Thinking skills in the language arts : an application of cognitive schema theory to the narrative writing process /

A cognitively based instructional program for narrative writing was developed. The effects of using cognitively based schematic planning organizers at the pre-writing stage were evaluated using subjects from the Primary, Junior and Intermediate divisions. Results indicate that the use of organizers based on problem solving significantly improved the organization and the overall quality of narrative writing for students in grades 3, 6 and 7. The magnitude of the improvement of the treatment group over the control group performance in Organization ranged from 10.7% to 22.9%. Statistical and observational data indicate many implications for further research into the cognitive basis for writing and reading; for the improvement and evaluation of school writing programs; for the design of school curricula; and for the inservice education for teachers of writing.

An exploration of transformation theory and the western tradition: a critical evaluation of a graduate studies class

This qualitative study is an exploration of transformation theory, the Western tradition, and a critical evaluation of a graduate studies class at a university. It is an exploration of assumptions that are embedded in experience, that influence the experience and provide meaning about the experience. An attempt has been made to identify assumptions that are embedded in Western experience and connect them with assumptions that shape the graduate class experience. The focus is on assumptions that facilitate and impede large group discussions. Jungian psychology of personality type and archetype and developmental psychology is used to analyze the group experience. The pragmatic problem solving model, developed by Knoop, is used to guide thinking about the Western tradition. It is used to guide the analysis, synthesis and writing of the experience of the graduate studies class members. A search through Western history, philosophy. and science revealed assumptions about the nature of truth, reality, and the self. Assumptions embedded in Western thinking about the subject-object relationship, unity and diversity are made explicit. An attempt is made to identify Western tradition assumptions underlying transformation theory. The critical evaluation of the graduate studies class experience focuses upon issues associated with group process, self-directed learning, the educator-learner transaction and the definition of adult education. The advantages of making implicit assumptions explicit is explored.

Dialogue journal writing: a tool for critical reflection in the adult ESL learner

This study attempted to determine whether or not dialogue journal writing encouraged critical reflection in the adult ESL (English as a Second Language) learner. According to research in adult education and anecdotal evidence, the process ofdialogue journal writing can facilitate critical reflection in the adult learner. However, little research has been conducted to examine whether or not journal writing can facilitate critical reflection in the second language learner. As a result, ten low-intermediate level adult ESL students from Brock University's Intensive English Language Programme participated in a dialogue journal writing programme in their writing class. The participants wrote journal entries over a 10-week period, and were interviewed once throughout the process to determine their perceptions ofthe journal writing experience. They also were observed by the researcher throughout the journal writing sessions to establish whether any behaviours or intrusions might affect the participants' writing processes. After the content ofthe journals and the interviews, and the observations made by the researcher were analysed, it was confirmed that, for these participants, dialogue journal writing did not necessarily encourage critical reflection. Moreover, the participants' perceptions ofjournal writing were that it helped them to practise the syntax, vocabulary, and rhetorical patterns ofEnglish; nevertheless, it did not foster critical reflection or thinking.

The effectiveness of a multisensory writing program in improving cursive writing ability in children with sensorimotor difficulties

It is estimated that five to ten percent of children experience sensory motor difficulties that result in various learnlng disabilitiies , among them. inabllity to output Information on paper in the appropriate manner (Ayres ,1985). The relationship between sensorimotorabillty and handwriting is well documented in the literature (Freeman,1917; Townsend , 1951; Nlkola-Ll sa, 1987). While much of the literature is inconclusive, there are findings to suggest that muitisensory handwriting programmes are an effective approach to improvlng writing abIlity in these chlldren. For a number of years, Occupational Therapists have been involved in the remediation of handwriting utllizing , amongst other approaches . multisensory programmes. While subjective assessments of effectiveness have been extremerly positive. scientIfic evaluation has been minimal . If further intervention in this area is to occur, it Is essential that the profession be able to justify the existence of such programmes . The purpose of this study was to examine what effects a multlsensory writing prog~am would have on the curslve writing ability of chlldren with sensorimotor dlfficulties. A single case with multiple baselines across be havlours design was used , with the behavlours being cursive writing abilIty of fIve distInct letter groups. The fIve groups were taught in random order, one group every two weeks , In a one-hour session. Repeated measurements of writing speed and qualIty for each letter group were made. This design was repeated over three other cases . Results of the study yielded statistical signifi cance in trend changes In specIfic letter groups for all of the chlldren following interventlon. One child achieved statistical significance In the overall change In quality , while none of the children achieved overall statistical significance In speed score changes . Teacher reports and an assessment of written language prior to and following the program suggest that Intervention may have had a positive effect on self-confidence in written output, and on the maturlty of written expression in some of the cases . Further research in this field is needed to validate the continual use of multisensory writing programmes by Occupational Theraplsts worklng with this specific population and to provide some directlon with regards to the Integration of multlsensory writing programmes within the regular academic remedial programme .

Information source evaluation matrix

An information source evaluation matrix, produced by the Library at De Montfort University

Evaluation of strategic knowledge of students through authentic tasks of writingin science classroom

The difficulties at evaluating strategic knowledge have been connected to the use of deconxetualized tests that, at the end, do not involve the use of this knowledge. For this reason, an interest in developing authentic writing tasks that offer advantages for these kinds of evaluation have arisen. Throughout this research, authentic writing tasks were developed in a natural sciences class, with the purpose of evaluating the students' strategic knowledge. Different instruments were used to collect data, e.g. Interviews, questionnaires, a self-inform, as well as three samples of writing by the students, with the objective of analyzing the changes that occurred between one and the others, as well as to determine the decisions that students made in order to complete the assigned tasks successfully. An authentic writing task gives great opportunities to evaluate strategic knowledge. These tasks lead students to arrange their knowledge about the topic in hand, organize and adapt it to fit the objectives and the audience, also, it allows them to control and adjust their decisions on the task. This last stage became the perfect opportunity to take notes on the knowledge and regulation of cognitive processes that the students brought into play, as well as to evaluating their understanding of writing and the demands given on the different discursive genres. As a result, the students showed different degrees of strategic knowledge in the task. The students who showed a better strategic knowledge trust in their structural abilities know about discursive genres and have a good performance in basic linguistic abilities. The students who showed weak strategic knowledge distrust their writing skills, seem extremely worried about organizing the content of their texts, fail when checking their writings, and overlook or are unaware of the basic requirements of the discursive genre they are asked to exemplify. It appears that the previous knowledge and experiences at writing the students have been exposed to may affect the strategic knowledge shown when writing in this subject. 

Mid-term evaluation of African Technology Policy Studies Network Phase VI Strategic Plan: for the period January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010

The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is a multidisciplinary network of researchers, private sector actors, policymakers and civil society. ATPS has the vision to become the leading international centre of excellence and reference in science, technology and innovation (STI) systems research, training and capacity building, communication and sensitization, knowledge brokerage, policy advocacy and outreach in Africa. It has a Regional Secretariat in Nairobi Kenya, and operates through national chapters in 29 countries (including 27 in Africa and two Chapters in the United Kingdom and USA for Africans in the Diaspora) with an expansion plan to cover the entire continent by 2015. The ATPS Phase VI Strategic Plan aims to improve the understanding and functioning of STI processes and systems to strengthen the learning capacity, social responses, and governance of STI for addressing Africa's development challenges, with a specific focus on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A team of external evaluators carried out a midterm review to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of the Strategic Plan for the period January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2010. The evaluation methodology involved multiple quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the qualitative and quantitative inputs (human resources, financial resources, time, etc.) into ATPS activities (both thematic and facilitative) and their tangible and intangible outputs, outcomes and impacts. Methods included a questionnaire survey of ATPS members and stakeholders, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with members in six countries. Effectiveness of Programmes Under all six strategic goals, very good progress has been made towards planned outputs and outcomes. This is evidenced by key performance indicators (KPIs) generated from desk review, ratings from the survey respondents, and the themes that run through the FGDs. Institutional and Programme Cost Effectiveness Institutional Effectiveness: assessment of institutional effectiveness suggests that adequate management frameworks are in place and are being used effectively and transparently. Also technical and financial accounting mechanisms are being followed in accordance with grant agreements and with global good practice. This is evidenced by KPIs generated from desk review. Programme Cost Effectiveness: assessment of cost-effectiveness of execution of programmes shows that organisational structure is efficient, delivering high quality, relevant research at relatively low cost by international standards. The evidence includes KPIs from desk review: administrative costs to programme cost ratio has fallen steadily, to around 10%; average size of research grants is modest, without compromising quality. There is high level of pro bono input by ATPS members. ATPS Programmes Strategic Evaluation ATPS research and STI related activities are indeed unique and well aligned with STI issues and needs facing Africa and globally. The multi-disciplinary and trans-boundary nature of the research activities are creating a unique group of research scientists. The ATPS approach to research and STI issues is paving the way for the so called Third Generation University (3GU). Understanding this unique positioning, an increasing number of international multilateral agencies are seeking partnership with ATPS. ATPS is seeing an increasing level of funding commitments by Donor Partners. Recommendations for ATPS Continued Growth and Effectiveness On-going reform of ATPS administrative structure to continue The on-going reforms that have taken place within the Board, Regional Secretariat, and at the National Chapter coordination levels are welcomed. Such reform should continue until fully functional corporate governance policy and practices are fully established and implemented across the ATPS governance structures. This will further strengthen ATPS to achieve the vision of being the leading STI policy brokerage organization in Africa. Although training in corporate governance has been carried out for all sectors of ATPS leadership structure in recent time, there is some evidence that these systems have not yet been fully implemented effectively within all the governance structures of the organization, especially at the Board and National chapter levels. Future training should emphasize practical application with exercises relevant to ATPS leadership structure from the Board to the National Chapter levels. Training on Transformational Leadership - Leading a Change Though a subject of intense debate amongst economists and social scientists, it is generally agreed that cultural mindsets and attitudes could enhance and/or hinder organizational progress. ATPS’s vision demands transformational leadership skills amongst its leaders from the Board members to the National Chapter Coordinators. To lead such a change, ATPS leaders must understand and avoid personal and cultural mindsets and value systems that hinder change, while embracing those that enhance it. It requires deliberate assessment of cultural, behavioural patterns that could hinder progress and the willingness to be recast into cultural and personal habits that make for progress. Improvement of relationship amongst the Board, Secretariat, and National Chapters A large number of ATPS members and stakeholders feel they do not have effective communications and/or access to Board, National Chapter Coordinators and Regional Secretariat activities. Effort should be made to improve the implementation of ATPS communication strategy to improve on information flows amongst the ATPS management and the members. The results of the survey and the FGDs suggest that progress has been made during the past two years in this direction, but more could be done to ensure effective flow of pertinent information to members following ATPS communications channels. Strategies for Increased Funding for National Chapters There is a big gap between the fundraising skills of the Regional Secretariat and those of the National Coordinators. In some cases, funds successfully raised by the Secretariat and disbursed to national chapters were not followed up with timely progress and financial reports by some national chapters. Adequate training in relevant skills required for effective interactions with STI key policy players should be conducted regularly for National Chapter coordinators and ATPS members. The ongoing training in grant writing should continue and be made continent-wide if funding permits. Funding of National Chapters should be strategic such that capacity in a specific area of research is built which, with time, will not only lead to a strong research capacity in that area, but also strengthen academic programmes. For example, a strong climate change programme is emerging at University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), with strong collaborations with Universities from neighbouring States. Strategies to Increase National Government buy-in and support for STI Translating STI research outcomes into policies requires a great deal of emotional intelligence, skills which are often lacking in the first and second generation universities. In the epoch of the science-based or 2GUs, governments were content with universities carrying out scientific research and providing scientific education. Now they desire to see universities as incubators of new science- or technology-based commercial activities, whether by existing firms or start-ups. Hence, governments demand that universities take an active and leading role in the exploitation of their knowledge and they are willing to make funds available to support such activities. Thus, for universities to gain the attention of national leadership they must become centres of excellence and explicit instruments of economic development in the knowledge-based economy. The universities must do this while working collaboratively with government departments, parastatals, and institutions and dedicated research establishments. ATPS should anticipate these shifting changes and devise programmes to assist both government and universities to relate effectively. New administrative structures in member organizations to sustain and manage the emerging STI multidisciplinary teams Second Generation universities (2GUs) tend to focus on pure science and often do not regard the application of their know-how as their task. In contrast, Third Generation Universities (3GUs) objectively stimulate techno-starters – students or academics – to pursue the exploitation or commercialisation of the knowledge they generate. They view this as being equal in importance to the objectives of scientific research and education. Administratively, research in the 2GU era was mainly monodisciplinary and departments were structured along disciplines. The emerging interdisciplinary scientific teams with focus on specific research areas functionally work against the current mono-disciplinary faculty-based, administrative structure of 2GUs. For interdisciplinary teams, the current faculty system is an obstacle. There is a need for new organisational forms for university management that can create responsibilities for the task of know-how exploitation. ATPS must anticipate this and begin to strategize solutions for their member institutions to transition to 3Gus administrative structure, otherwise ATPS growth will plateau, and progress achieved so far may be stunted.

PANA V : Evaluation of a Literacy Project

PANA V Evaluation of a Literacy ProjectSUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSThis evaluation set out to explore the impact of the literacy work carried out through PANA V. It focussed on clarifying effects such as empowerment and poverty reduction in relation to the civil society. Two specific objectives were to evaluate the methodological approach and the didactic materials and to evaluate the sustainability of the project.Although the focus of the evaluation has been PANA V, the project has been evaluated in its context, as one in a series of five projects located in Rwanda ten years after the war and genocide. The conclusion will consider future plans in this field.The evaluator has striven to create a holistic picture of the effects of the project, although the given time for the evaluation was short. Only three weeks were spent in the field study and only ten days in the actual field. Although there were some organisational and logistic problems, as is common when carrying out a study like this in a poor country, many literacy sites were visited and quite many participators were interviewed. The overall impression from the study is overwhelmingly positive. So many people commit themselves in this task of teaching Rwandans reading, writing and numeracy. Despite harsh conditions learners strive to learn and group leaders devote themselves to the task. Many leaders on different levels try their very best to manage their difficult and demanding task. The main objective was to explore the impact of the project on poverty reduction, particularly on empowerment and strategies for everyday life. Women were to be regarded particularly. From the results it is clear that the project has a strong, positive impact both on poverty reduction and empowerment of marginalised groups. Among those who have benefited from the alphabetisation are mainly women. Unfortunately, when it comes to leaders in PANA, who may also be said to have benefited from the project, only a small minority is women. This is something that is recommended that it be reconsidered inside the organisation. As a majority of the targeted learners are women, and as the economic and social situation of women in Rwanda is generally weak, this is a question that I recommend the Pentesostal church and ADEPR to look particularly into. With many women being single breadwinners of their households, it is important that also women get access to positions that may bring benefits of different kind.It is also clear that the project has positive effects for the civil society. In the present situation in Rwanda, during the process of reconciliation and rapid progress, basic education for the poor majority is a democratic issue. In a country with a plethora of internet-cafés in the capital and a small minority that use cars and mobile-telephones to communicate nation-wide, it is of outmost importance that the majority acquires basic education, of which literacy is a central part. To strengthen the civil society in Rwanda literacy is important. One central issue is then that Rwanda develops toward becoming a country where literacy is used for the benefit of the citizens and it is a democratic issue that all citizens get an opportunity to participate. Crucial for this is that strong efforts are put into primary schools nation-wide. Literacy projects for adults, like PANA, may only complement these efforts, but they constitute important and necessary complements. Other relevant ways to promote literacy are campaigns in Radio and TV and through cultural events such as festivals, music and theatre. News papers, magazines and books are natural parts of such campaigns as well as adult education. As stated under the results not much can be said about the didactics in this evaluation. On the whole the methodology and the materials fill their function well and receive a high reputation. As people learn to read and write under very simple conditions, obviously the approach is appropriate. A few suggestions may be given from the study:•Focus groups leaders’ attention on clearness, that they show very clearly what is to be read. Good structuring is probably of great importance for many learners.•Make clear what is tested in the tests and consider the possibility to use a holistic test that would be more congruent with the methodology. The possibility to use only one grade, pass, would enable a more practical test, such as reading a short, relevant text, writing something relevant and solving practical mathematic problems. Avoid tests that demand school knowledge.•Avoid using methaphors such as “fight against illiteracy” and connections between illiteracy/literacy and darkness/light. It is not true that illiteracy causes bad things and that literacy only brings good. •Be prepared that it may be more difficult in the future to achieve the goals as it may be the case that the early learners where the ones who achieved easily. The goal of “literacy in six month” in PANA will probably hold only for some learners but also those who do not manage in six months need literacy skills.A third objective was to secure sustainability. As for sustainability of the project in itself, and of the literacy process, the main conclusion is that there is a good potential. The commitment and devotedness among many involved in PANA proves good. One weakness is individual leaders in ADEPR who do not see this as an important task for the Pentecostal church in Rwanda. Other weaknesses are the unwillingness to mention explicitly the wish, for example among group leaders, to get some kind of incentive and the fear of loosing believers by cooperation with other organisations. A higher degree of transparency in this issue would probably solve some irritations and tensions.As for the sustainability of the literacy skills much may be done to improve. The acquired skills seem to be comparably relevant. The level achieved, and the level tested, may be defined as basic literacy skills, consisting of basic reading, writing and numeracy skills. However, these skills are very restricted and there is a high risk that the skills will decline, which means that there is a high risk that people will forget how to read and write because of lack of exercising. From these conclusions a few suggestions for future development will be given.

Development and Evaluation of a New Tablet Computer Application for the Therapy of Brain-Injured Patients with Aphasia

Introduction Language is the most important mean of communication and plays a central role in our everyday life. Brain damage (e.g. stroke) can lead to acquired disorders of lan- guage affecting the four linguistic modalities (i.e. reading, writing, speech production and comprehension) in different combinations and levels of severity. Every year, more than 5000 people (Aphasie Suisse) are affected by aphasia in Switzerland alone. Since aphasia is highly individual, the level of difficulty and the content of tasks have to be adapted continuously by the speech therapists. Computer-based assignments allow patients to train independently at home and thus increasing the frequency of ther- apy. Recent developments in tablet computers have opened new opportunities to use these devices for rehabilitation purposes. Especially older people, who have no prior experience with computers, can benefit from the new technologies. Methods The aim of this project was to develop an application that enables patients to train language related tasks autonomously and, on the other hand, allows speech therapists to assign exercises to the patients and to track their results online. Seven categories with various types of assignments were implemented. The application has two parts which are separated by a user management system into a patient interface and a therapist interface. Both interfaces were evaluated using the SUS (Subject Usability Scale). The patient interface was tested by 15 healthy controls and 5 patients. For the patients, we also collected tracking data for further analysis. The therapist interface was evaluated by 5 speech therapists. Results The SUS score are xpatients = 98 and xhealthy = 92.7 (median = 95, SD = 7, 95% CI [88.8, 96.6]) in case of the patient interface and xtherapists = 68 in case of the therapist interface. Conclusion Both, the patients and the healthy subjects, attested high SUS scores to the patient interface. These scores are considered as "best imaginable". The therapist interface got a lower SUS score compared to the patient interface, but is still considered as "good" and "usable". The user tracking system and the interviews revealed that there is room for improvements and inspired new ideas for future versions.

Youth-focused empowerment evaluation using Photovoice

The Carrera-Children's Aid Society of New York model is a proven model of teen pregnancy prevention. There is a need to evaluate the effect that the model has had on the participants as individuals. Brighter Futures is a replication of the Carrera-Children's Aid Society of New York youth development model operated by Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas. A qualitative youth-focused Empowerment Evaluation was initiated to determine the individual impact of the achieved program outcomes. The Empowerment Evaluation assessed what impact the Brighter Futures program has had on the students. The youth used Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR) approaches, such as Photovoice, in conjunction with guided writing and participatory groups to conduct this evaluation with in the framework of Empowerment Evaluation. Additionally, a semi-structured CBPR exercise was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the feasibility of Photovoice methodology with urban youth. ^

A practice-based culminating experience: Writing a HRSA grant application with Texas Organ Sharing Alliance for public education efforts to increase solid organ donation

In November 2010, nearly 110,000 people in the United States were waiting for organs for transplantation. Despite the fact that the organ donor registration rate has doubled in the last year, Texas has the lowest registration rate in the nation. Due to the need for improved registration rates in Texas, this practice-based culminating experience was to write an application for federal funding for the central Texas organ procurement organization, Texas Organ Sharing Alliance. The culminating experience has two levels of significance for public health – (1) to engage in an activity to promote organ donation registration, and (2) to provide professional experience in grant writing. ^ The process began with a literature review. The review was to identify successful intervention activities in motivating organ donation registration that could be used in intervention design for the grant application. Conclusions derived from the literature review included (1) the need to specifically encourage family discussions, (2) religious and community leaders can be leveraged to facilitate organ donation conversations in families, (3) communication content must be culturally sensitive and (4) ethnic disparities in transplantation must be acknowledged and discussed.^ Post the literature review; the experience followed a five step process of developing the grant application. The steps included securing permission to proceed, assembling a project team, creation of a project plan and timeline, writing each element of the grant application including the design of proposed intervention activities, and completion of the federal grant application. ^ After the grant application was written, an evaluation of the grant writing process was conducted. Opportunities for improvement were identified. The first opportunity was the need for better timeline management to allow for review of the application by an independent party, iterative development of the budget proposal, and development of collaborative partnerships. Another improvement opportunity was the management of conflict regarding the design of the intervention that stemmed from marketing versus evidence-based approaches. The most important improvement opportunity was the need to develop a more exhaustive evaluation plan.^ Eight supplementary files are attached to appendices: Feasibility Discussion in Appendix 1, Grant Guidance and Workshop Notes in Appendix 2, Presentation to Texas Organ Sharing Alliance in Appendix 3, Team Recruitment Presentation in Appendix 5, Grant Project Narrative in Appendix 7, Federal Application Form in Appendix 8, and Budget Workbook with Budget Narrative in Appendix 9.^

Problèmes de lecture en langue étrangère : Evaluation de la compréhension de textes à partir des résumés en langue maternelle

Como resultado de nuestra experiencia docente en la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación de la UNLP impartiendo cursos de lectocomprensión en Lengua extranjera (LE) y con el objetivo siempre presente de mejorar las prácticas didácticas para lograr el resultado esperado del lector autónomo en Francés, decidimos encarar el presente trabajo de investigación. La hipótesis de partida de nuestro análisis es que la verificación de la comprensión lectora en LE podría hacerse a partir de resúmenes en Lengua Materna (LM), y que habría una estrecha relación entre las estrategias lectoras utilizadas en LM y las que se utilizan en LE. A partir de esto nos planteamos una serie de preguntas organizadas alrededor de tres ejes según los componentes a los que apuntan: cognitivo, metodológico-estratégico y discursivo. Tomamos como base un corpus de resúmenes en LM de un texto en LE realizado por un grupo voluntario de alumnos de la Cátedra Capacitación en Idioma Francés I, creando con ellos un dispositivo de observación y análisis conjunto compuesto por: una Encuesta Previa al comienzo del curso con respuestas en LM, una Encuesta previa a la lectura del texto por resumir con respuestas en LM, y una Encuesta post resumen con respuestas en LM. El trabajo está estructurado en seis partes: Introducción, Problemática, Marco teórico, Metodología de recolección de datos, Análisis del corpus y Conclusiones y perspectivas. Creemos que el presente trabajo constituye una reflexión y un punto de partida para el análisis de uno de los problemas planteados por la didáctica de la lectocomprensión LE en la universidad: las estrategias lectoras de los estudiantes de LE y más particularmente en Francés Lengua Extranjera.

Problèmes de lecture en langue étrangère : Evaluation de la compréhension de textes à partir des résumés en langue maternelle

Como resultado de nuestra experiencia docente en la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación de la UNLP impartiendo cursos de lectocomprensión en Lengua extranjera (LE) y con el objetivo siempre presente de mejorar las prácticas didácticas para lograr el resultado esperado del lector autónomo en Francés, decidimos encarar el presente trabajo de investigación. La hipótesis de partida de nuestro análisis es que la verificación de la comprensión lectora en LE podría hacerse a partir de resúmenes en Lengua Materna (LM), y que habría una estrecha relación entre las estrategias lectoras utilizadas en LM y las que se utilizan en LE. A partir de esto nos planteamos una serie de preguntas organizadas alrededor de tres ejes según los componentes a los que apuntan: cognitivo, metodológico-estratégico y discursivo. Tomamos como base un corpus de resúmenes en LM de un texto en LE realizado por un grupo voluntario de alumnos de la Cátedra Capacitación en Idioma Francés I, creando con ellos un dispositivo de observación y análisis conjunto compuesto por: una Encuesta Previa al comienzo del curso con respuestas en LM, una Encuesta previa a la lectura del texto por resumir con respuestas en LM, y una Encuesta post resumen con respuestas en LM. El trabajo está estructurado en seis partes: Introducción, Problemática, Marco teórico, Metodología de recolección de datos, Análisis del corpus y Conclusiones y perspectivas. Creemos que el presente trabajo constituye una reflexión y un punto de partida para el análisis de uno de los problemas planteados por la didáctica de la lectocomprensión LE en la universidad: las estrategias lectoras de los estudiantes de LE y más particularmente en Francés Lengua Extranjera.

Problèmes de lecture en langue étrangère : Evaluation de la compréhension de textes à partir des résumés en langue maternelle

Como resultado de nuestra experiencia docente en la Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación de la UNLP impartiendo cursos de lectocomprensión en Lengua extranjera (LE) y con el objetivo siempre presente de mejorar las prácticas didácticas para lograr el resultado esperado del lector autónomo en Francés, decidimos encarar el presente trabajo de investigación. La hipótesis de partida de nuestro análisis es que la verificación de la comprensión lectora en LE podría hacerse a partir de resúmenes en Lengua Materna (LM), y que habría una estrecha relación entre las estrategias lectoras utilizadas en LM y las que se utilizan en LE. A partir de esto nos planteamos una serie de preguntas organizadas alrededor de tres ejes según los componentes a los que apuntan: cognitivo, metodológico-estratégico y discursivo. Tomamos como base un corpus de resúmenes en LM de un texto en LE realizado por un grupo voluntario de alumnos de la Cátedra Capacitación en Idioma Francés I, creando con ellos un dispositivo de observación y análisis conjunto compuesto por: una Encuesta Previa al comienzo del curso con respuestas en LM, una Encuesta previa a la lectura del texto por resumir con respuestas en LM, y una Encuesta post resumen con respuestas en LM. El trabajo está estructurado en seis partes: Introducción, Problemática, Marco teórico, Metodología de recolección de datos, Análisis del corpus y Conclusiones y perspectivas. Creemos que el presente trabajo constituye una reflexión y un punto de partida para el análisis de uno de los problemas planteados por la didáctica de la lectocomprensión LE en la universidad: las estrategias lectoras de los estudiantes de LE y más particularmente en Francés Lengua Extranjera.

Ontology Evaluation: a pitfall-based approach to ontology diagnosis

La evaluación de ontologías, incluyendo diagnóstico y reparación de las mismas, es una compleja actividad que debe llevarse a cabo en cualquier proyecto de desarrollo ontológico para comprobar la calidad técnica de las ontologías. Sin embargo, existe una gran brecha entre los enfoques metodológicos sobre la evaluación de ontologías y las herramientas que le dan soporte. En particular, no existen enfoques que proporcionen guías concretas sobre cómo diagnosticar y, en consecuencia, reparar ontologías. Esta tesis pretende avanzar en el área de la evaluación de ontologías, concretamente en la actividad de diagnóstico. Los principales objetivos de esta tesis son (a) ayudar a los desarrolladores en el diagnóstico de ontologías para encontrar errores comunes y (b) facilitar dicho diagnóstico reduciendo el esfuerzo empleado proporcionando el soporte tecnológico adecuado. Esta tesis presenta las siguientes contribuciones: • Catálogo de 41 errores comunes que los ingenieros ontológicos pueden cometer durante el desarrollo de ontologías. • Modelo de calidad para el diagnóstico de ontologías alineando el catálogo de errores comunes con modelos de calidad existentes. • Diseño e implementación de 48 métodos para detectar 33 de los 41 errores comunes en el catálogo. • Soporte tecnológico OOPS!, que permite el diagnstico de ontologías de forma (semi)automática. De acuerdo con los comentarios recibidos y los resultados de los test de satisfacción realizados, se puede afirmar que el enfoque desarrollado y presentado en esta tesis ayuda de forma efectiva a los usuarios a mejorar la calidad de sus ontologías. OOPS! ha sido ampliamente aceptado por un gran número de usuarios de formal global y ha sido utilizado alrededor de 3000 veces desde 60 países diferentes. OOPS! se ha integrado en software desarrollado por terceros y ha sido instalado en empresas para ser utilizado tanto durante el desarrollo de ontologías como en actividades de formación. Abstract Ontology evaluation, which includes ontology diagnosis and repair, is a complex activity that should be carried out in every ontology development project, because it checks for the technical quality of the ontology. However, there is an important gap between the methodological work about ontology evaluation and the tools that support such an activity. More precisely, not many approaches provide clear guidance about how to diagnose ontologies and how to repair them accordingly. This thesis aims to advance the current state of the art of ontology evaluation, specifically in the ontology diagnosis activity. The main goals of this thesis are (a) to help ontology engineers to diagnose their ontologies in order to find common pitfalls and (b) to lessen the effort required from them by providing the suitable technological support. This thesis presents the following main contributions: • A catalogue that describes 41 pitfalls that ontology developers might include in their ontologies. • A quality model for ontology diagnose that aligns the pitfall catalogue to existing quality models for semantic technologies. • The design and implementation of 48 methods for detecting 33 out of the 41 pitfalls defined in the catalogue. • A system called OOPS! (OntOlogy Pitfall Scanner!) that allows ontology engineers to (semi)automatically diagnose their ontologies. According to the feedback gathered and satisfaction tests carried out, the approach developed and presented in this thesis effectively helps users to increase the quality of their ontologies. At the time of writing this thesis, OOPS! has been broadly accepted by a high number of users worldwide and has been used around 3000 times from 60 different countries. OOPS! is integrated with third-party software and is locally installed in private enterprises being used both for ontology development activities and training courses.