Although inclusive practices demonstrate positive academic and social outcomes for all students (Hehir et al., 2016; Newman, 2006) and are necessitated by an increasingly diverse student body in U.S. schools (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2017), teachers who have graduated from inclusive teacher preparation programs frequently find themselves teaching within contexts which make it challenging for them to sustain their inclusive commitments over several years of teaching practice (Rood, 2018; Rood & Ashby, 2020). This study explored how, when, and under what conditions early and mid-career in-service educators who attended inclusive education preservice programs are, and are not, able to sustain their work. Informed by Disability Studies in Education (DSE) and an ecological approach to conceptualizing teacher agency (Priestley et al., 2017), this study built on research that suggested enacting inclusivity is a stance towards decision making rather than solely a set of skills and practices. This study investigated the perspectives of four in-service New York City inclusive educators to determine their beliefs and commitments to inclusivity, their efforts towards implementing inclusivity, and their prior experience in inclusive teacher education programs through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and document review. Data were analyzed using qualitative analytic open coding. Findings suggested that having previously developed a sense of self-efficacy in curriculum planning and beliefs about how inclusive curriculum should be constructed through their inclusive preservice education supported participants in achieving agency in curriculum designing. Participants demonstrated how in making inclusive curricular adaptations, they redesigned the pacing, structure, and content of curricula to reflect a commitment to their previously learned inclusive beliefs in accessible instruction for individualized learners and social justice. Furthermore, participants described relying on their relationships with like-minded colleagues to support how they maneuvered structural barriers (e.g., a school’s organizational set-up of teacher observation) and cultural barriers (e.g., the culture of performativity based on high-stakes testing) to enacting inclusivity (Priestley et al., 2017). The ability to cultivate collective efficacy and rely on relationships to support inclusive action reflected the relationship-building practices that participants described developing in their preservice programs. Participants believed that having attended inclusive preservice education programs provided them with foundational skills, knowledge, and decision-making practices that supported their ability to maneuver around constraints on practice to enact inclusive teaching while in the field.

No description available.

The purpose of this project was to address the need for making the subject matter of life science accessible to all kindergarten and first grade students.

This research is a critical analysis of lifelong learning (LLL) as a strategy for continuous professional development (CPD) of curriculists in the Department of Technical Vocational Education & Training (DTVET) in Botswana. The assumption that formal education will provide the required competencies for the duration of the work cycle is obsolete. The researcher argues that the workplace provides a rich environment for informal, problem-centred learning and that LLL skills are essential tools that enable practitioners to be actively involved in their professional development. The main discussion is within a postmodern paradigm which views learning and development as both a cognitive process as well as a social construct. This view forms the basis for an analytical construct to examine the fundamental question; do practitioners see themselves as observers on the outside, or as active participants, within the experience, having the ability to adapt to changes in the nature of work? The study used a mixed, exploratory design to determine, motivators and barriers to LLL, and the LLL skills practitioners require to perform efficiently in their jobs. The conclusion was that in order to enhance the skills of practitioners to a level consistent with an evolving knowledge economy that continuous development rests on the inclusive principles of LLL, and on the acquisition of LLL skills. Data indicated that these modern day skills are perceived to empower practitioners to, not only manage change, but also to be change agents through the use of information technology, research, self-management, and team work. The fundamental barriers emanating from the research were the lack of support from DTVET management as well as cultural barriers which inhibit self-directed learning. Data from the study were conclusive in showing that LLL was an effective strategy to enhance CPD. Based on the roles, barriers, motivators and LLL skills identified in the research, recommendations are presented along with a conceptual model for LLL as a strategy for CPD. / Adult Basic Education (ABET) / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

This research is a critical analysis of lifelong learning (LLL) as a strategy for continuous professional development (CPD) of curriculists in the Department of Technical Vocational Education & Training (DTVET) in Botswana. The assumption that formal education will provide the required competencies for the duration of the work cycle is obsolete. The researcher argues that the workplace provides a rich environment for informal, problem-centred learning and that LLL skills are essential tools that enable practitioners to be actively involved in their professional development. The main discussion is within a postmodern paradigm which views learning and development as both a cognitive process as well as a social construct. This view forms the basis for an analytical construct to examine the fundamental question; do practitioners see themselves as observers on the outside, or as active participants, within the experience, having the ability to adapt to changes in the nature of work? The study used a mixed, exploratory design to determine, motivators and barriers to LLL, and the LLL skills practitioners require to perform efficiently in their jobs. The conclusion was that in order to enhance the skills of practitioners to a level consistent with an evolving knowledge economy that continuous development rests on the inclusive principles of LLL, and on the acquisition of LLL skills. Data indicated that these modern day skills are perceived to empower practitioners to, not only manage change, but also to be change agents through the use of information technology, research, self-management, and team work. The fundamental barriers emanating from the research were the lack of support from DTVET management as well as cultural barriers which inhibit self-directed learning. Data from the study were conclusive in showing that LLL was an effective strategy to enhance CPD. Based on the roles, barriers, motivators and LLL skills identified in the research, recommendations are presented along with a conceptual model for LLL as a strategy for CPD. / Adult Basic Education (ABET) / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

This Masters project consists of two elements: 1) an integrated after-school program to improve student English language reading and academic outcomes for third graders' vocabulary development by incorporating music, artistic creativity and linguistics; 2) a pilot sample curriculum that demonstrates the approach for building student comprehension through musical theater and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) content experiences. Called "Water Buddy", this is an after-school program uses singing, dancing, writing, and play to build reading and vocabulary skills. The goal is to improve learner academic outcomes by mastering the elemental building blocks of words, letters, symbols by making memorable the sound units, idioms, print conventions, and concepts that they were previously lacking.

Many of the academic and popular treatments of hip-hop overlook the complexity of the phenomenon. Hip-hop is often portrayed solely as a source of corruption and regressive tendencies or, alternatively, as a sort of savior for otherwise marginalized individuals and source of revolutionary power. This thesis situates hip-hop between these poles and draws out its progressive and regressive aspects for analysis. Considering its vast global influence and a growing body of academic literature, hip-hop has been notably understudied in the field of psychology. Alternatively, educational theorists and practitioners have realized the power of hip-hop in revisualizing an emancipatory education that fosters critical consciousness. This project goes beyond other hip-hop education projects in that it attends more directly to the psychological phenomenon of identity. As youth develop a strong connection to social and political identity and increase their level of critical consciousness (an additional goal of this and most other hip-hop based curriculums) they are more likely to participate and have the tools to be successful at actions aimed at progressive social change. This thesis grew out of a larger project titled Moving to the Beat, a community-based multi-media endeavor that includes both the Moving to the Beat documentary film and curriculum guide. The Moving to the Beat curriculum guide strives toward the goals of emancipatory education. The film and the curriculum guide stay near the experience of hip-hop identified youth while attempting to avoid generalizations and stereotypes. Further, the developments of the film, curriculum guide, and this thesis have been guided by academic literature from a wide range of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, cultural studies, and education. The thesis focuses on two primary questions: (1) How do youth engage the Moving to the Beat curriculum guide and documentary film? (2) Do the Moving to the Beat materials facilitate the development of critical consciousness and/or social identity in youth? Two primary waves of data collection were conducted to answer these questions. At each location, Moving to the Beat was shown and an outside facilitator guided youth through the curriculum discussions and activities that centered on identity. During these workshops, multiple sources of qualitative data were collected, including participant observations, interviews, student produced lyrics, and feedback forms. These sources of data pointed to six primary themes across locations and sources of data: traditional gender roles, "everyone is all equal", "you doing you", the new hip-hop generation, development and maturity, and youth resistance. This thesis represents the first assessment of the Moving to the Beat documentary and curriculum, the results of which will be used to alter the curriculum guide and prepare it for publication.

M.Ed. / This dissertation took as point of departure the problem definition of the report of the HSRC Working Committee on Curriculation and a great deal of attention was given to the curriculating role of the teacher at micro (classroom) level. The researcher tried to determine from available literature on this subject, what the viewpoint of other researchers were on the teacher's curriculating task at micro level. Almost without exception researchers were convinced that the teacher should play an important part as far as curriculum design, implementation and development are concerned. The researcher came to the conclusion that a lot of the reseachers are of the opinion that the word "curriculating" or "to curriculate" is part and parcel only of the meso (departmental) level, but in actual fact this term can only be relevant at the micro level. It is only the teacher who can actually "curriculate". People involved in curriculum development at the meso level can be called curriculum designers. Both teachers and curriculum designers are making use of the principles related to curriculum design, but they apply it in different ways. The second chapter was dedicated to the participants at the micro level. The two parties that play an active role at micro level are the teacher and the pupil, but there are also other people who are involved in the politics of education at micro level. Special attention was given to the teacher's role as curriculating and curriculum development agent in this regard. A proposal which flows from this dissertation is that student teachers and acting teachers must in one way or another be educated/trained to handle curriculum development as an applied skill. A training model for student teachers is also proposed, which should enable them to handle any given curriculum in a skilful way. In chapter 4 the assumptions that were made in the beginning of the study were tested against data obtained by means of an empirical survey. The data which has been obtained, confirmed the point of view that teachers feel that they have no say in matters related to the curriculum; that they are not trained properly in the handling of curricula and because of this they can not act as professionals. If the authorities were willing to adopt the recommendations proferred in this study it should lead to a more professional approach to curriculating, teaching and learning.

M.A. / A review of research titles produced since 1985 at RAU indicates that no formal research has been conducted on the evaluation of the counselling psychology curriculum. An overview of the literature in this field indicates that the profession has not consolidated a unique identity, and its evolution continues since its inception in approximately 1890 together with the origination of the general field of psychology. It thus becomes difficult to define a standard counselling psychology curriculum in this changing growth process, and this study examines only a single curriculum while attempting to determine efficiency, effectiveness and relevance within the changing South African context. Thus while the literature and existing theoretical models served to provide some bench marks in the evaluation process in terms of current trends, the related needs of a diverse and changing South African population were also utilised. It was anticipated that this evaluation process would provide the training system with relevant feedback to be used for possible future implementation. Given the limitations of a dissertation the aim was not to conduct an empirical study, but rather to obtain as much useful information as possible by using a questionnaire with rating scales and open ended questions in order to best determine efficiency, effectiveness and relevance of the training curriculum. While the analysis of the results appears to show that students experienced overall satisfaction with training, except for some modules, a trend is also noted where the programme itself has evolved by better meeting the needs of students. However, it is indicated that the programme does not adequately prepare students for the demands of private practice, and that the emphasis is too academic and less applied, which results in producing adequate knowledge but inadequate skills. Serious consideration is found to be needed regarding the relevance of the curriculum in terms of the broader South African community and needs.

No description available.