Staff developers are facing new challenges in the 1990's in British Columbia as secondary education is criticized not only for what it teaches, but also, for how it is being taught. This project addresses the very complex nature of improving the learning situation of students by focusing on staff development. This study documents the inservice, implementation and teacher responses to a model for staff development at a secondary school which included: 1. the introduction of new teaching strategies which supported learner-focused classroom practice 2. teacher collaboration and peer support 3. the theory of constructivism and its incorporation into classroom practice. To gain some insight into teachers' perceptions of new teaching strategies and skills, collaboration, and a constructivist approach to classroom practice was one major research strand. Another strand of the research investigated the process of change as facilitated through staff development. Specifically, the intent of the study was to identify and elaborate on those factors which are liberating and prone to influence in a process known as staff development and to recognize those factors which are resistant and tend to act as barriers to change. Data for this study was gained by following a study group of six secondary teachers from three curricular disciplines over a time period of three months. Group interviews during the study and individual interviews at the end of the study were collected and transcribed. The responses of the participants to the research questions are reported in detail in an effort to preserve the contextual influences. Through these responses the reader can enter into the individuals' thought processes as participants reflect upon their personal experiences with the challenge of change. The findings of this study support and extend the literature on important components and influences to staff development. In particular, this study gained further insight into: 1. how a constructivist approach can be translated into a model of staff development 2. how influences, such as peer collaboration and peer support enhanced a change in classroom practice. 3. how a change incorporating a constructivist approach to teaching is more likely to be assimilated by an individual who has a transactional or transformational orientation to curriculum. A transmissive orientation to teaching acts as somewhat of a barrier to the conceptual change of a constructivist approach. 4. how the motivation and teacher satisfaction for participating in change is determined to a degree by perceived improvements in learning by students. 5. how all participants experienced change but the nature of that change was very individual, gradual, and incremental in nature along the continuum from teacher to learner-focused education. The study concludes with recommendations for individuals planning staff development which incorporates the research findings. / Science, Faculty of / Mathematics, Department of / Graduate

This thesis analyses the terms in which collective identity and regional institutions can explain state action towards the unfolding of regionalism in the Andean Community (AC). This analysis develops a constructivist approach that assesses constitutive and casual effects of ideas in order to provide explanations. For the assessment and distinction of these effects, the thesis proposes an interpretive method that consists of focusing on transitive verbs and metaphors denoting causation that state officials and regional bureaucrats use to refer to the role of ideas in orienting state action. The analysis of the explanatory role of collective identity and regional institutions is carried out in three case studies of the AC, namely, Peru remaining an AC member while being reluctant to adopt the Andean Free Trade Zone (FTZ) and the Common External Tariff (CET); collective negotiations of a free trade agreement between the AC and the European Union; and the adoption of the Integrated Plan for Social Development (PIDS). The thesis shows that constitutive and causal effects of ideas are possible to observe in the three case studies of the AC. By observing these effects, the thesis provides a better understanding of a relationship of mutual constitution and causation between collective identity and regional institutions in the AC, and suggests a number of issues that may explain the AC’s maintenance despite its little achievements and low material benefits it provides to member states. The thesis also makes a significant contribution to constructivist theorising inasmuch as it provides a method to operationalise constructivism’s aim of providing explanations based on the role of ideas. To the study of the AC, this thesis represents a major contribution inasmuch as it is the first work that analyses the views of some of the main performers of state action and of the AC as a regional organisation, which accounts for the closest approach to how member states act in the AC.

Instrumentalism is a philosophy of science which holds that scientific theories are merely useful fictions for making computative predictions. Its pragmatic purpose of 'saving the appearances' downgrades the role of theory in science. Realists, on the other hand, take the implications of theories seriously. This study investigates the attributes of both instrumentalism and realism, taking theory as its point of departure. It is pointed out that constructivism is closely related to instrumentalism, both being forms of pragmatism. Since both tend to concoct and relinquish theories too easily, they tend to be relativist and subjectivist. It is therefore concluded that neither instrumentalism, nor constructivism, nor empiricism is sufficient for a rounded science education. What is needed is a type of realism which acknowledges both the empirical physical world 'out there' and the constructivist nature of scientific knowledge. The naive (empiricist) realism so prevalent in school science textbooks cannot do this. It is contended that critical realism, and especially that of Bernard Lonergan, can meet this requirement. Reality is more than what is given in sensory experience. Therefore, in order to help solve the problem of relativism and subjectivity inherent in constructivism, we need to revise our notion of reality and objectivity. Twenty-three selected British, American, South African, and African Third World high school physical science textbooks were examined in detail to determine the extent of an instrumentalist philosophy in them. They were subjected to several textual analyses, including one especially devised for this study. The results reveal that our high school physical science textbooks do indeed contain a high degree of instrumentalism. This study postulates that this instrumentalism may be used to help pupils move towards realism. However, this needs to be augmented by a full-blooded critical realist approach which takes theoretical entities seriously. One way of doing this is through the use of suitable material in the preface of every textbook. Not only should the dangers of instrumentalism (and naive constructivism) be pointed out, but the role of theory in science should be emphasised. This may be achieved by simulations to encourage growth of models and theories, historical case studies involving theory-development, and additional reading of scientists in action. Some examples of these are provided.

Constructivist theories from International Relations have long been interested in the European Union and its identity. There is a lack of studies from the critical constructivist strand which, unlike its conventional counterpart, tries to explain how identities are created by discourse. This study seeks to explain how European identity is constructed and reinforced by the EU's cultural heritage policy, using The European Heritage Label as case study. This initiative's 48 selection panel reports, 38 promotional videos, and 10 site descriptions are used as data. The methodological approach was qualitative, since Topoi Analysis, a sub-category of Critical Discourse Analysis, was used. The results show that the EU's cultural heritage policy reinforces the categories of inclusive identity. while at the same time, but with less frequency, also constructs a more exclusive European identity. These findings bring implications for theory, future research, and the EU itself.

Doctor Educationis / The central concern of this study has been to determine the effectiveness or otherwise of a combined Dialogical Argumentation Instructional Method (DAIM) and the Assessment for Learning Model (DAAFLIM) strategies in enhancing Tertiary and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students’ conceptions of selected scientific topics. The extant literature has shown that students often hold other worldviews or funds of knowledge, which might be in conflict with canonical school science. In light of this, DAAFLIM has been chosen for a number of reasons: (1) it has been shown to be effective for revealing students’ scientific and alternative worldviews; (2) it provides the learning environment that encourages students to express themselves freely, exchange views with others, reflect on what they have learned, and even to change their minds in the face of stronger arguments; (3) it is compatible with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) curriculum which emphasizes that educators should integrate school science with students’ indigenous knowledge as a way to make the former more relevant to their sociocultural environment; (4) assists educators to plan instruction in accordance with the needs of multicultural science classroom; and (5) the combination of classroom discourses with continuous or formative assessment (as exemplified by DAAFLIM), instead of the usual terminal summative assessment, tends to mitigate the fears that students usually associate with assessment. Specifically, a group of TVET students i.e. the Experimental group (E-group) was exposed to DAAFLIM while the other group i.e. the Control group (C-group) was exposed to traditional instruction method (TIM).

From a social constructivist perspective (SCP) we analyse TV-commercials’ success. We address the following questions: Does the customer co-create meaning, and, more specific, is a commercial more successful if a customer plays a co-creating role? If so, both the customer and her experience, as well as the commercial, play a significant part in explaining the commercial’s success. As independent constructs to explain commercials’ success we used storytelling, indicating the commercial’s part, and experiential conclusiveness, indicating the customer’s part. We found support that the customer and seller via the commercial co-create meaning and coordinate their activities.

The Dayton Peace Agreement was signed in 1995, which effectively ended the war in Bosnian and established a decentralized state. This divisive nature of this framework encourages the political elite and decision makers to place a greater importance upon preserving political power, rather than making meaningful institutional changes. They consistently instrumentalize interthnic fears as a means to gain popular support at the expense of the country's development. The inability to cooperate has led to political stalemate and contributed to low level of progress in many sectors. Nonetheless, the possibility of accession to NATO remains open if the criteria for membership are satisfied. The international community bears the responsibility of integrating Bosnia and Herzegovina because of its strategic importance and the potential threats that can develop if political tensions escalate into an armed conflict. The recent accession of Montenegro and North Macedonia to NATO proves the doors remains open for aspiring countries that show the political will to deepen their relationship with the Alliance. Bosnia has made remarkable transformations in its security and defense sector, though it must resolve the current issues that impeded its Euro-Atlantic aspirations.

In 1989, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics advocated for a reform mathematics approach to mathematics education. Teachers in a large suburban school district in the southeastern United States are expected to use strategies that are consistent with reform mathematics. It is not known whether faculty members of a large elementary school in that district have adopted reform mathematics teaching strategies. Reform mathematics is an endeavor to move away from the traditional, direct instruction approach of the teacher as the sole provider of information toward the teacher as a facilitator of knowledge. Reform mathematics allows students to construct their own understanding through experience. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of reform mathematics through teachers' self-report of current practices and classroom observations. A quantitative survey study design was used that included data collection from a self-report survey and teacher observations. Thirty-one teachers responded to the survey, and 15 of the teachers were observed. The survey results showed overall positive agreement (M = 4.54 on a 6-point Likert scale) with reform mathematics. The observation results revealed that teachers were using reform mathematics strategies in their classrooms. Nonetheless, the results indicated room for improvement. A staff development project was designed to provide teachers with targeted training to implement reform mathematics strategies more fully. This study will initiate social change by introducing and reinforcing current, data-driven teaching techniques to affect positive future student achievement and success.

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