In South Africa students from disadvantaged educational backgrounds enrol at institutions of higher learning underprepared for the academic work expected of them. One reason for this is that English in South Africa is primarily an urban language and both Black children and teachers, especially in rural areas, lack sufficient exposure to it (Lemmer 1995) and at tertiary institutions students are expected to communicate efficiently in the language of instruction. The real-world problem at issue is ultimately the need for these students studying through the medium of English to develop their ability to participate actively in tutorials to improve both their academic understanding and their spoken discourse competence, which includes the ‘highly complex task of participating in talk-in-interaction’ (Dalton-Puffer 2007:280). Underlying the present study, then, is the conviction that through frequent interaction in the language of instruction, students will not only gain competence in speaking skills, but also deepen and expand their knowledge of their subject areas. This conviction led to the introduction of tutorials on a trial basis in my department and the study sought to develop a framework for analysing patterns of interaction in the tutorials that would also address the question of how the quality of such patterns might be assessed. The main construct investigated was ‘participation effectiveness’ (the quantity of speaker discourse acts and turns and speaker initiative at discourse act and turn-taking levels) and the overall findings indicated that third-year students participated more effectively than first-years; females performed better than males; and males in male-led tutorials used more discourse acts than females; while females in female-led tutorials did better than males. The analyses of effects of tutor discourse behaviour on student participation revealed that the types of questions tutors used and how they were combined were strong determinants of students' participation effectiveness. Although the approach of the study is essentially quantitative, the operationalisation of this main construct's two key components, namely 'participation' and 'initiative', forms a basis for also deriving more qualitative insights into this academically very important genre of spoken discourse. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Linguistics)

This research addresses the effect of pedagogical ways-of-knowing in higher education design programmes such as Graphic Design, Interior Design, Fashion, and Industrial Design. One problematic aspect of design studio pedagogy is communication between teachers and students about the aesthetic visual meaning of the students’ designed objects. This problematic issue involves ambiguous and divergent ways-of-knowing the design meaning of these objects. The research focus is on the design teacher role in design studio interactions, and regards pedagogical ways-of-knowing as the ways in which teachers expect students to know visual design meaning. This pedagogical issue is complicated by the fact that there is no agreed-upon corpus of domain knowledge in design, so visual meaning depends greatly on the social knowledge retained by students and teachers. The thesis pursues an explanation of pedagogical ways-of-knowing that is approached through the philosophy of critical realism. How it is that particular events and experiences come to occur in a particular way is the general focus of critical realist philosophy. A critical realist approach to explanation is the use of abductive inference, or inference as to how it is that puzzling empirical circumstances emerge. An abductive strategy aims to explain how such circumstances emerge by considering them in a new light. This is done in this study by applying Luhmann’s theory of the emergence of cognition in communication to teacher ways-of-knowing in the design studio. Through the substantive use of Luhmann’s theory, an abductive conjecture of pedagogical ways-of-knowing is mounted. This conjecture is brought to bear on an examination of research data, in order to explain how pedagogical ways of-knowing constrain or enable the emergence of shared visual design meaning in the design studio. The abductive analysis explains three design pedagogical ways-of-knowing: design inquiry, design representation and design intent. These operate as macro relational mechanisms that either enable or constrain the emergence of shared visual design meaning in the design studio. The mechanism of relation is between design inquiry, design representation and design intent as historical knowing structures, and ways-of-knowing in respect of each of these knowing structures. For example, design inquiry as an historical knowing structure has over time moved from ways-of-knowing such as rationalistic problem solving to direct social observation and later to interpretive cultural analysis. The antecedence of these ways-of-knowing is important because communication about visual meaning depends upon prior knowledge, and teachers may then reproduce past ways-of-knowing. The many ways-of-knowing that respectively relate to design inquiry, design representation and design intent are shown to be communicatively formed and recursive over time. From a Luhmannian perspective, these ways-of-knowing operate as variational distinctions that indicate or relate to the knowing structures of design inquiry, design representation and design intent. This is the micro-level operation of pedagogical ways-of-knowing as relational mechanisms in design studio communication. Design teachers’ own ways-of-knowing may then embrace implicit way-of-knowing distinctions that indicate the knowledge structures of design inquiry, design representation and design intent. This implicit indication by distinction is the relational mechanism that may bring design teachers’ expectation that this and not that visual design meaning should apply in communication about any student’s designed object. Such an expectation influences communication between teachers and students about the potential future meaning of students’ designs. Consequently, shared visual design meaning may or may not emerge. The research explanation brings the opportunity for design teachers to make explicit the often implicit way-of-knowing distinctions they use, and to relate these distinctions to the knowing structures thus indicated. The study then offers a new perspective on the old design pedagogical problem of design studio conflict over the meaning of students’ designs. Options for applying this research explanation in design studio interactions between students and teachers are therefore suggested.

Acompanha: Diálogo em sala de aula: interações mediadas pela investigação matemática / Esta pesquisa consiste em investigar as interações ocorridas entre os participantes de uma aula de Investigação Matemática, onde o conteúdo abordado foi a função seno e seus parâmetros. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de cunho qualitativo, que tem como objetivo responder à questão: “As interações que podem ser desencadeadas pela Investigação Matemática possuem potencial para a aprendizagem?”. Para tanto foi usada uma sequência de quatro atividades que foram aplicadas para estudantes do Ensino Médio. Cada etapa desta pesquisa esta embasada pelos pressupostos teóricos da Investigação Matemática, como prática pedagógica e as análises dos dados estão fundamentados no Diálogo. Os instrumentos utilizados para coleta dos dados versaram sobre gravações em áudio, registros escritos dos alunos e registros da professora. Foi possível constatar que as interações desencadeadas pela Investigação Matemática possuem potencial para a aprendizagem. Relacionada a pesquisa foi produzido um produto educacional que reuniu as atividades desenvolvidas para esta pesquisa, alem de outras que farão parte dos roteiros e que ficará à disposição dos professores por meio de um link disponibilizado na página do programa de mestrado. O produto educacional é composto por atividades que poderão auxiliar professores de Matemática em suas aulas. / This research consists of investigating the interactions that took place between the participants of a Mathematical Research class, where the content covered was the sine function and its parameters. This is a qualitative research, whose objective is to answer the question: "Can the interactions that can be triggered by Mathematical Research have the potential for learning?" For this purpose a sequence of four activities were used that were applied to high school students. Each stage of this research is based on the theoretical presuppositions of Mathematical Research, as pedagogical practice and the analysis of the data are based on the Dialogue. The instruments used to collect data were about audio recordings, written records of the students and teacher records. It was possible to verify that the interactions triggered by Mathematical Investigation have potential for learning. Related to the research was produced an educational product that gathered the activities developed for this research, in addition to others that will be part of the scripts and that will be available to teachers through a link available on the page of the master program. The educational product is composed of activities that may help teachers of Mathematics in their classes.

Acompanha: Caderno pedagógico: Jogos pedagógicos como estratégia de aprendizagem promovida pela interação entre a família e a escola / Esta dissertação apresenta uma pesquisa que envolve a escola, os educandos e famílias. As atividades enquadram-se na modalidade de jogos pedagógicos utilizados no primeiro momento em ambiente escolar e, posteriormente, em ambiente familiar. A investigação está organizada com reflexões acerca dos seguintes assuntos: jogos pedagógicos, envolvimento familiar no contexto escolar; ensino de Ciências Naturais nos anos Iniciais. O objetivo da pesquisa é propor uma estratégia de ensino com a interação família por meio de uso de jogos pedagógicos com conteúdos de Ciências. As atividades foram desenvolvidas em uma instituição pública com duas turmas do 3º ano do Ensino Fundamental I, envolvendo o educando e pelo menos um familiar. O trabalho inicia com uma oficina de jogos para os familiares em que se fez uma reflexão sobre os benefícios dessa prática. Foram utilizados jogos pedagógicos em sala de aula para que os educandos se habituassem a formar equipes, seguir regras e organizar-se para esse tipo de trabalho no ambiente escolar e familiar. A partir de avaliação diagnóstica foi observado o nível de leitura e escrita dos educandos, a qual orientou a construção das atividades sobre o conteúdo “Estados físicos da água e seus ciclos na natureza” da disciplina de Ciências Naturais. Essa prática serviu de base para a organização de um caderno pedagógico sobre o uso de “jogos pedagógicos como estratégia de aprendizagem promovida pela interação entre a família e a escola”. Os resultados do estudo apontam que os conteúdos do ensino de Ciências Naturais, o jogo pedagógico e o envolvimento familiar podem ser grandes aliados para uma aprendizagem significativa. / This dissertation presents a research that involves the school, the students and the families. The activities are part of the pedagogical games modality, used in the first moment in a scholar environment and later, in the family environment. The investigation is organized with reflections about the following subjects: pedagogical games, familiar involvement in the scholar context, the teaching of Natural Science in the first years of Elementary School. The objective of this research is propose a strategy of teaching with the family interaction using pedagogical games With Science content. The activities were developed in a public institution with two classes from the third year of Elementary School, involving the student and at least one family member. The work begins with a class about games for the family, where it is made a reflection about the benefits of this practice. Pedagogical games were used in the classroom so that the students got used to make teams, follow rules and get organized for this kind of work in the scholar and familiar environment. From the diagnosed evaluation was observed the level of reading and writing of the students, which orientated the construction of the activities about the content “Physical States of the Water and its cycles in the Nature” from the subject Natural Science. This practice served as a foundation for the organization of a pedagogical notebook about the use of “Pedagogical Games as strategies of learning promoted by the interaction between the family and the school.” The results of the study point that the contents of the subject Natural Science, pedagogical games and the familiar involvement may be of great benefit in the process of learning and teaching.

Acompanha: Caderno pedagógico: Jogos pedagógicos como estratégia de aprendizagem promovida pela interação entre a família e a escola / Esta dissertação apresenta uma pesquisa que envolve a escola, os educandos e famílias. As atividades enquadram-se na modalidade de jogos pedagógicos utilizados no primeiro momento em ambiente escolar e, posteriormente, em ambiente familiar. A investigação está organizada com reflexões acerca dos seguintes assuntos: jogos pedagógicos, envolvimento familiar no contexto escolar; ensino de Ciências Naturais nos anos Iniciais. O objetivo da pesquisa é propor uma estratégia de ensino com a interação família por meio de uso de jogos pedagógicos com conteúdos de Ciências. As atividades foram desenvolvidas em uma instituição pública com duas turmas do 3º ano do Ensino Fundamental I, envolvendo o educando e pelo menos um familiar. O trabalho inicia com uma oficina de jogos para os familiares em que se fez uma reflexão sobre os benefícios dessa prática. Foram utilizados jogos pedagógicos em sala de aula para que os educandos se habituassem a formar equipes, seguir regras e organizar-se para esse tipo de trabalho no ambiente escolar e familiar. A partir de avaliação diagnóstica foi observado o nível de leitura e escrita dos educandos, a qual orientou a construção das atividades sobre o conteúdo “Estados físicos da água e seus ciclos na natureza” da disciplina de Ciências Naturais. Essa prática serviu de base para a organização de um caderno pedagógico sobre o uso de “jogos pedagógicos como estratégia de aprendizagem promovida pela interação entre a família e a escola”. Os resultados do estudo apontam que os conteúdos do ensino de Ciências Naturais, o jogo pedagógico e o envolvimento familiar podem ser grandes aliados para uma aprendizagem significativa. / This dissertation presents a research that involves the school, the students and the families. The activities are part of the pedagogical games modality, used in the first moment in a scholar environment and later, in the family environment. The investigation is organized with reflections about the following subjects: pedagogical games, familiar involvement in the scholar context, the teaching of Natural Science in the first years of Elementary School. The objective of this research is propose a strategy of teaching with the family interaction using pedagogical games With Science content. The activities were developed in a public institution with two classes from the third year of Elementary School, involving the student and at least one family member. The work begins with a class about games for the family, where it is made a reflection about the benefits of this practice. Pedagogical games were used in the classroom so that the students got used to make teams, follow rules and get organized for this kind of work in the scholar and familiar environment. From the diagnosed evaluation was observed the level of reading and writing of the students, which orientated the construction of the activities about the content “Physical States of the Water and its cycles in the Nature” from the subject Natural Science. This practice served as a foundation for the organization of a pedagogical notebook about the use of “Pedagogical Games as strategies of learning promoted by the interaction between the family and the school.” The results of the study point that the contents of the subject Natural Science, pedagogical games and the familiar involvement may be of great benefit in the process of learning and teaching.

This research explores constructions and understandings of fluctuating or recurring impairments in Higher Education in the UK. It considers ways in which institutional discourses within one UK University have shaped policy and provision for disabled students, and how students with fluctuating or recurring impairments negotiate and enact identities in this context. For many students, impairments such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)/ myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), epilepsy or diabetes, for example, have the potential to vary in intensity, and thus impact, on participation in learning activities and on self-perception/ identity. With increasing disclosure, yet limited recognition, of such types of impairment comes a need for institutions to better understand changing impact in terms of inclusion and in observing anticipatory aspects of legislation, as well as furthering insight into how student identities are negotiated and constructed in an educational context. This research uses a social constructionist framework to explore constructions and subjectivities as regards fluctuating or recurring impairments, and comprises both staff and student perspectives. The staff perspective is based on the thematic narrative analysis of interviews with three members of staff, and is presented in conjunction with an example of institutional policy to highlight discourses drawn upon in constructing disability and disabled students. The impact of these discourses on institutional constructions and practice is key to the analysis. The student perspective is based on two phases of data collection: firstly, 24 semi-structured interviews with students who self-described a fluctuating or recurring impairment; and secondly, five students’ responses to six bi-weekly emails over the course of one academic trimester (January – April 2011). Summary data from the first phase is used to frame discussion on issues raised by students regarding institutional constructions and support. A ‘hybrid’ narrative analysis framework incorporating positioning analysis as well as both ‘big’ and ‘small stories’ has been used in analysing the phase two data. The approach considers the influence of institutional discourses on how students are positioned institutionally and position themselves, as well as ways in which performances of identity may be shaped. The thesis concludes by considering the implications of the research outcomes for Higher Education. In so doing, it notes the significance of policy implementation and cultural change, and makes recommendations for areas of focus in raising institutional awareness of fluctuating or recurring impairments within existing constructions of disability.

D.Cur. / South Africa is currently undergoing radical transformational changes in all facets of its society. This is an era immediately following the first democratic elections in the country. The new Government, the Government of National Unity (GNU) which is dominated by the African National Congress (ANC), has introduced what is known as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP)(ANC, 1994), which seeks to redress disparities of the past. This programme has significant social, political and economical implications for the South African community. It proposes that statutory bodies and institutions should be rationalized and restructured to reflect the diversity of the South African people and should be better able to promote and protect the standards of health care and training. It aims to, inter alia, promote mental health and to increase the accessibility, quality and quantity of mental health support and counselling services. In line with this goal and based on problems that arise because of anxieties and fears that are inherent in change, the mental health of nurse educators and nursing students of a selected nursing college was investigated utilizing a qualitative, theory – generative design which is exploratory, descriptive and contextual in nature. The study was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, in-depth phenomenological interviews were conducted individually with ten nurse educators and nine nursing students to explore and describe their experience of interaction with one another. Follow-up interviews were also conducted with some of the participants. Data was analysed using Tesch's method. Based on the results of the analysis, the major concept, understanding was identified as the essence of a model for constructive nurse educator - student interaction envisaged. In Phase 2, a theory -generative design was utilized to develop a constructive nurse educator - student interaction model, founded on a mental health approach. The identified concept was examined in existing writings to determine essential criteria of the concept. In addition, a model case was written in which the concept was constructed to the best of the researcher's understanding. Essential criteria of the concept were identified and a concept map was drawn to depict the essential criteria in relation to each other. The related concepts were identified and portrayed in a structural form. The visual model depicts nurse educators and nursing students who function as a family, as the recipients of activity, and the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner, who facilitates their interaction, as the agent. By utilizing the deductive reasoning strategy, relationship statements were inferred from the model. Guidelines were described for the advanced psychiatric nurse practitioner with regard to all three phases, namely, the Interaction Initiation Phase, the Interaction Cohesiveness Phase and the Interaction Dissolution Phase, in terms of objectives, strategies and proposed activities.

No description available.

This study investigated the use of formative assessment to improve three specific data analysis skills within the context of a high school chemistry class: graph interpretation, pattern recognition, and making conclusions based on data. Students need to be able to collect data, analyze that data, and produce accurate scientific explanations (NRC, 2011) if they want to be ready for college and careers after high school. This mixed methods study, performed in a high school chemistry classroom, investigated the impact of the formative assessment process on data analysis skills that require higher order thinking. We hypothesized that the use of evaluative feedback within the formative assessment process would improve specific data analysis skills. The evaluative feedback was given to the one group and withheld from the other for the first part of the study. The treatment group had statistically better data analysis skills after evaluative feedback over the control. While these results are promising, they must be considered preliminary due to a number of limitations involved in this study.

Sammanfattning Undersökningen tar sin utgångspunkt i och har syftet att illustrera hur skolans möte med elevers olika förutsättningar för lärande framträder i förhållande till tanken om inkludering i dagens svenska utbildningspolitik. I studien fokuseras ett utbildningspolitiskt dokument, en statlig utrednings slutbetänkande SOU 2021:11, samt utredningens direktiv. Detta val utifrån att lagtexter och policydokument är en möjlig väg att identifiera problemområden. Dessutom är SOU ett underlag inför kommande lagar. I studien används Bacchis (2009) kvalitativa metod "What's the problem represented to be?" (WPR) som grundar sig i kritisk diskursanalys. Det som framkommer i studiens resultat kan sammanfattas i två större huvudspår. Ett spår där utredningen på olika sätt omförhandlar innebörden i inkludering och introducerar ett nytt alternativt begrepp, inkluderande lärmiljöer. I det andra spåret framkommer två olika diskurser. Dessa diskurser förhåller sig på olika sätt till elevers olika förutsättningar för lärande, en skola för alla och inkludering. Diskurserna som i vissa delar kan sägas motsäga varandra ryms i samma utredning. Utifrån det visar studien att utredningen kommer med dubbla budskap vilket leder till att utredningen upplevs otydlig.