Browsing by Subject "Scaffolding"
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Item Contextualizing children’s imitation : an examination of children’s flexible use of imitation in distinct cultural and child-rearing contexts(2016-05) Clegg, Jennifer Marie; Legare, Cristine H.; Bannard, Colin; Booth, Amy; Buss, David; Markman, Art; Yeager, David SDespite experimental and ethnographic evidence of imitation in the context of skill-based or instrumental learning there has not yet been a systematic cross-cultural account of imitative behavior in the context of learning cultural conventions. Moreover, very little is known about how children’s social interaction with their caregivers scaffolds the development of imitation. New research suggests that the causal opacity associated with conventions results in high fidelity imitation due to children’s interpretation of a behavior as a conventional act (based on social conventions) rather than an instrumental act. This dissertation examines children’s flexible imitation based on their interpretation of the purpose of a behavior in two different cultural settings – the U.S. and Vanuatu, a Melanesian island nation and in natural child-rearing settings. This research addresses a significant gap in the current literature, as much of the work on the development of imitation has been conducted in Western, single-child settings.Item Gaining literacy XP: uncovering semiotic resources in a digital game and exploring L2 learner gameplay as a multiliteracy practice(2019-08) Schoen, Kristina Maren; Arens, Katherine, 1953-; Crane, Cori; Boas, Hans; Henry, Nicholas; Blyth, Carl; Sykes, JulieDigital games create interactive, multimodal spaces for second language (L2) learners to engage with contextualized language. Scholarship on digital games for L2 learning has previously focused on the affordances of games as language learning tools, i.e. for vocabulary acquisition and communication (deHaan, Reed, & Kuwada, 2010; Peterson, 2012), overlooking their value as rich, semiotic texts and gameplay as multiliteracy practice. This dissertation explores the textuality of the digital game The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (The Astronauts, 2014) and the literacy practices of L2 learners of German as they engage in dyadic pairs with the game. Using Systemic Functional Linguistics (Halliday, 1978; Halliday & Matthiessen, 2004) and social semiotics (Kress, 2000) as analytical frameworks, an initial text analysis of the game focuses on the organization of narrative information in an orbital generic structure (White, 1997). Given the non-sequential narrative organization, a second analysis identifies lexical cohesive ties (Halliday & Hasan, 1976) that connect the different linguistic texts comprising the game’s narrative chapters. Adopting the lens of intermodality (Painter & Martin, 2011), a final analysis explores how narrative texts and the multimodal environment interface. The second half of this study analyzes L2 learners’ engagement with The Vanishing of Ethan Carter in order to understand the gameplay process as multifaceted literacy practices. Based on video and audio recordings of gameplay sessions, one gameplay analysis tracks communication patterns of L2 dyads across the game’s narrative chapters, focusing on utterance frequency in relation to puzzle-solving and text engagement. To contextualize the L2 dyad utterance patterns, a second analysis examines the substance of learners’ interactions, pointing to variation in puzzle-solving strategies and level of relative textual engagement. A final gameplay analysis describes how learner groups utilize supplementary materials—transcripts of in-game texts and walkthrough videos—as game-external tools for mediating the gameplay process. Results of the study contribute to the growing field of digital game-based language learning. In particular, the game and gameplay analyses frame L2 learners’ experiences playing a digital game as acts of multiliteracy engagement. Additionally, the research design offers a potential expansion to current research practices in a relatively young field of inquiry.Item Molecular scaffolding : setting foundations for metal complexation and bioinorganic modeling(2018-05-02) Manes, Taylor Aaron; Rose, Michael J., Ph. D.; Que, Emily L; Humphrey, Simon M; Sessler, Jonathan L; Keitz, Benjamin KPresented herein is a survey of anthracene scaffolded ligands for the purpose of providing foundational insights into metal complexation of the ligands to formulate accurate models of the naturally occurring enzyme Fe-hydrogenase. A review of rigid scaffolds utilized in bioinorganic chemistry with emphasis on how our anthracenyl approach to modeling Hmd is presented followed by a discourse into CO₂ reduction catalysis utilizing a novel symmetric anthracene ligand. A series of asymmetric ligands and corresponding metal complexes is presented and characterized in detail via the Mn carbonyl environment. Furthermore, studies were undertaken to synthesize novel ligands to incorporate new pnictogen type donors; further speculating on the significance of the ligand field observed in the active site and its ability to activate H₂.Item Statue of Liberty(0000-00-00) Landsman, RobertAudio files are EID restricted. Individuals without an EID should send an email request to apl-aaa@lib.utexas.edu.Item The effects of a learning analytics scaffolding system in problem-based learning activities(2022-05-26) Pan, Zilong; Liu, Min, Ed. D.; Hughes, Joan; Whittaker , Tiffany; Hamilton, XiaofenThis explanatory mixed-method study examined the effects of a learning analytics scaffolding system in supporting students and teachers in middle school science problem-based learning activities. A total of 298 middle schools 6th-grade students taught by four science teachers were grouped into three conditions: learning analytics scaffolding group (condition A), non-learning analytics static scaffolding group (condition B), and control group (condition C). This study followed an explanatory mixed-method research design, the qualitative interview data were used for interpreting and explaining the quantitative results. The statistical outcomes showed that students’ problem-solving self-efficacy in condition A is significantly higher than in the other two conditions. No main effects were found on students’ content knowledge acquisition. The student interviews revealed that the real-time support and just-in-time feedback delivered by the learning analytics scaffolding system helped them achieve higher self-efficacy in problem-solving. Moreover, students under each condition were further grouped based on gender or learning mode to explore potential differences. The statistical findings showed that male students achieved higher problem-solving self-efficacy in condition A than female students. In contrast, students in the online mode gained more content knowledge than students in the in-person mode. An important component of this study is the involvement of student-generated usage data. Both student-generated quantitative log and qualitative text data were processed and integrated with qualitative interview outcomes for understanding the quantitative survey findings. For example, survey outcomes revealed that students in the online mode in condition A achieved higher content knowledge acquisition than students in the in-person mode. The quantitative log outcomes revealed that students in the online mode in condition A accessed the scientific concepts with significantly higher frequencies and longer durations than their peers in the in-person mode, which means students in the online mode experienced a larger exposure to scientific knowledge than their in-person mode peers. Considering the findings from qualitative interviews that students in the online modes were less distracted and more likely to follow the scaffoldings, the integration of both log data and qualitative interview outcomes provided a more comprehensive picture to interpret and explain the quantitative survey results. Furthermore, all four participating teachers acknowledged the usefulness of the learning analytics scaffolding system. They indicated in the interviews that this scaffolding system enhanced students’ independence in the problem-solving process. Thus, teachers perceived larger flexibility in managing students in condition A than in the other two conditions. These outcomes indicated that the learning analytics scaffolding system supported students by providing them with more assistance and empowered teachers to facilitate problem-based learning activities in large-sized classrooms. In all, the evaluation of the learning analytics scaffolding yielded positive outcomes for both students and teachers. It supported that enhancing the problem-solving environment by embedding the learning analytics incorporated scaffolding system is a promising direction to better support students and teachers in problem-based learning activities. Last but not least, practical implications for the future implementation of learning analytics scaffolding systems were proposed.