The purpose of the study was to discover the effects of using peer assisted learning in acquiring skills in music composition. The ten criteria used for assessing the effects of peer assisted learning comprised six concerning social qualities and four relating to cognitive aspects of what might be learned from working and learning together. The research used both qualitative and quantitative methods, encompassing interviews with the teacher, questionnaires for the students and observation. The latter included a quantitative element. The research took place in the natural settings of timetabled music lessons in Year Seven at an English comprehensive secondary school. This peer assisted learning research is believed to be the only such project conducted entirely in the unadulterated classroom settings. The lessons followed the teacher’s choice of lesson material and the length of time normally allowed for lessons in that school. No changes in classroom organisation, timing, or for any other reason were requested by, or made for, the researcher. Each class was divided into groups whose size, ability and gender were determined by the teacher. From these groups, the teacher selected the three which were the focus of this research. All three of the sample groups showed some evidence of the beneficial effects of peer assisted learning socially and cognitively although this varied according to the children’s different ability levels. Peer assisted learning was found to be most successful where children were able to work together cohesively and communicate well, either verbally or musically. Most children either acquired new musical skills or enhanced those they already possessed through the use of peer assisted learning.

Bien que traditionnellement fondé sur une approche transmissive des connaissances et sur leur évaluation le plus souvent sommative, le contexte éducatif japonais n'est pas hermétique aux approches didactiques non-conventionnelles(Freinet, Montessori, Dewey) qui ont pris pour objectif l’autonomisation des apprenants, ni aux principes du CECR, plus contemporains, qui prônent une approche actionnelle de l’enseignement favorable à l’autonomisation des apprenants, à leur auto-évaluation et à l’évaluation de leurs compétences plus que de leurs connaissances. Ce constat met en relation les processus d’enseignement/apprentissage transmissifs et/ou autonomisants avec l’activité évaluative et la cultured’enseignement/apprentissage. La recherche ici présentée a voulu décrire et faire comprendre le processus fondateur de cette relation. Pour cela, l’hypothèse d’un Mécanisme Autopoïétique des Relations de Co-construction entre l’Autonomisation et l’(Auto-)évaluation (MARCAA) a été mise à l’épreuve de l’observation (dans 21 classes de 12 établissements ) et confrontée aux représentations sur l’autonomie et l’évaluation de 21 enseignants. Il en ressort que l’autonomisation et l’évaluation ont une relation de co-construction par les possibilités de choix et de décisions qui sontdonnées à l’apprenant durant son apprentissage. / Traditionally based on an transmissible approach to knowledge and on their assumptive evaluation, the Japanese educational context is not, nevertheless hermetic in the non-conventional didactic approaches (Freinet, Montessori, Dewey)whose objective was the empowerment of the learners, or in the principles of the CECR. A more contemporary style, that advocates an actionoriented approach to the education favorable to the empowerment of the learners, to their elfassessment and to the evaluation of their skills more than their knowledge. This work is put in relation the processes of transmissible or education/learning and\or emporwerment, the evaluation and the culture of education/learning kept in mind. In this research I would like to highlight and help to understand the fundamental process of this relation. For that purpose, the hypothesis for a Autopoietic Mechanism of Coconstruction between the Empowerment and the (Self-)assessment (MARCAA, in french) was put to the test through observations (in 21 classes of 12 establishments) and representations on the autonomy and the evaluation of 21 teachers. As a result, the empowerment and the evaluation have a relation of coconstruction by the possibilities of choice and decisions which are given to the learner during their study.

Cette recherche définit la personnalisation comme une approche centrée sur l'apprenant où la personne est prise dans son ensemble (émotions, cognition et socialisation). L’apprenant est actif, prend des initiatives et collabore avec les autres. Elle détaille les attributs de l'apprentissage personnalisé, ses perspectives et ses théories et propose un modèle personnalisé testé via le développement d’une application mobile pour les cours de base en informatique pour les étudiants en première année universitaire. Les résultats portent principalement sur l'impact de la personnalisation sur la performance, l'engagement et l'autonomie des apprenants. Les analyses de données montrent que la performance du groupe personnalisé dans les tests théoriques est significativement meilleure que les groupes suivant un enseignement traditionnel, mais les résultats ne sont pas significatifs pour les tests pratiques. La performance des apprenants dans le groupe personnalisé est indépendante du type d'évaluation choisi (tests théoriques et pratiques, projets individuels ou collaboratifs). Les apprenants ont manifesté une certaine responsabilité et un comportement autonome et ils ont été capables, avec une grille,d’évaluer d’une manière correcte et objective le travail de leurs pairs. L'engagement émotionnel est le type d'engagement le plus élevé et il apparaît indépendant de l’engagement cognitif, comportemental et agentique qui le suivent dans l’ordre respectif. / This research adopts a definition of personalization as a learner centered approach that takes into consideration the person as a whole (emotions, cognition and socialization) and where the learner is active, takes initiatives and collaborates with others. It details attributes of personalized learning, its perspectives and theories behind it. It proposes a personalized model that is tested through designing a mobile app for computer basics courses for first year university students. Results focus mainly on the impact of personalization on learners’ performance, engagement and autonomy. Data analyses showed that the personalized group did significantly better in theoretical tests than groups taught in a traditional way, but results were not significant for practical tests. The performance of learners in the personalized group does not depend on the type of evaluation used (theoretical and practical tests, individual or collaborative projects). Learners manifested autonomous behavior and responsibility and were able with a rubric in hand to conduct a fair and objective judgement of peers’ work. The emotional engagement was the highest type of engagement and was independent of the cognitive, behavioral and agentic one that come next respectively.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / In die verhandeling word mentorskap as 'n begeleidingshandeling ondersoek. Die oorsprong van mentorskap word nagespeur, enkele deur tyd beproefde kenmerke van mentorskap word bespreek en heersende praktyke ter bevordering van mentorskap word met die van vervloe eras vergelyk. 'n Uiteenlopende verskeidenheid opvattinge oor mentorskap word aan die orde gestel: benewens die standpunte van eietydse ontwikkelingpsigoloe, beroepskundiges, onderwys- en opvoedkundiges word die klassieke opvatting van mentorskap (socs wat dit weergegee is in die Odusseia en die Les Adventures de Telemaque, die werke van onderskeidelik Homerus en Fenelon) ook ender die loep geplaas. In die laaste afdeling word 'n aantal gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings gemaak met betrekking tot die doelstellings, aard, kenmerke en waarde van mentorskap, faktore wat die eindresultate van mentorskap kan beinvloed en die bekwaamhede en persoonseienskappe van mentors. Die aanbevelings sluit riglyne vir die effektiewe hantering van problematiese aangeleenthede rondommentorskap, ender meer die verpragmatisering en formalisering daarvan, in. / In this dissertation mentoring as a form of guidance is researched. The origin of mentoring is investigated, a few characteristics of mentoring which have stood the test of time are discussed and prevailing practices promoting mentoring are compared with those of bygone eras. A diverse variety of approaches to mentoring are presented: in addition to the views of contemporary behavioural psychologists, vocationalists, educationists and teaching specialists, the classic interpretation of mentoring (as presented in the Odyssey and the Les Adventures de Telemaque (the works of Homer and Fenelon respectively) is also considered. In the last section a number of conclusions and recommendations are made regarding the aims, nature, characteristics and value of mentoring, factors affecting the outcome of mentoring and the skills and personal characteristics of mentors. The recommendations include guidelines for the effective handling of problematic issues regarding mentoring, such as the pragmatization and formalization thereof. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Educational Studies)

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / In die verhandeling word mentorskap as 'n begeleidingshandeling ondersoek. Die oorsprong van mentorskap word nagespeur, enkele deur tyd beproefde kenmerke van mentorskap word bespreek en heersende praktyke ter bevordering van mentorskap word met die van vervloe eras vergelyk. 'n Uiteenlopende verskeidenheid opvattinge oor mentorskap word aan die orde gestel: benewens die standpunte van eietydse ontwikkelingpsigoloe, beroepskundiges, onderwys- en opvoedkundiges word die klassieke opvatting van mentorskap (socs wat dit weergegee is in die Odusseia en die Les Adventures de Telemaque, die werke van onderskeidelik Homerus en Fenelon) ook ender die loep geplaas. In die laaste afdeling word 'n aantal gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings gemaak met betrekking tot die doelstellings, aard, kenmerke en waarde van mentorskap, faktore wat die eindresultate van mentorskap kan beinvloed en die bekwaamhede en persoonseienskappe van mentors. Die aanbevelings sluit riglyne vir die effektiewe hantering van problematiese aangeleenthede rondommentorskap, ender meer die verpragmatisering en formalisering daarvan, in. / In this dissertation mentoring as a form of guidance is researched. The origin of mentoring is investigated, a few characteristics of mentoring which have stood the test of time are discussed and prevailing practices promoting mentoring are compared with those of bygone eras. A diverse variety of approaches to mentoring are presented: in addition to the views of contemporary behavioural psychologists, vocationalists, educationists and teaching specialists, the classic interpretation of mentoring (as presented in the Odyssey and the Les Adventures de Telemaque (the works of Homer and Fenelon respectively) is also considered. In the last section a number of conclusions and recommendations are made regarding the aims, nature, characteristics and value of mentoring, factors affecting the outcome of mentoring and the skills and personal characteristics of mentors. The recommendations include guidelines for the effective handling of problematic issues regarding mentoring, such as the pragmatization and formalization thereof. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Educational Studies)