Effective instructional practice has a significant impact on student learning. Shared personal practice within a professional learning team (PLT) is one of the key elements in consistently improved instructional practice. However, this PLT characteristic is often the least evident and the hardest to absorb into PLT culture. This study examined the relational characteristics, facilitating factors, or barriers to shared personal practice within a PLT. Two PLTs in core subject areas across two Texas high school campuses were included in this comparative case study. Data from document analysis, PLC observations, focus group interviews, and in-depth individual interviews were examined thematically to answer the research questions guiding this study. The results of this study revealed that building strong relationships and an emphasis on collective creativity were strong predictors of sharing personal practice. Collective clarity on PLT practices and the purpose of sharing personal practice increased the success and occurrence of sharing personal practice. The results also revealed that the copious tasks of teaching and negative perceptions of being observed by colleagues hindered consistent sharing of personal practice. This study describes the current context of shared personal practice as a foundation for future studies to examine how practice can be transformed.

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Kolb (1984) identifies learning as a process whereby knowledge is created through transformation of experience. Wenger (1998) would further suggest that education is a mutual development process between communities and its learners, well beyond mere socializing. The value of learning “in community”, then, affords educators an opportunity to create the just right conditions for themselves as both teacher and learner. The success of learning communities depends on reciprocal engagement of its members to share knowledge, experiences, and skills with colleagues (Kling & Courtright, 2003). This study examined the case for blogging as a means to facilitate a self-directed community of professional learners, educators who endeavour to further develop their knowledge, understanding, and expertise of teaching and learning via the cultivation of an authentic informal online learning community. Using social learning theory as the analytical framework, this study looked at ways participation in informal, self-directed online learning communities not only encourages, but discloses potential barriers in participants’ abilities to (1) develop their understanding of teaching and learning as a self-directed, informal online community of engaged professionals; (2) expand their understanding of blogging as a tool to engage and participate in informal, online self-directed professional learning; and (3) deepen their understanding of working within the context of community: self-directed professionals engaging informally online to support, enhance, and reflect critically as engaged learners, specifically through the blogging process. This study investigated various motivations and actions that might bring participants together as engaged, self-directed professional learners and better explain how and why these informal online communities might experience success. Ultimately, it was the researcher’s hope this study would identify specific elements within the participants’ learning, offering both insight and relevance for educators as an engaged, informal, self-directed online community of professional learners.

Section A reviews the empirical and theoretical literature on supervision in order to gain a better understanding of how experiences of supervision during clinical training may relate to the anticipated transition of ‘becoming a supervisor’. Section B presents an initial exploratory study focusing on how trainee clinical psychologists make sense of their experiences of supervision in relation to the anticipated transition of ‘becoming a supervisor’. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten trainee clinical psychologists at the end of their training. Data was analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Analysis of the transcripts revealed three master themes: the development of the professional self; the supervisory relationship; and the development of supervisory perspectives. Developmental and relational aspects of supervision were emphasised in relation to the anticipated transition of ‘becoming a supervisor’, alongside the significance of the supervisor as a role model. Learning from peers’ experiences of supervision was also key. The study concluded that participants’ experiences of supervision and the meaning they give to those in relation to the anticipated transition of ‘becoming a supervisor’ were connected to the development of a professional self in which increasing autonomy and integration of the personal self was important. Learning took place in the context of the supervisory relationship. The human side of that relationship was valued where reciprocity and containment facilitated a safe space to explore. The development of supervisory perspectives facilitated the anticipated transition of ‘becoming a supervisor’ as experiences of supervision helped to evaluate positive and negative aspects of that role. Subsequently, an ‘ideal for self’ emerged.

Nurses experience stress, fear and anger while they are trying to reconcile their ideals/ goals about health care with its inadequacies and abuses (Jameton, 1984:5), while at the same time trying to stay true to their convictions (Lindh et al., 2010:552). Moral distress is experienced when nurses cannot adhere to these goals (Corley, 2002:637). Conflicting moral principles, stress-provoking and contradicting demands weaken the nurse’s sense of control, power and autonomy (Lützen et al., 2010:213). The current descriptions of moral distress inadequately define the concept, and this might lead to the inconsistent use of the term moral distress. Therefore, conceptual clarity is needed. Current available instruments measure antecedents and situations causing moral distress. Therefore, an instrument measuring the attributes of moral distress is urgently needed. Such an instrument might be used in a variety of clinical departments because it is not based on department-specific situations but on the attributes of moral distress. Moral distress has a great impact on the nurse, patient care and the organization. This research used Benson and Clark’s (1982) method of instrument development as a theoretical framework. It is the aim of this study to develop and validate an instrument to measure moral distress in the clinical health care context of the professional nurse. In order to attain this aim the following objectives were set: To conduct an integrative literature review to identify antecedents, consequences, attributes and empirical indicators of moral distress; to conduct interviews to explore professional nurses’ experience of moral distress; to develop an instrument to measure moral distress in professional nurses; to validate the instrument. A qualitative and quantitative research design with explorative, descriptive and contextual strategies was used. The research process was divided into phases. During Phase One, an integrative literature review was conducted and the population included all available national and international data on moral distress in nurses/ nursing and sampling included all-inclusive sampling. Data analysis was performed through descriptive synthesis.Phase Onealso included semi-structured interviews and the population included professional nurses working in hospitals and clinics in the North-West Province. The sampling method applied was purposive sampling. Tesch’s method was used as data analysis method. During Phase Two, a content validation was conducted and the population included experts in the field of moral distress and instrument validation, and purposive sampling was applied. Data collection was done through the instrument that was developedand data analysis was the content validity index. Phase Twoalso included a qualitative evaluation which was conducted and the population consisted of professional nurses working in hospitals and clinics in the North-West Province and purposive sampling was applied. Data was collected through the developed instrument and a focus group session. Data analysis was conducted through aconsensus discussion. During Phase Three, a pilot study was conducted and the population was professional nurses working ina hospital with different departments and clinics in the Free State Province. All-inclusive sampling was applied and the instrument that was developed was used as data collection. Data analysis included: Descriptive statistics, factor analysis (exploratory, confirmatory and Bartlett’s test of spherity), Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, correlations and ANOVA. According to the results from the face-, content-, exploratory and confirmatory, discriminant- as well as divergent validity, the instrument has been shown to be valid. The Cronbach’s alpha for the Moral Distress Instrument was deemed reliable. Finally, the research was evaluated and limitations were identified. Recommendations for nursing education, -practice, research and policy were formulated. / PhD (Nursing), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This research was undertaken because there is a high level of conflict among school teachers. The seriousness of the conflict is that it has a negative effect when it is not handled constructively. If it is not prevented as early as possible. it can be escalated and become destructive. The researcher was further prompted by the fact that e en though much research has been done among schoolteachers in schools, little has been done to prevent the unnecessary conflict. As a result of the high level of conflict incidents that arc currently prevalent amongst school teacher in Moses Kotane East, the researcher felt that there is a need for a great deal of rest.:arch on how to handle conflict among school teachers. There sixty-five (65) schools in Moses Kotane East, fourteen ( 14) high schools, eight combined schools (8) and forty three (43) primary schools. There is one thousand. four hundred and fifty) ( 1450) teacher. including principals, deputies and head of departments. The researcher employed simple random sampling because every member of the population will have equal and independent chance of being included in the sample. Sixteen ( 16) schools were sampled, seven (7) primary schools, four (4) combined schools and five (5} secondary schools. From each selected secondary school eleven (I I) respondents comprising educators, site managers, heads of department or deputy and from each primary school ten (I0) respondents were selected consisting of teachers, site managers, heads of departments or deputy and from each of the three (3) selected combined schools eight (8) respondents comprising site managers, heads of departments or deputy were sampled. From another combined school seven (7) respondents consisting of site manager, head of department and teachers were also sample. The total number f respondents was one hundred and fifty six (156). The study was guided by the following research questions: what is the effective and relevant model for handling conflict among school teachers? What are the types of conflict that occur among teachers of Moses Kotane East? What arc the consequences of these conflicts? What are the strategies for resolving conflicts? What is the role of the site manager in conflict management? What arc the guidelines for handling conflict among teachers in schools? The purpose of this study was to determine how to handle conflict among teachers in schools. The aim of this study was also to assess and discuss the effective model for handling conflict among school teachers in Moses Kotane East. Based on research findings, the aim was to present guidelines or strategies for minimizing exaggerated focus of conflict among school teachers. The study was quantitative in nature and data was collected through literature review and questionnaire. Minitab Statistical Package, version fourteen ( 14) was used to capture and analyse the data. The following findings emerged from the data analysis: • That unlimited resources are the major causes of conflict. • When conflic t is handled constructively, it promotes growth and problem solving. • A Code of conduct for teachers and other additional rules should be drawn for the teacher. • Good mediation by the school manager can keep the conflict at the minimal level. Based on the findings it is recommended that teachers should know the different strategies for handling conflict. They should know how and when to use those strategies. The efTective model for handling conflict among school teachers is therefore very important. A model suggested in this study is a dynamic multidimensional model for conflict resolution because the phenomenon dealt is by nature multi-faceted. / Thesis (M. Ed) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012

Nurses experience stress, fear and anger while they are trying to reconcile their ideals/ goals about health care with its inadequacies and abuses (Jameton, 1984:5), while at the same time trying to stay true to their convictions (Lindh et al., 2010:552). Moral distress is experienced when nurses cannot adhere to these goals (Corley, 2002:637). Conflicting moral principles, stress-provoking and contradicting demands weaken the nurse’s sense of control, power and autonomy (Lützen et al., 2010:213). The current descriptions of moral distress inadequately define the concept, and this might lead to the inconsistent use of the term moral distress. Therefore, conceptual clarity is needed. Current available instruments measure antecedents and situations causing moral distress. Therefore, an instrument measuring the attributes of moral distress is urgently needed. Such an instrument might be used in a variety of clinical departments because it is not based on department-specific situations but on the attributes of moral distress. Moral distress has a great impact on the nurse, patient care and the organization. This research used Benson and Clark’s (1982) method of instrument development as a theoretical framework. It is the aim of this study to develop and validate an instrument to measure moral distress in the clinical health care context of the professional nurse. In order to attain this aim the following objectives were set: To conduct an integrative literature review to identify antecedents, consequences, attributes and empirical indicators of moral distress; to conduct interviews to explore professional nurses’ experience of moral distress; to develop an instrument to measure moral distress in professional nurses; to validate the instrument. A qualitative and quantitative research design with explorative, descriptive and contextual strategies was used. The research process was divided into phases. During Phase One, an integrative literature review was conducted and the population included all available national and international data on moral distress in nurses/ nursing and sampling included all-inclusive sampling. Data analysis was performed through descriptive synthesis.Phase Onealso included semi-structured interviews and the population included professional nurses working in hospitals and clinics in the North-West Province. The sampling method applied was purposive sampling. Tesch’s method was used as data analysis method. During Phase Two, a content validation was conducted and the population included experts in the field of moral distress and instrument validation, and purposive sampling was applied. Data collection was done through the instrument that was developedand data analysis was the content validity index. Phase Twoalso included a qualitative evaluation which was conducted and the population consisted of professional nurses working in hospitals and clinics in the North-West Province and purposive sampling was applied. Data was collected through the developed instrument and a focus group session. Data analysis was conducted through aconsensus discussion. During Phase Three, a pilot study was conducted and the population was professional nurses working ina hospital with different departments and clinics in the Free State Province. All-inclusive sampling was applied and the instrument that was developed was used as data collection. Data analysis included: Descriptive statistics, factor analysis (exploratory, confirmatory and Bartlett’s test of spherity), Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, correlations and ANOVA. According to the results from the face-, content-, exploratory and confirmatory, discriminant- as well as divergent validity, the instrument has been shown to be valid. The Cronbach’s alpha for the Moral Distress Instrument was deemed reliable. Finally, the research was evaluated and limitations were identified. Recommendations for nursing education, -practice, research and policy were formulated. / PhD (Nursing), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Rosemary S. Talab / The purpose of this study was to obtain science faculty concerns and professional development needs to adopt blended learning in their teaching at Taibah University. To answer these two research questions the survey instrument was designed to collect quantitative and qualitative data from close-ended and open-ended questions. The participants’ general characteristics were first presented, then the quantitative measures were presented as the results of the null hypotheses. The data analysis for research question one revealed a statistically significant difference in the participants’ concerns in adopting BL by their gender sig = .0015. The significances were found in stages one (sig = .000) and stage five (sig = .006) for female faculty. Therefore, null hypothesis 1.1 was rejected (There are no statistically significant differences between science faculty’s gender and their concerns in adopting BL). The data analysis indicated also that there were no relationships between science faculty’s age, academic rank, nationality, country of graduation and years of teaching experience and their concerns in adopting BL in their teaching, so the null hypotheses 1.2-7 were accepted (There are no statistically significant differences between Science faculty’s age and their concerns in adopting BL, there are no statistically significant differences between Science faculty’s academic rank and their concerns in adopting BL, there are no statistically significant differences between Science faculty’s nationality and their concerns in adopting BL, there are no statistically significant differences between Science faculty’s content area and their concerns in adopting BL, there are no statistically significant differences between Science faculty’s country of graduation and their concerns in adopting BL and there are no statistically significant differences between Science faculty’s years of teaching experience and their concerns in adopting BL). The data analyses for research question two revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between science faculty’s use of technology in teaching by department and their attitudes towards technology integration in the Science curriculum. Lambda MANOVA test result was sig =.019 at the alpha = .05 level. Follow up ANOVA result indicated that Chemistry department was significant in the use of computer-based technology (sig =.049) and instructional technology use (sig =.041). Therefore, null hypothesis 2.1 was rejected (There are no statistically significant differences between science faculty’s attitudes towards technology integration in the Science curriculum and faculty’s use of technology in teaching by department). The data also revealed that there was no statistically significant difference (p<.05) between science faculty’s use of technology in teaching by department and their instructional technology use on pedagogy. Therefore, null hypothesis 2.2 was accepted (There are no statistically significant differences between science faculty’s perceptions of the effects of faculty IT use on pedagogy and faculty’s use of technology in teaching by department). The data also revealed that there was a statistically significant difference between science faculty’s use of technology in teaching by department and their professional development needs in adopting BL. Lambda MANOVA test result was .007 at the alpha = .05 level. The follow up ANOVA results showed that the value of significance of Science faculty’s professional development needs for adopting BL was smaller than .05 in the Chemistry department with sig =.001 in instructional technology use. Therefore, null hypothesis 2.3 was rejected (There are no statistically significant differences between Science faculty’s perceptions of technology professional development needs and faculty’s use of technology in teaching by department). Qualitative measures included analyzing data based on answers to three open-ended questions, numbers thirty-six, seventy-four, and seventy-five. These three questions were on blended learning concerns comments (question 36, which had 10 units), professional development activities, support, or incentive requested (question 74, which had 28 units), and the most important professional development activities, support, or incentive (question 75, which had 37 units). These questions yielded 75 units, 23 categories and 8 themes that triangulated with the quantitative data. These 8 themes were then combined to obtain overall themes for all qualitative questions in the study. The two most important themes were “Professional development” with three categories; Professional development through workshops (10 units), Workshops (10 units), Professional development (5 units) and the second overall theme was “Technical support” with two categories: Internet connectivity (4 units), and Technical support (4 units). Finally, based on quantitative and qualitative data, the summary, conclusions, and recommendations for Taibah University regarding faculty adoption of BL in teaching were presented. The recommendations for future studies focused on Science faculty Level of Use and technology use in Saudi universities.

Published Article / The paper reports on the findings of a study that investigated the impact of leadership and management on the construction of professional identity of teacher trainees. The writer argues that the overall leadership and management of the host schools, where student teachers do experiential training (teaching practice), has an impact on the construction of their professional identity. The host schools provide different learning experiences (environment) which may either enhance or hinder the development of a positive professional identity. A questionnaire comprising of open-ended questions was administered to 40 teacher trainees at the School of Teacher Education, Central University of Technology, Free State. The students had just return from a six-month period of experiential training. The aim of the questionnaire was to examine their views on their experiences and expectations of the teaching practice, and whether or not the leadership and management of the school has had an impact on the construction of their professional identity. The findings revealed that a supportive and enabling environment within the host school provided a good learning experience and consequently enhanced the development of a positive professional identity whereas a non-welcoming and threatening environment had the opposite effect. Suggestions and recommendations for providing a supportive and enabling environment for all students are made.