In response to increasing demands placed on public education, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) have emerged as a means of providing teachers with opportunities to collaborate together. Collaboration has been shown to improve teaching practices and lead to better student outcomes. Trust has been shown to be an important factor contributing to the success of PLC teams. Adherence to collaborative norms is also an important factor in the ability to collaborate successfully in PLC teams, yet few studies exist that empirically assess the relationship between trust and adherence to norms regarding the collaboration process. Participants in this study are public high school teachers, grades 9–12, who on average have been working together in their current PLC team for over three and a half years. Team trust is measured by established tool developed by Costa and Anderson (2011) based upon 4 dimensions of team trust including both psychological (propensity to trust and perceived trustworthiness) and behavioral (cooperating and monitoring behaviors) dimensions. The tool used to measure adherence to PLC team norms was based upon the Meeting Inventory by Garmston and Wellman (2009) and The Collaborative PLC Norming Tool developed by Jolly (2008). These instruments were used with permission, and some survey items were generated by the author. Multiple regression analyses assessed the strength of the relationship between PLC team trust and team norms. Four dimensions of team trust were examined by confirmatory factor analyses: Propensity to Trust, Perceived Trustworthiness, Cooperating Behaviors, and Monitoring Behaviors. All 4 showed a good fit. Team adherence to 3 different types of collaborative team norms was examined by confirmatory factor analyses: Teacher Dialogue, Decision Making, and Norms of Enforcement. All 3 outcomes showed a good model fit. Findings showed gender within the norms of enforcement regression model to be the only significant demographic variable. All 4 dimensions of team trust were significantly and positively related to adherence to norms of teacher dialogue at the bivariate level. Both significant positive and negative correlations exist between dimensions of team trust. When examined collectively, Perceived Trustworthiness and Cooperating Behaviors are directly related to adherence to Teacher Dialogue norms, whereas Propensity to Trust and Monitoring Behaviors have an indirect impact. This study confirms a positive relationship between the two constructs and presents the value of both direct and indirect relationships amongst the psychological and behavioral dimensions of team trust in impacting adherence to collaborative PLC team norms. Teachers and administrators who are aiming to improve or sustain high quality collaboration within PLC teams would do well to focus on Perceived Trustworthiness and Cooperating Behaviors, as those dimensions of team trust are directly related to adherence to collaborative team norms.

This dissertation builds on and contributes to work in the field of parent-school collaboration and the funds of knowledge approach. In South Africa, policies have been developed to promote collaboration between schools and parents. These policies, however, do not fully recognise or aim to use parents’ funds of knowledge in this collaboration. In addition, numerous studies have examined the challenges associated with collaboration amongst working-class households, however, little attention has been given to the lower middle-class in South Africa in particular. This study therefore explores the funds of knowledge of lower-middle class parents, and ways in which schools and parents manage these ‘funds’ to enhance the literacy development of foundation phase learners. The dissertation draws strongly on the work of Moll, Amanti, Neff and Gonzalez (1992) whose funds of knowledge approach holds a transformative perspective on people with a lower socio-economic background. The data for this qualitative study was collected through 30 semi-structured interviews. I argue that parents accumulate various knowledge, skills and abilities through their life experiences that could significantly enhance the literacy development of their children. The findings suggest that, while parents possess these skills, there is a lack of transmission of the skills and knowledge amongst their children. Factors that influence the collaborative use of these funds of knowledge are discussed and explored in this study. I conclude with a discussion on the dynamics of a South African classroom and existing policies on collaboration and how this affects the collaborative use of parents’ funds of knowledge to enhance the literacy of foundation phase learners. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Education Management and Policy Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

No description available.

Intersectoral collaboration for health is widely recognised as a critical component of interventions to address complex public health issues. However, there is limited research that has examined how intersectoral approaches are formulated and implemented, especially in low- and middle-income countries. As a result, although the literature is populated with calls for action, little exists that can inform the evidence on how to sustain intersectoral action for health. This thesis is a case study of intersectoral action in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, examining the unfolding policy formulation and implementation processes of an initiative referred to as First 1,000 Days, in the period 2016 to 2019. Within early childhood, the First 1,000 Days (FTD) period presents a favourable window for intersectoral interventions that can ensure positive outcomes from early years of life to adulthood. The FTD initiative emerged in the Western Cape Province of South Africa in response to the growing number of children exposed to the social challenges of violence and of alcohol and drug abuse.

The aim of this thesis was to examine the contribution of nurses to interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in the operating room (OR) guided by the Interprofessional Education Collaborative Patient Care Practice (IECPCP) framework. First, a secondary analysis of interviews with 19 registered nurses was conducted. Twenty emergent themes were identified. The most prevalent of the four dimensions (internalization; shared goals and vision; governance; and formalization) consisted of the internalization dimension relating to human interaction and sense of belonging within the interprofessional team. A scoping review then identified 20 studies evaluating four interventions (briefings, checklists, team training, and debriefings) used to improve IPC in the OR. Despite weak study designs, these interventions showed improvements in communication, teamwork, and safety outcomes. OR nurses contribute mainly through interactional processes and they require organizational support to foster their efforts in IPC. Nurse are involved in all IPC interventions and their contribution is important to support IPC in the OR.

Successful service coordination for the homeless depends on the ability of diverse organizations to effectively collaborate. This study utilizes a life-cycle framework to expand on the collaborative governance theory by highlighting the different stages of collaboration that homeless service networks encounter. Activation, collectivity, and institutionalization are three stages used to uncover the unique nature of emergency discharge planning processes. Since collaboration is not a static process and government regulation for emergency discharge plans were recently enacted in 2012, collaborative networks encounter challenges and success factors at different stages. A qualitative case-study approach of organizational leaders in homeless service networks in Texas (Dallas, Ft. Worth and Houston) examines stages of collaboration. Results show common success and challenge factors identified among the three networks, but the factors take on different forms in relation to where the networks are at in the coordination stages. Practitioners can use the findings from this study as a guide to set up benchmarks and measurable objectives to identify strengths and weaknesses in their coordination processes.

Magister Educationis - MEd / In this mini-thesis I focus primarily on collaborative writing in the study of prescribed prose texts as a medium of academic development of primary school student teachers. The problem with the present approach to the teaching of prose texts, and the introduction of the prosess approach to writing as a possible solution to the problem, is briefly discussed. In Chapter 2 the deficiencies of the current approach to the teaching of prose texts are discussed in detail. To place the above in the proper perspective a critical analysis is made of the existing Teachers Diploma syllabus for Afrikaans prose setworks, with special reference to the interpretation of the syllabus, and the organisation and presentation of the teaching programme for prose texts at a specific teachers' college of education. The main shortcomings which are referred to in the study are, inter alia: the organisation of the prose setwork teaching programme, compartmentalisation of language components, limited teaching time, the implication of the single, vague teaching goal for prose "texts, lecturer-centredness, and student's inability to work independently. In Chapter 3 the possible influence of the present approach to writing on the teaching of prose texts is discussed with special reference to methods of collaboration in learning. It is argued that the application of groupwork in a learnercentered approach to the teaching of prose texts can contribute to the elimination of many of the above problems, and that it can result in a rejuvenation in the class context, which may lead to students experiencing literature study as an enjoyable learning activity. The holistic nature of the process approach to writing is also included, since it leads to the integration of different language components, and saves time. The process approach to writing provides the required instruments for independent study. It is argued that the process approach to writing helps students to take co-responsibility for their own learning, and offers them the opportunity to contribute towards their own academic development. Based on the advantages indicated above, I designed a draft curriculum in Chapter 4. Action research was :done and the process approach to writing was implemented in the reality of the classroom situation on a small scale. With the lecturer who acted as facilitator to guide them to a specific goal, twenty-two first year students studied a prose setwork text, Jerigo-krisis by André Jansen. A single aspect in the process approach to writing was emphasised in particular, viz., collaborative learning in literature study. During the implementation of the plan an observer monitored the reaction of the target group, and gave her comments after each lesson. Students were also asked to evaluate the course in their personal journals, and to discuss the course during their journal conferences. The biggest shortcoming of the provisional plan, which students mentioned, and which I also noticed was the lack of time. The students wanted to spend more time on certain conferences, particularly content and evaluation conferences. The revised plan in Chapter 5 is the result and amendment of the draft curriculum.

Early childhood teachers attend in-service trainings to continue their education after entering the workforce. The effectiveness of in-service training is being studied by many researchers. Some researchers postulate that adding modeling of the behavior and follow-up feedback to in-service trainings increases the ability of early childhood teachers to implement newly learned behaviors. The study investigated the effects of an instructional package (explicit teaching, modeling, and feedback) on early childhood students' implementation of vocabulary behaviors during shared storybook reading. The three vocabulary behaviors studied were selecting and stressing words, explaining and relating words, and repetition. Two case studies were completed with early childhood students, using a single-subject multiple-probe design across behaviors. Participants were baselined across all three behaviors. The behaviors were taught individually using explicit teaching and modeling. When criterion was reached, a new behavior was trained and modeled. Participants were given feedback on their performance, as well. Results showed the participants were able to implement selecting and stressing words and repetition during shared storybook reading after explicit training and modeling. The implementation of explaining and relating behaviors required additional feedback and reteaching for the participants to reach criterion. The study supports the research indicating that modeling and feedback improve early childhood students' abilities to implement newly learned skills.

My thesis examines the interprofessional collaboration between school-based educators and health professionals (HPs). Four research questions guided the study: 1) What is the current state of literature on interprofessional collaborations between school-based educators and HPs? 2) Based on the existing literature, how are school-based educators and HPs collaborating interprofessionally? 3) Based on the existing literature, what are the outcome(s) or impact(s) of interprofessional collaborations between school-based educators and HPs? and 4) Based on the current state of the literature, what areas are important to consider for future research on interprofessional collaborations between school-based educators and HPs? It is important for both school-based educators and HPs alike to consider answers to these questions as it can refine and strengthen their current and future practices in an effort to ultimately create a successful working and learning environment for themselves and for their students and patients. Systematic searches of four databases yielded 46 articles for inclusion, data extraction, and analysis. Through a thematic analysis of the literature, I found the following two overarching themes that govern the implementation of interprofessional collaboration: 1) time and 2) funding. In addition to these themes, I extracted two major themes and one minor theme from the literature that can guide current and future interprofessional collaborative practices. These themes included 1) pre-service training whereby a) everyone is involved, b) there is a mutual understanding between and of educators and HPs, c) both educators and HPs feel valued in their positions for their work, d) there is less sophisticated profession-specific jargon which can in turn open further dialogue between both teams of professionals, and e) a journal or frequent log can be kept to track the successes and challenges of and suggestions for the collaborative efforts as well as of student satisfaction; and 2) in-service training whereby a) educators and HPs are able to maintain consistency in their roles and responsibilities as well as for students educationally, and b) provide continued support for all. I discuss methods of how this interprofessional collaboration could be implemented, noting a) proximity (i.e., how closely, in what ways, and how frequently educators and HPs work together) and b) frequent meetings as essential to successful interprofessional collaboration. Finally, a minor theme emerged from the literature with suggestions for current and ongoing implementation of interprofessional collaboration which suggested a) increased and stronger liaison in schools and b) frequent meetings to establish and build upon a foundation that will foster further interprofessional collaboration. This review of the available literature on this topic, especially of the literature empirical in nature, worked to map key concepts, evidence, and main sources of information as well as synthesize a myriad of information (Arksey and O’Malley, 2005), fill a visible gap in the area of interprofessional collaboration among school-based educators and HPs specifically, and provide avenues for further study and practical application.

abstract: This dissertation develops a heuristic—one I call the iterative narrative reflection framework—for rhetorically engaged, data-driven teacherly theory building using Kenneth Burke’s frames of acceptance and rejection. Teacher-scholars regularly develop curricula and lesson plans informed by theory and prior experience, but the daily practice of teaching and learning with students rarely plays out as expected. In many cases, institutional constraints and the unpredictable lives of students interact with teachers’ plans in surprising and sometimes confounding ways. Teachers typically make sense of such challenges by constructing post-hoc narratives about what happened and why, attributing motives and agencies to other participants in ways that suggest how to respond, move forward, and get back on track. Whether such narratives are part of a deliberate practice of reflection or an informal and largely unnoticed mental process, they are rarely thought of as constructed accounts and therefore as rhetorical acts that can be subjected to serious review, criticism, and revision. Yet these stories are shaped by familiar genre conventions that influence interpretations of events and motives in ways that may or may not serve well as teachers consider how best to respond to unfolding events. Using the iterative narrative reflection framework to guide my analysis of my own teacherly narratives through multiple layers of reflection and criticism, I demonstrate across the dissertation’s three cases how such deliberate, methodical analysis can reveal tacit assumptions and additional interpretive possibilities. Ultimately, such a process of iterative reflection enables the teacher-scholar to choose from among a wider range of available means of persuasion and pedagogical possibilities. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2019