Der Autor entwickelt, aus Sicht der Erwachsenenbildungswissenschaft, anknüpfend an den bisherigen Diskussionsprozess in Sachsen zur Einführung eines sächsischen (Weiter-)Bildungsberichts, anhand theoretischer Vorannahmen zur Steuerung im Weiterbildungsbereich sowie zur Weiterbildungsberichterstattung und anhand empirisch eruierter Empfehlungen einen Gestaltungsvorschlag für ein wissenschaftlich fundiertes Untersuchungsdesign zur Entwicklung eines sächsischen Weiterbildungsberichts. In der zugrunde liegenden empirischen Studie werden vorhandene (Weiter-)Bildungsberichte und durchgeführte Experteninterviews dahingehend analysiert, inwieweit sie Anregungen für einen indikatorenbasierten sächsischen Weiterbildungsbericht geben können. Hierfür werden mittels qualitativer Inhaltsanalysen deduktiv und induktiv gebildete Kategoriensysteme erarbeitet. Es wird deutlich, welche Themen ein sächsischer Weiterbildungsbericht in Bezug auf landesspezifische Erkenntnisinteressen, seine nationale Anschlussfähigkeit sowie in Bezug auf die vorhandene sachsenspezifische Datenbasis, abdecken könnte. Dabei werden Lücken in der Datenbasis aufgezeigt und Entwürfe für Datenerhebungsinstrumente vorgestellt, um die aktuell vorhandene Datenbasis schrittweise zu erweitern, zu vertiefen und aktuell zu halten. Die Arbeit endet mit Vorschlägen für weitere Projekt- und Forschungstätigkeiten.

Title: Various Approaches to Didactics of Physics in the Czech Republic and Abroad Abstract: This diploma work deals with selected aspects of didactics of physics as a branch of science. Its aim is to start a more systematic reflection of a domestic didactics of physics in connection with the situation abroad as well as with previous developments in the Czech Republic. Important approaches to didactics of physics, (above all the applied, integrated and communicative approach) are described in this work and attention is also paid to international developments. This work also presents arguments about why didactics of physics could be perceived as a branch of science together with the mutual relationships of didactics of physics with other scientific fields. In the last chapter there is a discussion about new possibilities in the development of didactics of physics, especially about the tendency of mutual linking of didactics of physics with didactics of other school subjects. In this chapter there is also an outline of a new approach which focuses on goals. Keywords: didactics of physics, physics education research, approach to didactics of physics, subject didactics

M.A. / School leavers are faced with the need to study further in an attempt to increase their chances of finding employment. However, school leavers are rarely equipped with all of the necessary skills, information and self-knowledge necessary to make the "right" career decision and study-path choice. The cost of tertiary education is high, and a school leaver who makes an unsuitable study-path selection could be trapped in an unsuitable career for life or drop out of the tertiary education sector due to boredom or failure. This further decreases their chance of finding employment. It is against this background that this study was conducted. In an attempt to assist potential students applying to the largest private education provider in South Africa with their choice of study-path, a career-counselling workshop was offered which included psychometric testing. Essentially this study had two main objectives. The first was to validate the suitability of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Self-Directed Search as careercounselling tools in a South African tertiary environment. The second objective was to quantitatively assess the suitability of the career guidance workshop designed to assist school leavers to make the most suitable choice of a field of study, subjects and a career. The results of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Self-Directed Search were compared using straightforward Pearson's product-moment correlations and an interbattery correlation. The results indicated the need to continue to use both of the instruments simultaneously, as they appeared to be measuring different underlying constructs. In addition, each instruments was able to supplement the information provided by the other, which allowed the career counsellor to give the students additional information to assist them with their studies and their lives. The research around the career-counselling workshop involved the use of the developmental research design methodology. which stipulated the appropriate methodological procedures to follow. The workshop was developed utilising an understanding of career-counselling theories and practices, as well as an understanding of the various Myers-Briggs types and Holland types (as determined understanding of the various Myers-Briggs types and Holland types (as determined by the Self-Directed Search) that would attend the workshops. The workshop was, therefore, designed to appeal to a wide audience, and to give as many different "types" of students the experience which they required to make an informed and realistic course, subject and career choice. The success of the workshop was evaluated by means of a questionnaire completed by the students, a comparison of the failure rates of students who attended the workshop and those who did not attend it, and an analysis of the pass/fail statistics between those who attended the workshop and those who did not. The findings of this study indicated that the workshop was well received by the students and that it had sufficient internal and face validity for use with this group of school leavers. The research group was a convenience sample that consisted of 73 students who had applied to the largest South African private education provider. These students were from four major campuses in South Africa, they had very different academic and cultural backgrounds and they were interested in different academic fields of study. The one similarity was that all of the courses offered by this private education provider are business-orientated, and only students who were interested in business studies would apply. This study established the validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Self- Directed Search in a career-counselling context. The validity of the careercounselling workshop was also established. As this research group cannot be said to be representative of the general population, it is not possible to generalise these findings beyond this group. However, as the results do match those found in other similar international studies, it could be deduced that if this study were repeated with a representative sample the results would be replicated.

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2003 / Refer to the document

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / A deep level approach to learning leads to quality learning outcomes. Teachers should use appropriate teaching strategies to encourage learners to use deep level approaches to learning. The Conceptual Change Model (CCM) approach is one such strategy for the teaching of science concepts. Deep level approaches are a necessity when dealing with a difficult science concept like photosynthesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate Grade 10 learners’ achievements in photosynthesis using the CCM approach in order to minimize misconceptions and develop a broader and deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process in the high school context in a semi-rural South African school. The learners’ attitudes towards the CCM approach in the teaching of Life Sciences were explored. This study aimed to answer the following main question: what are the achievements of Grade 10 learners’ in photosynthesis as core knowledge? The CCM approach included worksheets based on all five steps of the CCM process: commit to an outcome, expose beliefs, confront beliefs, accommodate the concept and extend the concept. The sample consisted of 78 Grade 10 learners. The research was carried out with a quasi-experimental/control group design and lasted for six weeks. The achievement test and questionnaires were used as instruments to collect data. The analyses of results show that experimental and control group’s pre-test academic achievement scores were similar and there was no significant difference between them (p < 0.05), but when the academic achievement of the post-test results of the EG and CG were analyzed, it was clear that there is a significant difference. The results from post-tests suggest that learners from the EG, taught using the CCM approach, show significantly greater achievements in photosynthesis than learners from the CG. In addition, learners from EG show a positive attitude towards Life Sciences after CCM teaching approach, but not from the CG taught using traditional approach. These findings have implications for a science teacher and recommendations are made to improve the teaching of photosynthesis as core knowledge.

Educators and researchers continue to explore the benefits, real or imagined, of implementing pair programming as part of the computer science pedagogy. Current reviews of computer science educational research practices do not focus on educational pair programming. This thesis presents a review of the research methods used in recent educational pair programming research. The primary purpose of this review is to inform the ongoing dialogue about and to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving educational pair programming research. Replicating the design of a previous computer science education methodological review, this study inspected a sample of 108 articles from a population of 129 of articles related to educational pair programming published from 2000 to 2008. Articles were classified using a 112-variable taxonomy, identifying report elements, research methodology, research design, kinds of variables inspected, and statistical practices. Major findings include several differences between the methodological characteristics of educational pair programming research when compared to general computer science education research, including: (a) an increased proportion of studies involving human participants, (b) a decreased proportion of quantitative methodologies, and (c) an increased proportion of controlled research designs. There exists some minor evidence that researchers affiliated with institutions in the United States are more likely than their counterparts outside of the United States to inspect only student attitudes and implement a posttest-only research design, and less likely to implement an experimental or quasi-experimental methodology

Previous studies have shown that many students have misconceptions about basic concepts in physics which persist after instruction. It has been concluded that one of the challenges lies in the teaching methodology. To address this, Georgia State University (GSU) has begun teaching studio algebra-based physics. Although many institutions have implemented studio physics, most have done so in calculus-based sequences. Additionally, the unique environment of GSU’s population as a diverse, urban research institution is considered. The effectiveness of the studio approach for this demographic in an algebra-based introductory physics course was assessed. This five-semester pilot study presents demographic survey results and compares the results of student pre- and post-tests using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). FCI results show that 1) the studio approach yields higher learning gains than the conventional course, 2) there are significant performance differences among ethnic groups, and 3) a gender gaps exists regardless of instructional method.

This thesis is about knowing in biology in higher education and research. The gene concept is used as an example of knowledge content that is common to both biological research and education. The purpose is to study how knowing about the gene is expressed in different forms of knowledge contexts at the university. This is important to study in order to understand documented learning problems regarding the gene concept but also to better understand the relation between knowledge in research and teaching. Knowledge has to be transformed to become an educational content, a process that is of special interest within the field of Didaktik. The thesis is based on three qualitative case studies. Study I is an analysis of a textbook in biology. The purpose is to examine the content as presented to the students to see how its structure may contribute to the problems students have. How does the gene concept function as a scientific representation and at the same time as an object for learning in a biology college textbook? A phenomenographic approach is used to study implicit variation in gene concept use when the textbook treats different sub disciplines. The results show conceptual differences between them. The different categories of the gene found–as a trait, an information structure, an actor in the cell, a regulator in embryonic development or as a marker for evolutionary change–mean that we deal with different phenomena. The gene as an object is ascribed different functions and furthermore these functions are intermingled in the textbook. Since, in the textbook, these conceptual differences are not articulated, they likely are a source of confusion when learning about genes. Study II examines the gene concept use in a scientific context, as exemplified by five research articles from a scientific journal. Using an adaptation of Hirst’s criteria for forms of knowledge, the study characterizes how the scientific contexts for the gene concept use vary. What kinds of different gene concept use in these contexts can be discerned? When comparing the articles, it becomes evident that the gene concept is used to answer different kinds of questions. The meanings of the gene concept are connected to various knowledge projects, their purposes and the methods used. Shifts of methodologies and questions entail a concept that escapes single definitions and “slides around” in meanings. These contextual transformations and associated content leaps are here referred to as epistemic drift. Study III follows an integrative research project in biology.  What are the characteristic content conditions for knowledge development? What different ways in using the gene concept can be distinguished? By using the analytic methodology developed in study II, the scientific contexts are categorized according to their knowledge project, methods used and conceptual contexts. The results show that the gene concept meanings and the content vary in focus, are more or less explicitly formulated, or possible to formulate, and consist of different skills. One didactic conclusion is that by being more overt about the conditions for problem solving within a specific subdisciplin (i.e. fruitful questions to ask, knowledge needed to answer them, and methods available), students may be given opportunities to get a broader perspective on what it means to know biology. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>

The aim of this thesis is to get a better understanding of the role of practical work in physics education in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). The Lao PDR is one of least developed countries in the world with a weak base for science, and poor market opportunities for science graduates. The rapidly expanding educational system has many problems concerning quality of the infrastructure and staff competence. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was used in the study in order to assure reliability of the results. Data was collected through questionnaires, interviews, video-recordings, and my own ethnographic experiences of working in the Lao educational system for more than thirty years. The study was informed and results analysed with help of curriculum perspective and Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT). The findings show that Lao physics education curriculum at all levels is dominated by very traditional forms of teaching with an almost total absence of practical. Official curricular documents have statements prescribing teachers to do practical work in high school and university courses. However, few institutions have functioning equipment and skilled teachers for organising practical activities. Therefore, the majority of Lao students come to university and even can finish university without experience of practical work in physics. This shows the gap that exists between intended and implemented curricula. The majority of the students understand the importance of having practical activities in physics. However, after being exposed to laboratory experiments in an introductory physics course, they expressed criticism about the quality of instruction and the process of the practical work organisation. The laboratory group work analysis showed that discussions were mainly focused on understanding the experimental procedures, manipulating equipment, and collecting data for the report rather than on the physics content (object of activity, in CHAT terms). Based on the research results, it is possible to suggest that a systemic approach is needed to stimulate the development of a new practical work culture in schools and universities. This approach should include training and incentives for science teachers, development of assessment strategies including practical work, maintenance structures for physics equipment, and technical support for the organisation of demonstrations and laboratory exercises.

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate a practical application of social network analysis in the field of education using a large-scale data source. Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Base Year data, a network is identified by examining the connections that occur between supports, both inside and outside formal special education resources for kindergarteners with access to special education programs. Social network mappings and quantitative findings are presented for formal and informal supports and primary disability category, along with policy implications and suggestions for further research. Findings indicate that social network analysis offers a unique and innovative perspective to educational research.