Industrial Design in China seldom addresses the issue of sustainability in mass production. Failure to incorporate sustainable design as a core principle will result in long term environmental and economic loss for both business and society. This research studies the current Industrial Design educational system in Mainland China and proposes a new educational framework to engage sustainability as a design objective. This study adopts the philosophical perspectives of constructivism, sustainable design theory, critical pedagogy, and systems thinking. Literature related to sustainability is collected and organized and overlaid with educational constraints identified through the interviews with educators, students, and practitioners of Industrial Design in four major cities of Mainland China. Using the grounded theory approach, from these two sources a new educational framework is proposed. The educational framework categorizes courses in a four year undergraduate Industrial Design educational program into four domains: ecological literacy, artistic, technological, and professional. Suggestions for the appropriate timeline, content, and pedagogical approaches for curriculum are also provided. The proposed framework was then critically reviewed Chinese educators that served as feedback for the final proposition. / Ph. D.

This thesis highlights the complex nature of students’ experiences in the sexuality education classroom. It seeks to provide insight from the perspectives of Year 10 students in two classes on their experiences of a particular sexuality education programme. The purpose of this study was to ‘give voice to’ and explore the experiences of asmall group of nine Year 10 students in their compulsory co-educational sexuality education programme. To this end, the main source of data was focus group interviews with student participants. Students were asked to participate in focus group interviews part way through the unit of work and invited to share their thoughts, feelings and perceptions of the programme. The data analysis generated themes that describe student’s experiences in relation to course content, pedagogy and classroom organisation. The analysis of students’ talk in focus group interviews also showed that gender relations and emotional safety were important features of the students’ experiences of their sexuality education programme. More particularly, it was found that students valued their exposure to this subject and felt that school was a good place to learn about sexuality education. They enjoyed social constructivist teaching approaches that were student-centred and interactive. The students expressed some dissatisfaction with the way in which their sexuality education programme was organised and being delivered. In addition, there was evidence of both male and female students being influenced by traditional, hegemonic constructs of masculinity and femininity, and also a heteronormative culture within the classroom. The findings present implications for sexuality education teaching in relation to programme development and classroom practice. They suggest that sexuality educators may need to consider the way in which their classrooms are organised, as well as the pedagogical approaches they use, as it appears these aspects have significant influence on the emotional safety of students, on relationships within the classroom and on the student experience of sexuality education as a whole.

The purpose of this qualitative case study is threefold: (1) to examine the implementation of current Life Sciences curriculum in a selected primary school from the perspectives of teachers, students and administrators / (2) to investigate the degree to which teachers&rsquo / , students&rsquo / and administrators&rsquo / perceptions were embedded in the classroom practices / and (3) to identify whether the implementation of the curriculum was conducive to principles of constructivist pedagogy. An elementary school was chosen as a single case in an outer district of Ankara. The participants of the study were the school administrator and 2 co-administrators, 4 classroom teachers and 87 students from different 2nd and 3rd grades classrooms. The data were collected through document analysis, observations in the Life Sciences classes, semi-structured interview with administrators, stimulated recall interview with teachers, and creative drama with students. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the suggested Life Sciences Curriculum was conducive to the principles of constructivist pedagogy in terms of its content / teaching and learning processes / instructional methods / assessment methods / and teachers&rsquo / and students&rsquo / roles. However, the acquisitions of the LSC were not conducive to the constructivist approach. The findings on the teachers&rsquo / , students&rsquo / and administrators&rsquo / perceptions about the Life Sciences curriculum indicated that in Life Sciences lessons the teachers seemed to have a role of knowledge transmitter to a group of passive students. According to the findings, the most frequently used teaching methods were lecturing, question-answer and demonstration through using textbooks, workbooks, and white boards. In addition, the most frequently used assessment methods were essay and oral exams, classroom observations and self-assessment. Overall it can be concluded from the findings that although the suggested Life Sciences curriculum was prepared in line with the principles of constructivist pedagogy, the way it was implemented had some deficiencies regarding the actualization of goals suggested by a constructivist curriculum.

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My diploma thesis on the Using board games in the Czech language lesson in primary school is divided into two parts. The first part deals with theoretical starting points based on experiential and constructivist pedagogy. It focuses on the game from several points of view - as a free activity and joy during life and as a didactic method in which pupils' education is realized, a class climate is formed and a board game is applied. Further there are described places where you can play board games outside the school environment. The second part is devoted to the production of my own board games and their subsequent use in the teaching of the Czech language in the fourth year of primary school. In conclusion, I reflect on their suitability for teaching, highlight their advantages, possible pitfalls and suitable variations and forms of gradation. KEYWORDS Game, board game, Czech language, experiential pedagogy, constructivist pedagogy, activation methods, pupil, teaching, primary school, own experience and enjoyment

This dissertation thesis is focused on the theme of the integration of foreign pupils into Czech primary schools. The aim of this thesis is to map and describe in detail the process of integrating and educating foreign pupils in a Czech primary school, and what procedures and strategies the school uses in integrating and educating foreign pupils. The theoretical part of the work provides a basic theoretical and empirical basis, which is based on Czech and foreign literature. Furthermore, the concept of a foreign pupil, including their characteristics and needs in the educational process, is defined. The legislative context of the issue is outlined. An important concept is the emphasis on removing obstacles and barriers in the education of foreign pupils. The thesis deals with the concepts of integration, inclusion, thought of ideas of equality of educational opportunity, multiculturalism, and pedagogical constructivism as ideas to which the Czech school should aim. The theoretical background is then applied in the empirical part, which aimed to achieve an answer to the basic research question: How does the Czech school integrate foreign pupils into the educational process at the primary level? Other specific research questions were formulated. The design of qualitative research was chosen for the...

This mixed methods dissertation study explored how secondary school educators in specific K-12 competition programs recruited and deployed STEM professional volunteers. The study explored which practices were viewed as most important, and how practices related to constructivist pedagogy, all from the viewpoint of educators. The non-positivist approach sought new knowledge without pursuing generalized results. Review of the literature uncovered extensive anecdotal information about current practices, and suggested that large investments are made in engaging volunteers. One National Science Foundation-sponsored study was identified, and its recommendations for a sustained research agenda were advanced. Three study phases were performed, one to explore practices and operationalize definitions, a second to rate practice's importance and their relation to pedagogy, and a third to seek explanations. Educators preferred recruiting local, meaning recruiting parents and former students, versus from industry or other employers. Most educators preferred volunteers with mentoring skills, and placing them in direct contact with students, versus deploying volunteers to help with behind-the-scenes tasks supporting the educator. Relationships were identified between the highest-rated practices and constructivism in programs. In STEM professional volunteers, educators see affordances, in the same way a classroom tool opens affordances. A model is proposed which shows educators considering practicality, pedagogy, knowledge and skills, and rapport when accessing the affordances opened by STEM professional volunteers. Benefits are maximized when programs align with strong industry clusters in the community.

This study captures the transformation of a research methodology module and the workplace learning resulting from teaching research to senior police officers. Using ethnography, the study explores the initial development and transformation of the research module content and the ways in which the police trainers developed their practices to teach research methodology in the regulated police work environment. Through interviews, observations, document analyses and an ethnographic essay, the researcher uncovers the experiences and construction of knowledge at a SAPS Academy where research was taught and in the workplace during the ensuing experiential learning. The study revealed how the research module evolved through compensations made for shortcomings in the initial design. This was done by addressing changing organisational expectations and responding to specific needs of the adult learners. The trainers subsequently adapted their teaching approaches to cater for the specific needs of the learners and the organisation. At the same time, they also protected the reputation of the organisation and the integrity of the research module. The findings indicate that informal learning, constructed unintentionally, was more prominent in the workplace than the intended development of research skills. Evidence suggested that learning is indeed reliant on personal agency and that learning in communities of practice is very effective for the community. However, culture can become a barrier to learning when newcomers resist entry into such community or when its sub-culture conflicts with that of the bigger organisation. These experiences and lessons enabled the construction of a new three-phased research teaching model for organisations that wish to inculcate research as a problem–solving mechanism. The study has implications for policy-makers and educators as it emphasises the need to understand the theory of workplace learning and the necessity of making a deliberate effort to support learning in the workplace. When learning is not supported, employees develop undesirable skills to cope with the pressure of having to work and learn simultaneously. The study contributes to the existing knowledge of workplace theory, ethnographic research in police settings and research teaching pedagogy. The study highlights the need for further exploration of knowledge construction in communities of practice in regulated work environments where sub-cultures are in conflict with the organisational culture. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Philosophy of Education)