M.Ed. (Education) / Lecturers at technical colleges mostly come from industry and consequently they seldom have experience of teaching or the necessary qualifications to teach. As the educational profession has no formal and compulsory induction into the profession, beginner lecturers are put directly into class and are expected to teach. Although these lecturers have the required subject knowledge, they definitely lack the necessary didactical skills or methodology of education. Due to "swim-or-sink" attitude, beginner lecturers experience unique problems that place them under tremendous pressure and stress. The aim of this study was focused on the grounding of guidelines that could be used in designing an induction programme for beginner lecturers at a technical college. The methods used in grounding these guidelines for induction at a technical college were: * a relevant study of literature that was conducted into three induction programmes used in various sectors of the industry, to enquire more knowledge with regard to the design and function of these programmes; a literature and empirical study of the experienced needs and problems of beginner lectures when entering the teaching profession. A qualitative research approach was used to conduct a study in which the needs and problems of beginner lecturers in a specific technical college were identified by means of structured interviews. The lecturers that participated in this inquiry were asked to describe their experiences related to their needs and problems when they entered the teaching profession. From the analysed data the following needs and problems were identified:...

This research was undertaken by a group of practising teachers as a collaborative effort to develop a cooperative approach to the teaching of Biology at Secondary School level. The research focussed on Grade 10 learners at three different schools over a period of one full academic school-year. During this time, four complete cycles within an action research framework were completed and reflected upon. Learners were then surveyed by means of a questionnaire and follow-up interviews. The reflective sessions, together with the responses from the questionnaire and interviews, provided a wealth of information with regard to the development of a cooperative approach to teaching. The cooperative classroom is vastly different from the traditional one. Here, new roles are assumed by both teacher and learner. Learners are largely expected to take charge of their learning experience in the classroom. The teacher, while still responsible for facilitating this learning experience, delegates authority to the learners. It was the experience of the group that the relationship between teacher and learner, as well as between learner and learner, vastly improved in the cooperative class where the participants were more relaxed. Over time, learners became more accountable in terms of their work and learning. Learners’ self-esteem and self-confidence grew, and the majority of learners indicated that their understanding of the work improved. Furthermore, the cooperative structure encouraged and developed self-discipline in the learners. In the early stages of this research, the group did find certain behaviour to be inhibiting: excessive noise, laziness, too much tomfoolery, and absenteeism. These problems were easily addressed within the action research framework, and were nearly non-existent by the end of the research. The group also found that: (i) cooperative lessons required more time than traditional lessons, often at the expense (justifiably) of the syllabus, and that: (ii) cooperative lessons played a major role in reactivating learner interest towards the learning process both in and outside the classroom.

The study was conducted to explore the relationship between active learning processes emerging from the use of O’Donoghue’s (2001) active learning framework and a series of education quality indicators proposed by Nikel and Lowe (2010). To achieve this aim a professional educational intervention was conducted encouraging the use of this active learning framework in the Namibian Environmental Studies Curriculum, in order to strengthen educational quality within the Environmental Studies Curriculum. The research was conducted in the Windhoek region at the school where I am currently teaching. Four teachers took part in this study, including myself in the role of a participantobserver. The active learning framework was used to guide us in the planning and presentations of environmental learning lessons. The study was conducted within the interpretive paradigm and was qualitative in nature as well as focusing on a quantitative aspect to analyse some of the data (learners’ written work). Qualitative data were generated through individual interviews, focus-group discussions, lesson observations and document analysis. The key findings of the study were that: a) prior to the intervention with the active learning framework the teachers who took part in the study did not ask learners to explore environmental issues in the environment or to respond to particular environmental issues; b) active learning processes have the potential to facilitate the exploration of environmental issues in the environment, and responses to particular environmental issues. Active learning also have the potential to strengthen all aspects of education quality indicated in Nikel and Lowe’s (2010) quality model, namely effectiveness, efficiency, equity, relevance, responsiveness, reflexivity and sustainability; c) the active learning framework encouraged teachers to use a variety of situated learning approaches, such as the collaborative method, the cooperative method, the problem-solving method and the enquiry method, in order to strengthen the educational quality in Environmental Studies classrooms; and d) teachers find the active learning framework useful as a tool for planning and presenting environmental learning lessons. The findings of the study have the potential to inform curriculum developers, materials developers and educators with an interest in improving education quality through environmental learning processes within the Environmental Studies Curriculum in Namibia. Furthermore, Nikel and Lowe’s education quality indicators provided an informative and comprehensive understanding of education quality and provided a useful tool in evaluating and reflecting on education quality as well as my own work as a teacher.

Malingering has become an increasing concern in neuropsychological assessment in recent years, and a wide range of tests have been designed and examined for the purpose of detecting malingering. Cut-off scores have been recommended for these tests in order to provide indications of malingering performances. However, the derived scores have been in respect of westernised populations of people with relatively high levels of education who speak English as their first language. Accordingly, the current study aimed to attain normative data and cut-off scores for four commonly employed neuropsychological tools, administered in English, on a population of black, South African, Xhosa-speaking people (N = 33), who attended a former DET-type school in the Eastern Cape, with a Grade 11-12 level of education, in the age range of 18 - 40 years. The targeted measures included the TOMM, the Rey-15 Item Memory Test, the Digit Span subtest of the WAIS-III, and the Trail Making Test. The obtained scores were poorer than the previously published cut-offs for at least one component of each of the tests investigated, except the TOMM. The fmdings of this study highlight the important role that the factors of culture, quality of education, and language play in neuropsychological test performance.

With the publication of the National Curriculum Statement (2002) (NCS) the use and development of science process skills have become a critical part of the teaching and learning of the Natural Sciences in South Africa. This study sought to evaluate the implementation and development of these basic skills by four grade 4-7 educators at classroom level at a primary school in the northern areas of Port Elizabeth. Qualitative data for this evaluation were collected through educator interviews, classroom observation as well as a focus-group interview. Quantitative data were gathered by means of a Science Process Skills Observation Scale and through examining the learners' assessment activities. An Assessment Activity Science Process Skill Rating-Scale was used to evaluate assessment activities. Data generated from this study were carefully analysed and on the basis of their interpretation it was concluded that the implementation and development of science process skills were strongly influenced by the educators' understanding of these basic concepts, the belief held by each educator about their role and how their learners learn, the presence of quality support and effective training programmes as well continuous professional development.

La presente investigación pretende analizar la percepción que tiene el alumnado de la Facultad de Administración de la Escuela Universitaria de Negocios de la Universidad de Lima con relación a la Calidad del Servicio Educativo que recibe, considerando para ello un marco referencial que sintetice: Planteamientos teóricos vinculados a la Percepción y la Calidad del Servicio Educativo; criterios para la construcción de la Percepción que tienen los alumnos de la Calidad del Servicio ofertada (basándose en la Gestión del Personal de Contacto del Servicio Académico, del Currículo de la Carrera, la Gestión Docente y el Desarrollo de sus Competencias Profesionales). Posteriormente a partir del análisis correspondiente se buscará identificar la relación entre la Percepción de la Calidad del Servicio Educativo, los criterios de evaluación en sí y qué implicancias han tenido estos criterios ya sea que en la evaluación por parte del alumnado figuren como positivos o negativos. / Trabajo de investigación

The twofold purpose of this study was to ground a model of Lens Meaning in the literature of the Fine Arts and Social Sciences and to use that term as a referent in evaluating three Media Studies curricula. Lens Meaning is a term derived from a variety of sources, particularly Peirce (1955), whose semiotic theory described three systems of signs used as terms on one axis of a matrix or model by which Lens Meaning can be described. These terms are: "index", "icon", and "symbol". DeLauretis' (1984) expanded understanding of another system of signs described by Peirce, interpretants, is the foundation for the three terms on the other axis of the matrix. Those terms, which describe interpretation or response, are: "emotional", "energetic", and "habit changing". These, and other terms identified in the literature, provided a conceptual model that might be applied to the analysis and evaluation of programs of Media Studies, and similar documents. Three Media Studies programs were selected for study: from Western Australia, Ontario, and Scotland. Application of the model permitted conclusions to be drawn on the extent to which current issues of an ideological and sociopolitical nature were addressed by these programs. It was concluded that the model achieved the purposes required of it and that it may be of further utility for educators. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

When expenses become an issue, training is often one of the first budget items to be cut. There have been a number of evaluation studies about rates of return from training interventions. Most results are based on interviewing participants about the value of the intervention and its effect on their productivity. This often results in quadruple digit return on investment indications. Decision makers who control the budget often view these kinds of results with skepticism. This study proposes a methodology to evaluate training interventions without asking participants their opinions. The process involves measuring learning through a series of pre-tests and post-tests and determining if scores on pre-tests can be used as predictors of future return on investment results. The study evaluates a series of return on investment scores using analysis of variance to determine the relationship between pre-tests and final return on investment results for each participant. Data is also collected and evaluated to determine if the financial results of the organization during the period of the training intervention could be correlated to the results of the training intervention. The results of the study suggest that the proposed methodology can be used to predict future return on investment from training interventions based on the use of pre-tests. These rates of return can be used as a method of selecting between competing training intervention proposals. It is a process that is easily understood by the key decision makers who control the allocation of financial resources. More importantly, it is a process that can maximize the value of each dollar spent on training.

This project was undertaken to analyze workshop evaluation forms completed by just over 2000 participants who attended workshops in 1995 throughout California related to the Project Learning Tree (PLT) environmental education program. These workshops were designed for teachers and other educators working with students from preschool through eighth grade.

Previous studies of lesson preparation groups (LPG; beikezu) have not dealt with the impact of LPG on teachers’ reflective practice. This qualitative case study was an exploration of LPG group leaders’ (beike zuzhang) facilitation of LPG meetings (beike zuhui) to gain insights on reflective practices in LPG meetings. The study involved 54 participants: 29 participants (LPG group leaders and teachers) were interviewed and observed; 20 participants (teachers) were observed; and 5 participants (school leaders) were interviewed. In addition to in-depth interviews and on-site observations, two questionnaires were used to expose a holistic picture of group learning and reflection in LPG meetings. The results indicate school leaders’ perceptions and values of reflective practices have an influence on the interdependence of LPG group leaders’ preparation and facilitation of meeting content and teachers’ attitudes and engagement toward reflection in LPG meetings. School leaders expected teachers to engage in reflection inside and outside of LPG meetings, but teachers’ practices were not aligned with school leaders’ expectations, given the differing understandings of LPG goals. Schools did not have evaluative plans for reflection in LPG meetings. LPG group leaders prepared teachers to understand the upcoming week teaching content and progress. However, LPG group leaders lacked facilitation skills for encouraging reflective group discussions. They were also reluctant to deal with group dynamics challenges proactively. Teachers’ experiences of reflection depended on the purpose of meetings and meeting agendas. Teachers were more likely to engage in reflective discussions with colleagues when LPG meetings involved clear purposes, guiding questions, constructive feedback, and guided future actions. The creating reflective practice in LPG meetings model was proposed to address the interdependence between stakeholders, with the mindsets and skillsets needed for LPG group leaders and teachers. The research results represent a step toward developing school-based reflective practice professional learning communities (PLCs).