Recent political changes in South Africa emphasize democracy and the role of schools in promoting democratic virtues. The importance of schools responsibility in developing democratic virtues is also internationally recognized, although different authors

Recent political changes in South Africa emphasize democracy and the role of schools in promoting democratic virtues. The importance of schools&rsquo / responsibility in developing democratic virtues is also internationally recognized, although different a

The study sought to explore the priorities and practices of educators with regard to the mediation of moral qualities/democratic virtues related to education for citizenship by means of a case study in one school. In South Africa educators are regarded as among the stakeholders responsible for the mediation of values and morals in children and youth so that they will be effective citizens of democracy. Hence the school is seen as an important context in which this could take place. Citizenship education usually contains a moral element. Practices of moral development generally draw on the work of Kohlberg, which is linked to a Piagetian understanding of development. Vygotsky&rsquo / s approach focuses on the contribution that the context has on cognitive<br /> development and suggests that this may also be important for moral development. However there is little evidence available concerning the effectiveness of specific interventions. Two groups of educators and one group of learners were interviewed.<br /> Educators were asked what moral qualities/democratic virtues they regarded as important to nurture in the learners at this school and what they did to nurture these virtues. Learners were also asked the same question and what they saw their educators doing in order to mediate these moral qualities/democratic virtues. Any constraints and successes were explored together with what educators thought could be done to improve the situation. The theoretical understanding of the research was constructivist and it followed a qualitative case study approach. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Before the research was undertaken permission was sought from the Western Cape Education Department and the study was conducted following the guidelines for ethical research set by the American Psychological Association. The main priorities that emerged as moral qualities/ democratic virtues that educators thought were important to nurture, were accountability, respect, and commitment to &ldquo / being good.&rdquo / Socially desirable behaviours that were highlighted were the following: economic initiative, citizenship, and politeness and consideration. Cognitive qualities that they thought were important to nurture were the following: open mindedness, literacy, and numeracy. There were also skills that the educators thought were important to nurture in their learners which did not seem to have a moral dimension. The main practices mentioned were: modelling, active instruction and discussion, and discipline. Educators highlighted the importance of consistency throughout the school. Constraints mentioned were the following: lack of discipline, socio-economic factors, and lack of parental involvement. Supportive factors mentioned were parental support, and consistency and collaboration.

Denna samhällskunskapsdidaktiska studies syfte är att undersöka vad samhällskunskapslärare själva upplever som de viktigaste påverkansfaktorerna för transformeringen av samhällskunskap som skolämne till samhällskunskap som undervisning utifrån didaktiska frågor som Vad?, Hur? och Varför?, samt hur detta upplevs förändrats över en tidsperiod om cirka tjugo år eller mer. Studien bygger på hermeneutisk-fenomenologisk livsvärldsansats där fenomenologisk beskrivning och hermeneutisk tolkning är centralt. Empirin utgörs av intervjuer med tio samhällskunskapslärare med lång yrkeserfarenhet från högstadium, gymnasium eller vuxenutbildning. Resultatet tematiseras utifrån inspiration från ramfaktorteoretiska utgångspunkteri fyra dimensioner av påverkansfaktorer, vilka är Den personliga dimensionen, Den didaktiska dimensionen, Den styrande dimensionen och Den samhälleliga dimensionen. Var och en av dessa dimensioner delas upp i ett antal variationer. Dimensionerna är konstruerade utifrån principen om det personligt nära till det samhälleligt distanserade. Utöver dessa dimensioner har en aspekt på dessa lagts till. Det är Den elevnära aspekten vars innehåll utgörs av eleverna som påverkansfaktor för hur undervisningen blir. Lärarna i studien pratar aldrig om eleverna som påverkansfaktor utan att koppla detta till någon av de fyra dimensionerna. Slutsatser som dras i studien är att de tio lärarna alla har mycket olika berättelserom vad de uppfattar som viktigaste påverkansfaktorer. Några lägger mest fokus på sin personliga bakgrund eller personliga intressen. Andra fokuserar mer på didaktiska idéer, på styrdokument eller på organisatoriska ramar. Studien visar också att lärarna alla har en eller ett par dominerande dimensioner som dels syns mest i berättelsen, dels också påverkar hur de pratar om de andra dimensionerna. Lärarnas berättelser visar även att de upplever att undervisningen och vad som påverkar denna påtagligt förändras över tid. Studiens viktigaste bidrag är kanske att den exemplifierar teoretiska perspektiv. Inte minst genom att belysa att vad som påverkar undervisningen i ett ämne är så komplext att den ramfaktorteoretiska byggnadsställningen måste anpassas efter den specifika undersökningen med dess frågeställningar och undersökningsmaterial. / The purpose of this research in social studies didactics is to examine what teachers in social studies perceive as the most important influencing factors for the transformation from social studies as school subject to social studies as classroom teaching, based on didactic questions as; What?, How? and Why?, and how this is perceived has changed over a period of about twenty years or more. The study is based on the hermeneutic-phenomenological life-world approach, where phenomenological description and hermeneutic interpretation are central. The empirical data consist of interviews with ten teachers in social studies with extensive professional experience in lower secondary school, upper secondary school or adult education. The result is thematically based on inspiration from frame factor theory in four dimensions of influencing factors, which are; The personal dimension, The didactic dimension, The governing dimension and The societal dimension. Each of these dimensions is divided into a number of variations. The dimensions are designed on the principle of the personally close to the societal distanced. In addition to these dimensions, an aspect of these is added. It is The pupil aspect, whose content pupils as influencing factor. The teachers in the study never talk about pupils and their influence on the teaching without connection to any of the four dimensions. Conclusions drawn in the study is that the ten teachers all have very different stories about what they perceive as the most important influencing factors. Some places the greatest emphasis on their personal background or personal interests. Others focus more on didactic ideas, on policy documents or on the economical and organizational framework. The study also shows that all the teachers have one or two dominant dimensions as most visible, that also affects the way they talk about the other dimensions. The teachers’ stories also show that they perceive that the teaching and what impact this change appreciably over time. The study’s most important contribution is perhaps that it exemplifies theoretical perspectives, for an example highlighting that the frame factor theoretical scaffolding must be adapted to the specific study and its issues and research materials.

This research has as its primary goal find out through the teachers’ point of view how subject and digital competence can be achieved in social science classes in the Swedish upper secondary school. This research raises thereby two separate competences. The first of these is the improved digital competence among students which can be achieved when the teacher with the awareness and practical use of applied technological pedagogical content knowledge works with the students’ learning objectives in mind. The second competence in focus is the subject knowledge that is in the center of the teaching.This research is a qualitative study where two separate groups of teachers from different schools in the Swedish western hemisphere talks about questions regarding work with digital tools in school to improve both digital and subject competences among students. The research includes a variety of subject teachers with the purpose to be able to acknowledge didactic experiences and learn from their experiences and thereby make it possible to apply it to the didactic work in social science and civics.To achieve both digital and subject competence among students it is essential for teachers themselves to achieve well established technological pedagogical content knowledge which is applicable in the daily didactic work. The result of the research claims to show that social science and civics, as well as other subjects and courses, can use digital resources to improve competence among students. Through these didactic strategies in teaching the students’ digital skills can be improved as a side effect of the subject taught by teachers with digital didactic resources. Through this design of teaching both digital and subjective competence can be achieved in the didactic work of teachers. / Denna studie har haft som syfte att undersöka lärares uppfattningar om hur ämnesmässig och digital kompetens kan främjas hos elever i samhällskunskap på gymnasiet. Studien lyfter därmed två separata kompetenser. Den första av dessa är en ökad digital kompetens hos eleven som kan främjas då läraren medvetet med hjälp av tillämpad teknisk allmändidaktisk kompetens arbetar för att främja elevens lärande i ämnet. Den andra kompetensen som ligger i fokus är de ämneskunskaper som ligger till grund för undervisningen.Detta är en kvalitativ studie där två separata grupper av lärare från olika skolor i västra Sverige samtalar kring frågor rörande digitalt arbete i skolan för att främja lärande inom både digital kompetens och ämnesmässiga kunskaper. Studien inkluderar ett flertal ämneskompetenser för att därigenom kunna dra allmändidaktiska lärdomar ur lärarnas olika ämnesdidaktiska erfarenheter som kan vara möjliga att applicera i det samhällskunskapsdidaktiska arbetet.För att främja både ämnesmässig och digital kompetens hos eleverna är det av vikt att läraren tillägnar sig själv en god teknisk allmändidaktisk kompetens som är tillämpbar i det ämnesdidaktiska arbetet. Resultatet visar på att det är möjligt att i samhällskunskapsämnet, liksom inom flertalet andra ämnen, använda sig av digitala resurser för elevers lärande. Därigenom blir det möjligt att elevens digitala kompetens främjas som en sidoeffekt av undervisningen som med hjälp av digitala resurser ämnar främja ämnesmässiga kunskaper. På så vis främjas elevers digitala och ämnesmässiga kunskaper parallellt i det didaktiska arbetet.

by Choi Ming Fai. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-111). / by Choi Ming Fai. / LIST OF TABLES --- p.iii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.iv / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS --- p.v / ABSTRACT --- p.vi / Chapter CHAPTER ONE - --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background and Purpose of the Study --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Significance of the Study --- p.4 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO - --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1 --- A Review of Political Culture --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- The Classic Conception of Political Culture --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- The Development of Political Culture in Political Science --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2 --- Changes of Political Culture in Hong Kong --- p.17 / Chapter 2.3 --- Political Education of Hong Kong under the Process of Decolonization --- p.21 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- "Political Education, Political Socialization and Political Culture" --- p.21 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- The Development of Political Education in Hong Kong --- p.23 / Chapter 2.4 --- Textbooks and Political Socialization --- p.28 / Chapter 2.4.1 --- The Sociology of Curriculum --- p.28 / Chapter 2.4.2 --- The Relationship between School Textbooks and Politics --- p.31 / Chapter 2.5 --- Content Analysis of Textbook --- p.34 / Chapter 2.5.1 --- Methodology of Content Analysis --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5.2 --- Content Analysis for Textbook Research --- p.38 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE - --- RESEARCH METHODS AND DESIGN --- p.40 / Chapter 3.1 --- Aims of Study --- p.40 / Chapter 3.2 --- Research Questions --- p.40 / Chapter 3.3 --- Methods --- p.41 / Chapter 3.4 --- Textbook Analysis --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Analytical Framework --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Subject and Unit of Analysis --- p.52 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Analysis of Data --- p.55 / Chapter 3.5 --- Interviews --- p.55 / Chapter 3.5.1 --- Interview Questions --- p.57 / Chapter 3.5.2 --- Subjects --- p.53 / Chapter 3.5.3 --- Data Collection and Treatment --- p.59 / Chapter 3.6 --- Methodological Issues --- p.60 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- Reliability --- p.60 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- Validity --- p.61 / Chapter 3.7 --- Limitations of the Study / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR - --- POLITICAL CULTURE REFLECTED IN THE TEXTBOOKS --- p.63 / Chapter 4.1 --- The Political Culture in the Textbooks --- p.63 / Chapter 4.1.1 --- The Apathetic Political Culture Reflected in the Textbooks --- p.64 / Chapter 4.1.2 --- The Changes of Political Culture Reflected in Textbooks --- p.66 / Chapter 4.2 --- The Allocation of Political Objects in Textbooks --- p.70 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- The Two Political Systems in the Textbooks --- p.71 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Political Inputs --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Political Outputs --- p.80 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Roles of a Political Actor --- p.83 / Chapter 4.3 --- The Influence of Textbooks to the Classroom Teaching --- p.86 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- Teachers' Perception of the Political Culture in Textbooks --- p.86 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- The Influence of Textbooks on Teaching Content --- p.88 / Chapter 4.4 --- A Summary of the Textbooks Analysis --- p.89 / Chapter CHAPTER FIVE - --- DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION --- p.93 / Chapter 5.1 --- The Political Culture Reflected in EPA Textbooks --- p.93 / Chapter 5.1.1 --- The Social and Political Influences on the Textbooks --- p.93 / Chapter 5.1.2 --- The Anational and Apathetic Political Culture --- p.94 / Chapter 5.1.3 --- The Portrait of Citizenship in the Textbooks --- p.97 / Chapter 5.2 --- Preparation of Citizen for the Future: Some Recommendations --- p.98 / Chapter 5.3 --- Conclusion and Suggestions for Further Studies --- p.103 / Chapter 5.3.1 --- Conclusion --- p.103 / Chapter 5.3.2 --- Suggestions for Further Studies --- p.103 / REFERENCES --- p.105 / APPENDICES --- p.112 / Chapter Appendix I --- Selected Examples of the Themes coded --- p.112 / Chapter Appendix II --- Frequency Distribution of the Political Objects in the Textbooks --- p.114 / Chapter Appendix III --- Interview Summaries --- p.115

1 Summary Religion in textbooks for the second-grade elementary schools. Recently, there has been an increasing level of discussion about religion in the public space. Nonetheless, uneducated opinions are often being used. In my work, I focused on what kind of information are being passed onto pupils of primary schools, regardless of the interest of particular teacher. In the first part of my thesis, I compare basic curriculum documents (so called Whitepaper and Framework Education Program) and individual educational areas. In second part, I work with specific books of selected subjects (history, civics, ethics) that have been authorized by the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports (MEYS). I pay particular attention to how frequently, to what extent and in what context do they referrer about religion (including list of reported religions). Afterwards, I evaluate, whether they take evaluated stands, alternatively whether they encourage pupils to be interested in this area and finally whether they develop pupils' ability to look up relevant information on that subject. Keywords Religion, content analysis, textbook, Framework Educational Program, Whitepaper, prejudice, religiosity, Approval Clause, history, ethics, civics, evaluation.

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

University of Macau / Faculty of Education

Bakgrund: Fetma är en medicinsk diagnos och många av kroppens biologiska funktioner är i obalans med ökad risk för följdtillstånd. För att motverka ohälsan är viktminskning ofta det enda alternativet. Fetmakirurgi är en hållbar viktminskningsmetod, vanligast är gastric bypass, med snabba långsiktiga effekter på följdtillstånd. I riket, liksom i Västmanlands län opereras en övervägande majoritet kvinnor. Varför män i Västmanland opereras i lägre utsträckning än kvinnor är okänt. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att erhålla och analysera mäns värderingar och drivkrafter bakom fetmakirurgi. Målet var även att studera mäns subjektiva uppfattningar av västerländska kroppsideal och dess roll bakom beslutet till fetmakirurgi, samt deras förväntningar av det kirurgiska ingreppet. Metod: Informanterna rekryterades genom Överviktigas riksförbund i Västmanland. Urvalet bestod av fem män i åldern 40-49 år som samtliga intervjuades om subjektiva erfarenheter av och attityder till fetma och fetmakirurgi. Intervjuerna utfördes med hjälp av ett intervjuschema och en tematisk tankekarta baserade på Hälsouppfattningsmodellen. Resultat: Den övergripande drivkraften bakom beslutet var männens hälsa och välbefinnande. Att orka jobba och vara aktiv med familj och vänner beskrevs även som avgörande. Rådande kroppsideal eftersträvades inte. Enligt männen var fetmakirurgi resultatet av insiktsprocesser och ett tillräckligt socialt stöd; fler bör se fetmakirurgi som en hållbar viktminskningsmetod