To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Social aspects of Information literacy.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social aspects of Information literacy'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Social aspects of Information literacy.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Sam, Msindisi Scara. "The development and implementation of computer literacy terminology in isiXhosa." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002155.
Full text
2
Maia, Junot de Oliveira 1987. "Apropriação dos letramentos digitais para participação social mais ampla : um estudo de caso." [s.n.], 2013. http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/269329.
Full textAbstract:
Orientador: Denise Bértoli BragaDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T00:57:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maia_JunotdeOliveira_M.pdf: 5870972 bytes, checksum: 84e8eaafb3ec54ce927f7352b364a8f6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013
Resumo: O presente estudo discute o processo de apropriação das Tecnologias da Informação e da Comunicação (TICs) - e, por conseguinte, dos letramentos digitais envolvidos nesse processo - na busca por entender como elas podem contribuir para uma participação social mais ampla de indivíduos ou cidadãos que pertencem a grupos de periferia, entendendo que, atualmente, é problemático interpretar essa periferia de modo essencializado ou totalizado. O trabalho discute a noção de letramento ideológico defendida pelos Novos Estudos do Letramento e propõe uma reflexão sobre a relevância das tecnologias para os atuais estudos sobre letramentos, incluindo os digitais. Considerando que os indivíduos fazem uso de práticas de letramentos tanto particular como socialmente e focando na situação específica dos grupos economicamente não-privilegiados, a pesquisa considera, inicialmente, a perspectiva certeauniana, que sugere que o homem ordinário, para (re) inventar seu cotidiano, lança mão de táticas para desestabilizar a ordem hegemônica, sustentada por estratégias mobilizadas pelos grupos de poder. Contudo, a concepção binária de De Certeau (2012 [1980]) acerca de estratégias e táticas provou-se limitada para explicar a complexa rede de relações que determina uma periferia simbólica, constituinte da maior parte dos centros urbanos e contexto no qual indivíduos podem participar de diferentes circuitos de socialização. A alternativa teórica encontrada foi a noção de reconversão proposta por García-Canclini (2011 [1997]), entendendo que esta se caracteriza tanto pelo caráter estratégico de ação, como pelo contingencial. O resultado dessas ações é a hibridação das práticas culturais, o que pode se configurar como explicação mais adequada às praticas de letramentos contemporâneas. Para entender como as TICs contribuem para a participação social de indivíduos que compõem essa periferia simbólica, a pesquisa foca no estudo de caso de um jovem chamado Renê Silva, morador de um complexo de favelas brasileiro - o Complexo do Alemão, situado no Rio de Janeiro -, que explora os recursos das TICs a fim de expandir suas possibilidades de participação social. A análise dos dados ilustra diferentes modos pelos quais Renê Silva reconverte uma variedade de letramentos e faz uso de adventos das TICs para alcançar destaque local e global. Desse modo, as reflexões decorrentes do estudo de caso permitem refletir sobre possibilidades de usos das TICs para promover uma educação capaz de formar cidadãos críticos e de ampliar suas chances de participação social, o que seria uma grande contribuição na luta por mudanças relevantes na sociedade
Abstract: The present study discusses the process of appropriation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) - and, therefore, the resulting digital literacies involved in this process - aiming to understand how ICTs may contribute to a broader social participation of individuals or citizens who belong to peripheral groups, understanding that nowadays is problematic to interpret the social periphery in a essentialized or totaled way. The work favors the notion of ideological literacy defended by the New Literacy Studies and reflects upon the relevance of technologies for current studies of literacies including the digital ones. Considering that individuals make use of some literacies practices in very particular and social ways and focusing on the specific situation of underprivileged groups, the research initially takes into consideration the certeaunian perspective which suggests that ordinary man, in order to reinvent his everyday life, uses tactics to destabilize the hegemonic order, underpinned by strategies mobilized by more powerful groups. However, De Certeau's binary conception of tactics and strategies proved to be limited to explain the complex network of relationships that determines a symbolic periphery that constitutes most of urban contexts, where individuals join a variety of social circuits in their processes of socialization. As a theoretical alternative path, the study opts for the notion of reconvertion as proposed by García-Canclini (2011 [1997]) understanding that reconvertion is materialized by both strategic and opportunist types of actions. As a product of these actions a hybridization process is triggered and this may be a better explanation for the contemporary literacy practices. In order to understand how ICTs contribute to the social participation of individuals located at this symbolic social periphery, the research focus on a case study in which a young man named Renê Silva, resident in a Brazilian slum - Complexo do Alemão, in Rio de Janeiro - explores the resources of ICTs to expand his range of social participation. The data analyzed illustrate different ways in which Renê Silva reconverts a variety of literacy practices and makes use of ICTs resources to gain local and global prominence. Taking the result of the data analysis into consideration, the study stresses the possibilities of uses of ICTs to promote an education able to form critical citizens and to amplify their chances of social participation, what would be a great contribution in the quest for relevant social changes in our society
Mestrado
Linguagem e Tecnologia
Mestre em Linguística Aplicada
3
Hackmack, Karin Erna. "An investigation into understanding of academic literacies of students registered in Early Childhood Development courses." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013548.
Full textAbstract:
Purpose and research questions- This research was based on students enrolled on courses at Rhodes University's Centre for Social Development, an Institute delivering Early Childhood Development courses in the Grahamstown area. Having provided the students with access to a career path and its courses, it was imperative to assist the students to develop a standard of academic literacy comparable to that of in-service education students, in the Intermediate and Senior Phases. This study was influenced by Gee's (2004) definition of literacy as 'mastery over a discourse'. Gee (1990) termed discourse as the socially accepted way of thinking, believing and being. The study therefore investigated the enablers which assisted students to produce academic texts. This was achieved by finding out how the students and the course facilitators construct academic literacy; in other words what their discourses were regarding academic literacy. In order to ascertain this information, the students and the course facilitators were asked what reading and writing the students had done prior to enrolling on the course, what they had brought to the course, what the students and the course facilitators thought comprised a successful academic assignment, and how the students were supported in their academic literacy during the course. Data was gathered through interviews with both students and course facilitators, analysis of course assignments, and assessment reports written by the course facilitators. This data was analysed, looking for discourses on similarities and contradictions. Critical Discourse analysis was used to investigate the discourses that the course facilitators and students were using. Findings: It was evident from the data that the autonomous view of literacy was predominantly used. The course facilitators and, to a limited extent, the students, saw literacy as a set of technical skills that needed to be mastered. The students and course facilitators did not take into account that literacy is a social practice, and that literacy occurs within a particular social context and cultural context. The course facilitators tended to hold a deficit discourse related to the perception of inferior education under Bantu Education, which was seen as an inhibiting factor to academic literacy and academic success. The discourse of second language was also an issue that both the course facilitators and the students noted which prevented students' academic literacy. Christie's (1985) Received Tradition of Literacy, which focused on the forms and functions of literacy, was a discourse that both the students and the course facilitators ascribed to. Conclusions and recommendations: The course facilitators' and students' discourses were very similar, both being embedded within the autonomous and deficit models of literacy. It is recommended that course facilitators become cognisant with the models of academic literacy and that they become aware of the various discourses evident on the course and articulate these discourses for themselves. Furthermore they should assist the students by clearly articulating and unpacking the course requirements regarding academic literary.
4
Hatschbach, Maria Helena de Lima. "Information literacy: aspectos conceituais e iniciativas em ambiente digital para o estudante de nível superior." Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro / Instituto Brasileiro de Informação em Ciência e Tecnologia, 2002. http://ridi.ibict.br/handle/123456789/722.
Full textAbstract:
Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-19T11:50:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1
mariahelena2002.pdf: 561648 bytes, checksum: 3f5afa695dccb07517304e0c8c4bc065 (MD5)
Previous issue date: 2002-11-22This study outlines historical and conceptual aspects of Information Literacy, focusing their use on the academic environment. It presents the use of the term Information Literacy and the development of this field in Brazil and abroad. It shows actions, in digital environment, developed to the undergraduate student learning on the use of information. It identifies thematic priorities on the tutorials of Information Literacy
Abordagem dos aspectos conceituais e históricos da Information Literacy, enfocando suas aplicações no ambiente acadêmico. Apresenta um levantamento sobre a utilização do termo e o desenvolvimento desta área no exterior e no Brasil. Analisa iniciativas, em ambiente digital, voltadas para a formação do estudante de nível superior para o uso da informação. Identifica as principais temáticas tratadas em tutoriais de Information Literacy
5
Chapman, Robert Timothy. "Media literacy in public schools." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2002. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2949.
Full textAbstract:
This study investigates media literacy curricula in upper-income and lower-income public schools. Twelve principals participated in a telephone survey by answering fifteen questions about their schools and districts.
6
Martin, Susan P. "Young people's sexual health literacy : seeking, understanding, and evaluating online sexual health information." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2017. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/8528/.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Improving the sexual health of young people is a key policy focus in Scotland. As the influence of the internet has grown within a rapidly changing health information landscape, so have opportunities for both sexual health promotion, and concerns about the challenges faced by young people in navigating this online environment. This study explores young people’s sexual health literacy (SHL), primarily within this online context. Methods: Paired interviews with friendship groups and observational online activities were used to explore young people’s experiences of finding, understanding and evaluating online sexual health information. A purposive sample of 49 participants (aged 16-19), diverse in terms of gender, sexuality and religion, were recruited from across Scotland from areas that varied in terms of deprivation and urban/rural classification. Findings: Participants varied in their confidence and ability to find and identify reliable information, and typically regarded identifying and filtering reliable sources as challenging. Barriers to accessing information on websites included: inaccessible language; inappropriate or non-relatable information; and websites that were difficult to navigate or did not function correctly. Concerns about stigma and ‘being seen’ seeking sexual health information was a key barrier. Stark differences, often mediated by gender, sexuality and educational circumstances, emerged in perspectives towards accessing sexual health information and support online. Findings suggest that different social media platforms present different opportunities and challenges; for example, social content sharing services such as YouTube may be useful venues for developing critical SHL, while social networking sites such as Facebook, may be less suitable to user’s active engagement in identity construction. Dissatisfaction with school-based sexual health education appears to be a catalyst for online information-seeking, but school-based sexual health education did little to equip young people to use the online environment effectively. Conclusions: Gender, sexual identity, stigma, structural factors and social support converge and intersect around young people’s SHL. A broad range of targeted interventions are needed to improve SHL, focusing on overcoming stigma, presenting positive messages and developing interactive and critical skills. Schools could do more to develop SHL skills, including teaching the digital and critical skills to seek and appraise online information. Expanding online sexual health services may effectively complement traditional services and encourage uptake, but it is essential that research establishes a robust, comprehensive conceptualisation of SHL, and develops measurement tools specific to SHL such that interventions can be evaluated and refined.
7
Ding, Yan Zhe. "E-health literacy in Mainland China :validation of the E-health Literacy Scale (eHEALS) in simplified Chinese." Thesis, University of Macau, 2017. http://umaclib3.umac.mo/record=b3690768.
Full text
8
Cutz, German. "Reasons for the nonparticipation of adults in rural literacy programs in Western Guatemala." Virtual Press, 1997. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1063422.
Full textAbstract:
In a literature review of adult education research, three characteristics were found in studies on illiterate adults' nonparticipation: a) information has been gathered from participants in literacy programs, b) participants were considered low-literate adults or those who did not finish high school, and c) participants were surveyed through a questionnaire or telephone interviews.This study, however, involved ten illiterate adults (2 women and 8 men) who had not attended school or participated in literacy programs. The research question was: Why do adults not participate in rural literacy programs in western Guatemala? Thirty-eight ethnographic interviews were conducted from November 1996 to January 1997 in Nimasac and Xecaracoj, two villages located in western Guatemala, Central America.Twelve reasons for nonparticipation in literacy programs were described by the informants: 1) / have to work to earn money, 2) / do not like to work [learn] in groups, 3) / do not go to literacy programs because of my personal necessities [obligations], 4) / have been left out, 5) going to school is a waste of time, 6) / fear going to a literacy program, 7) / have no time, 8) the reason is machismo, 9) literacy is not work fit does not produce income], 10) my age is the problem, 11) / got pregnant, and 12) / do not go to a literacy program because of my husband's irresponsibility.An underlying construct for the reasons for nonparticipation, however, showed that the twelve reasons were reinforced at four levels, 1) individual, 2) family, 3) community, and 4) national. A set of interwoven relationships among the four levels, helped to explain that reasons for nonparticipation were constructed by rural Guatemalans.Indigenous people's identities and the preservation of their traditional values such as their native languages, clothing, obedience, respect and submission were the major factors that reinforced rural illiterates nonparticipation in formal education in western Guatemala.Illiteracy was not strictly an educational, but cultural, social, economic and political problem. Generalizing that both literates and illiterates valued education and needed the same skills, knowledge and abilities to become the "standard functional literates" has denied the existence of illiterate adults' culture, context, and needs.Department of Educational Leadership
9
Fujino, Koichi. "Social Combination| Teaching Two Fa(u)lkners and Digital Literacy." Thesis, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3736801.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation explores the ways to teach the literary works of William Clark Falkner and William Faulkner to ESL (English as a Second Language) students in today’s digital environment. William Faulkner’s great-grandfather, William Clark Falkner, wrote romantic literary works, and William Faulkner critically uses the motifs of his great-grandfather’s works to establish his literary world. Applying Bakhtin’s dialogical theory, this study explores how these two authors imagine the social formations of the American South differently in their literary works. The coined term, social combination—which is defined as the individuals’ mutual effort to have equal relationships for a certain time—is used as a key term to examine how these two authors depict the characters’ personal relationships. William Faulkner employs his characters’ social combination as a resistance against the American South’s romantic illusions that are represented by William Clark Falkner’s literary works. William Faulkner’s historical perspective is beneficial for today’s ESL students, who explore their new egalitarian formations in their digitally expanded world. The last part of this study outlines how an American literary teacher can connect the works of William Clark Falkner and William Faulkner when teaching ESL students by using today’s digital environment. Using three digital platforms—Moodle, WordPress, and Google Drive—a teacher composes egalitarian relationships among class members and inspires students’ autonomous discussion on these two authors’ works. Through these activities, ESL students are expected to comprehend that the literature of the American South is not only the historical development of the foreign region, but the phenomenon that is connected to their own social formations.
10
Britz, J. J. "A critical analysis of information poverty from a social justice perspective." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2006. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-07212007-122555.
Full text
11
Biggs, Edward Eugene. "Social anxiety and memory deficit for information about others." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/26039.
Full textAbstract:
Cognitive factors have been identified as critical variables in the origin and maintenance of interpersonal dysfunction associated with high social anxiety. Although evidence of a memory deficit accompanying general anxiety states is abundant, studies of memory accompanying social anxiety have failed to demonstrate a deficit. Previous studies of memory deficit in social anxiety have measured only retention of evaluative feedback, the present study investigated memory more typical of interpersonal encounters, the recall of information about others.
Forty-eight high socially anxious males and forty-eight low anxious males were asked to listen to a tape recording of self-disclosures either during an interaction with the self-discloser or in private. Following an interim task, each subject was then asked to recall the information from the tape either in the presence of the female self-discloser or in private. This design allowed for social anxiety provoking manipulation at encoding to be completely crossed with social anxiety manipulation at retrieval. Multiple measures of memory were taken and analyzed with a multivariate procedure.
It was hypothesized that a situational deficit would occur for the high socially anxious subjects when they were encoding the other-referent information in a social context. Additionally, it was hypothesized that high socially anxious subjects would recall more affective as opposed to neutral information, and more negative items than positive or neutral.
The results confirmed that memory is disturbed for high socially anxious subjects when in a social context, and specifically the disturbance occurs at the encoding phase. Results regarding the recall of affective material were contrary to prediction and suggest that high socially anxious subjects selectively process less affective material than do low socially anxious subjects.
The results are supportive of a cognitive perspective arguing that dysfunctional interpersonal experiences may stem from impoverished, incomplete, and barren schema that guide the social behavior. The presence of a recall deficit along with intact recognition memory suggests that information about others is attended to but not processed 'deeply' or elaborately enough to be available on a free recall basis.
The identification of memory deficit as a component of social anxiety provides a variety of new intervention possibilities including social memory enhancement programs, interventions aimed at unearthing poorly encoded memories, and strategies focused on attention to affective messages.Education, Faculty of
Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of
Graduate
12
Woodward, Robert. "Teaching television literacy in South African secondary schools." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/18321.
Full textAbstract:
Bibliography: pages 190-196.This dissertation develops a syllabus for the study of television literacy in South African secondary schools. There are two natural divisions in the development of the thesis; the section which explores epistemological issues and the section which describes the strategic issues. The first section examines the nature of print literacy. This consists of four elements: mastering the basic language of the medium; being able to decode this language; using the medium for personal creative ends; and having the capacity for critical reflection. It is possible to talk in terms of a language of television and so this definition of literacy can be extended to television as well. There are three main areas for the study of television literacy. These are: the production techniques and effects of television; the conventional forms of the medium; and the nature of television as a mass medium. Once this has been established the dissertation explores the strategic issues of a methodology and areas of knowledge for teaching television literacy. Although there are many methodologies for the study of the mass media, the British Cultural Studies approach, together with Hall's three moments of encoding and decoding, seems to offer the methodology most suitable for teaching critical literacy. Within this theoretical framework it is possible to describe a syllabus for teaching television literacy. This syllabus involves studying the encoding and decoding of television messages within the context of the technical infrastructure of television; the internal and external relations of production, and the frameworks of knowledge which determine the form and content of television.
13
Campbell, Elizabeth. "Scottish adult literacy and numeracy policy and practice : a social practice model : rhetoric or reality." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2011. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2948/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is about the story of the development of Adult Literacy and Numeracy policy and practice in Scotland. It includes some of my personal experiences over the past thirty years working in the field of adult education and particularly in literacies. However, the focus is primarily on the years 2000 –2006 when major developments took place in this field of adult learning. One of the tenets of the ‘new literacies’ policy and practice is that it is predicated on a social practice model. This thesis explores whether this assertion is rhetoric or reality. In the process the thesis outlines what the term social practice means to theorists, academics and those involved in the direct delivery of literacies. It examines the policy documents and the practices of managers and tutors and learner outcomes. The thesis argues that, while a learner centred approach is integral to any good adult education practice, it does not equate to the use of a social practice model and more requires to be done before it can be claimed that Scotland truly operates a social practice model in the delivery of Adult Literacy and Numeracy. The first five chapters of the thesis outline the historical context of literacies development in Scotland, locate my methodological approach, explore what is meant by social practices, sketch the development of policy and practice in Scotland and describe the methods used to gather data. The following three chapters explore the responses of the managers, tutors and learners that informed the outcomes of the research. The final chapters analyse the data and address three pertinent questions. Firstly, is it possible/likely that a full social practice model can become the norm in Scotland, secondly, whether it is possible to develop this model at a national level anywhere considering the current global situation and thirdly, how can the good practice recorded in this research be sustained.
14
Forte, Andrea. "Learning in public information literacy and participatory media /." Diss., Atlanta, Ga. : Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1853/29767.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D)--Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010.Committee Chair: Bruckman, Amy; Committee Member: Grinter, Rebecca; Committee Member: Grudin, Jonathan; Committee Member: Guzdial, Mark; Committee Member: Kolodner, Janet. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.
15
Abbott, Emily. "How College Students Access Nutrition Information| A Study on Social Media and Health Literacy." Thesis, California State University, Long Beach, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10843168.
Full textAbstract:
Over 85% of all adults are active on social media. Social media is challenging as an information-sharing community because there is no formal review process before the information is published. College students are among the most active users of social media and have been shown to be ineffective in determining credible information online. Eighty-three students from two universities participated in a voluntary, online survey that assessed the relationship between gender, enrollment year, and academic major of college students and how the students navigated social media to obtain nutrition information. Variables were tested using a chi-square analysis; if determinants were n < 5 a Fisher’s exact test was run.
Results indicated that female students were significantly more likely to use Instagram, x2 = 5.224, p = 0.022 or Pinterest, p = 0.002, to access nutrition information and placed higher importance on the quality of photos than males, x2 = 4.953, p = 0.026. Additionally, female students were more likely to search for healthy recipes, x 2 = 11.044, p = 0.001, weight loss information, x2 = 7.675, p = 0.006, and to trust chefs, x2 = 6.863, p = 0.009 and food bloggers, p = < 0.001. Descriptively, it was found that students are more likely to search for broad nutrition topics such as general nutrition tips, weight loss, and healthy recipes. Students were found to trust both credible (registered dietitians, physicians) and non-credible professionals (personal trainers, nutritionist). Future research should expand on how students use social media for nutrition/health information using a larger, more culturally diverse subject pool with a more detailed focus on implications of social media as a nutrition source.
16
Tolley, Rebecca. "Review of Organizing for Social Change." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2010. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/5638.
Full text
17
Freeland, Leah J. "The effects of various methods of presenting information on attitudes toward homosexuality." Virtual Press, 1986. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/451710.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a film on homosexuality and a presentation by the Gay Alliance on attitude change toward homosexuality. A review of the literature indicated that a class which offers eduction on homosexuality results in a more positive attitude toward homosexuality. It was also found that participants are less tolerant toward homosexuality after viewing an explicit, erotic film of two hmosexuals. Participants were 58 male and 113 female students enrolled in one of three Introductory to Psychology classes. All were given the Kite Attitude Toward Homosexuality Scale and a demographic questionnaire during their usual class times. One week later a filmstrip on homosexuality was shown to one class and the Gay Alliance gave a presentation to a second class. The third class was not given any additional information on homosexuality. Two weeks later all participants completed the Kite Scale and the questionnaire again. A 2x3 Analysis of Covariance showed there was no significant difference between groups or gender. A stepwise multiple regression indicated the best predictor for attitude change was if the subject had read something other than a textbook on homosexuality. A stepwise multiple regression also found the best predictors of a positive attitude toward homosexuality was if the participant had a friend who was homosexual, if the participant was female, and if the participant had a relative who was homosexual. The explanation for the results found included a discussion on AIDS, the low number of male subjects in the two experimental groups, and the fact that there were some difficulties with the group which viewed the filmstrip.
18
Meiring, Natalie. "Factors impacting Tablet PC usage in low-income communities." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4642.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this research was to identify factors that impact on tablet PC usage in low-income communities. In order to determine and identify these factors a main research question and sub-research questions were formulated. The primary research question of this study was "What factors impact on tablet PC usage in low-income communities?" This main research question was answered by creating three sub-research questions followed by triangulating the results from these questions. The first sub-research question was aimed at determining whether prior exposure to touch screen technology impacts the user experience. In order to reach this objective an extensive literature review was conducted on the tablet PC landscape in South Africa. This literature review, coupled with the case study helped answer this first research question. The second sub-research question was concerned with determining whether existing user experience guidelines are relevant to South African users. A thorough literature review was conducted on user experience guidelines and related studies. This literature review, together with the results from the case study helped answer this second research question. The third sub-research question involved identifying specific factors which help improve the user experience of tablet PC users in a specific context. This research question was addressed in the case study. Each sub-research question provided results which were analysed in order to answer the main research question. The factors which impact on tablet PC usage were thus identified and recommendations were proposed.
19
Rose, Anthea. "How can we characterise family literacy programmes in England, Ireland and Malta : a comparative case study." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2008. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/10444/.
Full textAbstract:
Family literacy programmes have become an increasingly popular pedagogical tool utilised by policy makers to help address the literacy needs of families with low skill competencies and who are viewed as economically and socially underachieving. Taking a comparative case study approach, in this research I consider what benefits family literacy programmes have for the literacy skills of families. Drawing on Bourdieu's habitus (1993) and field (1977) and Bourdieu, Coleman (1988) and Putnam's (2000) notions of social capital, in this research I compare family literacy programmes in selected case study areas within England, Ireland and Malta. The objectives are to establish differences and similarities in policy rationale, the characteristics of delivery and learner engagement. Predominantly qualitative in nature, the research consisted of 94 semi-structured interviews with actors involved in family literacy programmes across the three areas including coordinators, practitioners, learners, ex-learners, non-participating fathers and children's teachers. Interviews were supplemented and triangulated by a range of other data sources including a number of classroom observations. Family literacy programmes across the three areas exhibited many similarities: the content of sessions; the underlying policy rationale for offering and funding programmes; the motivation of learners for attending; benefits reported by learners; and difficulties faced by practitioners. In addition, parents attending were mainly mothers. Some differences were also found, mainly between Ireland and the other two participating areas. For example, in Ireland different types of locations were used and children were not usually present. However, the main difference was not cultural, but political, between the desired policy outcomes, and the motivation of learners. The evidence suggests that, regardless of the cultural context, there is a mismatch or at least a lack of awareness between the two, with learners predominantly motivated to attend to help their children, whilst policy objectives primarily seek to address inadequate literacy levels, as part of wider social inclusion strategies.
20
Riffel, Alvin Daniel. "Social and cultural relevance of aspects of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), meteorological literacy and meteorological science conceptions." University of the Western Cape, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7258.
Full textAbstract:
Philosophiae Doctor - PhDThis research study examines those aspects of Indigenous Knowledge (IK) that could be socially and culturally relevant in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, for teaching meteorological science concepts in a grade 9 Social Science (Geography) classroom using dialogical argumentation as an instructional model (DAIM). The literature reviewed in this study explains the use of argumentation as an instructional method of classroom teaching in particular dialogical argumentation, combined with IKS (Indigenous Knowledge Systems), which in this study is seen as a powerful tool both in enhancing learners’ views and positively identifying indigenous knowledge systems within their own cultures and communities, and as tool that facilitates the learning of (meteorological) literacy and science concepts. With the development of the New Curriculum Statements (NCS) and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) for schools, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) of South Africa acknowledges a strong drive towards recognising and affirming the critical role of IK, especially with respect to science and technology education. The policy suggests that the Department of Education take steps to begin the phased integration of IK into curricula and relevant accreditation frameworks. Using a quasi-experimental research design model, the study employed both quantitative and qualitative methods (mixed-methods) to collect data in two public secondary schools in Cape Town, in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. A survey questionnaire on attitudes towards, and perceptions of high school, of a group of grade 9 learners, as well as their conceptions of weather, was administered before the main study to give the researcher baseline information and to develop pilot instruments to use in the main study. An experimental group (E-group) of learners were exposed to an intervention - the results were recorded against a control group (C-group) that were exposed to no intervention. Both the E-group and C-group were exposed to a Meteorological Literacy Test (MLT) evaluation before and after the DAIM intervention. The results from the two groups were then compared and analysed according to the two theoretical frameworks underpinning the study, namely, Toulmin’s Argumentation Pattern - TAP (Toulmin, 1958) and Contiguity Argumentation Theory - CAT (Ogunniyi, 1997). The findings of this study revealed that: Firstly, the socio-cultural background of learners has an influence on their conceptions of weather prediction and there was a significant difference between boy’s and girls’ pre-test conceptions about the existence of indigenous knowledge systems within the community they live in. For instance, from the learners’ excerpts, it emerged that the girls presented predominantly rural experiences as opposed to those of the boys which were predominantly from urban settings. Secondly, those E-group learners exposed to the DAIM intervention shifted from being predominantly equipollent to the school science to emergent stances and they found a way of connecting their IK to the school science. The DAIM model which allowed argumentation to occur amongst learners seemed to have enhanced their understanding of the relevance of IK and how its underlying scientific claims relate to that of school science. Thirdly, the argumentation-based instructional model was found to be effective to a certain extent in equipping the in-service teachers with the necessary argumentation skills that could enable them to take part in a meaningful discourse. The study drew on the personal experiences and encounters from a variety of sources. These included storytelling-and sharing, academic talks with local community members recorded during the research journey, formal round table discussion and talks at international and local conferences, conference presentations, informal interviews, indigenous chats at social event-meetings, and shared experiences at IKS training workshops as a facilitator. These encounters lead to the formulation of the research study and occurred throughout the country in various parts of the Southern African continent including: Namibia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana, Tanzania and Mozambique.
21
El-Kassrawy, Yasser Ahmed. "Social and cultural aspects of information systems implementation in a non Western country." Thesis, Lancaster University, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.288982.
Full text
22
Lea, Emma J. "Moving from meat : vegetarianism, beliefs and information sources." Connect to this title online, 2001. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phl4335.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 327-346). A random population survey and a survey of vegetarians were conducted to examine South Australians' beliefs about meat and vegetarianism. Meat beliefs, barriers and benefits of vegetarianism, meat consumption, personal values, use of and trust in sources of food/nutrition/health information and demographic variables were measured.
23
Tesar, Jennifer E. "The Impact of a Geographic Information System on Middle School Students' Geographic Literacy and Historical Empathy." Ohio University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1282139171.
Full text
24
Twigg, Gianni Gurshwin. "Using mobile information visualisation to support the analysis of telecommunication service ultilisation." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020831.
Full textAbstract:
Telecommunication service utilisation (TSU) focuses on how customers make use of telecommunication services and can provide valuable information for decision making for improved customer service delivery. When a telecommunication service provider consults with customers, large amounts of static documentation on TSU data are compiled. Compiling this documentation for in-field investigation is manually intensive and the documentation does not effectively support decision making. Existing systems for visualising TSU data do not efficiently support in-field investigation of TSU and lack dynamic interaction. This highlights the need to investigate a solution to better support in-field investigation of TSU. This research followed a Design Science Research methodology to develop and evaluate a solution to solve the problem identified. The use of tablet devices for in-field investigation of TSU was identified as a suitable solution. Mobile information visualisation (MIV) techniques were investigated to determine appropriate display and interaction techniques for the visualisation of TSU data on a tablet device. An existing visualisation framework for TSU was identified and extended to incorporate touch-based interactions. Three service usage views were identified for visualising TSU, namely a Trend, Network and Detail Usage View. A Dashboard View was also identified to provide a quick reference view of the different views. A prototype called MobiTel was developed on a tablet device. MobiTel incorporated the identified information visualisation techniques. MobiTel was evaluated using an expert review and a user study to determine its usability and usefulness. The results indicated that MobiTel was perceived as being useful for in-field investigation and that the participants perceived the prototype to be easy to use and learn. The user study also indicated that the participants were satisfied with MobiTel. This research has determined that MIV techniques can be used for in-field investigation of TSU. Design recommendations were devised for designing an interactive mobile prototype for visualising service usage information. Future work will involve using map-based visualisation for visualising TSU data on different customer sites.
25
Yayla, Ahmet. "Terrorism as a social information entity: A model for early intervention." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2005. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4800/.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation studies different social aspects of terrorists and terrorist organizations in an effort to better deal with terrorism, especially in the long run. The researcher, who also worked as a Police Captain at Turkish National Police Anti-Terrorism Department, seeks solutions to today's global problem by studying both literature and a Delphi examination of a survey of 1070 imprisoned terrorists. The research questions include questions such as "What are the reasons behind terrorism?", "Why does terrorism occur?", "What ideologies provide the framework for terrorist violence?, "Why do some individuals become terrorists and others do not?" and "Under what conditions will terrorists end their violence?" The results of the study presents the complexity of the terrorism problem as a social experience and impossibility of a single solution or remedy for the global problem of terrorism. The researcher through his examination of the findings of the data, presented that terrorism is a social phenomenon with criminal consequences that needs to be dealt by means of two dimensional approaches. The first is the social dimension of terrorism and the second is the criminal dimension of terrorism. Based on this, the researcher constructed a conceptual model which addresses both of these dimensions under the titles of long-term solutions and short-term solutions. The long-term solutions deal with the social aspects of terrorism under the title of Proactive Approach to Terrorism and the short-term solutions deal with the criminal aspects of terrorism under the title of The Immediate Fight against Terrorism. The researcher constructed this model because there seems to be a tendency of not asking the question of "Why does terrorism occur?" Instead, the focus is usually on dealing with the consequences of terrorism and future terrorist threats. While it is essential that the governments need to provide the finest security measures for their societies, at the same time they need to address the reasons behind terrorism. This research, from stated perspective, offered a conceptual model to address both aspects of terrorism for a more complete fight against today's most painful problem.
26
Wells, Marilyn A. "Perceptions of knowledge gatekeepers social aspects of information exchange in an organisation undergoing change /." View thesis, 2009. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/45372.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2009.A thesis presented to the University of Western Sydney, College of Business, School of Management, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Includes bibliographies.
27
Chen, Weidong. "Discovering communities by information diffusion and link density propagation." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2012. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1422.
Full text
28
Stead, Jennifer. "Emergent literacy and agency among disadvantaged parents and caregivers." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2659.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MEd)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017.A qualitative investigation into the emergence of literacy among five adult socio-economically disadvantaged subjects in a semi-rural setting complements concerns that a lack of specific forms of cognitive input during pre-school years has a negative impact on later progress in formal schooling. The subjects achieved levels of literacy that enabled them to play leadership roles in their communities although they had experienced limited or no formal education during their formative years. Using a GTM process the researcher identifies seven common themes that emerge from analysis of data from interviews and focus groups that explore the subjects’ perceptions of conditions that had promoted their literacy. These themes suggest that the subjects’ competence in literacy was facilitated by non-cognitive conditions including personal aspirations; resilience; disciplinary regimes in the home; voice; a nurturing mentor; community resources and ability to exercise agency. The researcher concludes that these themes could be important in contributing towards an understanding that developing children’s agency during early childhood may be more significant to achieving effective levels of literacy than the current focus on attaining academic skills at standards that disadvantaged children have difficulty in achieving.
29
Odendaal, Willem Adriaan. "Exploring adolescents perceptions of the impact of information and communication technologies on parent-adolescent relationships." Thesis, University of the Western Cape, 2004. http://etd.uwc.ac.za/index.php?module=etd&.
Full textAbstract:
This study aimed to explore adolescents perceptions of how their use of information and communication technologies may impact on the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. Obtaining information from adolescents on how they experience their parents interaction with them when they engage with theses technologies, can provide insight into adolescents perceptions of whether information and communication technologies impact on this relationship. This research therefore aimed to explore the way that parents interact with their adolescents on their use of the Internet, gaming activities, or regulating their use of a cell phone, and how this is perceived by adolescents.
30
Darden, Ellen Clough. "Adult new readers : the impact on family /." Diss., This resource online, 1993. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-10022007-145228/.
Full text
31
Sahinkayasi, Yunis. "A Cross-cultural Comparison And Modeling Of Information And Communication Technologies Aspects Affecting Mathematical And Problem Solving Literacy And Perceptions Of Policy Makers." Phd thesis, METU, 2008. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12609723/index.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to compare Turkey and the European Union (EU)
regarding aspects (use, self-confidence and attitude) of students&rsquoinformation and communication technologies (ICT), the relationships between ICT aspects and mathematical and problem solving literacy performances, and to understand education policy makers&rsquo
perceptions on ICT in Turkey. A multimethod (quantitative and qualitative) research design was used in this study. Country groups &ndash
an EU member group, a new EU member group and Turkey- were formed on the basis of the status of a country in the EU, and that of having ICT data in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2003. This study has three focuses. The first focus of the present study was to examine similarities and differences in ICT use, self-confidence in ICT and attitudes toward computers in students from Turkey and the EU. The sample of this focus was those students from the EU member group (N=56,610), the new EU member group (N=24,834) and Turkey (N=3,231) who participated in the PISA 2003. Multivariate analysis of covariance - controlling students&rsquo
economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) and attitudes toward computers- and univariate analysis of covariance -controlling ESCS- were conducted to see whether students&rsquo
ICT aspects differ across country groups. The first focus of the present study indicated that Turkish students have lower self-confidence in using computer and the Internet and they use the Internet less frequently than students in the EU. Contrary to this, the findings of this focus revealed that Turkish students have relatively more positive attitudes toward computers and they use program/software more frequently than do students in the EU. The second focus of the present study was to model the relationships among ICT factors and mathematical and problem solving literacy performances of Turkish and the EU students. The sample of this focus was those students from the EU member group (N=57,787), the new EU member group (N=25,359) and Turkey (N=3,590) who participated in the PISA 2003. The proposed path analytic models were separately tested for each country group. The second focus revealed that students&rsquo
socioeconomic and cultural status and selfconfidence in routine computer tasks have positive and medium level relationships with their mathematical and problem solving literacy performances, for all country groups. Furthermore, students&rsquo
self-confidence in Internet tasks had a positive and low level relationship with these performances for all country groups. On the other hand, it was found that students&rsquo
frequency of computer and Internet use and their self-confidence in high-level computer tasks have generally negative and small relationships with these literacy performances in all country groups. The third focus aimed to investigate education policy makers&rsquo
perceptions of the ICT policy making and implementation process in Turkey, and their evaluations of the findings of the quantitative phase of this study. The participants of this focus consisted of seven education policy makers from the Ministry of National Education and universities in Turkey. The data, collected with interviews, were content-analyzed by coding data, identifying, and relating the categories and sub-categories, that is, open, axial and selective coding were conducted respectively. In the third focus of the present study, participants specified the primary issues of ICT policy making and the implementing process in Turkey and made suggestions on these issues. Participants frequently related the findings of the quantitative phase of this study to the economic, social and cultural status of students.
32
Chan, Hoi-kei Gladys, and 陳凱琪. "Metaphors in the information age: how do computers create a new world view?" Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2001. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31952926.
Full text
33
Fiander, Robert Owen. "Marshall McLuhan, the printed word, and nineteenth-century outcasts of literacy." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/nq62171.pdf.
Full text
34
Tolley, Rebecca. "Review of Encyclopedia of American Social Movements, ed. by Immanuel Ness." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2005. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/5629.
Full text
35
Ogbamichael, Hermon Berhane. "Information & knowledge sharing within virtual communities of practice (VCoPs)." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2799.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (DTech (Informatics))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017.The concept of virtual community of practice (VCoP) emanates from the need to create a new mode of learning and knowledge creation. It is found that highly structured forums are not necessarily the best way to assist people to learn and improve their knowledge. This then, requires organisations to seek alternative informal ways to share knowledge. The significance of optimising knowledge sharing results in VCoPs receiving considerable attention while searching for new ways to draw on expertise dispersed across global operations. This impacts organisations, thereby enabling them to respond more speedily to the demands of their stakeholders. The fast pace of change in their business environments is also a factor to contend with. Within this context, the use of VCoPs to optimise both, tacit and explicit knowledge sharing within stakeholders, is the central theme of this research. The findings from literature enables the researcher to explore scientific based models that may have the potential to enhance knowledge sharing in an enterprise. The Life Cycle knowledge flow model is found to be the most comprehensive compared to two other models – namely, a Spiral knowledge flow model and Dynamic knowledge flow model. The outflow from the findings in literature is that the Life Cycle knowledge flow model is selected as the basis to conduct two surveys to determine if the model could be adapted to improve knowledge sharing within VCoPs in particular, and in an enterprise in general. The result of the two surveys conducted (in 2011/2012 and 2016), leads to establishing an extended Life Cycle knowledge flow model. The established model enhances knowledge sharing within VCoPs, and in turn, assists when optimising knowledge sharing in an enterprise. This extended model covers six phases of knowledge development to improve knowledge sharing within VCoPs. The first phase enhances the creation of both, tacit and explicit knowledge. The second phase enables to optimise the organisation of knowledge. The third phase enables the formalisation of tacit knowledge, that is, conversion of tacit to explicit knowledge. The fourth phase improves the distribution of knowledge. The fifth phase enables to optimise the application of knowledge and the final phase enables the evolution or continuous development of knowledge. The contribution of this research proposes that a comprehensive knowledge flow model, namely the Life Cycle knowledge flow model found in literature, served as the basis for this research. However, this model was never tested or verified if it indeed optimises knowledge sharing within VCoPs. The two surveys (Survey One 2011/12 and Survey Two 2016) were developed and distributed to respondents to verify the model’s suitability to VcoPs. As a result of responses received from the two surveys, the researcher was then able to develop an extended Life Cycle knowledge flow model that particularly, optimises knowledge sharing within VCoPs. This research further contributes in formulating a scientific based knowledge flow model that can be adapted to social networks. Therefore, this research also creates the foundation to further study to investigate the optimisation of knowledge sharing in social networks. In recent literature, social networks are established as one of the informal mechanisms to share and enhance knowledge sharing in an enterprise.
36
Zammit, Katina. "The construction of student pathways during information-seeking sessions using hypermedia programs a social semiotic perspective /." View thesis, 2007. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/19961.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Western Sydney, 2007.A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the, College of Arts, School of Humanities and Languages, University of Western Sydney. Includes bibliographical references.
37
Laplante, Audrey. "Everyday life music information-seeking behaviour of young adults: an exploratory study." Thesis, McGill University, 2008. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=22017.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of this qualitative research was to contribute to a richer understanding of the everyday life music information-seeking behaviour of young adults. The objectives were (1) to uncover the strategies and sources young adults use to discover new music artists or genres, (2) to understand what motivates young adults to engage in information-seeking activities, and (3) to explore what clues young adults look for in music items to make inferences about the relevance or utility of these items.Fifteen young adults (18 to 29 years old) of the French-speaking Montreal Metropolitan community participated in this study. The data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Drawing on the research on shopping behaviour and music behaviour, Wilson's 1996 model of information behaviour has been revised and used to guide data collection and analysis. The data were analyzed inductively, using the constant comparative method.The analysis revealed that the participants had a strong penchant for informal channels (i.e., friends, colleagues, relatives) and low trust of experts (i.e., librarians, reviewers, music store staff). It also emerged that music discoveries were often the result of passive behaviour. When music was actively sought, it was rarely a goal-oriented activity. Indeed, it was mostly the pleasure they took in the activity itself – the hedonic outcome – that motivated them to look for music rather than an actual information need. Related to that, browsing, which is best suited for non-goal oriented information seeking, was a very common strategy among participants.The study also revealed that rich metadata, such as bibliographic information, associative metadata, recommendations, and reviews, were highly valued by the participants. In addition to allowing people to browse music in different ways, these metadata represent valuable information that is used to make inferences about the type of experience a music item proposes. ParticipaLe but de cette recherche qualitative est de contribuer à une meilleure compréhension du comportement dans la recherche de musique des jeunes adultes dans la vie de tous les jours. Les objectifs étaient de comprendre (1) les stratégies et les sources que les jeunes adultes utilisent pour découvrir de nouvelles musiques; (2) ce qui les motive à entreprendre des recherches afin de découvrir de nouvelles musiques; et (3) la façon dont ils s'y prennent pour évaluer la pertinence ou l'utilité d'enregistrements musicaux.Quinze jeunes adultes (âgés entre 18 et 29 ans) francophones de la région du Montréal métropolitain ont participé à cette étude. Les données ont été collectées au moyen d'entretiens semi-structurés en profondeur. En s'appuyant sur la recherche sur les habitudes de magasinage et sur le comportement musical, le modèle de comportement informationnel développé par Wilson en 1996 a été modifié. C'est ce modèle qui a guidé la collecte et l'analyse des données. Les données ont été analysées de façon inductive, en utilisant la méthode d'analyse par comparaison constante.L'analyse a montré que les participants avaient une préférence marquée pour les sources d'information informelles (amis, collègues, famille) et une confiance limitée envers les experts (bibliothécaires, critiques, disquaires). Il est également apparu que leurs découvertes musicales étaient souvent le résultat d'un comportement passif. De plus, quand ils recherchaient activement de la musique, il s'agissait rarement d'une activité orientée vers un but précis. En effet, il s'est avéré que c'était davantage le plaisir qu'ils prenaient dans l'activité – le résultat hédonique – qui les motivait à entreprendre des recherches plutôt qu'un véritable besoin d'information. De la même façon, le bouquinage, qui constitue une méthode particulièrement appropriée pour rechercher de l'information sans but précis, était très populaire chez
38
Molenaar, Daryn. "Perception of information : enriching location specific information through the use of calm computing." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2276.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MTech (Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011.Many studies have been conducted on the interaction between environments and relevant information in the field of interaction design. Most of these studies are focused on increasing the awareness of technology, information and the interaction between them. This awareness could negatively lead to an increase in information overload where each bit of information is competing to be the centre of a person's attention. This information overload gets compounded even more when a person is in a public place because of the amount of available commercial information like billboards, digital displays and printed media which are constantly pushing information into the space. Cognitive studies have shown that human beings have a limit to the amount of information they can consciously focus on and process. When a person reaches information saturation, the quality of their decision-making ability deteriorates drastically (Bray, 2008). Information overload can lead to a situation called decision paralysis. The research proposed an investigation into the possibility of decreasing information overload through the use of calm computing. Relevant information could be pushed to the periphery where it could be accessed or attended to when it was needed. It was argued that when the intake of peripheral information could become an unconscious activity, mainly through the use of ubiquitous computing, more attention could be given to other important activities like increasing social interaction in public spaces.
39
Ell, Barbara Ann. "Boys and literacy: Disengaging from reading." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2006. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2983.
Full textAbstract:
This quantitative study investigates the disparity that exists between girls and boys and how changes can be implemented to keep boys from disengaging from reading. It examines the reading materials that are available to increase boys' interest in reading and discusses ways in which teachers can develop programs and parents can take action to change boys reading habits. The study employed teacher surveys and student surveys from sixth grade boys in three San Bernardino middle schools.
40
Ferreira, Maria José M. "Rethinking academic culture in the information age." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=100361.
Full textAbstract:
The integration of new technologies in higher education has provoked a strong response over the last decade, not only from administrators and the public but also from academics. It has re-opened basic theoretical questions about the role of universities and that of academic culture.This thesis begins with a critical review of the literature dealing with conceptualizations of academic culture and technology in higher education. Most theorists have come to the conclusion that academic culture is a set of values and norms that serve as guides for action. At root, this conclusion is derived from an organizational perspective prevalent in contemporary academic culture theory.
I argue, instead, that academic culture needs to be re-addressed to consider the complexities between its traditional boundaries and new technological pressures. My research suggests there are high levels of contestation across the full range of technologies, and that the nature of this contestation is ideological, aesthetic, and pedagogical. Furthermore, the contestation is both a product of, and is productive of, a reshaping of academic culture.
Drawing on the theory of cultural production of Pierre Bourdieu, who views culture as constitutive of fairly engrained practices I demonstrate that academic culture stands as a check on institutional powers, yet it is also influenced by the integration of new technologies. This suggests that academic culture is formed and maintained by an ever-negotiated and shifting set of activities.
41
Alder, Simone. "CoMIC : an exploration into computer-mediated intercultural communication." Scholarly Commons, 2001. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/682.
Full text
42
Ahmed, Saleh. "Strategies to Access Business Loans for Small and Medium Enterprises in Jordan." ScholarWorks, 2019. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/7907.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract
Business financing is crucial to the development and performance of small and medium enterprises (SME) in developing countries. Obtaining loans by SMEs in Jordan is vital for creating employment, reducing poverty ratio, and augmenting SMEs growth. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to discover strategies SME owners use to access credit. The population comprised of 3 SME owners in Jordan who successfully accessed credit. The conceptual frameworks for this study were the social capital theory and the pecking order theory. Data were gathered using semistructured interviews and companies' archived records. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis; three themes emerged to include sources of finance, education and skills, and social networking. The implications for positive social change include the potential to help SME leaders develop strategies to stabilize and grow their businesses. Business growth can create jobs and decrease poverty in Jordan.
43
Law, Pui Man. "Fostering knowledge contribution in online communities : and examination of social capital, social capital building, and the role of IT artifacts." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2012. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_ra/1395.
Full text
44
Dominguez, Noraida. "Online Learning Communities: Enhancing the Acquisition of Information Skills by Undergraduate Students of the University of Puerto Rico at Carolina." NSUWorks, 2010. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/gscis_etd/350.
Full textAbstract:
Despite the efforts that have been made to develop the information skills of undergraduate students, there are still limitations that one shot sessions of face-to-face library instruction or online tutorials present when they are the only options used to develop specific information skills in students. The purpose of this study was to investigate if the design and implementation of online learning communities are effective in supporting students while they are developing specific information skills. To prove this effectiveness, the use of online learning communities was compared to two other options of delivering instruction: online tutorials and one shot sessions of face-to-face instruction.
Participants in this study were undergraduate students registered in four sections of an English course. The first group was the control group; they received one session of library face-to-face instruction. The second group participated through the online learning community. The third group completed four online tutorials, and the fourth group completed four online tutorials and participated through the online learning community.
Data was gathered through two sources: (1) a pre-test and a post-test administered to all four groups, and (2) focus groups performed on all groups except the control group. After running ANOVA on the pre-test scores and not finding significant differences, ANOVA was run again on the post-test scores. The results from the post-test revealed that there was significant statistical difference among the four groups. The follow-up Tukey test revealed that the scores from the online learning community group significantly differed from the other groups, proving it to be the most effective treatment. On the other hand, the online tutorial group did not perform in a better way than the other groups, but when the online tutorial was combined with the online learning community treatment, the group performed significantly better than when the online tutorial was the treatment alone. When analyzing the results from the focus groups, the results indicated that the students that participated through the online learning community were more satisfied with the experience, than the participants in the other two groups. Lastly, the researcher made recommendations to enhance the development of specific information skills.
45
Joseph, Gail E. "If you're happy and you know it : the emotional literacy and social information processing scripts of young, high-risk children /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/7553.
Full text
46
Shang, Yue. "The Effects of Social Information, Social Norms and Social Identity on Giving." Thesis, Connect to resource online, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1805/1622.
Full textAbstract:
Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis (IUPUI)This philanthropic studies thesis aims to “increase the understanding of philanthropy, improve its practice, and enhance philanthropic participation” (Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University Overview) by studying the effects of social information, social norms and social identity on giving. It connects philanthropic studies research with theoretical developments in motivations for giving in economics, nonprofit management, nonprofit marketing, consumer behavior, and social psychology. It utilizes personal observations as well as quantitative methods including experiments and surveys on multiple samples including donors, undergraduate students and samples of the U.S. population. It generates actionable and efficacious knowledge to improve the practice of philanthropy. It contributes to the formation and growth of the young field called philanthropic studies - in theory, in methodology and in practice. This thesis includes five chapters. Chapter I will explain how the research question, philosophy and methodology are selected. This discussion will be for the entire thesis. Specific research questions, hypotheses, research designs, findings and implications will be explained in the subsequent chapters. Chapter II demonstrates the immediate and long-term effects of social information on donations and its boundary conditions in existing nonprofit donors in two field experiments. Chapter III shows that the psychological mechanism through which social information influences subsequent giving is perceived descriptive social norms in one field survey of donors and one laboratory experiment on undergraduate students. Chapter IV investigates how social identity congruency moderates the effect of social information on donations. It reports three field experiments on donors and samples of the general U.S. population and two laboratory experiments on undergraduate students. It shows that donors give more money to a public radio station if told that a previous donor with a similar identity also made a large contribution. This effect is more likely to occur when donors have high collective identity esteem and when attention is focused on others. Each chapter provides original fundraising techniques developed from these studies. Chapter V concludes with a discussion of the theoretical, methodological and practical contributions of this thesis and suggests directions for future research in philanthropic studies, and philanthropic psychology in particular.
47
Lawal, Victoria. "Aspects of information literacy with regards to the use of legal resources : case study of third year undergraduate law students of the University of Cape Town, South Africa and University of Jos, Nigeria." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8937.
Full textAbstract:
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 182-213).The study explores the relevance of information literacy in the context of legal education specifically as it affects issues on the conduct of the legal research skills of undergraduate students as well as the need for its integration into the curriculum of legal education. A review of the literature shows that little research has been undertaken in the field of legal information literacy in contrast to many other academic areas; indications from the literature reveal that there is a skills deficiency among undergraduate law students in many countries which suggest that many are ill prepared for the workplace. This situation also applies to law undergraduates in higher education institutions in Africa particularly Nigeria. The peculiar structure of legal information resources and the distinctive ways in which legal information is both evaluated and used suggest that legal information resources possess special characteristics that would need to be examined carefully in order to design information literacy programmes suitable for the profession. The scope of the study is limited to a comparative analysis of the information literacy skills of undergraduate law students of the University of Cape Town, South Africa and University of Jos, Nigeria; data was collected from both institutions from which comparisons were drawn. Findings from the study have revealed the difficulties experienced by students in the process of legal research and emphasised the importance of recognising the unique information structure of legal resources in developing an appropriate pedagogical model for integrating information literacy to the curricula of legal education particularly in higher education institutions. The study presents a uniquely African perspective on the challenges of integrating information literacy within the curriculum of legal education by providing insights into the needs and challenges for graduate requirement and productivity in higher education institutions in Africa.
48
Hansen, Olsson Sanna. "Lärandemål för informationskompetens, en studie av förhållningssätt till informationskompetens och kritiskt tänkande inom högskolebibliotekens undervisningsverksamhet." Thesis, Högskolan i Borås, Institutionen Biblioteks- och informationsvetenskap / Bibliotekshögskolan, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-16365.
Full textAbstract:
In this Master thesis interest is directed towards approaches toinformation literacy (IL) and critical thinking in the educationalactivities of university libraries. The aspiration of universitylibrarians to promote the critical abilities of students isproblematized. At the center of attention is the project“Lärandemål för informationskompetens” [Learning outcomes forinformation literacy], which in 2006 was carried out incollaboration between the Swedish university libraries, in responseto the educational reforms connected to the Bologna Process.Through the discourse analytical framework of NormanFairclough, documents related to the project “Lärandemål förinformationskompetens” are studied in order to identifydominating approaches to IL. The purpose is to investigate anddiscuss the possible implications of the dominating perspectives,with regard to the development of critical thinking amongstudents.The study results in the identification of two main discourses, thestandardization discourse and the discourse on employability. Bothof these discourses are seen to be connected to two overarchingdiscourses also identified in the study, the market discourse andthe discourse on information overflow.In conclusion, it was found that the objectivist and positivistepistemology underlying the dominating perspectives, in severalrespects is counterproductive to the aspiration to promote criticalthinking among students. A social constructionist approach issuggested as an alternative.Program: Bibliotekarie
49
Uys, Cornelia Susanna. "Framework for evaluating information technology benefits in local communities." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2283.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (DTech (Informatics))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015.Governments of the developing world, including South Africa, have a strong commitment and resolve to accelerate the rollout of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to achieve developmental benefits in communities. Consequently both government and the private sector are delivering a number of interventions in South Africa based on Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D). Hard evidence regarding the development benefits of ICT4D interventions is lacking and there is little agreement on measures to evaluate the benefits of such projects. One possible reason for this is that there are no established evaluation frameworks to assess the benefits. Frameworks used in ICT4D evaluation are investigated in this study to ascertain their usefulness to identify benefits of ICT4D initiatives. Sen’s Capability Approach defines development as freedom. An example of such development can be the process of providing opportunities through ICT and meaningful ways to use these opportunities to realise various benefits. Tangible benefits are simple to identify (e.g. number of people using the public access centre, or number of people finding employment). Intangible benefits include the real ‘wins’—capabilities garnered through access and meaningful use of ICT, leading to the recognition of new opportunities for the users of the public access centres. Sen’s Capability Approach is operationalised, demonstrating the inclusion of a person’s agency and conversion factors that inhibit or enhance utilisation of opportunities and choices in realising benefits. The SmartCape initiative is a 2002 ICT4D intervention established in the libraries of Cape Town, South Africa, and is used as a case in this research study. The libraries act as public access centres that provide free ICT and Internet access to library members in the community. Surveys completed by users of these centres provided useful quantitative data. A broad spectrum of qualitative data was gleaned from interviews and focus groups with users of the ICT centre at a recently established library and with focus groups from other centres in two underserved areas of Cape Town. Quantitative data analysis techniques applied to qualitative content data was used to investigate users’ diverse perceptions. An initial framework guided the analysis of data to identify the benefits realised by the users of the public access centre. Perceptions of a changed life, aspirations for a better life, and ‘hope’ emerged as intangible benefits. On the intangible side, the effect of keyboard proficiency, greater ease in finding information, and a preference for accessing the Internet at a public access centre emerged as having a significant effect on the hopefulness of PAC users. Two theme-groups were identified through using co- occurrences of themes and the statistical techniques of cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling. The Benefits-framework, produced by this study, based on Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach, represents the relationship between all the themes, includes emergent intangible benefits and can be used to identify the benefits of ICT4D interventions in public access centres. This study also produces empirical evidence of the developmental impact of the SmartCape ICT4D programme in Cape Town and thus provides evidence of its value.
50
Eriksson, Darek M. "An application of the decision-information-operation system model." Licentiate thesis, Luleå tekniska universitet, Datavetenskap, 1999. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-17982.
Full textAbstract:
The media provides frequent reports about organisations - both public and business - in crisis. These must re-organise themselves, often requiring the dismissal of employees in order to adapt to the emerging internal or external conditions. If they do not adapt, they do not survive. In order to help the adaptation process, science has developed several theories such as Contingency Theory and the Viable System Model. These are well established. On the other hand, the Decision-Information-Operation System model (DIOS- model) developed by Professor J.L. Le Moigne, is an alternative approach for a system's adaptation that is not as widely known. The present study aims to contribute with an application and evaluation. DIOS-model was applied to a medium-size business organisation experiencing a crisis and needing to adapt. The application has allowed us to evaluate - empirically and theoretically - Le Moigne's model and its foundations. The models that were developed based on the theory increased our understanding of the organisation under study. The conclusion is that the various components of DIOS-model should find their counterparts in social organisations and that their absence or inadequacy may lead to a poor organisational performance. Therefore, the model is a tool for helping organisations adapt to changing conditions. However, the study shows some important limitations of the theory. It requires further development and should not be used uncritically.Godkänd; 1999; 20070403 (ysko)