published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This is a year long in-depth, longitudinal case study of Noa, a six-year-old female in a bilingual first grade class which documents and analyzes her literacy development in a multilingual setting. Data collection for the study includes: written artifacts, anecdotal records, informal interviews with Noa, formal interviews with Noa's teachers, and videotapes. The research questions and their answers are summarized as: (1) What types of written genres does Noa develop? Noa developed 25 different written genres. The genres were categorized according to the distinction between language as an end in itself and language as a means toward an end, based on Halliday's ideas of learning about language and learning through language. (2) How does Noa use Hebrew, English and Spanish in her writing development? English was Noa's predominant written language. Only 10% of Noa's writings were written in languages other than English. (3) How does Noa use technology in her literacy development? Noa used the computer for two main reasons: as a stylistic device and as an ownership device. (4) What kind of questions does Noa ask about language learning? Noa wondered aloud about language intensively during the duration of the study. (5) What types of tensions influence Noa's writings? Three types of tensions were documented: Language learning: between invention and convention. The genres categorized as language as an end in itself did not show any development throughout the year. In the genres categorized as language as a means toward an end, the tension between inventions and conventions were obvious and gave a clear sense of Noa's literacy development. Settings: between home and school. The settings in which Noa wrote impacted her writings. All of the genres related to language as an end in itself were explored in the school setting only. Important relations between Noa's writing experiences at home and in the school were discussed. Editing: between teacher centered and student centered. Noa's editing provides insight about teacher centered and student centered editing. Noa's assimilation and accommodation of the teacher's editing behaviors and the student centered editing were discussed.

Karl Popper developed a falsificationist epistemology in which knowledge grows through falsifying, or criticizing, our theories. Since criticism plays such a vital role in Popper’s falsificationist methodology, it seems natural to envisage his heuristic as a helpful resource for developing critical thinking. However, there is much controversy in the literature over the feasibility and utility of his falsificationism as a heuristic. This study argued that Popper’s falsificationism is justified on the grounds that it not only solves, theoretically, the problem of the bounds of reason in the form of comprehensively critical rationalism, but influences, practically, the research work of scientists from diverse fields. It also found that there is cause for cautious optimism about the effectiveness of falsification as a strategy for solving scientific problems. Popper’s falsificationist epistemology carries profound political and educational implications. On a political level, it is necessary to establish and maintain an open society by fostering five core values, viz. freedom, tolerance, respect, rationalism, and equalitarianism, as well as three crucial practices, viz. democracy, state interventionism, and piecemeal social engineering. On an educational level, the overriding aim is to nurture in children the requisite abilities, skills, and dispositions characteristic of critical thinking for full participation in an open democratic society. In order to achieve Popper’s educational ideal, this study proposed implementing Matthew Lipman’s Philosophy for Children (commonly known as P4C) programme in schools, arguing that the programme can fulfil the requirements of Popper’s educational ideal through using community of inquiry as methodology of teaching, philosophy as subject matter for inquiry, logic as both means and ends of inquiry, and Socrates as a model teacher for inquiry. The present study then conducted an experiment to assess the effectiveness of Lipman’s P4C programme in promoting Hong Kong children’s critical thinking. Forty-two Secondary 1 students volunteered for the experiment, from whom 28 students were randomly selected and randomly assigned to two groups of 14 each: one receiving P4C lessons and the other receiving English lessons. The students who were taught P4C were found to perform better in the reasoning test than those who were not, to be capable of discussing philosophical problems in a competent way, and to have a very positive attitude towards doing philosophy in the classroom. It was also found that P4C played a major role in developing the students’ critical thinking. Considering that the construction of children by adults as incompetent in the sense of lacking reason, maturity, or independence reinforces the traditional structure of adult authority over children in society, it runs counter to the goal of fostering critical thinking in children. As a way to return justice to childhood and to effectively promote critical thinking in children, the present study suggested reconstructing the concept of childhood, highlighting the importance of establishing a coherent public policy on promotion of agency in children and also the importance of empowering them to participate actively in research, legal, and educational institutions. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This study arises out of my experiences of conducting flamenco dance workshops in a number of schools. During my visits I became concerned by what I observed happening in dance education at these schools. In discussion with the teachers I began to identify various challenges and constrains that had the effect of ‘boxing’ dance in the formal education curriculum. I became concerned with the effect these ‘boxes’ were having on dance education and I felt compelled to try and address some of the issues and challenges I observed. The diversity of cultures found in many urban schools that I visited, presents a tremendous challenge for educators wishing to include dance into their learning programmes. As a result dance is either not being offered at these schools or is approached in a tokenistic way. In many instances the teachers I spoke to were inadequately trained or ignorant of the requirements for dance in the formal curriculum. This study seeks to offer a way to address these issues. In my research, I have reflected on some of the educational and social factors that I believe are challenging dance education in these schools. I have conducted a Qualitative Action Research with an Auto Ethnographic, Self Study approach using the Living Theory Methodology as a point of departure. I have used my knowledge of flamenco and dance education to open the ‘flamenco box’ in order to introduce it to mainstream dance education in South Africa. I have come to term my approach ‘flamenco as educational’. In accordance with the Living Theory Methodology I include personal and educational aims and values and through rhythm and flamenco dance reflect on the interconnectedness of existence. I use critical reflection to engage with the issues I observed influencing dance education in a multicultural learning environment. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2010.

Western Governments have been obliged to tackle illicit substance abuse by focusing on health issues, this has resulted in preventative policies that direct drug education through schools. As a consequence there are hundreds of drug education programs and the majority are competing for funding under the same auspice. Victoria's response has been to develop a prevention program known as Get Real and phase it into Victorian schools over a three year period. / The three year period ended in 1999 and due to a change of Government the Get Real program has been re-funded for another 12 months, this is despite the fact there have been no formal evaluations conducted about its success or otherwise. / This program has been examined in relation to its own objectives and juxtaposed against two other main programs operating in schools in Australia. The results suggest Get Real is on the road to achieving its objectives which are to provide students with a realistic knowledge hasp about drugs and their effects. However, its broader goal which is to prevent illicit substance abuse cannot be evaluated because there are no studies that show its success or otherwise. / Based on the hypothesis thill drug education programs prevent illicit substance abuse in teenagers, Get Real's curriculum was compared with other similar programs and the research done on these programs suggest drug education programs do not successfully prevent illicit substance abuse. / The best Get Real and other programs can hope to achieve, is to provide realistic information and develop children's social skills and empower them with the knowledge and self esteem to make their own decisions. And to know that they alone are responsible for their choices and the consequences that follow from these choices.

Western Governments have been obliged to tackle illicit substance abuse by focusing on health issues, this has resulted in preventative policies that direct drug education through schools. As a consequence there are hundreds of drug education programs and the majority are competing for funding under the same auspice. Victoria's response has been to develop a prevention program known as Get Real and phase it into Victorian schools over a three year period. / The three year period ended in 1999 and due to a change of Government the Get Real program has been re-funded for another 12 months, this is despite the fact there have been no formal evaluations conducted about its success or otherwise. / This program has been examined in relation to its own objectives and juxtaposed against two other main programs operating in schools in Australia. The results suggest Get Real is on the road to achieving its objectives which are to provide students with a realistic knowledge hasp about drugs and their effects. However, its broader goal which is to prevent illicit substance abuse cannot be evaluated because there are no studies that show its success or otherwise. / Based on the hypothesis thill drug education programs prevent illicit substance abuse in teenagers, Get Real's curriculum was compared with other similar programs and the research done on these programs suggest drug education programs do not successfully prevent illicit substance abuse. / The best Get Real and other programs can hope to achieve, is to provide realistic information and develop children's social skills and empower them with the knowledge and self esteem to make their own decisions. And to know that they alone are responsible for their choices and the consequences that follow from these choices.

Orientador: Fernando Jorge da Paixão Filho / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T09:38:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Costa_DeborahValeriaBarbosaFidelesda_M.pdf: 15306065 bytes, checksum: 04bbbe4aa6d36aa162782eaf43206d1d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Durante os anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental os alunos demonstram grande interesse e curiosidade pela Ciência, interesse esse que vai decrescendo para grande parte desses alunos e se transformando em dificuldades de compreensão dos conteúdos da disciplina no decorrer de sua trajetória escolar. Além desse fato, nos anos iniciais há uma cobrança pelo cumprimento de uma extensa gama de conteúdos nas diversas áreas de conhecimento com ênfase na alfabetização e letramento em Língua Portuguesa e Matemática, o que na prática, resulta em muito pouco tempo para se trabalhar os conteúdos das demais áreas, favorecendo a prática de um ensino fragmentado e descontextualizado, com fins a cumprir o programa determinado. Diante desse contexto, o objetivo dessa pesquisa foi o de investigar e avaliar as contribuições das atividades sugeridas no portal "Física para crianças.O calendário e a medida do tempo" (PAIXÃO, 2010) para o ensino de Ciências e para a integração de disciplinas. A questão que motivou a pesquisa foi: Como o ensino de Ciências, integrado aos conteúdos de Matemática e Língua Portuguesa, numa perspectiva construtivista, pode favorecer um melhor aprendizado em sala de aula? As atividades utilizadas são baseadas em uma proposta construtivista do conhecimento e buscam favorecer a integração de disciplinas em momentos diversos. Além disso, proporcionou a mim, professora e pesquisadora, uma ação reflexiva constante, ocorrida durante minha mediação nesse processo de construção do conhecimento pelos alunos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de intervenção, com características da pesquisa experimental de grupo único e da pesquisa-ação estratégica. O aporte teórico se deu pela teoria construtivista de Jean Piaget e pela teoria socioconstrutivista de Lev Vygotsky e seguidores. As contribuições de Rosalind Driver, Alda Pereira, Anna Maria P. de Carvalho, entre outros, foram fundamentais para o entendimento do construtivismo no ensino de Ciências. O trabalho foi desenvolvido durante o ano letivo de 2012, com os 25 alunos do 2º ano do Ensino Fundamental, de uma escola municipal de Campinas/SP, de faixa etária de 7 a 8 anos, dos quais fui professora e pesquisadora nesse período. As atividades aplicadas foram quatro: coleta e registro diários de dados referentes às condições do tempo (dias ensolarados, nublados ou chuvosos), à aparição da Lua no período da manhã e à medição da temperatura ambiente; observação e registro, através de desenho, da posição do Sol em relação a um poste (duas vezes por semana); observação e registro coletivo em cartolina da sombra de um poste no decorrer do ano (a cada 20 dias); atividades relacionadas à forma do Planeta Terra e a gravidade. Os dados coletados foram analisados a partir de três categorias: potencial das atividades na integração das disciplinas e conteúdos; apropriação dos conhecimentos pelos alunos; papel do professor pesquisador e reflexivo no processo de construção do conhecimento. As categorias de análise favoreceram a percepção de alguns aspectos. As atividades desenvolvidas se mostraram de grande potencialidade para a integração de conteúdos e disciplinas, favorecendo um melhor aproveitamento das aulas. Também proporcionaram aos alunos o desenvolvimento de uma atitude mais interrogativa frente ao conhecimento, além da compreensão de conceitos de Astronomia que muitas vezes não eram entendidos pela própria professora, que em alguns momentos precisou aprender junto com os alunos, comprovando que estamos todos em constante aprendizado. O trabalho propiciou à professora diversos momentos de análise e reflexão da prática, que são fundamentais para a busca permanente da melhoria do ensino e da aprendizagem dos alunos / Abstract: During the early years of elementary school students show great interest and curiosity for science, this interest tend to decrease for many of these students and turning into difficulties in understanding the contents of the subject during their school career. Besides this fact, in the early years there is a requirement for complying with a wide range of content in different areas of knowledge with emphasis on literacy and literacy in English Language and Mathematics, which in practice results in very little time to work with the contents the other areas, providing the practice of a fragmented and without context teaching purposes to fulfill the particular program. In this context, the objective of this research was to investigate and evaluate the contributions of the activities suggested in the portal "Física para crianças. O calendário e a medida do tempo" (Paixão, 2010) for science teaching and the integration of disciplines. The question that motivated the research was: How science teaching, integrated with the content of Math and Portuguese, a constructivist perspective, can foster a better learning in the classroom? The activities used are based on a constructivist approach of seeking knowledge and encourage the integration of disciplines at various times. Moreover, it provided to me, teacher and researcher, a constant reflexive action that occurred during my mediation of knowledge construction process by students. This work, therefore, is an intervention research, with characteristics of single-group experimental research and strategic action research. The theoretical contribution was made by the constructivist theory of Jean Piaget and the constructivist theory of Lev Vygotsky and followers. The contributions of Rosalind Driver, Alda Pereira, Anna Maria P. de Carvalho, among others, were fundamental to the understanding of constructivism in science education. The study was conducted during the academic year 2012, with 25 students of the 2nd year of elementary school, in a public school located in Campinas city of São Paulo state, the age group 7-8 years, students whom I was the teacher and researcher in this period. The four activities were implemented: daily collection and registration of data on weather conditions (sunny days , cloudy or rainy), the appearance of the moon in the morning and the measurement of the temperature; observation and recording through drawing, position of the sun in relation to a post (twice a week); observation and collective recorded in cardstock about shadow of a lamppost during the year (every 20 days), related to the shape of the Earth and gravity activities. Data were analyzed from three categories: potential activities in the integration of disciplines and content; appropriation of knowledge by students; role of researcher and teacher in reflective knowledge-building process. The categories of analysis favored the perception of some aspects. The activities have shown great potential for the integration of knowledge and disciplines, promoting a better utilization of lessons. Also provided students with the development of a more questioning attitude to knowledge beyond the comprehension of concepts of astronomy which were often not understood by the teacher who at times had to learn along with the students, proving that we are all constantly learning. The work led to the teacher many moments of reflection and analysis of practice, which are critical to the ongoing search for improvement of teaching and student learning / Mestrado / Ensino de Ciencias e Matematica / Mestre em Multiunidades em Ensino de Ciências e Matemática

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The purpose of this project was to identify and examine the elements and skills of cooperative learning for student learning in physical education. This project is intended for junior high and middle school physical education teachers who want to be informed on cooperative learning for student learning in physical education. Cooperative learning is the main topic of this study. This project searched for elements and skills in cooperative learning. The method for this project was a literature review from peer-reviewed articles.