI and were not just “slow to learn”. The EAL-SLI learners in both contexts performed poorly on the reading comprehension test and were rated lower than their aged matched peers on the teacher rating scales. Furthermore, when comparing these EAL-SLI learners’ performance on the DELV-CR test to the performance of the EFL-SLI learners, the EAL-SLI learners as a group appeared to have performed more poorly than the EFL-SLI learners on all three subtests. As significant differences were found between the EAL and EFL learners’ performance on the DELV-CR test, the results suggested that bilingual learners with SLI, who acquire a second language sequentially, are more impaired than monolingual learners with SLI. The EAL-SLI learners also presented with visuo-spatial short term and working memory deficits and even though a large majority of the learners presented with verbal short term and working memory difficulties, not all the learners presented with cognitive processing difficulties. This finding has implications for the theories of SLI. However, the sentence repetition task was found to be a useful tool in differentiating between the “slow to learn” EAL learners and EAL-SLI learners and furthermore this test also positively correlated with various sections of the DELV-CR test which adds to the value of this test as an assessment tool in EAL learners. Positive correlations were also found between the teacher ratings of the EAL-SLI learners and the subtests of the DELV-CR test which indicates that teachers have the ability to correctly identify learners with language learning difficulties. Positive correlations were also found between the digit repetition subtest, the non word repetition test and the sentence repetition test which adds to the validity of this study. Conclusion: The results obtained from this study demonstrated that bilingual learners with SLI who acquire a second language sequentially are additionally disadvantaged compared to their EFL-SLI peers in the acquisition of certain aspects of academic language. Furthermore, although research has shown that cognitive processing measures are less biased in the assessment of linguistically diverse learners, results indicated that the DELV-CR test identified more accurately, learners with language impairment whereas the cognitive processing measures provided contradictory and biased results with the verbal working memory subtest over identifying learners “at risk” for language impairment. Finally, the use of sentence repetition tasks in the differentiation between “slow to learn” and language impaired EAL learners proves to be promising.

According to the National Policy for Assessment Grade R-12, South African learners are either promoted or progressed to the next grade. This study focused on teachers’ views on teaching progressed learners in primary schools in the Lichtenburg District. According to the National Policy Pertaining to the Programme and Progression Requirements, the term ‘progressed’ means the movement of a learner from one grade to the next grade excluding grade R, in spite of the learner’s non-compliance with all the promotion requirements. The theoretical framework was provided by the behaviourist, social constructivist, and interactive learning theories. A literature study investigated the accommodation of progressed learners in Zimbabwe and the United States, albeit the use of different terminology to identify the learners, and reasons for the increase in progressed learners in South African schools since the inception of the new curriculum policy and the progression policies. Against this background, a qualitative study was conducted and a purposeful sample of six primary school teachers teaching English First Additional Language to grade six progressed learners at two selected primary schools in the Lichtenburg district was selected. Data were gathered by interviews, observation and document analysis. Findings indicated that teachers were constrained by overcrowded classrooms, lack of teaching resources and school infrastructure, poor learner behaviour, poor attendance of remediation sessions and lack of parent involvement. Teachers were not trained to teach progressed learners and tended towards teacher-centered approaches. Based on the literature and the findings of the qualitative inquiry recommendations for improved practice were made.
Curriculum and Instructional Studies
M. Ed. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)

THESIS ABSTRACT Word final positions are sometimes described as optionally salient, depending on the presence or the absence of bound morphology. In fact, word final positions often incur disruptive phonological processes (such as deletion or assimilation) but these processes are partially blocked in the presence of bound morphology. Some evidence suggests that these effects may also be active in the sublexicon (i.e. with no access to semantics). Investigations of this phenomenon so far focused on monolingual speakers, and little is known about the presence of these effects on speakers with English as their L2. This diploma thesis aims at partially filling this gap by focusing on the perceptual salience of word endings as perceived by second- language learners of English having Czech as their L1. The methodology is based on Cilibrasi (2015). The subjects tested were adult second- language learners of English of different language levels (B1, B2 and C1). In the experimental part, they were asked to listen to pairs of non-words and decide if the non-words are identical or slightly different by pressing one of two keys. There were three conditions: Condition 1 with non-words containing potential morphological information, condition 2 with non-words with no morphological information and condition 3 as a control...

Nationally and internationally grade retention is still used as a remedial strategy even though the majority of research questions its efficacy. In this qualitative study the adolescent is given a voice to inform important role-players about his experience of grade retention. The findings show that the adolescent is very self-conscious about his new status and fears stereotyping. The adolescent's self-esteem is shattered and he loses confidence in his ability to achieve. He is often the victim of teasing and experiences loneliness when he loses his friends in the process. The adolescent is hypersensitive to remarks by teachers and his parents. When he needs support the most, he experiences only conflict. Feelings of despondency and doubt in the existence of God are the result. Given the importance of psychosocial adjustment on subsequent development, recommendations were made to assist important people in the adolescent's life to support him more effectively.
Social Work
(M.A. Diac (Play Therapy))