No description available.

No description available.

The aim of the study is firstly, to investigate the effectiveness of low interactive Animated Pedagogical Agents (APAs) in aiding learning for a sample of 378 Singaporean pre-service teachers taking a full-time Post-Graduate Diploma in Education course in a case Institute; and secondly, to gauge how favourably the pre-service teachers perceive learning through such instruction. The sample is chosen because it represents the largest cohort of students from the case Institute. The study also explores whether the effectiveness and favourability in regard to APAs are affected by learners’ sensory preferences. Because APAs are lifelike characters that can be embodied in a computer display to interact with learners, many APA-based lessons are designed with high interactivity to simulate intelligence; this type of APA however, is costly to develop and difficult to customise, making it less attractive for instruction. This study, in contrast, proposed that APA-based instruction should be designed with low interactivity, which is supported by sound pedagogies to help alleviate the above problem. To test this hypothesis, the study employed a quasi-experimental approach with a 2 x 4 factorial design to conduct the inquiry. Two learning conditions, the experimental and control conditions, and four sensory preference levels, the Strong Visual, Mild Visual, Strong Auditory and Mild Auditory levels - made up the factorial design. The two learning conditions were respectively learning with low interactive APAs (aka LIAI) and learning with a conventional online method (aka CI). Perceptions of LIAI were measured by three aspects of opinion: (1) extent of learning, (2) presentation of the instruction, and (3) interest in the instruction. At an overall level, 50% of learners on average were very positive in all three aspects of opinion; about 10% were very negative and the remaining 40% were mildly opinionated. At an individual level, extent of learning received the greatest satisfaction, followed by interest in the instruction and lastly presentation of the instruction. For effectiveness, LIAI produced moderately better learning performance than CI. Strong auditory and visual learners were found to learn best in their preferred modality. Mild visual learners learned well in their opposite modality and mild auditory learners did not benefit from either modality. The study also discussed implications of these findings and provided some recommendations for future research.

This is a case study of seven men training to be secondary English teachers on a one year Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) in a. university department of education. Men training to be English teachers are worthy of investigation because men are in a minority both on PGCE secondary English courses and in English departments in schools in England. As more women than men teach English in secondary schools, initial training takes place in predominantly female English departments and school mentors are more likely to be female. Within this statistical context, this qualitative study attempts to understand what happens to a group of men during their initial training as they enter part of the education profession that is predominantly female. Men's socialisation and processes of adaptation have been widely researched in the predominantly female areas of early years and primary education, but have been hitherto overlooked in the secondary sector, in spite of the perception of the feminisation of the subject of English. In the study, female mentors are shown to possess gendered stereotypical expectations of male trainees regarding their ability to work hard, organise paperwork, plan effectively and exert forceful power. With limited access to other male English teachers, the male trainees resist the classroom management strategies they observe, preferring to be `comfortable', `laid back' and `jokey'. They develop more gentle teaching styles and personae that they see as appropriate for male teachers working with teenagers. Their relationship with the subject of English also shifts as they reject the new emphasis on functional literacy and embrace the literature components of the English curriculum, which are more familiar to them. Their experience of training forces the men to reconsider their masculinities and to renegotiate relationships with colleagues, pupils and the subject of English. The analysis of the interrelationship between the three areas of masculinities, initial teacher development and the subject of English reveals deeper knowledge of each. Within the richness of the findings, the interconnections between the three areas are explored and a unique body of knowledge about male English teachers during their training is revealed.

This doctoral thesis describes a research study that explores how academic psychologists see themselves in the communities in which they live and work - in this context higher education and their professional body, the British Psychological Society. It examines how professional identity is constructed in such communities and how they underpin their teacher professionalism. A detailed literature review has taken place, involving an examination of two theoretical concepts - the nature of teacher professionalism and professional identity. The epistemological framework of the study and the narrative inquiry approach both provide a way of understanding the academic psychologists' experiences as lived and told narratives. The relationships that define their lives have also been explored - these include talking to Society staff and students studying on undergraduate degrees in psychology. A narrative method of inquiry has been used in the form of email interviewing, offering an alternative site for the academic psychologists to reflect upon experiential events and write their accounts. This is complemented by the use of non-narrative methods such as email questionnaires delivered to the students and face-to-face interviews conducted with Society staff. Through the data analysis the emergent themes illustrate how the academic psychologists see themselves and how they are perceived by others. Conclusions drawn suggest an emerging model of teacher professionalism whereby the academic psychologists are engaged in critical self-reflection to explore their identities using self-images. They also highlight that a multiplicity of identities exist that are shaped by the academic psychologists' varied working communities and are interlinked with their personal lives. Recommendations for organisational practice have also been made, looking at how academic psychologists see themselves as members of the Society and the implications this has for supporting the development of the profession.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία εκπονήθηκε στα πλαίσια του Μεταπτυχιακού Προγράμματος Σπουδών του Παιδαγωγικού Τμήματος Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών και έθεσε ως κεντρικό ζήτημα τη διερεύνηση της ικανότητας που διαθέτουν οι υποψήφιοι μελλοντικοί εκπαιδευτικοί της πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης, ως προς τη χρήση των αναπαραστάσεων και ειδικότερα τη χρήση των αναπαραστάσεων στην επίλυση προβλημάτων με κλάσματα. / This paper has been prepared within the Graduate Program of the Department of Education of the University of Patras and has os main issue to investigate the representational competence of pre-service teachers, and particularly the use of representations to solve problems with fractions.

Σκοπός της παρούσας έρευνας ήταν να μελετηθεί η ετοιμότητα μελλοντικών δασκάλων να ανταποκριθούν κατάλληλα και αποτελεσματικά στις απαιτήσεις μιας συμμετοχικής τάξης όπου μαθητές με ειδικές ανάγκες εκπαιδεύονται παράλληλα με μαθητές χωρίς ειδικές ανάγκες στο πλαίσιο της συμμετοχικής εκπαίδευσης. Τα ερωτήματα που τέθηκαν ήταν: (α) πώς διαμορφώνονται οι στάσεις, τα συναισθήματα και οι ανησυχίες των μελλοντικών δασκάλων για τη συμμετοχική εκπαίδευση των παιδιών με ειδικές ανάγκες; (β) πώς αποτιμούν οι μελλοντικοί δάσκαλοι το βαθμό της αποτελεσματικότητάς τους στη συμμετοχική πρακτική; Το δείγμα της μελέτης μας αποτέλεσαν 148 μελλοντικοί δάσκαλοι από δύο προγράμματα προετοιμασίας δασκάλων σε δύο χώρες της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης: του Παιδαγωγικού Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών της Ελλάδας και του Τμήματος Πρωτοβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης του Πανεπιστημίου Palacký της Τσεχίας. Η αποτίμηση της ετοιμότητας των μελλοντικών εκπαιδευτικών μετρήθηκε με τις κλίμακες SACIE-R και ΤΕΙΡ των Forlin, Earle, Loreman & Sharma (2011, 2012) οι οποίες μεταφράστηκαν και χρησιμοποιήθηκαν κατάλληλα για τις ανάγκες της διερεύνησής μας. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι υπάρχουν σημαντικές διαφορές μεταξύ των δύο χωρών. Δευτερευόντως, δείχθηκε πως διαφορετικά δημογραφικά χαρακτηριστικά των συμμετεχόντων του δείγματος (όπως: (α) η επαφή με άτομα με ειδικές ανάγκες, (β) η σχετική κατάρτιση στην ειδική αγωγή, (γ) η πρακτική διδασκαλία παιδιών με ΕΑ στη διάρκεια των σπουδών και (δ) ο χρόνος και η διάρκεια της φοίτησης στο πρόγραμμα) επηρεάζουν τις επιδόσεις των εκπαιδευτικών τόσο στη διαμόρφωση των στάσεων, των συναισθημάτων και των ανησυχιών τους για τη συμμετοχική εκπαίδευση όσο και στην αποτίμηση της αποτελεσματικότητας τους για συμμετοχική πρακτική. Τα αποτελέσματα της συγκεκριμένης έρευνας μπορεί να αποτελέσουν σημαντική ευκαιρία για ευρύτερη περαιτέρω επισκόπηση και αξιολόγηση των προγραμμάτων προετοιμασίας δασκάλων για τη συμμετοχική εκπαίδευση στις δύο χώρες. / The purpose of the preset study was the examination of the preparedness of future teachers to work in an appropriate way and effectively in an inclusive classroom where students with special needs are educated with students without special needs in the context of inclusion. Our questions were: (a) what are the attitudes, the sentiments and concerns of future teachers about inclusive education of students with special needs? (b) In which degree do future teachers consider they are prepared and effective at the implementation of inclusive practices? Our participants in the study were 148 future teachers from two departments of education in two countries of European Union: the Department of Primary Education at University of Patras (Greece) and the Department of Primary Education at Palacký University of Olomouc (Czech Republic). We used scales SACIE-R and TEIP (that were developed by Forlin, Earle, Loreman & Sharma, (2011, 2012)) to measure the readiness of future teachers. We translated and modified the scales for the necessities of our study. Results indicated that there are important differences between two countries. Secondly, it was approved that different demographic variables (like: (a) interactions with people with special needs, (b) training and knowledge in special education, (c) practice of teaching students with special needs during the program and (d) study period) impact on the performance of our future teachers in the variables of SACIE-R and TEIP scales. Implications of the study may be a good chance of further review and evaluation of programs that prepare teachers for inclusive education in both countries.

La thèse a pour objectif de comprendre la persistance d’enseignants en fin de carrière dans les collèges de l’éducation prioritaire. Les réformes initiées par l’action publique depuis le milieu des années 1970, dont la massification et la création des zones prioritaires, ont sensiblement modifié le métier d’enseignant. L’autonomie attribuée par l’institution aux acteurs locaux lors de la création des ZEP a permis, au collectif de travail et aux enseignants des pratiques se détachant des formats institués. La plasticité a permis aux enseignants en fin de carrière de donner une forme spécifique au métier et de prendre la forme du métier durant toute la carrière.Les entretiens semi-directifs (79 enseignants et 20 chefs d’établissement) mettent en évidence les ressources mobilisées dans les configurations où les épreuves sont nombreuses, que ce soit dans les pratiques ordinaires du travail ou dans les formes plus engagées consistant à se confronter aux épreuves. Certaines disciplines ont pu stabiliser les enseignants dans les établissements en éducation prioritaire alors que d’autres ont favorisé les départs d’enseignants. La séparation de la population en deux groupes : les 55 ans et plus et les 54 ans et moins, a fait émerger un « seuil d’âge » qui organise les départs des collèges labellisés REP. Le travail auprès d’élèves en difficulté scolaire, les contextes des banlieues, l’âge, les réformes éprouvent les enseignants et durer dans les contextes de l’éducation prioritaire devient de plus en plus difficile. La professionnalité intègre d’une part des dimensions subjectives comme le don, la composante émotionnelle du métier, la reconnaissance, et d’autre part des approches rationnelles comme la création dans le travail, les partenariats, les réseaux. Un assemblage qui a fait rester les enseignants les plus âgés. Les nouvelles générations font de l’éducation prioritaire un passage obligé. Les fins de carrière interrogent la dimension politique et posent le paradoxe, au regard des seniors de plus en plus nombreux en France, de la disparition des enseignants quinquagénaires des collèges de l’éducation prioritaire. Il y aura toujours des enseignants dans les collèges classés en REP, REP+ mais les enseignants en fin de carrière de 55 ans et plus seront de moins en moins nombreux. / This study aims at understanding why teachers nearing retirement are staying on in education priority zone high schools in France. Reforms have been initiated by the French government since the mid 1970’s, such as the increasing numbers of students admitted to secondary education and the creation of Education Priority Zones (ZEP) which have brought about significant changes in the teaching career. Indeed, when these priority zones were created, partnerships were created with local entities granting them a certain autonomy and allowing the work collective and the teachers to detach themselves from the standard formats. Plasticity meant that teachers nearing retirement could give a new shape to the job and over their entire career take on the shape of that job.Semi-structured interviews (involving 79 teachers and 20 high school directors) point to specific resources mobilised in cases where tests are numerous, whether in daily work situations or in more demanding situations where teachers confront tests head on.Some subjects seem to stabilise teachers in their positions in ZEP high schools while other subjects favour their leaving these same schools.Teachers were separated into two age groups : 55 and over / 54 and below, bringing to the fore an age threshold which determines at what point teachers leave their positions in priority zone schools. Working with pupils presenting learning difficulties, the complicated social context in some suburban areas, the fact that teachers are aging, government imposed reforms, all this puts teachers under a lot of pressure; it is becoming harder and harder to remain for the long haul in priority zones given the educational context. Professionalism in ZEP teaching has two aspects; on the one hand the subjective dimension of giving, emotion, recognition and on the other the rational approach to the work including innovation, partnerships, networking. This combination has until recently attracted older teachers to stay on. But for new generation teachers, working in a priority zone high school is no longer a choice but rather a compulsory rite of passage.The final years of a teaching career lead one to wonder about the government’s past decisions, and underline a contradiction: while seniors are more and more numerous in the French population, senior teachers in their fifties are deserting priority zone high schools. Of course there will always be teachers working in education priority zones, but teachers nearing retirement will be less and less numerous in those schools.