Skills development is acquired by the beneficiaries that are sufficient for self-sustenance when the period of study expires. The outcomes of this study will help government with an indication of the success or failure of EPWP and ways of improving identified shortfalls and/or failures in the North West Office. It highlights problems of the current skills development by delineating the weaknesses and pitfalls. The relevant literature has l been visited and has served as a primary data that adds value to the dissertation. Collation of the relevant data is followed by a discussion of the employee perception of the impact of skills development implementation. The relative lack of research of impact skill development is the primary impetus of this study. The sample was drawn from The Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport in the North West Province office employees who were cooperative in the execution of the study. As a result of this, the research on the subject has moved beyond the limited confines of skills development to focus more on the impact of the skills development. Skills development is focused on standardisation and synchronisation of information as a result of improved organisational efficiency, but unfortunately problems with skills development can create challenges and dissatisfaction among the end users, resulting in failure to deliver the anticipated benefits. The findings of this study revealed that there is deficiency The Department's mandate with regard to Expanded Public Works Programme will ensure that the delivery of accessible services through integrated socially developmental and empowering processes can improve the quality of life of communities within the province by the way of community development programmes thus eradicating poverty and look at the conclusion and recommendations made in this dissertation. / Thesis (MBA) North-West Ubiversity, Mafikeng Campus, 2013

Published Article / In universities of technology there is much confusion regarding the concept cooperative education and related terminology. The aim of this article is to offer a conceptual alternative for cooperative education, based on findings from the literature, workshops conducted institutionally and nationally in universities of technology and supported by a PhD study conducted by the first author. The findings suggest an alternative approach towards the conceptual understanding of cooperative education and its associated components. In addition, the proposed conceptual framework provides a directive towards structural development and managing applicable learning types in a university of technology environment with regard to work-integrated learning and service learning.

This inquiry reconstructs three Experiential Learning Events (ELE) as case studies through the use of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and narrative. The ELEs in the study included a total of 70 students and teachers in unique cultural formations. The sites of study included: the 2001 Intensive English Seminar (IES): Fiction to Film High School English Class, the 2014 NASA + Real World Matters Climate Change in the Classroom Workshop in New York City, and the 2016 Glenbard District 87 Mathematical Curiosity Adventure in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Each ELE allowed students and teachers to interact with a field (literature/film, science, and mathematics) “in the wild.” Narratives were analyzed using metaphor theory and Gendlin’s EXP scale to understand learners’ perceptions of ELEs in relation to our understandings of traditional schooling. The primary research questions included: What happens during and after experiential learning events? Specifically, What did people perceive? How did it happen? For whom? Why? Findings: While this inquiry was not designed to present any definitive answers, case studies and the metaphors related to them suggest ELE participants have richer experiences than they might in traditional settings. Narratives also suggest that a hallmark of ELEs is that they are more fluid in relation to the commonly fixed learning experiences found in traditional secondary school settings.

This research focuses on the academic programs at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm (the Farm). The Farm is a centre for sustainability learning and research, providing a working model of sustainable food systems with which to engage students, faculty and community. The Farm is situated within the global context of a dominant industrial food paradigm that is demonstrated to be a major contributor to the social and ecological crises the world now faces. The Farm is further situated within the context of a dominant education paradigm that provides most students with knowledge that is disconnected from social and ecological realities, leading to the misuse of knowledge and to the exacerbation of global crises. The purpose of this research is to explore the contributions that the Farm’s academic programs provide toward advancing sustainability learning from the perspective of program participants, including myself. The research methodology was guided by participatory approaches to research. Qualitative methods were employed, focusing primarily on surveys and semi-structured interviews with program participants. I have also been an involved participant in a diversity of programs at the Farm from April 2004 – December 2008. The results of the research suggest that program participants value the ability to engage with their subject matter, not only on an abstract/theoretical level, but also on practical and affective levels. Participants feel that UBC is lacking in programs that allow students to engage physically and emotionally with their learning. Students feel their knowledge will be better recalled and more likely to be useful if they care about what they are learning, if they can engage with it in a real world context, and if they have some ownership and responsibility for what they are learning. Further, program participants feel that the Farm’s academic programs would benefit from providing more theoretical context and connection to their other academic work, from additions and improvements to Farm infrastructure and resources, and from additional human resources support. This research project was site specific. Nevertheless, it connects with and complements work being done at dozens of universities, colleges and student farms around the world.

The main purpose of this study was to explore the situation of experiential theories merging into the teaching of Integrative Activities Learning Area in elementary schools. Samples were taken from two classes of fourth graders at a primary school in Kaohsiung. One class of the subjects was used as the experimental group and the other class was used as the control group. Experiential theories were emerged into the Integrative Activities Learning Area teaching of the experimental group, while the control group received the traditional lecture. The courses lasted six weeks. After completion of the course, students from both groups filled up the Integrative Activities Learning Area attitude questionnaires. The research also adopted qualitative research method, which includes observation, interview, questionnaire, and document analysis. As a result, the following conclusions were obtained: 1. Students were used to thinking in one way about discussion chart¡FThey confused suspense with surprise about assessment chart¡FThey could reflect over reflection chart . 2. Students loved visiting and performance, because of fun, inter- action and challenge. 3. Discussion chart and assessment chart could be applied to formative assessment¡FReflection chart could be applied to summative assessment. 4. Understanding the member enhanced learning performance. 5. Teachers must be flexible when they merge experiential theories into Integrative Activities Learning Area teaching. 6. When students had good attitude towards group cooperation, their learning performances were fine. 7. Merging experiential theories into Integrative Activities Learning Area teaching could enhance students¡¦ attitude toward Integrative Activities Learning Area.

Thesis (EdD)--Open University.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2004. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 279 p.; also includes graphics (some col.). Includes abstract and vita. Advisor: Barbara Lehman, College of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 241-255).

Despite adolescence and emerging adulthood being a time of peak physical ability, it is marked by a dramatic increase in morbidity and mortality, primarily driven by poor behavioral and emotional control (Dahl, 2004). Multiple lines of recent research are now focusing on how maturation of decision-making impacts risk-taking, and more specifically, what role emotion regulation plays (Weinberger et al., 2005; Steinberg, 2007). Rather than avoiding risk factors, a call is made for strength and skills-based approaches to risk-taking interventions. The purpose of the current exploratory study was to assess the efficacy of an experiential learning (EL) intervention designed to increase participants’ emotion regulation skills and decrease risk-taking. Twenty-eight emerging adults participated; 15 were assigned to the experimental group and presented with two separate sessions on emotional regulation and risk-taking using EL methodology (low and high element activities). The control group’s 13 participants were presented with two separate powerpoint lectures on emotion regulation and risk-taking. Participants’ difficulty with emotion regulation and risk-taking were assessed prior to the first session, between sessions, and one week following the second session. Qualitative interviews assessed participants’ understanding of how emotions and risk-taking are connected and process measures assessed the emotional impact of the intervention activities. While hypotheses were not confirmed, results revealed a significant decline in difficulty with emotion regulation across time for all participants. Unexpectedly, however, there were no significant differences between the groups on emotional regulation and the group x time interaction was also not significant. Additionally, risk-taking significantly increased across time. The control group reported more risk-taking across the three time periods than the experimental group. The time x group interaction approached significance [F(2,56) =2.68, p =.07], showing consistent increases for the control group but relatively low levels for the experimental group. Qualitative data revealed that participants had clear notions of how emotions drive risk-taking, how the thrill of risk- taking can be used to displace negative feelings, and how one’s need to connect to others can lead to risk-taking. Experimental group participants demonstrated a shift from global thinking about emotions and risk-taking to more specific thoughts about emotional awareness as a key skill. / text

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Learning styles may play an important role in how students learn. Three primary types of learning styles are visual, auditory and kinesthetic. Visual learners prefer to see information to process and retain it. Auditory learners prefer to listen to or discuss information and kinesthetic, learners use their bodies and movement to take in knowledge. Students can learn through any modality, but some researchers argue they do so most effectively when their particular learning style is accommodated. Several populations of students that may be labeled as underachievers, possibly due to their preferences not matching the classroom environment. Visual and auditory learners are most frequently catered to within the classroom. Seemingly, students with kinesthetic learning preferences are often not given the chance to move and experience lessons. This prevents them from using their preferred style which allows them to concentrate on the task at hand and keeps them challenged. Experiential learning also allows students to connect classroom content to real-world applications. Educators, including school counselors, have a responsibility to educate students, teachers and parents about learning styles. Counselors can also advocate for students with different learning styles. Diversifying teaching and counseling interventions to accommodate student learning styles will help American schools function more effectively. / text