Papua New Guinea gained its independence from Australia in 1975. However, as a developing nation, PNG has continued to depend on external assistance for its development programs. Extensive foreign aid has been expended primarily to enhance the quality of education. To explore the issue of foreign aid and its impact on PNG as a postcolonial society, the dependency and postcolonial theories were adopted to guide the discussion. The theorist Beeby argues that in order to improve the quality of education, the level of general education and training of teachers in developing countries must be raised. This has occurred in PNG but it has not significantly enhanced the quality of education. Consequently, the issue explored concerns the type of educational change occurring in PNG primary teachers’ colleges (PTCs) and its leadership. Globalization processes were adopted to guide the exploration of the education reform and its impact on the quality of education in primary teacher education in PNG. The following questions focused the content of the study:1. What is the quality of education being experienced in the Catholic Primary Teachers’ Colleges? 2. What are the lecturers’, students’, and recent graduates’ perceptions of the recent Primary and Secondary Teacher Education Project innovations occurring in the teachers’ colleges? 3. How is the curriculum in the teachers’ colleges perceived by the lecturers, students and recent graduates? 4. How is leadership demonstrated in the three Catholic Primary Teachers’ Colleges? The epistemological framework of the research was constructionism adopting an interpretivist approach. The specific interpretivist perspective employed was symbolic interactionism because symbolic interactionism places emphasis on the importance of understanding, interpretation and meaning. A case study approach was adopted as the methodology for this research because of the nature of the research purpose. This study involved a total of 166 participants consisting of staff and students from the three Catholic primary teachers’ colleges, representatives from the Catholic Church, National Department of Education (NDOE), Primary and Secondary Teacher Education Project (PASTEP) and other education officers. The data was gathered through a variety of methods including in-depth interviews, participant observation, focus groups, and documentary analysis. The major conclusions that emerged from this study revealed that educational change in primary teacher education has been implemented. However, the study concluded that the quality of leadership demonstrated to lead the educational change was disappointing. Inadequate leadership at the administration and curriculum levels had a negative influence on the quality of education. Achieving quality education was also hampered by inadequate funding, scarcity of resources and inappropriate infrastructure in all the institutions. The two-year trimester program has improved access and quantity but at the expense of quality. To assist primary teacher education implement the reform agenda, foreign aid was required. PASTEP was introduced and the contribution made by PASTEP was substantial. However, the study concluded that some of the strategies adopted by PASTEP to conduct its programs were questionable because there was evidence of hegemonic and colonial practices found among some of its workforce. In accepting foreign aid projects, PNG needs to establish strategies to ensure equitable partnerships with all stakeholders for sustainable development in education. In this respect, the findings of this study may serve as a guide for future decisions about educational leadership, curriculum innovation, donor funding agencies and policy generation.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1951. / Typescript. Type C project. Sponsor: Ernest Osborne. Dissertation Committee: Ruth Cunningham, Emma D. Sheehy, . Includes bibliographical references (leaves 153-154).

A partir de deux enquêtes (par questionnaire et par entretien) et la mobilisation d'un cadre de référence centré sur l'analyse de l'activité (didactique professionnelle, clinique de l'activité, didactique de la géographie), cette recherche a pour objectif de comprendre comment s'organise l'activité de préparation des séances de géographie des maîtres de cycle 3.Cette recherche montre qu'au-delà de l'activité productive que constitue la préparation des séances de classe, cette activité peut dans certaines circonstances être une activité constructive et être à l'origine d'un développement professionnel pour le maître.Cette activité de préparation se fait à partir d'un compromis entre la lettre et l'esprit des programmes et des arbitrages qui peuvent avoir des conséquences pour le maître mais aussi pour les élèves (préparations d'activités de bas niveaux cognitifs ou qui permettent aux élèves de « se construire un rapport géographique au monde »). / From two inquiries (by questionnaire and by interview) and the mobilization of a reference frame centered on the analysis of the activity (professional didactics, clinic of the activity, didactics of the geography), this research aims at understanding how the activity of preparation of the geographic session of class by the french schoolteachers is organized.This research shows that beyond the productive activity of the preparation class, this activity may in certain circumstances also be a constructive activity and be at the origin of a professional development for the schoolteacher.This activity of preparation which is made from a compromise between the letter and the spirit of the programs and arbitrations which can have consequences for the schoolteacher but also for pupils (either activities in class of low cognitive levels or which allow the pupils " to build themselves a geographical relationship to the world ").

This thesis reports the findings of a research study conducted in an initial primary teacher education college in Dublin, exploring how teacher education students experienced and constructed meaning from a pre-service RE course which recognized the importance of a focus on their inner lives. The study, which adopted a qualitative interpretive approach, was conducted using semi-structured interviews with twelve past students from a recently-graduated year group of one hundred students. The study hoped to uncover how a focus on the inner life was taken up by the research participants in relation to their personal and professional wellbeing and their role as educators in general and religious educators in particular. While it did not seek to generalise as a result of the findings, confined as it is by time and circumstance, nevertheless aspects deemed worthwhile by the research participants may also be deemed worthwhile by the reader and indeed may not be confined to the domain of RE. The findings have been framed generally against the three themes of ‘particularity’, ‘inner-ness’ and ‘ongoing-ness’. The theme of ‘particularity’ relates to the participants’ epistemological journey, as it is concerned with how concrete elements of the course supported inner life work. The theme of ‘inner-ness’ relates to the participants’ ontological journey, as it is concerned with how participants experienced and made meaning from the space provided by the course for inner life work. The theme of ‘ongoingness’ relates to the total RE journey from primary and secondary school to college and into their teaching lives and its impact on participants’ inner lives. What is clear from participants’ responses is that the RE course, and particularly the elements of the RE course that had a focus on the inner life, had a significant impact on participants’ identity, both personal and professional, at an important stage of their development and personal story. The study demonstrates the importance of inner life work for teacher education students and contributes a level of insight into how students appropriate and construct meaning from a created and creative space that supports a focus on that inner life.

The thesis covers the subject about challenges in the multilingual classroom. How the pupils' education works in regards to the teachers’ perspective is the focus for this thesis. The purpose of the thesis is to examine how four primary school teachers view the teaching in the multilingual classroom. The thesis has a qualitative research approach where the method choice is semi-structured interviews with the primary teachers. Four interviews where conducted with primary teachers with proper and relevant education for the selected grade.   The data were analysed by a qualitative content-analysis. The different title in the background section constitutes this thesis theme. The theoretical frame of the thesis is the sociocultural perspective with focus on Vygotskijs theory about teaching. This study builds upon the perspective that teaching is an interaction between people and that the language is seen as a tool to gain knowledge.  The result of the thesis shows that the multilingual classroom increases the awareness of the primary teachers concerning clear instructions and explaining the tasks in different ways. The primary teacher treats every individual in the classroom from his or her former experience, knowledge and language. Furthermore the thesis shows the importance of a good relation with the native language teacher. A good cooperation with the native language teacher increases the language development for the multilingual pupils. For example using the same books but in different languages showed better language development. The result of the thesis also shows that a cooperation between the home and the multilingual pupils' guardians do not differ from the cooperation with other guardians, but it shows in this thesis the importance of having a regularly and mutual cooperation. / Studien behandlar ämnet det flerspråkiga klassrummet. Hur elevernas undervisning fungerar utifrån lärarens perspektiv är fokus i denna studie. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur fyra grundlärare i förskoleklass till årskurs tre ser på lärandet i det flerspråkiga klassrummet. Studien har en kvalitativ forskningsansats där metodvalet är semistrukturerade intervjuer av grundlärare i de aktuella årskurserna. Fyra intervjuer genomfördes med grundlärare med behörighet i förskoleklassen till årskurs tre. Datamaterialet analyserades genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. De olika rubrikerna i bakgrunden utgör denna studies teman. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt är det sociokulturella perspektivet med utgångspunkt i Vygotskijs teori om lärande. Denna studie bygger på perspektivet att lärandet sker i samspel med andra samt att språket betraktas som ett redskap för att tillägna sig kunskap.  Resultatet visar att grundlärare anser att flerspråkiga elever i klassrummet ökar deras medvetenhet om att vara tydliga med instruktioner och förklaringar på olika sätt. Grundlärarna bemöter varje individ i klassrummet utifrån dess tidigare erfarenheter, kunskapsnivå och språk. Vidare framkommer i resultatet betydelsen av en god kontakt med modersmålsläraren. Ett samarbete med modersmålslärare gynnar språkutvecklingen för de flerspråkiga eleverna, där arbete med samma texter sker både hos modersmålsläraren och i klassen. Resultatet av studien visar även att samverkan mellan hem och skolan med flerspråkiga elevers vårdnadshavare inte skiljer sig från samverkan med övriga föräldrar, men det framkommer i denna studie att det är betydelsefullt att ha ett regelbundet samarbete.

This study investigates the nature of the mathematical understanding possessed by preservice teachers as they enter Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Education Programmes. The subjects comprised thirty students divided into groups of ten to represent three levels of mathematics competency as measured on a mathematics competency test. Evidence of mathematical understanding was gathered from videotaped interviews in which students were required to provide solutions for a set of six tasks. The analysis of student performance included monitoring students' ability to provide multiple representations for tasks as well as the students' demonstration of connections between mathematical ideas. The results show that preservice teachers entering the Early Childhood and Primary Teacher Education Programmes at the University of Canberra do so with weak understanding of many of the mathematical concepts that are fundamental to primary level mathematics curricula. The type of understanding demonstrated by these students was predominantly instrumental in nature. Differences between groups were found with reference to the amount of confidence and interest displayed during tasks. The implications of these results on mathematics teacher education are discussed. The study identifies the need for alternative assessment protocol for mathematics screening of preservice teachers. Discussion of appropriate techniques for the reconstruction of mathematical understanding is also considered.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 298-315). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1997. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 298-315). Also available on the Internet.

Abstract My aim was to study gendered structures and processes and the challenges arising from them in primary teacher education. The topic was studied from structural and from agency-based and processual perspectives. The special tools used in the analyses consisted of culturally produced differences and asymmetry and the symbolic meanings given to them. The study included historical and contemporary parts. The historical part of the study acquired its focus through the structures of the first Finnish Teacher Seminar and through three annual curricula of primary teacher education in Oulu. Data for the contemporary analyses were collected during a pedagogic development project carried out at the Oulu Department of Teacher Education in the years 1988–1996 The most visible components of the gender system identifiable in the structures of the first Finnish Teacher Seminar were the following: – different aims for personal growth – sex- and grade-based division of prospective teachers: female teachers for girls of all ages and small boys, male teachers for boys aged 10 or more – differences in study subjects; especially in physical education, handicraft and pedagog – everyday chores and pedagogical tasks of the student – moral code and normative contro – different enrolment requirements The sex-related differences in the first curriculum of the Oulu College of Teacher Education were surprisingly similar to the differences seen in the first Finnish Teacher Seminar. The academic curricula proved to be ostensibly gender-neutral. But the research findings showed, in accordance with several other research findings, that formal neutrality does not eliminate institutionalised gendered features or gendered perspectives for personal and/or professional development. On the basis of the findings, the following aspects of the gender system and gender contracts in contemporary primary teacher education in Oulu could be identified: – Almost without exception, the students qualifying in the education of the first two forms were female. – Female students qualified in various subjects taught in primary school while male students rather tended to acquire their qualifications according to a more personal orientation. Their special qualifications were mostly physical education and technical work. – There was a tendency among the student teachers to notice boys differently from girls and to experience boys as more challenging, and to – interpret pupils’ school achievements in sex-related ways. This tendency was also shared by te pupils.

[pt] O presente trabalho tem como objetivo contribuir com a história da profissionalização do professor primário a partir do entendimento das suas condições laborais entre 1854 e 1926, na cidade do Rio de Janeiro. O trabalho tem como ponto de partida uma análise inicial das chamadas profissões imperiais, Medicina, Direito e Engenharia, o que possibilitou a edificação de categorias de análise da profissão de professor primário, ladeadas pelas especificidades deste grupo profissional. Assim, destacamos neste trabalho os movimentos de feminização e feminilização do magistério, as mudanças das instâncias formativas, os movimentos de associativismo docente, além da visão salvacionista da educação, reforçada no período estudado. Na elaboração deste trabalho, realizamos o levantamento da documentação legal do período e fixamos como eixos de análise a reforma Couto Ferraz realizada em 1854 e as ações de Carneiro Leão à frente da Diretoria Geral de Instrução Pública, entre 1922 e 1926. A opção pelo estudo da legislação educacional está fundamentada no desejo de entender a profissão docente a partir da análise do mecanismo que consideramos mais expressivo de comunicação e relação entre os professores e o Estado: a normatização laboral. No entanto, para entender a legislação e seus impactos na organização dos professores foi necessário recorrer a uma diversidade de fontes, relatórios ministeriais, atas de congressos, publicações em jornais de grande circulação, manifestos e comunicações entre as autoridades administrativas e os professores. A análise desse material nos possibilitou observar movimentos interessantes de resistência e adaptações, por parte dos professores e do Estado, que resultaram em marcas profissionais distintivas como a fragmentação profissional e o controle do trabalho docente. Desta forma, acreditamos que o entendimento das condições de trabalho dos professores primários, ao longo da história, pautadas pela relação da categoria com o Estado, é um elemento chave para a compreensão da construção do lugar da profissão de professor na sociedade, para a constituição do fazer docente, entre outras questões que cercam este ofício. / [en] This work aims to contribute to the history of professionalization of schoolteacher from the understanding of their working conditions between 1854 and 1926 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The work takes as its starting point an initial analysis of so-called imperial professions, Medicine, Law and Engineering, which enabled the construction of categories of analysis of primary teaching profession, flanked by the specifics of this professional group. Thus, we highlight in this study the movements of feminization and feminisation of the teaching profession, the changes of training instances, the movements of teacher associations, as well as Salvationists vision of education, increased during the study period. In preparing this report, we conducted a survey of the legal documentation of the period and we set as analysis axes Couto Ferraz reform carried out in 1854 and the actions of Carneiro Leao ahead of the General Directorate of Public Instruction between 1922 and 1926. The choice of study educational legislation is based on the desire to understand the teaching profession from the analysis of the mechanism that we consider most expressive communication and relationship between the teachers and the state: labor regulation. However, to understand the legislation and its impact on the organization of teachers was necessary to use a variety of sources, ministerial reports, conference proceedings, publications in major newspapers, manifestos and communications between the administrative authorities and teachers. The analysis of this material has enabled us to observe interesting resistance movements and adaptations by teachers and the state, resulting in distinctive professional brands such as professional fragmentation and control of teaching. Thus, we believe that the understanding of the working conditions of primary teachers throughout history, guided by the ratio of the category with the state, is a key element for understanding the construction of the place of the teaching profession in society, to form do the teaching, among other issues surrounding this craft.