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- Dahlin, Karin I. E., 1945-
(författare)
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Does It Pay to Practice? : A Quasi-Experimental Study on Working Memory Training and Its Effects on Reading and Basic Number Skills
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This dissertation is based on results from an intervention study targeting working memory training. A group of 46 boys and 11 girls (aged 10.7) that were attending special units in 16 regular schools participated in the study. The treatment group (n = 42) trained at school every day for 30-40 minutes with an interactive computer program (Cogmed training) for five weeks. The performances of the treatment group on reading related measures and basic number skills are compared to those of a group of students (n =15) that were attending similar special units and received only ordinary special educational instruction. Working memory measures and non-verbal problem solving were compared to students (n = 25) in a control group from a previous study.In Study I, it was found that reading comprehension and working memory measures correlated and improved at post-tests (T2, T3) for the treatment group to a larger extent than for the comparison group.In Study II, it was found that working memory measures and basic number skills were highly related. The performance of the boys in the treatment group improved more than that of the boys in the comparison group on basic number test at both post-tests.In Study III, basic skills assessed three years later (T4) are reported. The treatment group achieved higher scores in reading comprehension compared to pre-tests and compared to the control group.The treatment group seems to have gained from the cognitive training of working memory with the computer assisted program directly after training, after seven months and at the three year follow-up. The gains were observed on visuo-spatial working memory measure (T2, T3), reading comprehension and on basic number skills in boys (T2, T3, T4).The possible mechanisms that may be involved in and may explain the observed improvements of performances are discussed: executive function, attention, memory, motivation, emotions. The study has some methodological limitations and more research is needed to substantiate the efficacy of the program.
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| 2. |
- Tjernberg, Catharina
(författare)
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Framgångsfaktorer i läs- och skrivlärande : En praxisorienterad studie med utgångspunkt i skolpraktiken
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this study is to analyse the factors underlying successful reading and writing education and the educational conditions promoting reflective didactic skills, focusing on the students’ development of reading and writing abilities. Large international surveys indicate that the consensus concerning reading and writing education achieved by science during the past decade has had limited impact on classroom activities. Thus, an underlying question is how research results can be implemented in everyday schoolwork. This study uses a praxis-oriented approach by working with classroom observations and reflective communication with teachers about learning processes and pedagogical methodology. The importance of the teachers having a solid theoretical background is underlined since it enables them to identify the students’ developmental stage, to adapt the instruction accordingly and to instantly grasp pedagogical opportunities to interpret and utilize the diagnostic signals. Another conclusion is that successful reading and writing education must be viewed in a context of language development as a whole, involving both its oral and its written aspects. This study also demonstrates that research results are perceived by teachers to be more accessible and relevant when the focus is on applied pedagogics, allowing theory and practical applications to interact. The teachers’ professional development is shown to be an on-going, interactive, social process in which organisation, time and communicative meetings play an important part. Abduction proves to be an effective learning strategy in the development of professional competence whereby academic knowledge and on-the-spot know-how are allowed to coalesce in practically useful knowledge. The study’s praxis-oriented approach has made it possible to define the teachers’ experience-based knowledge at the same time as the theoretical knowledge in the field has developed. This opens up possibilities for scientific theories to establish themselves in practical school work.
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| 3. |
- Rehnman, Anna-Carin, 1955-
(författare)
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Lära och Leva : Kunskapsutveckling hos personer med en ärftlig dövhet/hörselnedsättning
- 2013
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The aim of this study is to explore the development of how people in different generations of a family with a hereditary hearing loss developed knowledge and to examine the role of the educational system and how it influenced this development.The research questions are:What is the prevalence of the deafness spoken of in the family chronicle?What different kinds of knowledge did the family members with deafness/hearing loss develop and how did they make use of them?In what ways may they have experienced their deafness/hearing loss as a suffering?What knowledge did they develop because the hearing loss recurred in several successive generations?The studied material includes answers from a questionnaire, different historical documents and sixteen interviews. Descendants of the first man born in the family in 1816 described as deaf. Among the descendants a total of 84 persons with a hereditary hearing loss have been found, at most in seven successive generations. The sixteen persons interviewed have spoken about themselves, their parent, mother or father-parent, with hearing loss. This has made it possible to explore the development of knowledge in different areas. The findings from the interviews are interpreted in four chapters where the development knowledge in the different generations has been related to each other and to the hearing loss.The study shows that the generations developed various forms of competence and knowledge and that this occurred mainly in the homes. The members of the family with hearing loss were educated by themselves. The role of public school was small. The last generation, however, has been able to carry out higher studies. The communicative practice at home was spoken Swedish, eye contact, a loud and clear voice and speechreading. The speech of children was read before the children themselves had to read the speech of others.
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