The purpose of this study was to examine time on tasks and priority setting for Maryland community college continuing education administrators. The Delphi technique was used to compile a list of 75 tasks. A combination of survey research, card sort, face-to-face interviews, and on-site data collection was used to gather the data. Data were collected on the performance or delegation of the tasks and amount of time spent on them. The subjects reported spending the most time (456.44 hours per year) on supervising and providing leadership to all continuing education staff. The least amount of time (1.13 hours per year) was reported on guiding instructors' orders of textbooks. The researcher concluded from the data that most of the subjects did not have to concern themselves with routine tasks as they had sufficient staff to delegate those tasks to. The investigator developed a demographic survey and found the average continuing education administrator in Maryland to be Caucasian, 43 years old, and holding a master's degree. Fifty percent of the sample were female. The variables from the demographic survey were crosstabulated and correlated with time on tasks. A correlation coefficient of .59, t = 2.733, p. < .01, was found between time on tasks and the number of noncredit FTEs produced by the institution. The correlation coefficient for time on tasks and size of college was .62, t = 2.956, p. < .01. The generation of FTEs at the possible expense of quality was an issue of great concern to the Maryland continuing education administrators. Study findings showed that in setting priorities, small- and medium-sized institutions considered the same factors influential, but that large colleges perceived a different set of factors as being significant. / Ed. D.

寇志晖 / Thesis (Ed.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2011. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 322-331) / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / Kou Zhihui.

程曉樵. / 呈交日期: 2000年12月. / 論文(哲學博士)--香港中文大學, 2001. / 參考文獻 (p. 208-218) / 中英文摘要. / Cheng jiao ri qi: 2000 nian 12 yue. / Available also through the Internet via Dissertations & theses @ Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Cheng Xiaoqiao. / Lun wen (Zhe xue bo shi)--Xianggang Zhong wen da xue, 2001. / Can kao wen xian (p. 208-218) / Zhong Ying wen zhai yao.

M.Ed. / During the past few years many changes have taken place in South Africa. Many of these changes, implemented by the new government, concern the educational system. Measures have been taken to eradicate inequalities of the past and to make education accessible to all. This development has given rise to a situation in some schools where the cultural background of the teacher differs entirely from that of the schoolbeginner or pupil. More and more schools are being affected by this situation and the problems arising from this tend to impede effective learning and interaction. The aim of this research therefore, was to explore and describe the white teachers' experience regarding teacher-pupil interaction in the culturally diverse classroom, in order to formulate guidelines for teachers to effectively promote learning and interaction. By way of a qualitative research design, with interviews conducted with teachers and observations of teacher-pupils interaction used as data-collection method, various themes within this interaction have been identified. These themes are comparable with themes from relevant literature; a further literature review formed the basis of guidelines, mainly for teachers, for purposes of improving interaction between teacher and pupil in the culturally diverse schoolbeginner classes. Main themes of the guidelines are understanding and acceptance of cultural differences, culture-sensitive instruction, moral development, peer-group tutoring, language enrichment programs, discipline and knowledge of African child rearing practices. The role of the educational authorities in respect of teacher training, preservice as well as inservice training to promote cultural sensitivity, has also been pointed out. Making parents part of the schooling and education of their children, has also been given prominence.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Esta pesquisa tem como tema central as formas de presenÃa e suas implicaÃÃes na aprendizagem. Quais sÃo as formas de estar presente nas situaÃÃes cotidianas, como na aprendizagem a distÃncia, considerando o avanÃo das tecnologias digitais e da comunicaÃÃo via web? Discute-se essa questÃo tomando como espaÃo de anÃlise e pesquisa o IFCE e sua Diretoria de EducaÃÃo a DistÃncia. Os objetos escolhidos para este estudo de caso sÃo os cursos de graduaÃÃo ofertados na modalidade semipresencial, via UAB: Tecnologia em Hotelaria e Licenciatura em MatemÃtica. A pesquisa tem como objetivo principal analisar as formas de presenÃa do aluno na EaD, alÃm de discutir o conceito de presenÃa e suas interrelaÃÃes com os conceitos de distÃncia, ausÃncia, interaÃÃo e interatividade na EaD; e descrever as formas de aferiÃÃo da presenÃa do aluno e do professor tutor utilizadas na modalidade semipresencial, pela perspectiva do aluno. A investigaÃÃo fixa-se principalmente na Teoria da DistÃncia Transacional, de Michael Moore, e nos tipos de interaÃÃo do triÃngulo interativo de Cesar Coll, bem como nas obras de Romero Tori, Karla Godoy, Marco Silva, Erving Goffman e Mikhail Bakhtin, entre outros. Trata-se de um estudo de caso, tendo como metodologia a anÃlise qualitativa dos resultados, a partir de questionÃrio aplicado entre os alunos de ambos os cursos, de entrevista realizada com uma professora formadora e tutora, e de anÃlise documental da DEaD-IFCE. Os resultados apontam que o aluno entende que sua presenÃa à aferida pela observaÃÃo e avaliaÃÃo que o professor tutor faz de suas participaÃÃes. Identificou-se ainda que o aluno relaciona o conceito de estar presente principalmente com interaÃÃo (especialmente a interaÃÃo aluno-aluno) e o senso de pertenÃa ao grupo. As presenÃas social e cognitiva, alÃm da fÃsica, estavam geralmente nas descriÃÃes feitas pelos alunos. Os resultados revelaram ainda que a inclinaÃÃo à presenÃa fÃsica na aprendizagem e os paradigmas do ensino presencial ainda sÃo fortes no contexto UAB/DEaD/IFCE. Embora o aluno que escolhe estudar a distÃncia precise da autonomia e da flexibilidade de tempo e espaÃo, o mesmo sinaliza em suas colocaÃÃes que a presenÃa fÃsica em seu processo de aprendizagem lhe traz melhores resultados. / This research is focused on the types of presence and its implications in the context of distance learning. What are the forms to be present in everyday situations, including distance learning, considering the advancement of digital technologies and Internet communications? This issue is discussed taking the Instituto Federal do Cearà (IFCE) and its Diretoria de EducaÃÃo a DistÃncia (DEaD) as the environment for research and analysis. The undergraduate courses chosen for this case study are offered in the blended learning model via the Universidade Aberta do Brasil (UAB): Tecnologia em Hospitalidade and Licenciatura em MatemÃtica. The research aims to analyse the main types of presence of the student in distance education, and discuss the concept of presence and their interrelations with the concepts of distance, absence, interaction and interactivity in distance education, and describe ways of measuring presence of the student and the tutor used in blended learning model, from the student perspective. The research is mainly based on Michael Mooreâs Theory of Transactional Distance, and the types of interaction on the Cesar Collâs didactic triangle, as well as in the works of Romero Tori, Karla Godoy, Marco Silva, Erving Goffman and Mikhail Bakhtin, among other authors. This case study analyzed qualitatively the results from a questionnaire applied among students of both courses, an in-depth interview conducted with a teacher, and a document analysis of DEaD-IFCE. The results show that the student understands that his presence is assessed through the tutorâs observation to their engagement in the activities. It was also found that the student relates the concept of being present mainly with interaction (especially the student-student interaction), and the sense of belonging to the group (social presence). The social and cognitive presences, beyond the physical presence, were usually in the descriptions made by the students. The results also revealed that the bias towards the physical presence and the paradigms of on-site learning are still very strong in the context UAB/DEaD/IFCE. Although Distance Learning students often need autonomy and flexibility of time and space, they signals in their placements that physical presence in their learning process brings better results.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate what effect, if any, the social roles between second language learners and their conversational partners have on the types and frequencies of the following discourse categories: (a) input interactional modifications (b) corrections of language learners' linguistic errors by others and (c) language learners' production of comprehensible output. This study also seeks to corroborate previous research findings with regards to negotiation of meaning interactions (Pica, 1988; Pica, Holliday, Lewis & Morgenthaler, 1989) and other-corrections of language learners' linguistic errors (Chun, Day, Chenoweth & Luppescu, 1982).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--East Carolina University, 2009. / Presented to the faculty of the Department of Educational Leadership. Advisor: James McDowelle. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed June 16, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (doctoral)--Götebor︠g︡s universitet. / Extra t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references (p. 187-194).

Teachers’ responses as well as the children’s types of disabilities have a great impact on how often and in what ways the children will communicate with the teachers. (Lee, 2001; Wu, 2003). Limited research on teacher-student interactions in special education classroom settings raises a series of questions regarding the teachers’ perspectives, teacher training, children’s communication behaviors and their learning of social communication skills. The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of interactions between teachers and young children with developmental disabilities including severe/multiple developmental disabilities (SMDD) during communication interventions and how both were mutually influenced by such interactions. Specifically, the guiding questions were: (a) How did teachers interact with young children with developmental disabilities during interventions? (b) Why did the teachers choose certain types of responses and strategies/techniques during interventions? and (c) What were the outcomes of the communication interventions for young children with developmental disabilities including SMDD? Using naturalistic inquiry as the research method, and drawing on sociocultural theory, this research constructed a case study of teacher-student interactions during communication intervention in one classroom in south Taiwan. Participants included three special educators and four students with developmental disabilities. Data sources included classroom observations, interviews with teachers, and document analysis. Data were analyzed using the constant-comparative method and discourse analysis. The findings revealed that the three teacher participants made efforts to shape the young children’s learning attitudes and behaviors. Yet, how they responded to the individual child was varied in terms of the young children’s disabilities, their capabilities for communication, and their specific challenging behaviors. The communication interventions resulted in some positive outcomes of the children’s social communication skills. However, the teachers’ lack of knowledge and training of implementing assistive technologies limited their ability to carry out effective communication interventions for the child with SMDD. Further, the teachers’ concerns for the children’s utilization of appropriate social communication manners were influenced greatly by their own their professional training and perspectives which might be influenced by Chinese culture and Confusion’s philosophy. These findings have implications for further research, classroom practice, and teacher education. / text

This action research explores ways of adapting Task-based language teaching for teaching grammar to Primary six Hong Kong students while maintaining the structural Presentation-Practice-Production approach. It integrates two kinds of focused tasks into the intervention. They are Consciousness-raising tasks and Practice-based tasks. It investigates learners‘perceptions of those two tasks on English grammar learning by collecting questionnaires and conducting interviews. After the first cycle of the intervention, the researcher analyzed the data, students‘performance and works in order to make adjustments for the second cycle. Qualitative and quantitative techniques were employed to collect data from high, average and low-achieving students. It was found that students were positive towards Consciousness-raising tasks, Practice-based tasks and the intervention. They were generally satisfied with the chances provided for individual and group learning, teacher‘s PowerPoint presentation, teacher support and task sequencing. Implications for future research encompass investigation on the intervention‘s emphasis on a sequence of focused tasks to learn the form, meaning and use of target structures for leading learners to attain accuracy, fluency and complexity in second language acquisition. Most importantly, it suggests that teachers have to be flexible and design suitable tasks according to the target structures, students‘ability and learning style as well as available resources. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education