Partie de faits empiriques observés au Burkina Faso, cette thèse aborde la question des déterminants de la qualité de l’éducation. Bien que la Loi d’orientation de l’éducation ait définie une vision holistique, le système éducatif de ce pays est cloisonné en formel, non formel et informel. Le système formel est dominant mais peu performant. Le système non formel est marginalisé mais est porteur de qualité. Qu’est-ce qui explique cette qualité du non formel malgré sa marginalisation ? Comme réponse provisoire, l’auteur fait appel à l’ingénierie de formation, procède par une triangulation de théories interactionnistes pour cerner les cinq formules éducatives constituant l’objet d’observation central de la thèse. La recherche révèle deux phases dans le développement des formules éducatives: une phase d’investigation où les acteurs vivent des moments d’idéation, d’analyse puis de conception portant sur les solutions à trouver aux problèmes éducatifs; Une phase de mise en œuvre où ils réalisent le projet éducatif validé, suivent et évaluent activités, résultats et procèdent à leur diffusion. Positionnée dans l’éducation non formelle, l’ingénierie de formation s’enrichit de deux nouvelles étapes: l’idéation ou l’émergence de la commande sociale en éducation, et la diffusion, moyen de réingénierie des formules éducatives. En somme, la recherche aboutit au fait que le développement des alternatives éducatives mobilise une ingénierie de formation, source de leur qualité. Cette qualité influence le système formel. Ainsi, les systèmes formel et non formel échangent des approches et pratiques inscrivant le champ éducatif dans une logique de transaction sociale et de métissage. / Part of empirical facts observed in Burkina Faso, this thesis addresses the question of the determinants of the quality of education. Although the Education Orientation Law has defined a holistic vision, the education system in Burkina Faso is partitioned into formal, non-formal and informal. The formal system is dominant but inefficient. The non-formal system is marginalized but carries quality. What explains this quality of non-formal despite its marginalization? As an interim response, the author uses training engineering, proceeds by a triangulation of interactionist theories to identify the five educational formulas constituting the central observation object of the thesis.The research reveals two phases in the development of educational formulas: an investigation phase where the actors live moments of ideation, analysis and conception concerning the solutions to be found to the educational problems; An implementation phase where they carry out the validated educational project, monitor and evaluate activities, results and disseminate them. Positioned in non-formal education, training engineering is enriched by two new stages: ideation or the emergence of social demand in education, and dissemination, a means of re-engineering educational formulas.In sum, the research leads to the fact that the development of educational alternatives mobilizes a training engineering that ensures them a quality education. This quality influences the formal education system. Thus, the formal and non-formal systems exchange approaches and practices that place the educational field in a logic of social transaction and miscegenation.

A prominent idea in the decentralisation and development literature is that decentralisation leads to deeper and stronger community participation. This thesis seeks to examine this argument by investigating the practice of community participation in the Indonesian decentralisation context, focusing on parental participation through access to and control over school financial resources. Drawing on a case study in Depok city, the practice of parental involvement has been explored by identifying the characteristics and the extent of parents’ participation in school management. School Committees (SCs), as a mechanism of community involvement provided by the decentralised education policy, were also examined in this research to develop an understanding of parental representation in school management. The study found that the characteristics and the extent of parents’ participation in school management have changed and decreased significantly as a result of a new Free School Programme (FSP) introduced by the government in 2009 which freed parents from school operational cost. Prior to FSP, parents actively participated in terms of supplying resources and involvement in school meetings, had some access to financial information, and had limited engagement with school budgeting through representation in SCs. However, the new absence of financial contribution by parents has affected parental participation by transforming it into a weaker form of participation where parents act as mere beneficiaries. The study also revealed that in the Indonesian context, the SCs, as institutional channels for community involvement in education provided by the education decentralisation policy, are not effective in terms of representing and engaging parents in school management. Based on the evidence above, this thesis concluded that in the context of the Indonesian education system, decentralisation has not necessarily enhanced community participation. In this respect, decentralisation is not the only possible answer for achieving a meaningful and empowering parental participation in education. Furthermore, other contextual factors surrounding participation also have to be taken into account. While FSP brings the benefit of allowing students to access education freely, the absence of parental financial contribution has been proved to impact parental participation in a way that is contradictory to one of the purposes of decentralisation policy, which is to engage the community in educational management.

Educators play a crucial role in the detection of child abuse, but there is limited research understanding the role of teachers in responding to maltreatment concerns. The purpose of this dissertation was to utilise three sequential studies, with multiple methodologies, to understand how Canadian educators are situated to detect, respond, and report suspected child abuse. In the first study, a national Canadian database was utilised to compare educator reported cases of child maltreatment to reports from all other professionals. In study two, 245 teachers completed a questionnaire examining their experiences of reporting child abuse, attitudes and beliefs, and perceived barriers and supports in reporting. Lastly, in the third study, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seven teachers who had recently reported child abuse. In integrating the results from these studies, three conclusions were drawn regarding the role of educators within the child welfare system. These included; 1) Teachers are well-positioned to detect and advocate for the needs of maltreated children; 2) Teachers have a need for greater confidence, and an increased ability to cope with uncertainty, when responding to child abuse; and 3) There is often a mismatch between the goals of teachers in the education system and the perceived response of the child welfare system. Three recommendations were then presented; 1) Educators are a key resource in supporting early detection and intervention initiatives to address child abuse and their role in these initiatives should be further explored; 2) Teachers should be provided with additional strategies to address perceived barriers in reporting child abuse; and 3) Initiatives to promote increased communication between the education and child welfare systems are required. Overall, results supported the unique child-centred perspective of educators in reporting child maltreatment. Study limitations and areas for future research were then discussed.

Educators play a crucial role in the detection of child abuse, but there is limited research understanding the role of teachers in responding to maltreatment concerns. The purpose of this dissertation was to utilise three sequential studies, with multiple methodologies, to understand how Canadian educators are situated to detect, respond, and report suspected child abuse. In the first study, a national Canadian database was utilised to compare educator reported cases of child maltreatment to reports from all other professionals. In study two, 245 teachers completed a questionnaire examining their experiences of reporting child abuse, attitudes and beliefs, and perceived barriers and supports in reporting. Lastly, in the third study, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with seven teachers who had recently reported child abuse. In integrating the results from these studies, three conclusions were drawn regarding the role of educators within the child welfare system. These included; 1) Teachers are well-positioned to detect and advocate for the needs of maltreated children; 2) Teachers have a need for greater confidence, and an increased ability to cope with uncertainty, when responding to child abuse; and 3) There is often a mismatch between the goals of teachers in the education system and the perceived response of the child welfare system. Three recommendations were then presented; 1) Educators are a key resource in supporting early detection and intervention initiatives to address child abuse and their role in these initiatives should be further explored; 2) Teachers should be provided with additional strategies to address perceived barriers in reporting child abuse; and 3) Initiatives to promote increased communication between the education and child welfare systems are required. Overall, results supported the unique child-centred perspective of educators in reporting child maltreatment. Study limitations and areas for future research were then discussed.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the teaching practice in grade 12 Biblical Studies in private Christian schools in the Limpopo Province in South Africa during 2003, with the specific objective to make recommendations towards possible improvements. Although but a few private Christian schools in the Limpopo Province participated in the study, while the title implies that all the South African schools were involved, the findings are assumed to be a cross section of the general situation of grade 12 Biblical Studies teaching in South Africa, as teaching is more or less subjected to similar conditions in all the Provinces. This study consists of a theoretical section wherein literature regarding the variables of the study are discussed, as well as an empirical section wherein the results of the research are reported and interpreted with the aim of reaching certain conclusions regarding the typical profile of Biblical Studies teaching practice in the Limpopo Province. The theoretical basis is grounded in the didactical foundations of teaching as discussed in Chapter 2. This is followed by the empirical study (described in Chapter 3) grounded in the results obtained from classroom observations, questionnaires, interviews and the November 1996-2002 Biblical Studies grade 12 final examination of the four participating schools. Chapters 4 and 5 respectively evaluate and consolidate the findings from the classroom observations, the responses from the interviews and questionnaires, and the November 1996-2002 grade 12 Biblical Studies examination results. The main thesis on which this study rests is that the teaching practice of grade 12 Biblical Studies in private Christian schools during 2003 was unsatisfactory because of, inter alia, lack of work ethics, negative attitudes of both teachers and learners, lack of or insufficient application of didactical principles, teaching methods and teaching aids, low morale and insufficient or improper training of Biblical Studies teachers. The study revealed that the teaching of grade 12 Biblical Studies in private Christian schools during 2003 was indeed unsatisfactory because of lack of work ethics, negative attitude of both teachers and learners, lack of and insufficient application of didactical principles and a variety of teaching methods, low morale and improper training of some Biblical Studies teachers. The most aggravating factor was that teachers often did not even show up for Biblical Studies classes. Conclusively, it is therefore recommended that heads of departments and principals regularly monitor and evaluate the quality and quantity of Biblical Studies teaching in schools. The inspectors of schools may also support these forms of control by more regular inspection of schools, and more specifically, of the Biblical Studies classroom. Incentives and recognition of performance by both teachers and learners in the Biblical Studies classroom may be incorporated into these recommendations. / Thesis (M.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Magistro darbo tikslas – įvertinti dabartinę Lietuvos švietimo reformos būklę bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose ir apžvelgti pagrindines tobulinimo perspektyvas. Tyrimo rezultatai parodė, kad dauguma apklaustųjų Vilniaus r. Buivydiškių pagrindinės mokyklos, Vilniaus Žemynos gimnazijos ir Vilniaus S. Kovalevskajos vidurinės mokyklos mokytojų, švietimo reformą, vykstančią jau 18 metų, vertina neigiamai. Išsiskyrė tik Trakų r. Onuškio vidurinės mokyklos mokytojų nuomonė, nes jie švietimo reformą vertina teigiamai. Bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų mokytojai nurodė pagrindines švietimo reformos kliūtis - neaiškūs švietimo reformos tikslai; reforma vykdoma neturint moksliškai pagrįstos švietimo strategijos; reforma vyksta neaprūpinant reikiamais finansiniais ištekliais; didelės visuomenės dalies nusivylimas reformomis. Respondentai išskyrė tris svarbiausias problemas šiandieninėje mokykloje - per mažas mokytojų atlyginimas; sunkiai įsisavinančių mokymą vaikų daugėjimas; bendras kultūros stygius visuomenėje, gyvenamojoje aplinkoje. Mokytojai išskyrė šias svarbiausias problemas vaikams šiandieninėje Lietuvoje - jie nėra apsaugoti nuo skurdo; per daug mato smurto, sekso scenų per televiziją, internetą; taip pat neapsaugoti nuo narkomanijos pavojaus. Rekomenduojama dažniau atlikti sociologinius tyrimus, gerinant švietimo reformos būklę Lietuvos bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose; daugiau dėmesio skirti švietimo strategijai, konkretizuojant kai kuriuos švietimo vystymo aspektus. / The aim of this master thesis is to evaluate the present situation of Lithuanian education reform in comprehensive schools and overview the perspectives of its development. The results of the analysis show that most teachers-respondents from Vilnius region Buivydiskes Basic School, Vilnius Zemyna Gymnasium and Vilnius S. Kovalevskaja Secondary School express their negative opinion about the education reform taking place already eighteen years. Only teachers from Trakai region Onuskis Secondary School had positive opinion about the education reform. Comprehensive school teachers indicated the main disadvantages of the education reform, which are indefinite purposes of the education reform; the reform is implemented without scientifically proven education strategy and the necessary financial resources; the large majority of the society is disappointed with reforms. The respondents distinguished three main problems in a school today – salaries that are too low; the increasing number of students that have learning difficulties; the general lack of culture in the society and living environment. Teachers indicated such main problems for children in Lithuania – they are not protected from poverty; they watch too much violence, sexual scenes on TV and on the Internet; they are not protected from the danger of the drug abuse. In order to make the reform more effective in Lithuanian comprehensive schools it is recommended to carry out sociological researches more often, to pay more... [to full text]

This research program aimed to identify the factors that influence the Voluntary Donation payment decision in a cohort of parents (N = 250) with a child (or children) at a New Zealand state school. A voluntary donation is a charitable contribution to the running of the school collected from the parents of the school’s students. A survey questionnaire was constructed to examine the attitudes parents hold towards the voluntary donation funding system, the current New Zealand Government and the school the respondent’s child attends. The parents were ‘naturally’ separated into two conditions based on their last voluntary donation payment decision – Paid versus Not Paid – to compare the differences in attitudes on the various statements from the survey and their demographic composition. The results revealed that payment decision was positively correlated with educational achievement, annual household income and age. Individual contributions exhibited strong positive relationships with beliefs about the contributions of others, which was consistent with previous public goods field experiments. The research extended the existing public goods research by examining the social norms of voluntary donation behaviour and assimilating the results with theories of altruism, conditional cooperation and reciprocity. The strongest overall contribution to the prediction of payment decision was parents’ attitudes towards the current Government and the voluntary donation funding system. The results identified that pressures existed in the voluntary donation environment, a result most prevalent in high decile schools. Additionally, a marginal level of comprehension of the voluntary donations characterised the majority of respondents. Overall, the research found that the best predictor of contribution was attitudes towards the voluntary donation funding system.

Support services are indispensable for the effective functioning of education. Support services render specific, specialized services to the school (the site of instruction), teachers (trainers) and pupils (learners) and constitute part of the system of both formal and non-formal education. Although contributions by South African authors such as Ruperti, Van Schalkwyk and Lazarus and Donald provide valuable information, there is at present a need for a model for support services to provide in the changing needs of the target group. In this research the various theories with regard to support services as a component of the education system and the mini-education system were discussed. Some brief examples of support services as they function in practice were also discussed. An analysis was made of the different viewpoints, a new perspective provided on support services, and possible organizational structures were discussed for purposes of the organization of support services within the education system. Subsequently attention was directed to the personal situation of the trainer. From the literature it was demonstrated that the trainer would benefit by the support services with regard to both his professional and academic equipment, the different relationships in which he finds himself, his personality profile and his personal circumstances. Attention was then focused on the various fields in which educational events and structures in the South African education system can make use of support services in order to function more optimally. From the literature the conclusion was reached that the educational events and structures can be supported with regard to the equipping task of the site of instruction, management tasks situated in the site of instruction and the physical facilities of the site of instruction. It was also indicated from the literature that the learner has a need with regard to his personal situation. Support needs in the case of the learner were discussed by way of handicaps of learners, disabilities of learners, the parental community in which the learner finds himself, and the extent of stress experienced by the learner. Interviews were conducted with focus groups in practice in order to determine whether the needs for support services as identified from the literature were valid needs. Following this research a model for support services in an education system was proposed by way of graphic representations supported by discussions. Attention was also given to a possible organizational structure according to which one could manage such support services. In conclusion, the research was summarized in brief. Certain findings were underlined in terms of the objectives and certain recommendations were made with regard to possiblities for further research emanating from the results of this project. / Proefskrif (PhD (Vergelykende Opvoedkunde))--PU vir CHO, 1997

Gabon is a Sub-Saharan francophone country which has been independent since August 1960. Its Educational System is modelled on the French System. However, the Gabonese Education System currently does not have any guidelines or policies for the system-wide implementation, integration and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the education system. The Gabonese Government committed itself to some ICT-related partnerships, but did not launch any programme or activity relating to those commitments. In addition, the Government provided funding to change the country’s Internet connectivity by satellite with the WASC/SAT3 sub-marine cable in order to make Internet access and connection ten times cheaper at the international level. Unfortunately, the benefit from this investment is not experienced in the country as the potential users, such as teachers, keep having challenges with Internet connection. After fifty years of independence, the government also does not offer sufficient opportunity for teachers to enhance their pedagogical knowledge and skill through teacher professional development (TPD). As a result, no research, guidelines or policies exist for the implementation and use of Open Distance Learning (ODL) for TPD supported by ICT. The aim of this qualitative descriptive exploratory research study was to explore, describe and understand the enablers and challenges of initiating ICT in the ODL training of Gabonese in-service teachers. Although the academic seat for this research was the School of Continuing Teacher Education on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University in South Africa, the research project’s focus, conceptualisation, data-collection and data-interpretation were all based and conducted within the researcher’s heimat, i.e. the Gabonese Education System context. An interactive qualitative casestudy research design (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Merriam, 1998) was used in this investigation to obtain in-depth context sensitive data concerning the attitudes, fears, needs, expectations, infrastructure and readiness of the Gabonese Education teachers (at schools and training institutions) for the implementation and use of ICT for ODL training of Gabonese English (second language) teachers, collected through qualitative research methods, i.e. semi-structured open-ended individual and focusgroup interviews, as well as additional research artefacts in the form of photographs to visually record the unique contexts involved. The researcher decided to involve Gabonese English (second language) teachers in the investigation, as he has worked in this discipline for at least twenty years. To ensure sufficient participants, the researcher made use of a snowball strategy where participants in the research referred others. Participants were also selected according to specific selection criteria. Two English (second language) teachers, one school principal, four ICT specialists, one advisor of English teachers, and one inspector of English teachers (ICT specialist) participated in eight individual interviews. Nine English teachers and two advisors of English teachers participated in four focus-group interviews. All interviews were conducted in French. At the North-West University in South Africa, the researcher transcribed the interview data and used ATLAS.ti™ (qualitative data-analysis software) to construct an integrated data-set for analysis. Qualitative data-analysis was performed under the guidance of an expert researcher in qualitative data-analysis. The relevant research findings were translated into English for the purpose of this report. Qualitative data-analysis of the integrated data-set identified six categories of data related to three themes, i.e. (i) Gabonese Education, (ii) ICT in Gabon and (iii) ODL in Gabon. The six categories are: (i) Challenges of Gabonese Education, (ii) Enablers of Gabonese Education, (iii) Challenges to implementation and integration of ICT, (iv) Enablers of ICT; (v) Challenges of ODL, and (vi) Enablers of ODL. These categories supported by codes and quotations provide basic ideas on the research enablers and challenges of initiating ICT in ODL training of Gabonese in-service teachers. The discussion comprises thirty codes, and recommendations are made. The findings of this rich qualitative exploration could benefit and support the Gabonese Education Department, policy makers and academic institutions in their quest to implement, integrate and use ICT in the TPD of in-service teachers via DE and ODL. / Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Development))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Support services are indispensable for the effective functioning of education. Support services render specific, specialized services to the school (the site of instruction), teachers (trainers) and pupils (learners) and constitute part of the system of both formal and non-formal education. Although contributions by South African authors such as Ruperti, Van Schalkwyk and Lazarus and Donald provide valuable information, there is at present a need for a model for support services to provide in the changing needs of the target group. In this research the various theories with regard to support services as a component of the education system and the mini-education system were discussed. Some brief examples of support services as they function in practice were also discussed. An analysis was made of the different viewpoints, a new perspective provided on support services, and possible organizational structures were discussed for purposes of the organization of support services within the education system. Subsequently attention was directed to the personal situation of the trainer. From the literature it was demonstrated that the trainer would benefit by the support services with regard to both his professional and academic equipment, the different relationships in which he finds himself, his personality profile and his personal circumstances. Attention was then focused on the various fields in which educational events and structures in the South African education system can make use of support services in order to function more optimally. From the literature the conclusion was reached that the educational events and structures can be supported with regard to the equipping task of the site of instruction, management tasks situated in the site of instruction and the physical facilities of the site of instruction. It was also indicated from the literature that the learner has a need with regard to his personal situation. Support needs in the case of the learner were discussed by way of handicaps of learners, disabilities of learners, the parental community in which the learner finds himself, and the extent of stress experienced by the learner. Interviews were conducted with focus groups in practice in order to determine whether the needs for support services as identified from the literature were valid needs. Following this research a model for support services in an education system was proposed by way of graphic representations supported by discussions. Attention was also given to a possible organizational structure according to which one could manage such support services. In conclusion, the research was summarized in brief. Certain findings were underlined in terms of the objectives and certain recommendations were made with regard to possiblities for further research emanating from the results of this project. / Proefskrif (PhD (Vergelykende Opvoedkunde))--PU vir CHO, 1997