A Tecnologia Assistiva é uma área do conhecimento interdisciplinar reconhecida como alternativa relevante para favorecer a autonomia e a independência de pessoas com deficiência e mobilidade reduzida. Entretanto, no Brasil, há vários fatores que têm dificultado o seu acesso: desde o alto custo e dependência de importações à falta de divulgação das iniciativas existentes. Assim, partiu-se da hipótese de que instituições de educação pública voltadas à formação profissional e desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico poderiam ter um importante papel nessa área, tal como expresso na Lei no 11.892 que em 2008 criou os Institutos Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia. Diante desse contexto, foi proposta a seguinte questão: de que forma essas instituições têm atuado no desenvolvimento de recursos de Tecnologia Assistiva? Para satisfazer tal questionamento, esta tese teve como objetivos descrever e analisar as iniciativas de desenvolvimento de Tecnologia Assistiva realizadas em dois câmpus de Institutos Federais, um localizado em Campinas-SP e outro em Bento Gonçalves-RS, buscando compreender as características do processo de desenvolvimento dos recursos, o público para o qual são destinados, perfil das equipes envolvidas, as condições institucionais e de que forma tem sido pensado o compartilhamento dos conhecimentos relacionados. Foi adotada abordagem qualitativa, e as técnicas de coleta de dados constituíram-se em entrevista semiestruturada e fontes documentais públicas, além de registros dos próprios pesquisadores. A análise dos dados foi baseada no referencial legal e teórico relacionado com Tecnologia Assistiva em consonância com as finalidades e objetivos expressos na Lei supracitada. Os resultados revelaram forte potencial de desenvolvimento de recursos de Tecnologia Assistiva, predominando as soluções consideradas de baixo custo, sendo, na maioria das vezes, baseadas em hardware aberto (que permite conhecer, realizar modificações e compartilhar os resultados). Ainda assim, e levando em conta que os dois grupos possuíam realidades distintas, sendo uma iniciativa com equipe institucionalizada e a outra não, mostrou-se relevante considerar tal desenvolvimento articulado à oferta de serviços via ações de extensão, apoiando os Núcleos que atendem pessoas com deficiência nas instituições, além de fomentar pesquisas na área. Por outro lado, uma dificuldade recorrente em ambas as iniciativas foi relacionada à aquisição de componentes para o desenvolvimento dos recursos, que acabam sendo muitas vezes custeados pelos próprios pesquisadores, recaindo em diversos momentos em uma perspectiva de autossustentabilidade. Nas duas iniciativas, o compartilhamento de conhecimentos e recursos faz parte das intenções dos entrevistados, o que revela a necessidade de estabelecer uma política própria para essa finalidade, bem como criar repositórios que favoreçam o licenciamento aberto, formato entendido como mais adequado. Por fim, sugere-se que o Estado assuma o fomento de políticas para institucionalização dessa área, garantindo não somente equipe, mas infraestrutura e recursos para manutenção das atividades, aproveitando-se e fortalecendo a organização em rede e a territorialidade dos Institutos Federais. / Assistive Technology is an interdisciplinary knowledge area recognized as highly relevant to the independence and autonomy of people with deficiency and reduced mobility. In spite of this relevance, there are several factors which have made access to Assistive Technology in Brazil. The hypothesis of this work is that public educational institutions involved in professional education and scientific and technological development could have an important role in this area. Federal Law 11,892 of 2008, that created the countrywide Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology, expressed this possibility. This led to the question that guided this research: How have these institutions promoted the development of resources for Assistive Technology? To answer this question, this work set as its objectives: to describe and analyze the initiatives in the area of Assistive Technology development in two câmpus: one in Campinas, SP, the other in Bento Gonçalves, RS; o seek to comprehend the characteristics of each research initiative, in special: its target population; its research team; the institutional arrangements; the resources involved; he sharing model, both for the knowledge generated and the technologies developed. A qualitative methodological approach was chosen. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and from public documentary sources and documents provided by the researches themselves. Data analysis was based on the legal and theoretical framework and the objectives and goals provided by the above mentioned law. The results obtained revealed a strong potential for the development of Assistive Technology resources in the two institutions and among the researchers involved especially low-cost open hardware resources (which legally allow the sharing of results and even their modification institutions and persons benefitting from this sharing). The two institutions discussed in this work confronted distinct realities. In one case the research team was institutionalized, in the other, not. In spite of this fact, it was deemed important to articulate the research with community service, through the Nuclei of Support to People with Specific Needs. One difficulty identified in both initiatives involved the acquisition of components required for the development of resources. Sometimes the researchers themselves these components with their own money, thus impairing the prospects of project sustainability. In both initiatives, the sharing of knowledge and resources was part of the original intention of the researchers. The definition of public policies that make this viable and the creation of repositories of solutions that favor open licensing (the most adequate alternative in the area of Assistive Technology) are therefore required. Finally, it is suggested that the State should assume the role of defining policies that will make it easier the institutionalization of this area, guaranteeing that the area has qualified personnel, infrastructure, materials and financial resources for its regular operation. The State should also strengthen the territoriality of the Federal Institutes and their network interconnection.

nÃo hà / A EducaÃÃo de Jovens e Adultos à uma modalidade de ensino que vem, atravÃs de luta e de articulaÃÃo empreendida pelos movimentos sociais, conquistando espaÃo no contexto nacional. O reconhecimento desta como um direito pÃblico e subjetivo, articulado à sua inclusÃo no Fundo de ManutenÃÃo e Desenvolvimento da EducaÃÃo BÃsica (FUNDEB), desde 2007, sÃo exemplos de importantes conquistas histÃricas para esta modalidade de ensino, uma vez que o financiamento no perÃodo anterior à implantaÃÃo deste fundo ocorria de forma pontual, fragilizando os processos de continuidade de estudos pelos alunos egressos dos programas de alfabetizaÃÃo. Ao mesmo tempo em que à proclamada como um direito à possÃvel verificar a ausÃncia de garantias efetivas ao acesso da populaÃÃo jovem e adulta ao processo de escolarizaÃÃo, que pode ser verificado na queda de indicadores de matrÃcula em termos de UniÃo, Estados e MunicÃpios nos Ãltimos seis anos (2007 â 2013). Tal situaÃÃo constitui-se como um fenÃmeno a ser investigado, pois a realidade dos sistemas educacionais apresenta resultado contrÃrio aos objetivos de universalizaÃÃo do acesso à educaÃÃo bÃsica e de reduÃÃo dos Ãndices de analfabetismo postos pelas polÃticas educacionais contemporÃneas no Brasil. Assim, a presente investigaÃÃo - considerando a escola como um lÃcus privilegiado de efetivaÃÃo de tais polÃticas e o municÃpio de Horizonte / CearÃ, como contexto em que se expressa o fenÃmeno de reduÃÃo de matrÃculas na EJA -, teve como objetivo geral compreender de que forma as concepÃÃes e olhares de educadores interferem na dinÃmica de afirmaÃÃo da EJA como um direito no contexto escolar no municÃpio de Horizonte / CearÃ. Para tanto, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa, inspirada na pesquisa aÃÃo colaborativa, junto a uma escola da rede pÃblica municipal de Horizonte / CearÃ, utilizando como estratÃgias de aproximaÃÃo com a realidade: estudo exploratÃrio, levantamento e anÃlise documental, encontros de reflexÃo sobre a prÃtica e observaÃÃo participante das prÃticas cotidianas. Foram utilizados como referenciais teÃricos Freire (1967, 1987), Saviani (2007), Ponce (1995), Vieira Pinto (2003), Frigotto et al (2005), discutindo elementos relacionados a EducaÃÃo; Bobbio (2004, 1988), Cury (2002), Vieira e Freitas (2003) e Telles (1998, 1999), abordando o direito a educaÃÃo; Arroyo (2007), Hadad e Di Pierro (2007), Paiva (2003), Di Pierro, Joia e Ribeiro (2001), Paiva (2009), Rummert (2007), explorando a EducaÃÃo de Jovens e Adultos; Ghedin e Franco (2011), Barbier (2002), Franco (2011), Ghedin (2005), Thiollent (1988), Pimenta (2005), abordando os mÃtodos investigativos; Peroni (2003), Enguita (2001), Vieira e Albuquerque (2002), entre outros, discutindo polÃticas educacionais e escola. Os resultados apontam que as concepÃÃes dos educadores e gestores escolares interferem de forma dialÃtica na dinÃmica de afirmaÃÃo da EJA como um direito no contexto escolar, pois ora privilegiam os princÃpios neoliberais que hegemonicamente tem sido impressos nas polÃticas educacionais do final do sÃculo XX e inÃcio do sÃculo XXI, traduzidos em elementos como a competitividade, a prestaÃÃo de contas e a performatividade, de forma descontextualizada e a-histÃrica; ora adotam uma postura contra hegemÃnica que privilegia os sujeitos, suas demandas e identidades. / Educating Youth and Adults is a teaching that comes through struggle and articulation undertaken by social movements gaining ground in the national context. The recognition of this as a public subjective right and articulated its inclusion in the Fund for the Maintenance and Development of Basic Education (FUNDEB), since 2007, are examples of important historical achievements for this type of education, since the previous funding period the implementation of this fund occurred sporadically handicapping processes continue their studies by graduating students of literacy programs. While that is proclaimed as a right can verify the absence of effective access among the adult population to the schooling process guarantees, which can be seen in fall enrollment indicators in terms of Union, States and Municipalities in the last six years (2007-2013). This situation is constituted as a phenomenon to be investigated, because the reality of educational systems presents contrary to the goals of universal access to basic education and reducing illiteracy posed by contemporary educational policies in Brazil result. Thus, this research - considering the school as a privileged locus of effectiveness of such policies and the municipality of Horizon / CearÃ, as the context in which it expresses the phenomenon of reduced enrollments in adult education - main goal was to understand how conceptions and looks educators interfere in the dynamics of asserting EJA as a right in the school context in the municipality of Horizon / CearÃ. To that end, we developed a qualitative approach, inspired by the collaborative action research, along with a school of public municipal Horizon / CearÃ, using strategies such as approximation to reality: an exploratory study, survey and document analysis, reflection meetings on the practice and participant observation of daily practices. Were used as theoretical frameworks Freire (1967, 1987), Saviani (2007), Ponce (1995), Vieira Pinto (2003), Frigotto et al (2005), discussing elements related to education; Bobbio (2004, 1988), Cury (2002), and Vieira Freitas (2003) and Telles (1998, 1999), addressing the right to education; Arroyo (2007), Hadad and Di Pierro (2007), Paiva (2003), Di Pierro, Joia and Ribeiro (2001), Paiva (2009), Rummert (2007), exploring the Education of Youth and Adults; Ghedin and Franco (2011), Barbier (2002), Franco (2011), Ghedin (2005), Thiollent (1988), Pimenta (2005), addressing the investigative methods; Peroni (2003), Enguita (2001), Albuquerque and Vieira (2002), among others, discussing educational and school policies. The results show that the conceptions of teachers and school managers interfere dialectically in the dynamics of the EJA claim as a right the school context because sometimes favor the hegemonic neoliberal principles that have been printed in the educational policies of the late twentieth century and early XXI century, translated into elements such as competitiveness, accountability and performativity, decontextualized and ahistorical manner; sometimes take a stance against hegemonic privileging the subjects, their demands and identities.

Este trabalho expõe a situação da rede física escolar estadual paulista no tocante ao seu planejamento e expansão, compreendendo-se rede física escolar como o conjunto de prédios que abrigam os estabelecimentos de ensino escolar da rede pública. A dissertação aborda o papel da escola enquanto projeto social, descreve as políticas educacionais adotadas nas últimas décadas, em níveis federal e estadual, oferece um histórico da implantação e expansão da rede pública escolar, caracteriza a situação do atendimento à demanda escolar e da rede física existente, a maior entre as redes públicas existentes no Estado de São Paulo, demonstra os critérios utilizados para a expansão da rede física estadual e como se dá a viabilização dessa expansão, bem como aponta os empecilhos atualmente encontrados para a expansão da rede, em especial na Capital. Ao final, comentamos a conquista da universalização do ensino fundamental e a qualidade da educação pública, a situação atual do planejamento da expansão da rede física e as dificuldades encontradas pelo Estado. / The objective of this work is to examine the situation of the educational physical network in the State of São Paulo, as referring to its planning. By educational physical network we understand the set of buildings which contain the school establishments of the public educational system. The research focuses on the role of the school vis-a-vis its social project and the educational policies adopted over the last decades at the federal and state levels. This work also seeks to expound on the situation of the existing physical network and how it is, or is not, meeting the demand for schooling, while offering a historic view of the implantation and expansion of state educational physical network, the largest public structure of the São Paulo State. It also demonstrates the criteria used for the expansion of the States physical network, how the viability of this expansion is achieved, and, finally, points out the contemporary obstacles for expanding this structure, especially in the State Capital. Eventually, we examine the conquest of the universal access to fundamental education, as well as the quality of the public education, the physical networks expansion planning current situation and the dificulties found by the State to achieve its goals.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T14:30:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo Ferreira Rodrigues.pdf: 866066 bytes, checksum: 2f84a5b70ea9e5bf8348f1c89febf8a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-10-28 / This study aimed to identify, in the opinion of teachers, possible repercussions in the daily classroom according to the results obtained from the System Evaluation of Educational Achievement of São Paulo (SARESP). We seek to identify and analyze changes in practices of teachers who would result from implementation of SARESP. We chose qualitative research in order to understand the phenomenon in the context of pedagogical practice and its manifestations, from the description to analyze and interpret the manifest meanings evident in responses to the questionnaires. We chose to select only language teachers of Portuguese and Mathematics, who teach at the final grades of elementary school and High school, the state public school teachers and with five or more years of teaching, thus reaching a total of 16 teachers from various regions, school units and realities of the city of São Paulo. The questionnaires were organized under three axes of analysis: axis 1: identify what teachers know about and SARESP and the Education Development Index of the State of São Paulo (IDESP); axis 2: explained the opinion of teachers on the network deployment and SARESP and IDESP; axis 3: identified the possible impact on the practice of teachers surveyed by deploying SARESP and IDESP. Studies show that the use of SARESP by schools and teachers tends to favor the teaching plan and curriculum, however, that there is a dearth of research that reflects on the use SARESP results of the daily classroom in the opinion of teachers. The evaluation of system can be an ally, if it can be reflected, committed to the subjects, their contexts and pathways, providing tools for the assessment, development and learning / Esta pesquisa buscou identificar, na opinião de professores, eventuais repercussões no cotidiano da sala de aula em função dos resultados obtidos no Sistema de Avaliação do Rendimento Escolar do Estado de São Paulo (SARESP). Procuramos identificar e analisar alterações ocorridas nas práticas dos professores que fossem resultantes da implementação do SARESP. Optamos pela pesquisa qualitativa no sentido de compreender o fenômeno no contexto da prática pedagógica e suas manifestações, para a partir da descrição, analisar e interpretar os significados manifestos nas respostas dos questionários. Optamos por selecionar somente professores de Língua Portuguesa e Matemática, que lecionassem nas séries finais do Ensino Fundamental II e Médio, professores da rede pública estadual e com cinco anos ou mais de magistério, chegando assim a um total de 16 professores de diversas regiões, unidades escolares e realidades da cidade de São Paulo. Os questionários foram organizados sob três eixos de análise eixo 1: identificou o que os professores conhecem sobre o SARESP e o Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação do Estado de São Paulo (IDESP); eixo 2: explicitou a opinião dos professores da rede sobre a implantação do SARESP E IDESP; eixo 3: identificou as possíveis repercussões na prática dos docentes pesquisados com a implantação do SARESP e IDESP. Estudos revelam que o uso do SARESP pela escola e pelos professores tende a favorecer o plano pedagógico e curricular, contudo, que há uma carência de pesquisa que reflita sobre o uso dos resultados do SARESP no cotidiano da sala de aula na opinião dos professores. A avaliação de sistema pode ser uma aliada, se puder ser refletida, comprometida com os sujeitos, seus contextos e percursos, oferecendo instrumentos para a avaliação, desenvolvimento e aprendizagens

[pt] Esse estudo apresenta as repercussões que a organização da escolaridade em ciclos introduz no interior das escolas, tanto para as práticas de gestão, organização e funcionamento do espaço escolar, como para as práticas dos professores no exercício de sua profissão. O estudo sustenta a argumentação de que a experiência dos ciclos conforma a escola dentro de uma nova lógica. Defende que as mudanças para um real funcionamento da escola em um sistema de ciclos entram em conflito com a cultura da escola, cuja concepção de escolarização, de tempo e espaço escolares coadunam com a lógica da escola seriada. A mudança provoca desestabilização nos habitus dos agentes envolvidos no processo educativo e faz com que a escola transforme-se em um espaço de tensão e conflito, tanto entre os docentes quanto em relação aos alunos e suas famílias. Para tecer tais argumentos, a pesquisa desenvolve-se a partir de análise documental, revisão de literatura, análise dos questionários contextuais dos professores com os resultados do SAEB 2001 e trabalho de campo, realizado a partir de observações, entrevistas e aplicação de questionário em uma unidade escolar da rede municipal de ensino de Niterói/RJ. A tese apresenta: o histórico da inserção dos ciclos na educação brasileira; as discussões teóricas que servem como base de sustentação para a transformação da escola seriada em escola de ciclos; a análise dos dados quantitativos recolhidos nos questionários do SAEB que proporcionaram captar as repercussões da implantação dos ciclos no contexto do Brasil, região sudeste e Rio de Janeiro; as repercussões trazidas pela política de ciclos no município de Niterói, estendida para todo o Ensino Fundamental, a partir da análise dos documentos da secretaria de educação, bem como do funcionamento de uma unidade escolar organizada em sistema de ciclos e as implicações que daí decorrem. / [en] This study discusses the repercussions from the transformation caused by the introduction of the schooling organization in schools, including in management practices, organization and functioning of the school s space, as well as teacher s activities in their profession. The study supports the argument that the learning period experience reorganizes the school within a new logic. It defends the perception that a change of a real functioning of the school in learning periods enters into conflict with the school s culture, whose conception of schooling, time and school space incorporates the logic of the traditional school. The change provokes a destabilization of the habitus of the agents involved in the educational process and makes the school transform itself into a place with tension and conflict, not only among teachers but also among students and their families. The research was based on the analysis of documents, revision of the literature, contextual analysis of the teachers questionnaires with the SAEB 2001 results and field work (observations, interviews and application of questionnaires) in a public school in Niterói/RJ. The thesis presents: a) the description of the learning period insertion in Brazilian education; b) the theoretical discussion that serves as basis for the schooling organization transformation; c) analysis of the quantitative data from the SAEB questionnaires that show the repercussions of the learning period implantation in the Brazilian context, Southeastern region and Rio de Janeiro; d) the repercussions of the learning periods in Niterói, extended to all elementary education, from the analysis of documents from the city s education department and e) the functioning of a school based on learning periods and the implications that derive from them.

Education plays a vital role in shaping social structures and influencing social mobility in a society, and thus educational equality is a concern for many societies. Considering the compulsory status of English from basic to higher education in China and its symbolic meaning in Chinese society, this study regards it as a window to explore educational inequality and its association with social structures. This study investigates the roles played by family, geographic divide, and institution, and the way in which the three interplay in structuring the educational pathways of individuals and shaping educational inequality. This study describes a qualitative case study of 36 students of different social milieus in an elite university. Data from the case interviews is complemented by classroom observation of three secondary schools within the educational system hierarchy, classroom observation of the elite university, teacher interviews from the four educational institutions, and collected documents. I draw on Bourdieu's conceptual tools of different types of capital, field, and habitus in order to understand the complexity of educational inequality in China. The data present striking differences in the educational trajectories between social groups. The success of higher-SES students is partly ascribed to the richer volume and types of their families' cultural capital, and the inclination for their families to transfer abundant economic capital to their children's embodied cultural capital. The interview data suggest that disadvantaged students rely heavily on formal education and are inscribed with institutional habitus due to the scarcity of educational resources obtained from family. More importantly, for advantaged students, their family, secondary schools (previous field) and the elite university (current field) work together in a consistent way, resulting in a positive momentum that contributes to a sense of belonging and fitting-in to the elite university. On the contrary, for marginalised students, contradictions and disconnections are found between secondary schools and the current elite field in terms of institutional habitus and practices, which to a large extent can be ascribed to the stratified school system and geographic divides. This situation leads to a negative momentum for them, which causes feelings of alienation and a sense of disorientation when encountering the elite field. This academic disorientation is evident in their transitional period. Their habitus is identified by a transformative tendency with easier access to dominant cultural capital and habitus. However, the transformation is circumscribed by their huge efforts made in overcoming the initial difficulties and their families' lack of capital. Some special cases in my study suggest a more equal admission policy and the critical role that institutions play in compensating for a family's lack of capital. This thesis concludes with suggestions for more inclusive practices for institutions and policy makers in China to achieve a more equal educational context.

A Tecnologia Assistiva é uma área do conhecimento interdisciplinar reconhecida como alternativa relevante para favorecer a autonomia e a independência de pessoas com deficiência e mobilidade reduzida. Entretanto, no Brasil, há vários fatores que têm dificultado o seu acesso: desde o alto custo e dependência de importações à falta de divulgação das iniciativas existentes. Assim, partiu-se da hipótese de que instituições de educação pública voltadas à formação profissional e desenvolvimento científico e tecnológico poderiam ter um importante papel nessa área, tal como expresso na Lei no 11.892 que em 2008 criou os Institutos Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia. Diante desse contexto, foi proposta a seguinte questão: de que forma essas instituições têm atuado no desenvolvimento de recursos de Tecnologia Assistiva? Para satisfazer tal questionamento, esta tese teve como objetivos descrever e analisar as iniciativas de desenvolvimento de Tecnologia Assistiva realizadas em dois câmpus de Institutos Federais, um localizado em Campinas-SP e outro em Bento Gonçalves-RS, buscando compreender as características do processo de desenvolvimento dos recursos, o público para o qual são destinados, perfil das equipes envolvidas, as condições institucionais e de que forma tem sido pensado o compartilhamento dos conhecimentos relacionados. Foi adotada abordagem qualitativa, e as técnicas de coleta de dados constituíram-se em entrevista semiestruturada e fontes documentais públicas, além de registros dos próprios pesquisadores. A análise dos dados foi baseada no referencial legal e teórico relacionado com Tecnologia Assistiva em consonância com as finalidades e objetivos expressos na Lei supracitada. Os resultados revelaram forte potencial de desenvolvimento de recursos de Tecnologia Assistiva, predominando as soluções consideradas de baixo custo, sendo, na maioria das vezes, baseadas em hardware aberto (que permite conhecer, realizar modificações e compartilhar os resultados). Ainda assim, e levando em conta que os dois grupos possuíam realidades distintas, sendo uma iniciativa com equipe institucionalizada e a outra não, mostrou-se relevante considerar tal desenvolvimento articulado à oferta de serviços via ações de extensão, apoiando os Núcleos que atendem pessoas com deficiência nas instituições, além de fomentar pesquisas na área. Por outro lado, uma dificuldade recorrente em ambas as iniciativas foi relacionada à aquisição de componentes para o desenvolvimento dos recursos, que acabam sendo muitas vezes custeados pelos próprios pesquisadores, recaindo em diversos momentos em uma perspectiva de autossustentabilidade. Nas duas iniciativas, o compartilhamento de conhecimentos e recursos faz parte das intenções dos entrevistados, o que revela a necessidade de estabelecer uma política própria para essa finalidade, bem como criar repositórios que favoreçam o licenciamento aberto, formato entendido como mais adequado. Por fim, sugere-se que o Estado assuma o fomento de políticas para institucionalização dessa área, garantindo não somente equipe, mas infraestrutura e recursos para manutenção das atividades, aproveitando-se e fortalecendo a organização em rede e a territorialidade dos Institutos Federais. / Assistive Technology is an interdisciplinary knowledge area recognized as highly relevant to the independence and autonomy of people with deficiency and reduced mobility. In spite of this relevance, there are several factors which have made access to Assistive Technology in Brazil. The hypothesis of this work is that public educational institutions involved in professional education and scientific and technological development could have an important role in this area. Federal Law 11,892 of 2008, that created the countrywide Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology, expressed this possibility. This led to the question that guided this research: How have these institutions promoted the development of resources for Assistive Technology? To answer this question, this work set as its objectives: to describe and analyze the initiatives in the area of Assistive Technology development in two câmpus: one in Campinas, SP, the other in Bento Gonçalves, RS; o seek to comprehend the characteristics of each research initiative, in special: its target population; its research team; the institutional arrangements; the resources involved; he sharing model, both for the knowledge generated and the technologies developed. A qualitative methodological approach was chosen. Data were collected through semi structured interviews and from public documentary sources and documents provided by the researches themselves. Data analysis was based on the legal and theoretical framework and the objectives and goals provided by the above mentioned law. The results obtained revealed a strong potential for the development of Assistive Technology resources in the two institutions and among the researchers involved especially low-cost open hardware resources (which legally allow the sharing of results and even their modification institutions and persons benefitting from this sharing). The two institutions discussed in this work confronted distinct realities. In one case the research team was institutionalized, in the other, not. In spite of this fact, it was deemed important to articulate the research with community service, through the Nuclei of Support to People with Specific Needs. One difficulty identified in both initiatives involved the acquisition of components required for the development of resources. Sometimes the researchers themselves these components with their own money, thus impairing the prospects of project sustainability. In both initiatives, the sharing of knowledge and resources was part of the original intention of the researchers. The definition of public policies that make this viable and the creation of repositories of solutions that favor open licensing (the most adequate alternative in the area of Assistive Technology) are therefore required. Finally, it is suggested that the State should assume the role of defining policies that will make it easier the institutionalization of this area, guaranteeing that the area has qualified personnel, infrastructure, materials and financial resources for its regular operation. The State should also strengthen the territoriality of the Federal Institutes and their network interconnection.

This diploma thesis aims to describe the development of educational policy in the Czech Republic since the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries to 2017 and at the same time to compare the vision of educational policy in electoral programs of political groupings, which in 2017 won more than 5% of votes and thus exceeded the limit set by law for joining the Chamber of Deputies. The theoretical part focuses on the description of the development of educational policy from 1999 to 2017, in which it takes into account the political situation in the country and its impact on education policy. With the help of analysis and interviews, the research part seeks to compare the visions of the educational policy of political parties currently represented in the Chamber of Deputies. KEYWORDS election program, vision, educational policy, political parties

The purpose of the study was to identify teacher perception regarding the effects of NCLB on the development of knowledge among elementary school students in two school districts in a Midwestern state. I applied a case-study design to address the research questions, with data obtained from interviews with eight experienced school teachers, who reported on the state of the cognitive development of their students. Epistemology, specifically social and virtue epistemology, served as the theoretical framework for the analysis of the data, thus filling a gap in the literature for an epistemological study of the effects of NCLB. The hypothesis for the study was that NCLB is detrimental to the development of knowledge among elementary students by placing too much emphasis on mandated standardized testing, and by limiting the curriculum to the subjects that are under the requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress (YAP). The analysis of teacher input indicates that NCLB hinders the development of knowledge among elementary school students. This is because educators are constrained by excessive testing requirements, and are thus not able to foster in their students the intellectual virtues necessary for the development of the lifelong learner, the student who is capable of and understands that learning continuous throughout one’s life. Future research is needed to link the scholarship on intellectual virtues to the education of school children, making of the virtues a central and intrinsic part of the educational effort.

The purpose of this research is to study the influence of implementing 9-year compulsory curriculum on students¡¦ mathematical abilities, and to analyze the achievement of students from backgrounds of different educational beliefs and learning practices. Based on this concept, a questionnaire is designed based on papers published both locally and internationally together with analysis of survey results. This study is based on the population of junior high school students graduated during 2003 and 2004 in Kaohsiung City. The method of stratified random sampling is employed to select schools for conducting the survey. A total of 5 schools were selected and 450 sets of questionnaire taken from these schools with 400 successful returns. A total of 16 questionnaires were considered ineffective and 386 were valid returns. The mean, maximum, minimum, and standard deviation of the collected data were analyzed while statistical methods such as equality of means were employed in terms of the heteroschendasticity. The methods of regression analysis and data processing were used to inspect the following questions: