On the classic paradox of infinity and a related function

Author(s):  
Chanakya Wijeratne ◽  
Rina Zazkis

Abstract In this study we consider a classic paradox of infinity and its variations and suggest how the sources of misleading intuition can be analysed using the concept of uniform convergence of functions. We then examine how six mathematics honour students engage with a variation of the paradox. Despite their advanced mathematical training, the participants experienced considerable difficulty in addressing the presented paradoxical situation. Drawing on data from written responses and individual interviews, we describe the students’ approaches in an attempt to reconcile their intuitive perceptions with their mathematical computations.

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 789-801
Author(s):  
Selda Bakır

This study was carried out on 97 participants using a mixed research design, in order to determine the effect of microteaching on the teaching skills of pre-service science teachers and to ascertain the opinions of pre-service teachers about the positive and negative effects of microteaching. Analysis of the data revealed that microteaching has a significant effect on teaching skills, and this effect can be seen under the areas of carrying out an introduction lesson, classroom management, time management and planning, effective communication and concluding the lesson, as well as issues which can be described as being related to self-confidence. In the qualitative section of the study, analysis of the data obtained from written responses and individual interviews with pre-service teachers about the positive and the negative effects of microteaching support the quantitative findings. Key words: microteaching, pre-service science teachers, teaching skills.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xigrid Soto ◽  
Yagmur Seven ◽  
Meaghan McKenna ◽  
Keri Madsen ◽  
Lindsey Peters-Sanders ◽  
...  

Purpose This article describes the iterative development of a home review program designed to augment vocabulary instruction for young children (ages 4 and 5 years) occurring at school through the use of a home review component. Method A pilot study followed by two experiments used adapted alternating treatment designs to compare the learning of academic words taught at school to words taught at school and reviewed at home. At school, children in small groups were taught academic words embedded in prerecorded storybooks for 6 weeks. Children were given materials such as stickers with review prompts (e.g., “Tell me what brave means”) to take home for half the words. Across iterations of the home intervention, the home review component was enhanced by promoting parent engagement and buy-in through in-person training, video modeling, and daily text message reminders. Visual analyses of single-subject graphs, multilevel modeling, and social validity measures were used to evaluate the additive effects and feasibility of the home review component. Results Social validity results informed each iteration of the home program. The effects of the home program across sites were mixed, with only one site showing consistently strong effects. Superior learning was evident in the school + home review condition for families that reviewed words frequently at home. Although the home review program was effective in improving the vocabulary skills of many children, some families had considerable difficulty practicing vocabulary words. Conclusion These studies highlight the importance of using social validity measures to inform iterative development of home interventions that promote feasible strategies for enhancing the home language environment. Further research is needed to identify strategies that stimulate facilitators and overcome barriers to implementation, especially in high-stress homes, to enrich the home language environments of more families.


Author(s):  
Nidhi Mahendra

This article details the experience of two South Asian individuals with family members who had communication disorders. I provide information on intrinsic and extrinsic barriers reported by these clients in responses to a survey and during individual ethnographic interviews. These data are part of a larger study and provide empirical support of cultural and linguistic barriers that may impede timely access to and utilization of speech-language pathology (SLP) services. The purpose of this article is to shed light on barriers and facilitators that influence South Asian clients' access to SLP services. I provide and briefly analyze two case vignettes to provide readers a phenomenological perspective on client experiences. Data about barriers limiting access to SLP services were obtained via client surveys and individual interviews. These two clients' data were extracted from a larger study (Mahendra, Scullion, Hamerschlag, Cooper, & La, 2011) in which 52 racially/ethnically diverse clients participated. Survey items and interview questions were designed to elicit information about client experiences when accessing SLP services. Results reveal specific intrinsic and extrinsic barriers that affected two South Asian clients' access to SLP services and have important implications for all providers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-159
Author(s):  
Suharyanto H Soro

Lecturer plays an important role in teaching Englishas a foreign language, in spite of the success of teaching English itself depends on the many factors, one of them is students’ participation in the English class. In the other words, the teaching of English becomes useful and more systematically when the lecturer is fully aware of the aims and values of teaching of English subject since the core principle of any teaching  is “know what you do and only do what you know”. Hence it is essential to understand the aims and values of teaching English. In linguistics study,performance and competence are different, competence is study about language rules in the abstract form or one’s capacity to use a language, while performance is the application of one’s ability in the concrete form, or the actual application of this competence in speaking or listening. Chomsky (1965:18) said that  performance is the effect or the application of competence. Further he said that clearly, the actual data of linguistic performance will provide much evidence for determining the correctness of hypotheses about underlining linguistic structure. Notice the following figure. The data collection procedures in the present study are based on classroom participant observation, student interviews, and questionnaire  are the primary sources of data collection. As a point of departure, unstructured interviews conducted with English and students to gain initial understanding of the learning English as a foreign language. This also serves as a pilot study, paving the way for designing the guidelines for the semi structured individual interviews. Notes taken in these unstructured interviews were included in the data analysis. Taking lecture involves the lecturer and the students in formal setting. Lecturer is one who transfers special knowledge (English teaching materials) to his students in form of academic setting. They are engaged in academic norms, for example lecturer has qualified education (magister or doctorate degree) and the students  have already registered their status as a university student. The lecturer’s function is threefold. In the presentation stage of the material, the lecturer serves as a model, setting up situations in which the need for the target structure is created and modeling the new structure for students to repeat. The lecturer was required to be skillful manipulator, using questions, commands, and other cues to elicit correct sentences from the students. The students wanted the lecturer to give more opportunities for English practice. They can learn from mistakes and develop in real situation. Role play is one of methods can be applied in teaching English. The students like this methods (96%) because they can imitate and practice their English pronunciation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Dzomeku ◽  
Brian Van Wyk ◽  
Lucia Knight ◽  
Jody R. Lori

It is well established that clients’ past healthcare experiences influence their further use of that particular service, as well as their recommendations of that service. This also applies to the use of facility-based childbirth services which contribute to reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. This paper explores what mothers’ want from care in public health centres during childbirth. Knowing mothers’ expectations will contribute to improving their future childbirth care experiences. In this explorative qualitative study, 56 women were recruited from four public health centres. In-depth individual interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed in full, and subjected to content analysis. Themes emerged, revealing participants’ desire for both “respectful care” and “safe care”. From our findings, we posit that respectful care should be characterised by adequate communication between the healthcare provider and patient, and involvement of the patient in care decisions. Participants expected safe care, which results from health facilities with adequate resources. Health services generally concentrate on clinical care which aligns with mothers’ expectations of respectful and safe care. However, soft skills need much attention in nursing and midwifery education. There is also a need to orient midwives to a patient-centred approach to care that meets mothers’ expectations for childbirth care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan C Cheruiyot ◽  
Petra Brysiewicz

This study explores and describes caring and uncaring nursing encounters from the perspective of the patients admitted to inpatient rehabilitation settings in South Africa. The researchers used an exploratory descriptive design. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data through individual interviews with 17 rehabilitation patients. Content analysis allowed for the analysis of textual data. Five categories of nursing encounters emerged from the analysis: noticing and acting, and being there for you emerged as categories of caring nursing encounters, and being ignored, being a burden, and deliberate punishment emerged as categories of uncaring nursing encounters. Caring nursing encounters make patients feel important and that they are not alone in the rehabilitation journey, while uncaring nursing encounters makes the patients feel unimportant and troublesome to the nurses. Caring nursing encounters give nurses an opportunity to notice and acknowledge the existence of vulnerability in the patients and encourage them to be present at that moment, leading to empowerment. Uncaring nursing encounters result in patients feeling devalued and depersonalised, leading to discouragement. It is recommended that nurses strive to develop personal relationships that promote successful nursing encounters. Further, nurses must strive to minimise the patients’ feelings of guilt and suffering, and to make use of tools, for example the self-perceived scale, to measure this. Nurses must also perform role plays on how to handle difficult patients such as confused, demanding and rude patients in the rehabilitation settings.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Majda Hrženjak ◽  
Živa Humer

The starting point of this article is that transition from breadwinning to involved fathering is not only a matter of men’s identity change, but is profoundly shaped by broader societal structures, among which labour markets appear as crucial. Given that in Slovenia flexibilisation of the labour markets is a salient issue, this qualitative study, based on explorative, in-depth, semi-structured, individual interviews with fathers in precarious and managerial employment, analyses how insecure and flexible work arrangements shape fatherhood practices, impact on chances for being an involved father and structure gender relations. Narratives of fathers in managerial positions point to the persistence of the breadwinner model of fathering with limited participation in childcare, expressed as “weekend fatherhood,” but also to a more egalitarian share of childcare mainly among young fathers in managerial positions. Though the experiences of fathers in precarious employment point to their pronounced involvement in childcare, some cases in our sample indicate that precarious working relations can also, in a peculiar way, lead to the strengthening of the breadwinner model and re-traditionalisation of gender relations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanusha Raniga ◽  
Barbara Simpson ◽  
Ntokozo Mthembu

In contemporary South Africa, partnerships between service providers in government, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and community based organisations have been identified as a means to strengthen communities and the sustainability of social services. However, the unequal power relations that exists between and within these organisations often leads to fragmentation, duplication, and lack of coordination of social services. Using Fowler’s (1998) conceptualisation of authentic partnerships, this qualitative phase of a larger study explored the challenges of building authentic partnerships in Bhambayi, a predominantly informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Individual interviews and a focus group held with nine service providers revealed that intraorganisational challenges, cross-boundary and inter-organisational relations as well as political influences were obstacles to the development of authentic partnerships. The article suggests that open communication, clarity of roles and mutual trust between service providers is vital.


1992 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bukovská ◽  
Bukovský ◽  
Ewert
Keyword(s):  

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