Thèse (Ph.D.)--Université Laval, 2008. / Bibliogr.: f. [400]-410. Publié aussi en version électronique dans la Collection Mémoires et thèses électroniques.

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

No description available.

The dawning of democracy in South Africa necessitated some changes in many spheres of government including education. There was a dire need for educational transformation from the apartheid education system, which favoured white South Africans, to an inclusive education system. This transformation was crucial to address and/or redress the neglect and/or exclusion of other learning areas in the school curriculum especially in South African rural schools. One of the learning areas that were neglected was Arts and Culture mostly in the rural schools. There is, however, overwhelming evidence that the inclusion of Arts and Culture learning area in the school curriculum lacks proper planning and preparation. Educators responsible for this learning area, therefore, experience enormous challenges in the implementation of Arts and Culture, especially in rural schools. This study endeavoured to investigate the prevailing challenges faced by educators in the implementation of Arts and Culture in the rural schools of the Libode Mega-District in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The investigation of these challenges was conducted through the exploration of this main research question: What challenges do educators face in implementing Arts and Culture as a learning area in the new curriculum? Other subsidiary questions were also derived from the above main research question. Ten schools from the population of schools in the Libode Mega-District were randomly sampled from which participants in the study had been selected. All data in the study were obtained from these participants. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were the instruments used to collect data. In-depth interviews were done on the day I collected the questionnaires on all participants. Data collected through the use of questionnaires was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Data collected through interviews was first coded to form units according to similarities and/or differences among units. Units were thereafter grouped into clusters to form domains in order to discover relationships between domains. Challenges faced by educators, as per the findings of this study, were; inadequate teacher training, lack of infrastructure, lack of adequate support from other stakeholders and lack of teaching and learning material relating, mostly, to the practical side of this learning area.

This report presents results of an empirical study which investigated how two grade 9 Arts and Culture teachers incorporated mathematics in their Arts and Culture lessons in their classrooms in South Africa. The study was implemented through concept mapping activities undertaken by these Arts and Culture teachers. Data was collected from these concept mapping activities and follow-up interviews with teachers. The analysis of the collected data revealed that teachers grapple with the notion of integration, particularly, when it comes to the transfer knowledge and skills across different learning contexts. Lack of proper training, insufficient teacher knowledge and inadequate support from curriculum designers seem to be the most inhibiting factors for teachers to navigate successfully through the notion of integrated teaching and learning. However, in a bid to deal with these new pedagogical challenges, it was observed that teachers resort to other forms of integration, such as relying on students in order to forge links between subjects of learning. The analysis of data from this study raised important pedagogical issues about the link between integrated teaching and teacher content knowledge, and the apparent need for teachers to transform their identities. Drawing from the theory of situated learning, this study has argued that, although integration between fields of learning is desirable in teaching and learning, it is highly problematic in actual practice. For instance, through this study, it was observed that Arts and Culture teachers struggle to use their knowledge of Arts and Culture and mathematics in order to forge connections between the two fields of learning. The study has also drawn from Bernstein‟s theoretical constructs in order to argue that teachers, particularly those in different learning fields like Arts and Culture and mathematics, intuitively posses different „pedagogical codes‟ which account for their inability to negotiate meaning across different learning contexts. Finally, the study has explored and exploited the argument presented through the van Hiele‟s theoretical framework that students turn to progress quicker in geometry (mathematics) when learning takes place in different styles. I have subsequently used this theoretical framework to argue that connections between Arts and Culture and mathematics should be encouraged at school level, as Arts and Culture could provide an exciting pedagogical environment for the teaching and learning of mathematics, which is often construed to be abstract.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2006. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Anthropology, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

This research applies qualitative literary analysis and ethnographic methods to examine the portrayal of Appalachia in the operas Susannah and Cold Mountain. The operas were premiered 60 years apart, yet they share many themes that epitomize roles, patterns, and stereotypes within the Appalachian region. One theme observed is the expectations of Appalachian women and how they have developed over time, as the plots are placed roughly a century apart. The depictions of Appalachian religious traditions and representations of violence are explored as these themes also play considerable roles in Susannah and Cold Mountain. By analyzing the representation of Appalachia in these operas, this study places the significance of opera among other forms of media that are evaluated in the field of Appalachian Studies.

No description available.

<p>The intention has been to look at the school system in South Africa and specifically at arts and culture in grade 10 to 12. I have visited a number of classes and interviewed the teachers working at the art centre PJ Olivier in Stellenbosch. By doing this I wanted to get to know the system and to understand the intentions that the curriculum describes.</p><p>I have all through the study related the areas I’ve looked at to the curriculum to see how well the intentions are implemented. I have also compared everything with the Swedish school system.</p><p>The curriculum has good intentions but the country has a lot to do before they reach the goals with a school system where everybody is included and where there is ”ubuntu” (Zulu word for humanity or I am what I am because of what we all are). In the curriculum I have seen a lot of similarities to the Swedish school system. The intentions and the goals are very much alike.</p><p>I have realised that South Africa is a country with a lot of complexity and this shows in the school system and in the way the teaching is performed. Arts and culture has a part to play even if the subject is small. In many areas in South Africa, Europe and the western world is the role model for how things should be done. In art it is significant and it leads to self-neglect.</p>