The National Literacy Project initiated in 2016 by the Swedish government and The Swedish National Agency for Education was a strategy from the Swedish government to improve the results of the Swedish pupils. Sweden had previously been one of the top countries in the OECD test results, but during the last two decades that had changed. The project is a school developing project with the purpose to enhance competence in literacy among teachers in different subjects, and as a consequence improve the results. The method of the project was collegial learning in minor groups of ten to twelve members with a tutor who represented expertise in literacy. In the interviews in this essay the tutors are all teachers in Swedish.        This study aims to describe how six tutors of The National Literacy Project and six teachers in upper secondary school experienced their work with the project. They all work at theoretical national programs. The method is qualitative interviews in focus groups and individually and the research concerns professional identity, collegial learning and relationships in professional groups. The subject for the teachers in the groups is research and methods in literacy.        Research relevant for the study is the sociological and pedagogical aspect of professional identity within a teachers’ community. The theory helps to understand how teachers involved in a school developing project initiated by headmasters, municipality, authority and utmost the government, react. Another aspect is the theory of Community of Practice, which helps to enlighten the leadership and parts in a group and also how knowledge and identity is reproduced within a group of colleagues.        The result shows how six tutors and six individual teachers experience their work with The National Literacy Project; the parts in the community (tutor and group member) and the utility of the methodical and theoretical topics in the literacy material of the project.

As community pharmacy transitions from a fee-for-service model to a focus on value-based care, the desired skills of pharmacist graduates in contemporary practice is an evolving paradigm. Meanwhile, most student pharmacists pursuing a career in community pharmacy upon graduation rely solely upon their pharmacy school training as preparation for entering practice. Community pharmacy preceptors are stakeholders in a unique position to compare the dichotomy of the current climate of community practice with the preparedness of graduating students to enter this field. Therefore, these preceptors’ perceptions of contemporary practice services and skills essential for new graduates may be useful in identifying methods of educating and assessing PharmD candidates in their preparation to enter the evolving landscape of community practice. The objective of this research was to identify essential skills for new graduates in contemporary community pharmacy as perceived by these current practitioners. To accomplish this, researchers developed an anonymous web-based survey using REDCap which was emailed to active Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experiences (APPE) community preceptors. The survey included 3 sections: (1) preceptor demographics; (2) perceptions of “contemporary” services and an evaluation of services offered at their sites; and (3) essential skills for graduates entering contemporary community practice. Following a 30-day window of the survey being open, 25% of preceptors responded (n = 42). Survey responses provided clarity in comparing the proportionality in services offered versus services viewed as contemporary. This information may be useful in identifying transformations that have already seen implementation in practice compared to emerging areas yet to be implemented. We also found broad consensus in the perceived importance of most skill areas offered in the survey with just a few showing broader discrepancies with a minority of respondents suggesting skills which held less importance. Monitoring fluctuations of these parameters over time may disclose trends in community pharmacy practice transformation, further delineating service areas that are trending toward adoption in contemporary practice. Therefore, continued use of preceptor surveys may offer insights on the incremental progression of community pharmacy curricula.

This thesis systematically captures participatory video practitioners’ reflections on their role to examine variations in practitioners’ conceptions of participatory video practice by examining the internal coherence and collective learning interaction of the community of practitioners. This is a relevant area of research in the field of development studies because it stimulates reflection and helps the evaluation of prevailing participatory development approaches, allowing for collective practice improvement, maximizing potentials, and minimizing risks. Participatory video (PV) is a facilitated group process of media production. The interest in, funding for and number of PV projects in development is growing, due to its celebrated ideological potential to bring social change, to identify community needs and empower marginalized groups. However, the mainstreaming of participatory approaches to development has triggered a wave of admonitions about ethical, institutional, and personal challenges that these contain. In its wake has a previously uncritical focus on PV’s potentials recently led a group of scholar practitioners to engage in reflecting on their ideology, practice realities and tensions in their role. The thesis contributes original knowledge to the scholarly discourse by collectivizing information on a wider group of PV practitioners. The research drew on existing scholarly work abductively to develop an interview guide, then qualitative data was first collected in semi-structured interviews to gain a fine-grained view on the practitioner community’s reflections. In a second phase of primary data collection, practitioners were given the opportunity to collectively discuss the preliminary findings in an online workshop. The research uses a phenomenographic categorization to group practitioners’ conceptualizations and Wenger’s community of practice concept (1998) as analytical framework. It finds five distinctive practitioner roles; the Activists, Collaborators, Educators, Organizers and Safe-keepers which emphasize different parts of practice to different extents. It further finds that a community of practice does not exist between PV practitioners due to both a lack of quantity and quality of interaction and significant divisions between practitioner subgroups and gives recommendations on how to enhance mutual learning and collective reflection in the future.

In an era that sees sports clubs facing a crisis, a few still grow and attract new members. They use technology for their benefit and provide a place where the members have fun, become aware of their competence, set goals for improvement and experience empowerment. The present qualitative study, conducted with a road cycling club in Germany, investigates how membership is negotiated and confirmed. By exploring the factors that influence the degree of belonging, this research aims to provide some answers on how active members of a cycling hobby club experience becoming part of such a community, what it takes to substantiate membership, and how individual and collective identities are formed and constantly negotiated. The situated learning perspective and Etienne Wenger's Communities of Practice concept have been adopted, and semi-structured interviews with ten participants were conducted. Moreover, observations and conclusions from a stimulated focus group discussion were used. The analysis shows that cycling in a group is a complex, multifaceted learning experience. Power, speed, or cycling skills do not suffice without the will and active efforts to harmonise with a group. Belonging grows parallel to competence, and the degree of competence gets constantly evaluated by the community in their practice, as a combination of contribution to the common goal and ability to be a trusted partner. Competence is thus a “becoming”, reflecting the members’ engagement with the sport and on an interpersonal level.

Within postgraduate studies, learning is assessed through the examination of modules making up a taught programme and the writing of a dissertation. However, research, nationally and internationally, has shown that although students are generally able to complete the modules making up a postgraduate programme successfully, often difficulty arises in the writing of the dissertation which begins with the conceptualising and writing of the research proposal. It seems that students are considered poorly equipped for postgraduate study, which puts their academic success and completion of their studies in jeopardy, particularly those for whom English is not a first language. Since 1994 with wider access to higher education, a concern has arisen about National figures for postgraduate throughput rates, which on average, are quite low. This current research originated with concern about the unpreparedness of some postgraduate students in a specific master‟s programme in a Faculty of Education at a South African university and about offering them the foundations for the development of their academic research writing, an aspect so vital to achieve success at this level. It seems that programmes which incorporate academic writing are put into place in some honours programmes (see Henning, Gravett & van Rensburg, 2005; Thomson, 2008 for South African programmes) but once the student progresses to master‟s or doctoral level, this does not seem to be the case. The main aim of this study was to obtain insight and understanding of the demands of academic writing at postgraduate level and to develop an effective intervention to assist in the development of proficient academic research writing. Thus, the development of an academic research writing intervention deemed most appropriate for postgraduates in education was designed and developed to assist students during the first stages of their research, that of conceptualising, writing and successfully defending the research proposal. The premise is that during this first year of study, acquiring and developing academic literacies, in order to become competent academic writers would provide the scaffolding1 for the move into the second phase of the research process, that of academic research writing. Design Research was considered most appropriate for this research as it is interventionist, iterative, process-focused, utility-oriented and theory-driven (Van den Akker, Gravemeijer, McKinney & Nieveen, 2006, p.5) and in addition, requires the involvement of practitioners (Plomp, 2013, p. 20). The sample for this study was drawn from a specific master‟s programme in education and consisted of students, the supervision team and the academic research writing practitioner. A mixed methods approach was used where data comprised quantitative data (questionnaire, evaluations and assessments) and qualitative data (personal writing, evaluative writing, interviews and assessments). Findings emerging from the context of this particular master‟s programme point to a set of design principles that inform the development of a model for academic research writing which appears promising for supporting the postgraduate student effectively. It is hoped that the findings emerging from the research will fill a gap in the literature and add to the body of knowledge on postgraduate academic research writing. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / PhD / Unrestricted

In this practice-led exploration, I investigate the aesthetic potential of household waste. With household waste as the object of investigation, I explore the cultural signification of waste in terms of the role it plays in art practice. I look into the found object, bricoleur culture and the sculptural process of assemblage. By considering how assemblage allows for the inclusion of waste materials, the lowly status of household waste leads my art practice to a do-it-yourself approach. This approach of incorporating waste materials into artworks shifts the focus from the physical state to the conceptual meaning of waste. The shift that occurs when the waste object is displaced into art is central to this research study, owing to the capacity of these objects to connote meaning. I refer to this capacity as the social agency of waste materials. My investigation pertains to how art practice may alter or enhance the meaning of household waste. The physical cycle of waste, the constant change in use value that is promoted by consumer society and the process of conceptual adaptation instil a nomadic quality in household waste. I view the nomadic quality of waste as a means to activate viewer participation. I investigate, in particular case studies, how the interrelationship of installation art, site-specificity and community-based art may contribute to an experiential mode of viewing. I apply the lens of phenomenology and contemporary environmental aesthetics to interpret how viewers engage with art installations. My investigation of confrontational art installations has informed the approach of my own creative research. To convey the nomadic quality of waste, I have developed a series of quasi-functional sculptural artworks that act as mechanical modes of movement to signify an industrial influence of consumerism. Through community art practice as an interrelated field of research, the community members of Rietondale, particularly the school learners from workshops I presented, influenced my approach to my own art practice as I had sought to influence theirs. This mini-dissertation serves as a reflection on the coinciding thought process, material journey and collaborative initiative of a practice-led exploration of the aesthetics of household waste. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Visual Arts / MA / Unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study explored the learning and teaching of students registered for the undergraduate Training Management Module in the Industrial Psychology Department at a traditional university in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The aim of the study was to explore how situated learning can inform a more practically orientated learning and teaching of ETD practitioners. The criticism levelled at institutions of higher learning is that education, training and development practitioners are poorly trained to integrate theory taught, into practical situations.

Times of transition can provoke informal learning that is both potentially transformative and often unacknowledged. New mothers living in a new country are in effect undergoing a double transition, and thus are in a position to possibly undertake a great deal of informal learning. This research focuses on migrant mothers living in Sweden and aims to understand their perceptions of their own learning at open preschools (öppna förskolor), or drop-in centers for young children and their caretakers. Through a small-scale qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, eight migrant mothers living in Solna municipality shared their memories and opinions about open preschools. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis and examined in light of Wenger’s (1998) social theory of learning and community of practice framework. The mothers overwhelmingly identified open preschools as places of support, with some also perceiving them as places of learning. Nonetheless, the findings show a great deal of informal learning related to mothering and mothering in a new country. There was a complicated relationship between supports and barriers to learning, reflecting the nuanced nature of communities of practice. In short, open preschools gave the participants a place to engage on their own terms with the intellectual work involved with forming their identities as migrant mothers. They also, however, encouraged the development of mothering identities that are in line with dominant Swedish discourses about gender and childrearing. This study proposes nevertheless that open preschools play a vital role in supporting parental learning and easing the transition to life in Sweden for migrant mothers.

Les communautés de pratique (CoP) sont citées dans la littérature comme des espaces potentiels de coopération entre pairs pour favoriser l’accès aux connaissances et permettre le développement de l’innovation. Ce réseau informel de coopération représente un intérêt particulier pour les start-up innovantes qui souffrent du manque de ressources et d’un certain « handicap à la nouveauté », notamment quand elles sont trop éloignées des capacités et des routines d’autres potentiels partenaires de l’innovation. Cependant, dans leur réalité inter-organisationnelle, la question de la compétition ne peut être écartée. Or, cette dynamique paradoxale, marquée par la rencontre entre les logiques de coopération et de compétition, n’est pas abordée dans la littérature portant sur les CoP. De même, les travaux traitant de la coopétition explorent rarement ces dynamiques dans les réseaux informels. Ainsi, l’objectif de cette thèse est d’étudier les effets de la coopétition sur les dynamiques sociales des CoP inter-organisationnelles en contexte d’innovation. Pour ce faire, nous nous basons sur l’étude de cas exploratoire et longitudinale enchâssée de la CoP de startups innovantes du domaine des technologies de l’information et de la communication de San Pedro Valley, au Brésil. L’analyse du cas permet de construire une catégorisation des différentes relations de coopétition au sein de la CoP. Si la participation des entrepreneurs, membres de ce réseau informel, permet la réalisation d’ajustements stratégiques permettant aux startups de mener à bien leur projet d’innovation, certaines relations de coopétition modifient progressivement le fonctionnement communautaire de par l’émergence de tensions et de conflits dans leur milieu hautement concurrentiel. Les résultats de cette thèse apportent ainsi un éclairage nouveau sur le fonctionnement des CoP au niveau inter-organisationnel à l’échelle d’une ville et montre comment la coopétition se développe dans un réseau informel. Des apports managériaux pour les entrepreneurs sont aussi à souligner parce qu’ils permettent une meilleure appréhension de leur écosystème d’innovation. / Community of practice (CoP) is defined as a potential space for cooperation between peers favoring the access to knowledge and allowing the development of innovation. A CoP, which can also be seen as an informal network of cooperation, could be interesting for startups that suffering with the lack of resources and that are deficient in their innovation process, especially when they are far from potential innovation partners. However, the issue of competition cannot be disregarded in their inter-organizational context. Furthermore, the literature on communities of practice has not yet addressed this paradoxical dynamic in which there is presence at the same time of cooperation and competition logics. Moreover, the literature of coopetition does not well explore this kind of dynamics in informal networks. Thus, the goal of this thesis is to study the effect of coopetition on the social dynamics of inter-organizational CoPs in an innovation context. This study is based on an exploratory and longitudinal case study that was conducted at San Pedro Valley (Brazil), which is a CoP of innovative startups in the information technology sector. The analysis of this case study allows us to construct a categorization of different relationships of coopetition that exist in the inter-organizational CoP. Even if the participation of entrepreneurs, which are members of this informal network, allows the strategic adjustment of their companies in issues related to the innovation projects, some relations will progressively modify the crucial characteristics of the CoP due to the forthcoming of tensions and conflicts. One of the main results of this thesis is a new light at the functioning of CoP at the inter-organizational level showing how the coopetition strategies is developed in informal networks. Another result includes an individual-level to understand the drivers of coopetition, and then the study provides insights about the informal relationship in the scope of coopetition strategy. It is also worth mentioning methodological contributions based on the use of a "netnography" approach to entrepreneurial social networks, as well as managerial contributions to entrepreneurs, allowing a better understanding of their innovation ecosystem.

This study focuses on a Facebook group utilized by secondary English teachers during the initial crisis period of COVID 19, defined as March 2020-June 2020. During this period, teacher participants used this Facebook group as a community of practice to re-envision pedagogy, using social media as a third space in which to have discussions with other teachers, either to seek help or to share resources. After a qualitative content analysis of 630 initial posts, 14,500 comments, and 13,539 reactions, three themes were determined. Teachers used the Facebook group to re-envision pedagogy by discussing texts and related activities, teachers sought strategies for lessons to implement during a pandemic; by offering a forum for discussion about ethical considerations of social justice and school responsibility, the teachers sought a space to talk openly about how to respond to current events; and by serving as a space for solidarity and support among fellow English teachers, the teachers supported each other through change.