Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2007. / Title from title screen (site viewed Dec. 4, 2007). PDF text: vii, 118 p. : ill. ; 6 Mb. UMI publication number: AAT 3271909. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2006. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (March 1, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. Release of full electronic text on OhioLINK has been delayed until June 1, 2014. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 280-293)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2009. / Release of full electronic text on OhioLINK has been delayed until June 1, 2014. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 280-293)

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

With the development of using tablet computers in the classrooms, it is raised concern in education how to enhance the effectiveness of using tablet computers in teaching and learning. In this study, it provides a significant framework included four main obstacles of using tablet computers as a learning tool related to schools, teachers, students and parents that are studied with grounded theory. The purpose of this study is to understand the obstacles of using tablet computers as a learning tool and provide some recommendations according to teachers’ perception of teaching and students’ engagement of learning that occurs as a result of using tablet computers in primary schools. From the results of comparing students’ using tablet computers between schools and homes, the perception of teachers, students and parents’ on using tablet computers as a learning tool, the study found that there is a lot to develop and improve the tablet computers for primary school students to use as a learning tool. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

It has become a fairly common practice in Natal to borrow ideas from the English educational scene. No doubt this is to our advantage but perhaps not necessarily always so. It is possible that an idea is copied and pursued diligently here yet meanwhile, back at its source of development in England, the idea is fast loosing favour. It is necessary to sift the good from the bad before we borrow, and that can only be done by surveying the field thoroughly. The author of this thesis after spending a number of years in primary education was fortunate enough to receive a study grant from the Natal Education Department which enabled him to visit England and other countries, and study at first hand the primary schools there. The primary aim of this thesis. is, therefore, to examine some of the recent developments in primary education in England, to evaluate them and to consider the feasibility of adapting and utilising them in the primary schools of Natal. These developments offer an alternative approach to education and one that is closer to what we now know about children and the nature of the learning process. The English primary school offers hope to those who believe that because change is difficult, it is either an impossibility or it takes generations to bring about. This study should supply the answer to the question: "What is happening in British primary schools?", which Brian Young poses in Children At School - Primary Education in Britain Today (1). It may in addition minimise the chances of the merely faddish aspects being slavishly copied and avoid change for the sake of change. It may also be of assistance to those concerned with policy making in primary education, particularly in Natal, especially if they are seriously interested in exploring alternatives to existing patterns of instructions. The basic assumption underlying the whole study is that each child is an unique individual who is characterised by an unmatched set of gifts and limitations. While the approach adopted is a child-centred one, a confrontation with exclusive choices is avoided. It is not a question of the child or the teacher, children or subjects, subjects or an integrated programme, the individual or society, or freedom or discipline. The question: "How far do we need a concept of the educated man as well as the notion of the educated child?" (2), is very relevant to this study. Part One of this thesis is a discussion of. the various factors from which present-day practices have evolved. No historical account of the developments is undertaken, but a brief survey of the old elementary school is followed by a resume of the changing educational demands of a society which has undergone extensive changes in the last 75 years. Immense scientific and technological developments and the concomitant social and economic upheavals have called for new curricula, subject content and teaching methods. The role played by the progressives, a small group of avant-garde educationists whose views were considered eccentric in their time, is discussed in detail. The direct and indirect influence of educationists, philosophers and psychologists is more difficult to establish. This and the impact of official educational reports and Acts are also studied. Part Two concerns the purpose of English primary education. It is no theoretical dissertation on the aims of education. It rather attempts to establish what the primary school seeks to achieve for its pupils. The concept of 'being educated' is analysed and is followed by a discussion of what are termed immediate aims. Here attention is focused on the belief that primary education is to serve solely as a preparation for the education that is to follow and on the acquisition of skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic, and the ability to speak properly and listen attentively. Next follows a discussion of so-called long-term aims. Particular attention is given to the preparation of children for the society in which they will one day be adults; prerequisites such as adaptability and a critical mind are highlighted. The freedom of the individual and his place in society is examined. Finally, the opinions of teachers as reflected in a Schools Council exploratory study of aims, influences and attitudes, are briefly analysed. A comprehensive survey of every primary school in England by Her Majesty's Inspectorate revealed certain trend-setting schools. Part Three is a study of some of the recent developments that reflect the ethos prevalent in these schools. the blend of freedom and support where teachers and headteachers are relatively free to decide what to teach, how to teach it and the support they receive from a variety of sources, is discussed in detail. The move to what has become known as open or informal schooling and other features of these schools, such as the integrated day, team teaching and open plan schools are described. Part Four of this study concerns those aspects of English primary education that could with success be adapted and introduced into the primary schools of Natal. The features that are considered are the introduction of a more child-centred approach, the appointment of experts in primary education to decision- and policy-making positions, the in-service education of teachers, the fuller utilization of teachers' centres and the building design of primary schools. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, Durban, 1976.

No description available.

This thesis is based on a case study of the predicament of new primary teachers in a time of rapid and multiple change. It examines the proposal that emerging teachers should be supported as intellectuals in responding to the inherited collision of education policy and practice within postmodernity. Action research methodology was employed to investigate a small scale attempt to support student teachers as intellectuals in their final period of the BEd. Some participants were followed into the first year of teaching, using an ethnographic and autoethnographic methodology to evaluate and elaborate the initial proposal. The study shows that emerging teachers could function as intellectuals but there was little political or professional support for this. In particular there were neglected elements in both preparation and induction periods concerning professional purpose, vocation and orientation. The study contributes to our understanding of the dilemmas of tutoring emerging teachers as intellectuals. It also contributes to our understanding of the predicament of new teachers, which is typified as caught between the rock of the state and the increasingly hard place of the school. In this situation clarity of ideals and beliefs are required, and personal and social strategies are needed to carry these through in the problematic contexts of both policy and practice. It is recommended that the imbalance of preparation and induction programmes is reconsidered in order to allow for these neglected elements. Finall y the study offers a cultural rationale for professional purpose and vocation based on principles of equality, quality, diversity and democracy.

This thesis examines how the teaching of drama can be enhanced through needs-driven, school-based professional learning. It was motivated by a personal ‘living contradiction’, involving the frustration that can result when beliefs and actions do not correspond. My learning journey continued through literature searches and preliminary work with teachers that resulted in an effective process of professional learning with five teachers. The research design draws on elements of action research, situated, and action learning theories, to develop a process of ‘facilitated action research’. Informed, but not limited by existing models of action research, this collaborative process was responsive to teacher preferences in addressing the three research aims. Evolving over two phases with eleven teachers, the bulk of the study followed the stories of five teachers and their professional learning. Data collection tools included the use of semi-structured interviews, conversations, a questionnaire, survey and reflective journals. The findings demonstrated that professional learning, responsive to context and self-identified needs, positively enhanced the teaching of drama. Teacher confidence and awareness of drama gradually increased, as did teacher ability to self-direct learning. Areas of skill development, integration and time management were initially identified as a focus for professional learning, with classroom and behaviour management added as school-based issues arose. Establishing a ‘common understanding of drama’ was acknowledged as critical for effective collaborative learning to take place. Personal factors including confidence, experience and belief, and the contextual factors of parental expectation, outcomes, time, space and past professional learning were found to facilitate or constrain drama use. The research found that professional learning, characterised by a respect for past experiences, assisted in the creation of a ‘safe space’ for learning. Tailoring professional learning to needs and the school context was also found to motivate teachers and was effective in enhancing the teaching of drama. My role as ‘facilitator’ became embedded in the collaborative process, adding to a personal understanding of role and school-based learning. This study is significant for teachers, professional learning facilitators and those working in drama education. It contributes to the minimal research emphasising professional learning for drama, and strengthens existing arguments for needs-driven, school-based teacher development.