Through in-depth interviews with 12 regular contributors to the Lexington-Herald Leader’s website, www.Kentucky.com, this study attempts to examine how online citizen journalists view the definitions of citizen and professional journalism, as compared to Singer’s three dimensions of professionalism (i.e., cognitive, normative, and evaluative dimensions) as well as their perceived role conceptions of professional and citizen journalists, using Weaver and Wilhoit’s four roles of journalists. Analyses reveal that the main difference in the definitions of the two types of journalists revolved around the cognitive dimension, specifically the education and training that professionals receive. The role conceptions of professional and citizen journalists were similar, with the both groups being described as serving the interpretive/investigative and disseminator roles. The roles of citizen journalists also included the adversarial and populist mobilizer roles.

The constructivist grounded theory, actualizing collaborative learning, conceptualizes how British Columbia primary grade teachers interacted with the professional learning endeavour Changing Results for Young Readers (CR4YR). CR4YR was a British Columbia Ministry of Education initiated and co-facilitated cross-school Network Learning Community that included educators from four levels of the school system. While Network Learning Communities, such as the CR4YR initiative, have been increasingly utilized as professional learning models for educators, a review of the literature indicated that questions remained as to how teachers, who were unaccustomed to collaborative learning endeavour, adapted to environments in which vulnerability was the primary learning tool. This study addressed this knowledge gap. The theory, actualizing collaborative learning, emerged from analysis of data gathered through semi-structured interviews with 22 CR4YR participants in five British Columbia school districts. The interviewees included school district administrators, Reading Advocates, and teachers. The resulting theory specifies that collaborative learning in CR4YR was built upon the interaction of the four sub-processes: establishing trust, identifying with collaborative learning, becoming vulnerable, and mobilizing collaboration to the school. The participants’ utilization of the four sub-processes was impacted by three contextual factors which were skilled leadership, interlinking points of contact, and the extended time period allocated for the CR4YR initiative. The theory extends current conceptualizations of professional learning in network learning communities by identifying the contextual factors and sub-processes that support teachers as they acclimatize to collaborative learning in cross-school environments with representation from multiple levels of the school system. / Graduate / wilmot94@telus.net

Physiotherapy in Sweden has developed from a practical, hands-on, assistant job predominantly taught at college level to a university-based academic discipline emphasising evidence-based practice and research. Women are in majority although an increasing number of men have entered the profession. Women and men physiotherapists tend to undertake different career paths. The overall aim of the present thesis was to use a gender perspective to describe and analyse attitudes to the professional role, health care work and the development of the profession among actors engaged in physiotherapy education. A questionnaire was distributed in 1997 to all Swedish physiotherapy students in the second semester of the education (n=273). The same cohort was investigated in 1999 at the completion of the education. The response rate was 93 percent at both occasions. For an international comparison, the same questionnaire was distributed in 1997 and in 1999 to a group of Canadian physiotherapy students in their first and last semesters (n=60). Qualitative research interviews were conducted with 8 novices in physiotherapy and with 14 women educators in academia. Five focus group discussions with clinical supervisors were conducted (10 women and 5 men). Methods used were Grounded theory, factor analysis, logistic regression and path analysis. Feminist theories and Bourdieu's theory of culture constituted a theoretical framework Four ideal types were identified among the novices representing attitudes to the professional role. The Treater and The Supervisor were attitudes found among the women, whereas The Coach and The Entrepreneur were attitudes among the men. Type of health care facility was important for their positioning in the organisational hierarchy. Swedish students favour future employment in private practice. Sports medicine clinics and fitness centres are health care facilities highly endorsed, as is health promotion. Neither care of elderly nor hospital work are preferable fields of practice. Research is not favoured. Men students are more likely to have chosen the profession because of their interest in physical activity and sports. They are also more likely to prefer owning a private clinic and working with alternative approaches such as fitness training in sports medicine clinics. Women students are more likely to prefer an employment in private practice. The Canadian men students favour private practice whereas the women prefer the public sector of health care. The academic educators experience a gap between theory and practice which causes conflicting messages to students. Competing professions, emergent societal change and a conservative clinical practice constitute threats to the profession. The uniqueness of professional competency, theoretical development and new arenas such as home rehabilitation, consulting and research constitute a vision for future development of the profession. Masculinity is highly valued for status and power whereas femininity symbolises empathy and caring. The clinical supervisors update their theoretical knowledge base through supervision of students, but claim that students lack hands-on skills. Stress at work, unequal power relations in the hierarchy and restructuring of health care are factors that influence work satisfaction negatively. To conclude, gendered habitus, different symbolic capital and different attitudes towards health care work and development of the profession were found in the sub-fields of physiotherapy. / digitalisering@umu

The purpose of this study was to investigate adult educators' attitudes regarding the need for a code of ethics to guide their practice. Through the use of survey methodology, three major groups of adult education practitioners in Indiana responded to various questions about ethical dilemmas they had encountered, their personal experiences with codes of ethics, and their perceptions of the need for a code, as well as their ideas regarding the creation and implementation of a code of ethics for adult education.This study produced eight major findings regarding ethics and codes of ethics for adult educators:1). The majority of Indiana adult basic educators, American Society for Training and Development members within Indiana, and the Indiana Council for Continuing Education believe there should be a code of ethics for them as adult educators.2). The majority of practitioners do not cite situations encountered that have created ethical dilemmas for them.3). The two most frequently cited ethical dilemmas involve confidentiality concerns and ownership of instructional materials.4). The overwhelming majority of Indiana adult basic educators, American Society for Training and Development members in the state of Indiana and the Indiana Council on continuing Education members have had limited experience with codes of ethics.5). Even though there appears to be a lack of experience withcodes, the majority of practitioners feel positive about the functions of codes of ethics.6). Learner-centered issues are most frequently cited as issues a code for adult education should address.7). Across the total study population, the professional association is the favored organization to create and disseminate a code of ethics.8). It is not clear to adult educators whether a code of ethics should have a regulating function.Results of this study indicate that organizations associated with adult education should seriously consider codes of ethics. However, the results do not overwhelmingly indicate a code should be adopted. Many practitioners (28%) were not sure about the need for a code, largely because of problems associated with implementation and enforcement of a code. More emphasis on providing practitioners with training and education regarding ethics and more research conducted on ethics in adult education are suggested. / Department of Educational Leadership

A certain architectural &quot / ethos&quot / come into being as a result of the specific training which architects receive as producers of space, of their dual status as artists and professionals, of the conditions in which they live and the social status of their profession. This ethos is a product of the architects&#039 / collective habitus. The attitudes of architects regarding their position in the building industry, their role in society and their self-image (or its lack of) as artists determine the transformation within the architectural profession under the impact of the changes in society. This study investigates architects&#039 / professional practice by focusing only on those architects working independently and mostly having their on offices. Thirty-one architects were grouped by age, gender, the faculties from which they graduated and province of residence and work. The international influence on architectural discourse, the effects of architects&#039 / organisations and their professional ideology were introduced as additional variables for investigating the nature of their habitus. The interviews revealed that the architects&#039 / &quot / spontaneous professional ideology&quot / (SPI) is the main adhesive of their collective habitus and ethos, and it force architects to think in a specific way about space, the sovereignty of architecture, its art component, its legitamacy, architects&#039 / devotion to their profession, their feelings of superiority over clients and users as well as their overall code of conduct.

In many jurisdictions, policies aimed at improving educational processes and outcomes have focused on teacher professional learning. Yet, there is a gap in research concerning teachers’ understandings of their own professional learning as it is influenced by school improvement policies. Using an interpretivist approach, this case study of two schools in Alberta and England explored teachers’ understandings of their professional learning and the ways in which policy context interacted with these understandings. The findings suggested there is significant variability in the ways that teachers construct: 1) the notion of collaboration in working with others; 2) conceptualizations of teacher knowledge; and 3) the relationship of student learning to teacher professional learning. Additionally, findings indicated that teachers actively meditated their understandings of policy in their teaching practice, suggesting that policy context is one factor needing consideration in teacher professional learning research and policy development. / Educational Administration and Leadership

No description available.

Professional development (PD) is used as the primary means for ensuring the continued learning of teachers. PD opportunities and support vary in type and quality. Little is known about the participation in and support of PD for high school science teachers. The establishment of supportive professional cultures provides a means to support teachers' PD in addition to providing meaningful interactions between teachers to improve practices related to teaching, learning, and assessment. Even less is known about patterns of relationships between professional culture with high school science teachers and students. PD and professional culture have been reported to increase teacher retention and student achievement. The studies presented in this dissertation use mixed methods approaches to explore data collected by the Policy Research Initiative in Science Education Research Group during the 2007-2008 academic year. The first study assessed PD of high school science teachers from two perspectives: (1) teachers' participation in PD, and (2) schools' practices to support teachers' participation. Teachers' participation was determined using self-reported survey data. Schools' PD support was operationalized using data collected from administrative interviews. Descriptive statistics revealed little relationship between teachers' participation in PD, schools' PD support, and teacher retention. Descriptive statistics of schools' PD support indicated associations with student achievement. The second study operationalized school science professional culture with a rubric developed for the study. Elements within the rubric addressed many components mentioned in the literature as indicative of positive professional culture. School science professional culture had little relationship with either teacher retention or student achievement. Strong associations were found among the elements associated with school science professional culture. These results provide support for the inclusion of these elements in future studies of school science professional culture. The final chapter provides a summary of both studies. Recommendations are made for improving policies in place to support PD and professional cultures experienced by high school science teachers. Specific attention should be directed at the development of cohesive PD programs that address both schools' and teachers' needs. Additionally, more opportunities for in-depth communication regarding school practices for teaching, learning, and assessment need to be provided.

Teachers are required to constantly change their pedagogy throughout their career, either in response to new theoretical approaches or new technological innovations. It is a profession that is characterised by dynamism and constantly strives to advance its practices to improve outcomes in student learning. However, current professional development programs are seen to be failing to meet the needs of the teachers, students and education policy. Research has shown (Huberman, 1995; Richardson, 1990), there has been little discernible change in teaching practice from current professional development programs, thus an alternative solution is needed. The premise underlying this study is that the use of online communities of practice may present a solution to the failure of current professional development programs in effecting change to teaching practice. Thus it is the intention of this thesis to investigate if online communities of practice can realise this potential. The research was conducted within the paradigm of qualitative analysis. The study was conducted as a multiple explanatory case study also known as a collective case study (Yin, 2003) and this approach reflects the current shift in trends of research in education. As Richardson (1994) stated, it has shifted &quotfrom a focus on effective behaviours toward the hermeneutic purpose of understanding how teachers make sense of teaching and learning" (p. 5). The approach used in this thesis provided insights into the value of online communities as authentic contexts for supporting professional development particularly in relation to relationships, communication and collaboration between teachers around professional inquiry, problem solving and emotional aspects of teaching. The results of the study show that online communities of practice are a valuable source of continuous professional development for teachers. They have the ability to provide support as teachers accommodate the constant changes and the need to acquire new skills and knowledge. The strength of this method of PD lies in its ability to be self-sustaining and generative. Teachers have access to authentic, relevant and flexible learning that is not constrained by time and can be accessed according to members needs.

Professional military education is a well‐established system in most modern militaries. Like all things though, incremental and ad hoc improvements to legacy approaches typically lead to reduced quality. It is therefore, essential to periodically review the entire system for holistic effectiveness. For military education, this need is particularly important when the global security environment is experiencing such rapid change. Added to this is the emerging understanding of the ‘new sciences’ that provides a unique opportunity to improve cognitive agility when confronting complex adaptive systems. There is also an urgent need to acknowledge and enhance the intangible dimension of professional military education beyond mere content‐centric subject expertise. From the literature on hidden learning and constructivism, there are a number of opportunities available for modernizing the legacy paradigm of professional military education. This study investigated the role of holistic learning (formal, non‐formal, informal, selfdirected, and incidental learning) in the professional development of 29 mid‐career military officers. It involved detailed study of their participation on the seven‐month staff course at the New Zealand Defence College from May to December 2008. Mixed methodology data collection included observations, interviews, questionnaires, focus groups, and document analysis. Analytic procedures ranged from statistical comparisons through to qualitative theme constructs. The study found a number of dimensions (sources and influences) contributing to holistic learning. It also identified a number of opportunities to improve the learning experience. The findings identify a number of important factors in developing strategic artists. Of these, the greatest need is for a strategic plan to extend the current content‐centric syllabus into a full curriculum with intangible traits clearly linked to formal and informal learning activities. Specific components required in this strategic plan include an academic philosophy and a cross‐referencing matrix. The study also recommends reviewing time allocated to cross‐discipline learning of the profession and cognitive agility focused on deep learning. There is also a need to re‐examine the directing staff requirements, management of learner stress, and shaping practical‐value motivation strategies through cultural artefacts. Collectively, the findings recommend shifting from the traditional vessel‐filling paradigm of formal courses to a sociological approach of growing strategic leaders.