This diploma thesis focuses on classroom environment and the possibilities of psychological intervention. The theoretical part deals with three main topics: classroom as a small social group, classroom environment and the possibilities of psychological intervention in such an environment. It describes the functioning of a classroom as a small social group, the principles of its development and relevant diagnostic methods. Classroom environment is defined by the components it is made of and aspects it is influenced by. Further on, the topic of positive classroom environment and its impact on the effectiveness of the instruction and the development of the personality of the pupils are discussed. The last topic outlines the possibilities of psychological intervention from the teacher's and school psychologist's points of view. The empirical part presents the outcomes of a research carried out in nine grammar school classrooms in order to analyse their environment - first-year students in comparison with fifth-year students. A set of three methods, two questionnaires and one graphic method, were used in the research. The results have shown corresponding tendencies in the environment of groups functioning on a long-term basis and newly-formed ones. Psychological intervention in the environment of selected...

This study captures the narrative of the lived experiences of four teachers as they developed effective classroom environments in a high school looping program in an Eastern Tennessee school district. The study examined the stories and reflections of the participants in order to discover teacher perception, behaviors, and attitudes that help to establish teacher-student relational involvement which produces positive academic, behavioral, and socio-emotional student outcomes. The stories collected during the narrative study provide real-life, contextual data with which other practitioners might reflect upon their own teaching experiences and practices. The study also adds to the discussion on the potential impact of looping programs as a structure for improving student-teacher relationships and maximizing responsive teaching in secondary schools in order address student engagement and motivation.

The transition into Kindergarten is a critical time for children's development--children's patterns of academic development and engagement with school often start in Kindergarten and persist throughout their academic careers. This is a developmental period that is marked by many changes in children's lives, and therefore it is not a surprise that many children struggle during this transition. These struggles are more common for children who are living in poverty, and although there have been national initiatives to address opportunity gaps in access to early education, investigations into the effectiveness of these programs in promoting children's Kindergarten development have shown mixed results. It is therefore essential to identify the types of early education experiences that are effective in supporting children in having a smooth Kindergarten transition. This dissertation presents and evaluates six theoretical frameworks that can be used to understand the Kindergarten transition. The school readiness approach to the Kindergarten transition focuses on the ways in which children's Kindergarten-entry skills can lead to their own development during Kindergarten. The Pre-K launch model examines the role of high-quality Pre-K in boosting children's school readiness, and subsequently their development during Kindergarten. The classroom quality perspective describes the supportive qualities of Kindergarten classrooms that may aid in children's development across this transition. The continuity perspective shows that support for continuous high-quality instruction between Pre-K and Kindergarten systems may promote children's growth. The buffer/compensation model proposes that children with higher-quality Pre-K experiences are more resilient to the effects of lower-quality Kindergarten. Finally, the consistency model suggests that alignment of quality between Pre-K and Kindergarten may be beneficial for children regardless of whether that alignment represents high quality instructional practices. Each of these perspectives provides valuable insight into the Kindergarten transition; however, these theoretical perspectives have not been studied simultaneously to determine the extent to which all may play a role in children's development during the Kindergarten transition, particularly the development of children who are living in poverty. The current study used data from the National Center for Early Development and Learning's Multi-State Pre-kindergarten Study (NCEDL) to chart children's experiences in their Pre-K and Kindergarten classes to determine whether there are qualities of children's experiences before and throughout the Kindergarten transition that support their development during Kindergarten, and evaluated the extent to which these patterns support these major theoretical perspectives. The study found that children's Kindergarten-entry skills were the best predictors of their end-of-Kindergarten outcomes, showing support for the school readiness perspective. In the domain of instructional support, children's concurrent classroom experiences predicted their academic outcomes during a given year, showing support for the classroom quality framework. In the domain of emotional support, statistical effects of Kindergarten emotional support on children's outcomes were seen only under conditions in which Pre-K emotional support had also been high, showing conditional support for the continuity model. Consistency of children's emotional support, when controlling for quality, was negatively related to their social and emotional development, indicating that consistent emotional support alone is not beneficial without taking into account the quality of that emotional support. Associations between Pre-K quality and children's Kindergarten development were not translated through boosts in school readiness, indicating that while Pre-K experiences do matter for children's development during the Kindergarten transition, that relationship is not best described through a launch model. And finally, any benefits of higher quality emotional and instructional interactions during both Pre-K and Kindergarten were largely concentrated in the group of children who were not living in poverty, while higher Pre-K quality was at times related to lower Kindergarten outcomes for children who were living in poverty. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), 2008 / Argument directed to bilingual instruction in South Africa is not new. The issue of eleven official languages in education remains contested. The apartheid language in education policy infused with imbalance proficiency demands for educators and learners’in the country. The policy was replaced in 1997 with a new policy based on non –discriminatory language use and the internationally accepted principle of home language education in the contest of bilingual or multilingual framework. The policy was designed to accommodate home language (HL)maintenance, proficiency and first additional language (FAL), English for the majority of learners and optimal cognitive development. The policy has not been accompanied by any significant government or language department to ensure the implementation plan. It has however been met with several arguments of bilingual resource and well –trained educators. The argument paved a way into publications which have been used to deflect government’s responsibility regarding bilingual instruction .The difference in language policy however disregard the fact that South Africa is multilingual and that home language is the most appropriate language of learning everywhere in the world. The implementation and understanding of bilingual and linguistic interdependence of both English and African languages have a role to pay in the development and sustainability of democratic country. The underlying implication is that since English and Afrikaans as the media of instruction that disadvantaged the majority of South African citizens over the years, it is time African languages be implementated alongside English or Afrikaans in education system. South Africa’s new language in Education policy (LiEP) has been regarded as one of the best progressive in the world. The dissertation describes research that investigates the gap between the policy expections and what is prevailing at some private and public primary school in Limpopo Province.

The major purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a science course for prospective elementary teachers on their perceptions of the learning environment, attitudes towards science, and understandings of the nature of science. The sample consisted of 525 female students enrolled in 27 classes of A Process Approach to Science (SCED 401) at a large urban university in Southern California. Also comparisons were made between SCED 401 and the students' previous laboratory course with regard to the learning environment and attitudes. Perceptions of the learning environment were measured using scales from the Science Laboratory Environment Inventory (Open-Endedness and Material Environment) and the What Is Happening In this Class? (Student Cohesiveness, Instructor Support, Cooperation, Investigation). Attitudes towards science were assessed using the Enjoyment of Science Lessons scale from the Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA). Students completed the Nature of Scientific Knowledge Survey (NSKS) based on their entire science education experience-not just the one laboratory class which they had taken previously. Comparisons were then made with their understandings after having completed SCED 401. Finally, associations between the learning environment and the student outcomes of attitudes and understandings of the nature of science were explored. This study embraced the current trend in classroom learning environments research of combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Qualitative components included items from the open-ended questionnaire, Views of Nature of Science, interviews with students, and an analysis of concept maps. The qualitative findings expanded and complemented the quantitative results and, in several cases, supported the construct validity of scales assessing the learning environment and attitudes. / Another purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using real research data for growth rates of four species of Antarctic seabirds (i.e., implementing an 'intervention') in six classes of SCED 401. The objective of the intervention was to increase the authenticity and quality of an experimental design project. In addition, the wildlife biologist who collected the data guided the students during the project. Although the intervention did not lead to an appreciable improvement in students' perceptions of the learning environment, differences between intervention and nonintervention classes were statistically significant for Enjoyment of Science Lessons from the TOSRA and for Creative from the NSKS (effect sues were 2.64 and 2.06 standard deviations, respectively). Results of this study indicated that during a factor analysis, the large majority of learning environment items belonged to their a priori scale (43 out of 46 items had factor loadings above 0.40) A valid instrument for use with prospective elementary teachers was produced by combining relevant scales from the Science . Laboratory Environment Inventory and the What Is Happening In this Class? A weaker factor structure was found for the Nature of Scientific Knowledge Survey. However, by moving close to half of the -faulty' items from the NSKS, the internal consistency reliability of scales improved considerably. This study also found large and statistically significant differences between students' previous laboratory class and SCED 401 for all six leaning environment scales. The largest difference was found for the level of Open-Endedness (effect size was 6.74 standard deviations). / A statistically significant difference also was found for Enjoyment of Science Lessons (effect size was 2.98 standard deviations). Differences were not as dramatic with regard to understandings of the nature of science, although differences for two scales (Creative and Unified) from the NSKS were positive and statistically significant. This study replicated past research by finding statistically significant positive correlations between all six learning environment scales and Enjoyment of Science Lessons. However, by far, Instructor Support had the largest independent association with enjoyment, using both the individual and class mean as the units of analysis. A positive link between a favorable leaning environment and the student outcome of understanding nature of science also was found. This research makes a distinctive contribution to the learning environments field because it is the first study to investigate laboratory classroom environments at the university level with prospective elementary teachers. The study is also the first to build a bridge between the classroom learning environment and the student outcome of understanding the nature of science. The study has implications for undergraduate laboratory course instructors, for science teacher educators who develop and instruct in elementary teacher preparation programs, and for future elementary teachers and the science learning of their future students.

<p>Abstract</p><p>The aim of this survey has been to achieve knowledge about Asperger syndrome. What does</p><p>this require of the pedagogue? How should the physical environment be designed in a</p><p>classroom for pupils with Asperger syndrome?</p><p>With qualitative interviews of one special pedagogue and one teacher in class 1-3, the level</p><p>of knowledge has become better about how pupils with Asperger syndrome cope with</p><p>situations in school, but also how the pedagogue can relate by being flexible and by practising</p><p>one’s occupational role professionally.</p><p>There is not a general method that works. It is the pupil on an individual basis who desides</p><p>her or his needs or their capabilities. As a pedagogue it is always walking a tightrope to find</p><p>the path and the solutions in different conflicts that will arise and support the pupils with</p><p>Asperger syndrome with tools to gain understanding for different social situations in the</p><p>classroom.</p> / <p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Syftet med undersökningen har varit att få kunskap om vad Asperger syndrom är, vilka krav</p><p>det finns på pedagogen och hur en fysisk miljö bör se ut för elever med Asperger syndrom.</p><p>Med kvalitativa intervjuer av en specialpedagog och en lärare i årskurs 1-3 har vetskapen</p><p>blivit större om hur elever med diagnosen Asperger syndrom klarar av situationer i skolan</p><p>men också hur man som pedagog kan förhålla sig, genom att vara flexibel och utöva sin</p><p>yrkesroll professionellt.</p><p>Det finns inte en given metod som fungerar, utan det är eleven som individ som avgör vad</p><p>just hon eller han behöver eller klarar av. Som pedagog är det en evig balansgång att finna</p><p>vägar och lösningar i olika konflikter som uppstår, samt att ge elever med Asperger syndrom</p><p>verktyg för att få förståelse för olika sociala situationer i klassrummet.</p>

<p><strong><p>Abstract</p><p> </p></strong></p><p> </p><p>The purpose of this essay was to study understandings, determine the meening of a good learning environment in the school class, and how teachers and principal can contribute to it. On the basis of existing research that says: the common attitudes and standpoints between the school management and the teachers, is fundamental in case a good learning environment will occur in the classroom, the study has analyzed if the principal’s and the teacher’s attitudes in this study, are the same.</p><p> </p><p>The study is based on four main questions:</p><p> </p><ol><p> </p><li>What is a good learning environment, according to teachers, principal and existing research?</li><p> </p><p> </p><li>How can teachers and principal contribute to a good learning environment, according to teachers, principal and existing research?</li><p> </p><p> </p><li>Do the teacher’s and principal’s attitudes concerning what defines a good learning environment, agree? </li><p> </p><p> </p><li>Do the teacher’s and principal’s attitudes concerning how teachers and principal can contribute to a good learning environment, agree?</li><p> </p></ol><p> </p><p>To reply to the purpose of the study, five qualitative interviews were made. The interviews were done with five teachers and one principal, working in the same school. Research and litterature of interest, has been read, and these are presented in this essay.</p><p> </p><p>The study result shows that the existing research gives a wide definition of what a good learning environment is, and how a teacher and principal can contribute to it. Most of the factors/headlines that are presented in the essay, has also been handled by people in the interview, wich indicate that theese are of importance.</p><p> </p><p>The study also shows that the school, where the empirical study was done, did have a common attitude concerning what is, and how teachers and principal can contribute to, a good learning environment. Many of the subjects that were brought up by the people in the interview, can also be found in the existing research.</p><p> </p> / <p>Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att närmare studera uppfattningar<em> </em>beträffande vad som definierar en god lärandemiljö i skolklassen, samt hur lärare och rektor i sitt agerande kan bidra med detta. Utifrån tidigare forskning som säger att: de gemensamma förhållningssätten, mellan skolledning och lärare, är grundläggande för att en bra lärandemiljö skall förekomma i klassrummet, kommer studien att undersöka huruvida lärarnas och rektorns uppfattningar, överensstämmer.</p><p> </p><p>Studien utgår från fyra frågeställningar:</p><p> </p><ol><p> </p><li>Vad är en god lärandemiljö, enligt lärare, rektor samt tidigare forskning? </li><p> </p><p> </p><li>Hur kan lärare och rektor bidra till en god lärandemiljö i klassen, enligt lärare, rektorn samt tidigare forskning?</li><p> </p><p> </p><li>Överensstämmer lärarnas och rektorns uppfattningar, angående vad som är en god lärandemiljö, med varandra?</li><p> </p><p> </p><li>Överensstämmer lärarnas och rektorns uppfattningar angående hur man som rektor och lärare kan bidra med en god lärandemiljö?</li><p> </p></ol><p> </p><p>För att svara på syftet genomfördes fem kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra lärare och en rektor, verksamma på samma skola. Aktuell forskning och litteratur har lästs och finns presenterad i arbetet.</p><p> </p><p>Studien visar att den tidigare forskningen ger en mycket bred definition av vad som är en god lärandemiljö, samt hur man som lärare och rektor kan bidra. De flesta faktorer/rubriker som lyfts fram har också blivit behandlade av intervjupersonerna, vilket tyder på att dessa är av intresse i arbetet för en god lärandemiljö.</p><p> </p><p>Studien har visat att det på skolan, där den empiriska undersökningen genomfördes, fanns en gemensam uppfattning och gemensamma förhållningssätt gällande området lärandemiljö. Rektorn och lärarna var i stort sätt eniga om vad som är, samt hur man som lärare och rektor kan bidra till en god lärandemiljö. Mycket av det som lärarna och rektorn tog upp i intervjuerna, har de också stöd för i tidigare forskning.</p><p> </p>

Abstract The aim of this survey has been to achieve knowledge about Asperger syndrome. What does this require of the pedagogue? How should the physical environment be designed in a classroom for pupils with Asperger syndrome? With qualitative interviews of one special pedagogue and one teacher in class 1-3, the level of knowledge has become better about how pupils with Asperger syndrome cope with situations in school, but also how the pedagogue can relate by being flexible and by practising one’s occupational role professionally. There is not a general method that works. It is the pupil on an individual basis who desides her or his needs or their capabilities. As a pedagogue it is always walking a tightrope to find the path and the solutions in different conflicts that will arise and support the pupils with Asperger syndrome with tools to gain understanding for different social situations in the classroom. / Sammanfattning Syftet med undersökningen har varit att få kunskap om vad Asperger syndrom är, vilka krav det finns på pedagogen och hur en fysisk miljö bör se ut för elever med Asperger syndrom. Med kvalitativa intervjuer av en specialpedagog och en lärare i årskurs 1-3 har vetskapen blivit större om hur elever med diagnosen Asperger syndrom klarar av situationer i skolan men också hur man som pedagog kan förhålla sig, genom att vara flexibel och utöva sin yrkesroll professionellt. Det finns inte en given metod som fungerar, utan det är eleven som individ som avgör vad just hon eller han behöver eller klarar av. Som pedagog är det en evig balansgång att finna vägar och lösningar i olika konflikter som uppstår, samt att ge elever med Asperger syndrom verktyg för att få förståelse för olika sociala situationer i klassrummet.

Abstract     The purpose of this essay was to study understandings, determine the meening of a good learning environment in the school class, and how teachers and principal can contribute to it. On the basis of existing research that says: the common attitudes and standpoints between the school management and the teachers, is fundamental in case a good learning environment will occur in the classroom, the study has analyzed if the principal’s and the teacher’s attitudes in this study, are the same.   The study is based on four main questions:     What is a good learning environment, according to teachers, principal and existing research?     How can teachers and principal contribute to a good learning environment, according to teachers, principal and existing research?     Do the teacher’s and principal’s attitudes concerning what defines a good learning environment, agree?     Do the teacher’s and principal’s attitudes concerning how teachers and principal can contribute to a good learning environment, agree?     To reply to the purpose of the study, five qualitative interviews were made. The interviews were done with five teachers and one principal, working in the same school. Research and litterature of interest, has been read, and these are presented in this essay.   The study result shows that the existing research gives a wide definition of what a good learning environment is, and how a teacher and principal can contribute to it. Most of the factors/headlines that are presented in the essay, has also been handled by people in the interview, wich indicate that theese are of importance.   The study also shows that the school, where the empirical study was done, did have a common attitude concerning what is, and how teachers and principal can contribute to, a good learning environment. Many of the subjects that were brought up by the people in the interview, can also be found in the existing research. / Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att närmare studera uppfattningar beträffande vad som definierar en god lärandemiljö i skolklassen, samt hur lärare och rektor i sitt agerande kan bidra med detta. Utifrån tidigare forskning som säger att: de gemensamma förhållningssätten, mellan skolledning och lärare, är grundläggande för att en bra lärandemiljö skall förekomma i klassrummet, kommer studien att undersöka huruvida lärarnas och rektorns uppfattningar, överensstämmer.   Studien utgår från fyra frågeställningar:     Vad är en god lärandemiljö, enligt lärare, rektor samt tidigare forskning?     Hur kan lärare och rektor bidra till en god lärandemiljö i klassen, enligt lärare, rektorn samt tidigare forskning?     Överensstämmer lärarnas och rektorns uppfattningar, angående vad som är en god lärandemiljö, med varandra?     Överensstämmer lärarnas och rektorns uppfattningar angående hur man som rektor och lärare kan bidra med en god lärandemiljö?     För att svara på syftet genomfördes fem kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra lärare och en rektor, verksamma på samma skola. Aktuell forskning och litteratur har lästs och finns presenterad i arbetet.   Studien visar att den tidigare forskningen ger en mycket bred definition av vad som är en god lärandemiljö, samt hur man som lärare och rektor kan bidra. De flesta faktorer/rubriker som lyfts fram har också blivit behandlade av intervjupersonerna, vilket tyder på att dessa är av intresse i arbetet för en god lärandemiljö.   Studien har visat att det på skolan, där den empiriska undersökningen genomfördes, fanns en gemensam uppfattning och gemensamma förhållningssätt gällande området lärandemiljö. Rektorn och lärarna var i stort sätt eniga om vad som är, samt hur man som lärare och rektor kan bidra till en god lärandemiljö. Mycket av det som lärarna och rektorn tog upp i intervjuerna, har de också stöd för i tidigare forskning.

Today's higher education institutions are experiencing a different type of student population from previous years. They are known as gadget fanatics, social networkers, Internet enthusiasts, optimists, multitaskers, and inductive learners. Their viewpoints and aptitudes about technology and the Internet differ from others who rarely use it (Oblinger, 2003; Frand 2000). This population will present many challenges to American postsecondary institutions. Facilities, faculty, and curriculum will not be prepared to address their habits and expectations. They are called the Millennials. In an effort to start addressing the educational needs of the Millennial student population, postsecondary institutions must transition from the "old generation of learning" to the "new generation of learning" (Milliron, 2006). The purpose of the study is to explore the Millennial students' and faculty's perceptions of a new generation of learning classrooms. There were five research questions for this study: (1) What are the perceptions of a new generation of learning classrooms by Millennial students? (2) How do Millennial students relate to a new generation of learning classrooms? (3) What are the perceptions of a new generation of learning classrooms by faculty? (4) How do faculty relate to a new generation of learning classrooms? and (5) How Millennial students' and faculty's perceptions on the new generational of learning classrooms compare? Since this was a qualitative study, the Interactive Qualitative Analysis (Northcutt & McCoy, 2004) was the research design utilized to collect and analyze data that answered the research questions. A purposive sample for this study included a total of 47 participants: 26 Millennial students and 21 faculty members. One component of the research design involved focus groups for the Millennial students and faculty. Both groups identified the following themes, which were used to create an interview protocol: technology, appearance, teaching style, learning environment, writing/work space, classroom mood, climate, emotions, group assignments, and social networking. Analysis of the interview text included axial and theoretical coding. This contributed to the development of a mind map for the Millennial students and faculty. Comparisons of these two composite mindmaps reveal their perceptions of the new generation of learning classrooms.