This study investigated teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment in mathematics and their current classroom assessments practices. Specifically, the study sought to gain an understanding of the extent to which teachers use different classroom assessment methods and tools to understand and to support both the learning and teaching processes. The following three questions guided the study: 1) How do primary school teachers perceive classroom assessment in mathematics? 2) What kinds of assessment methods and tools do teachers use to assess their students in mathematics? 3) What is the influence of teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment on their classroom assessment practices? The study used a questionnaire to establish the teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment in mathematics, a lesson observation protocol, and pre-lesson and post-lesson observation interview protocols as main sources of data collection. The data collected through observations and interviews helped to map out patterns between perceptions of classroom assessment and the teachers' classroom assessment practices. Document analysis was used to triangulate the information collected through observations and interviews. In addition, document analysis provided first hand information on the kind of written feedback students get and the nature of activities they do. A total of six teachers (three male and three female) were drawn from two primary schools in Malawi. The data suggest that teachers perceive classroom assessment as tests that teachers give to their students at specified time intervals. What teachers said about their teaching was not reflected during their teaching. Since teachers perceived classroom assessment as tests, they showed limited ability to use different methods and tools to assess their students while teaching. The teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment have influence on their classroom assessment practices. Five of the six teachers perceived assessment as testing, and classroom assessment practices were not clearly embedded in their teaching. Teacher experience and teacher education program did not seem to contribute much to teachers' perceptions of classroom assessment; however, teacher's academic qualification seemed to influence teachers' flexibility to accept new ideas. / Ph. D.

In Lesotho, there are no formal opportunities for professional training of teacher educators. Consequently, the majority of teacher educators have not received a training that could equip them with professional knowledge base that is foundational to any profession. Therefore the question: what are the sources and application of professional knowledge among teacher educators appeared justifiable. Arguably, the teacher educators’ professional knowledge is intricately linked to education practice. Teacher educators have to address the discrepancy between education policy and practice through the training of student teachers who, in turn, have to contribute to the quality of the Lesotho education system. An interpretivist approach was followed in undertaking this study. Data was collected through: narratives, observations of teacher educators and analysis of the curriculum and assessment documents. The unit of analysis was eight teacher educators who are based at the National University of Lesotho’s Faculty of Education. Verification of the extent to which the topic was researchable was through undertaking a pilot study with six teacher educators who were based in the department of Educational Foundations in the same faculty. The analysis of the data revealed an immersion in the teacher educators’ professional landscape provides them ample opportunities to learn from an array of experiences. They accumulated experienced-based professional knowledge relevant to their world of work as they learn to teach, construct, apply and model it in the context that is uniquely teacher education. They have learned to teach teachers mainly from existing education practices which perpetuate what already exists. They face numerous challenges; their teaching is biased towards conventional teaching techniques of a transmissive nature and to a less extent interactive techniques; construction of professional knowledge remains a complex and challenging undertaking. Opportunities to construct own teaching research-based knowledge and supervision of student research are limited. In practice teacher educators have to rethink their pedagogy. Engaging in research adopting a “self-study” approach is unavoidable. Research will enhance their professional development and the quality of the student teachers. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Humanities Education / unrestricted

The ever-changing demands of working life pose considerable challenges to higher education. The literature indicates that traditional forms of university instruction positioned a deficit model of teaching and learning, which is embedded in a logical positivist paradigm, as authoritative in the production of ‘experts’ who possess legitimate knowledge. However, in professional practice, health practitioners often deal with ill-defined problems. If health practitioners are to be prepared properly for their future careers, the development of reflective thinking should be an integral component of professional education courses. The aim of this study was to explore the public narratives on existing teaching and learning practices in higher education, orthotics/prosthetics and psychology, and to examine the authority of these narratives in the unfolding stories of students and the facilitator in a pilot applied psychology course designed for orthotist/prosthetist professionals. There is a paucity of psychological research in orthotic/prosthetic practice and further research in this domain is needed, particularly from a qualitative approach. A story map was used to integrate the methodology of personal experience methods and narrative analysis into one model that represents the voice of public and private narratives in a specific temporality of past, present and future. The analysis of public and private texts revealed the narrative themes of teaching and learning, co-constructing knowledge, reflection-on-practice, disability, community of concern and agency. A critical psychology and social constructionist approach is proposed to facilitate reflective clinical practice in a psychology module for orthotics and prosthetics. In a collaborative learning community, the lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and desires that invited orthotist/prosthetists into this helping field are honoured. In addition, they are encouraged to reflect on the value of professional interventions by using pragmatic criteria of whether an approach fits or is useful for a client, rather than relying on some abstract notion of ‘truth’. / Thesis (PhD (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Psychology / unrestricted

Cette recherche s’inscrit dans le cadre plus large d’une cotutelle de thèse en Sciences de l’Éducation entre les Universités de Nice et de Turin. Nous sommes partis du constat que l’organisation de l’éducation spécialisée en Europe est loin d’être homogène. Ainsi, en Italie, contrairement à la France, la formation en travail social est confiée aux universités. Depuis l’inscription de la formation française dans le cadre européen en 1989, la réorganisation des contenus de formation et la mise en conformité avec le reste de l’Europe a provoqué une révision profonde du modèle pédagogique de référence et de la conception même de la profession. À partir de cette étude comparative, notre thèse étudie l’impact de ce nouveau modèle de transmission et de reconnaissance des savoirs sur la professionnalisation des travailleurs sociaux, afin d’envisager comment le cadre européen agit à travers ses deux postulats : la transférabilité des savoirs et des compétences professionnelles. En partant d’un secteur spécifique comme celui de l’éducation spécialisée, notre thèse explore le double aspect de la formation – transférabilité des savoirs- et de la professionnalisation – transférabilité des compétences –afin de vérifier s’il est judicieux de parler d’une véritable "Europe des métiers du social". / This research is incorporated within the wider framework of a thesis in Educational Studies which was co-tutored by the University of Nice in France and the University of Turin in Italy. We started by observing that the organisation of specialised education in Europe is far from being homogeneous. Consequently, Social Work Education in Italy is entrusted to Universities, yet not in France. Since French education was incorporated within the European Framework in 1989, the re-organisation of the educational content and its compliance with the rest of Europe has led to a deep reviewing of both the pedagogical model of reference and the conception of the profession itself. Moving from this comparative study, our thesis analyses the impact of this new model of transmission and recognition of knowledge on the professionalization of social workers in order to understand how the European framework acts through the two following postulates : the transferability of knowledge and the transferability of professional expertises. Starting from the specific field of specialised education, our study explores the double aspect of education – knowledge transferability – and professionalization – expertises transferability – in order to verify whether it is wise to talk about a common “European approach to social work”. / Questa tesi in Scienze dell’Educazione ha visto la luce nell’ambito di una co-tutela tra l'Università di Nizza e l’Università di Torino. La premessa è che la professione dell’educatore in Europa è tutt’altro che omogenea. In Italia, sin dagli anni Novanta, la formazione degli educatori è affidata alle università e conserva una base disciplinare. In Francia, invece, essa é delegata alle scuole regionali ed é declinata in competenze. Inoltre, nel 2010 é stata attuata una profonda revisione del modello pedagogico in nome dell’adesione alle norme che regolano lo Spazio Europeo dell'Istruzione Superiore (SEIS). In questo quadro si colloca il nuovo modello di trasmissione e di riconoscimento dei saperi proposto dall’Europa, basato su due postulati : la trasferibilità delle conoscenze e delle competenze professionali. Partendo da un settore specifico come quello dell’educazione professionale, la ricerca si è proposta di esplorare il doppio aspetto della comparazione dei sistemi di formazione – trasferibilità delle conoscenze – e professionali – trasferibilità delle competenze – al fine di verificare se è possibile parlare di una "Europa dei mestieri del sociale".