University of Macau / Faculty of Education

Thesis (DPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In this thesis, an ‘alignment approach’ to the quality assurance of medical curricula is developed and practically illustrated in the evaluation of a section of a new curriculum in undergraduate medical education and training instituted at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Stellenbosch in 1999. The background of curriculum innovation at this institution during the 1990s is described, and the literature on the concepts of quality assurance is explored in higher education in general and in medical education and training in particular. The current focus on socially responsive curriculum renewal and accountability illustrates the need for this study. The empirical part of the study was conducted in two phases. The first phase consisted of a ‘clarification evaluation’. The planning of the new curriculum introduced in 1999 was analysed retrospectively through a study of the planning documents and interviews with leaders of the planning process. The results of this clarification evaluation are presented in the form of a ‘Logic Model’. The implicit theory of the curriculum, as represented by the Logic Model, was then evaluated regarding its consistency with trends in medical education. These trends were determined through a study of the literature on the subject published during the time of the planning of the curriculum. It was found that the planning of the curriculum was in line with most of the identified trends, but that it lacked detailed information on how the basic sciences and clinical skills training were to be addressed. This compromised the evaluability of phase I of the curriculum and of the clinical rotations1 by the method use in this study. Because of this, and also considering the time frame of this evaluation, phase I of the curriculum and the late clinical rotations were excluded from the second phase of the study. The aims identified for the curriculum during the process of clarification evaluation were also aligned with the document, The Profile of the Stellenbosch Doctor 2 . This indicates that the planning process of the curriculum was in line with its intended outcome.The second phase of the study consisted of an ‘implementation evaluation’ of phases II and III of the theoretical components and of the early and middle clinical rotations of the curriculum. Data for this implementation evaluation were collected from April 2002 to June 2003. Module chairpersons3, lecturers and students were used as sources of data for the evaluation of the theoretical phases. The perceptions of these groups regarding the implementation of phases II and III of the theoretical part of the curriculum were collected by means of questionnaires designed specifically for this study. For the evaluation of the clinical rotations, the results of the standard student feedback obtained by the Faculty of Health Sciences were used as a source of data for a secondary analysis. The study guides provided for each of the theoretical modules and the clinical rotations were also used as a secondary source for the analysis of data. The data obtained were then analysed by using the framework provided by the Logic Model. Following this, a judgment of the quality of the implementation of the curriculum was made. The planned curriculum was aligned with the practised curriculum by drawing up a ‘curriculum scoreboard’. It was found that alignment was adequately achieved for six of the identified aims, while the implementation of four of the aims was not aligned to the planning according to the criteria used in this study. The study illustrates that the methods of programme evaluation can be validly applied in the evaluation of a curriculum in medical education and training. The Logic Model enables an alignment between the planned and the practised curriculum, which can be used as a measure of the quality of a curriculum in terms of ‘fitness of purpose’. 1 See Addendum A for a diagrammatic overview of the curriculum. The curriculum was structured into three theoretical phases (phases I, II and III) and three clinical rotations (early, middle and late). 2 This document was drawn up during the initial phases of the planning process of the curriculum and regarded by the Faculty as a blueprint for the intended outcomes of the curriculum. 3 A module chairperson in the context of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Stellenbosch is a senior faculty member responsible for the organisation and management of the modules presented as part of the curriculum in medical education and training. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In hierdie tesis word ʼn ‘belyningsbenadering’ tot die gehalteversekering van mediese kurrikula ontwikkel en prakties op die proef gestel deur ʼn gedeelte van die nuwe kurrikulum vir voorgraadse mediese onderrig, wat in 1999 aan die Fakulteit Gesondheidswetenskappe van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch ingestel is, te evalueer. Die agtergrond van kurrikulumverandering in hierdie instansie gedurende die 1990’s word ondersoek, en daar word ’n oorsig gegee van die literatuur oor die konsepte van gehalteversekering wat op daardie stadium in die hoër onderwys in die algemeen en in mediese onderrig in besonder in gebruik was. Die huidige fokus op sosiaal responsiewe kurrikula en verantwoordbaarheid illustreer die noodsaaklikheid van ʼn studie van hierdie aard. Die empiriese gedeelte van die studie is in twee fases uitgevoer. Die eerste fase het bestaan uit ‘n ‘verklarende evaluasie’. Die beplanning van die 1999-kurrikulum is retrospektief geanaliseer deur die bestudering van die relevante beplanningsdokumente en deur onderhoude met leiers van die beplanningsproses te voer. Die resultate van die verklarende evaluasie is in die vorm van ʼn ‘Logika Model’ voorgestel. Die implisiete teorie van die kurrikulum, soos voorgestel in die Logika Model, is daarna geëvalueer ten opsigte van die ooreenstemming van die model met die tendense in mediese onderrig wat op daardie stadium geldig was. Hierdie tendense is nagespeur in die belangrikste literatuur oor die onderwerp wat in dieselfde tydperk as die beplanning van die 1999-kurrikulum gepubliseer is. Die bevinding was dat die beplanning van die kurrikulum in lyn is met die meerderheid geïdentifiseerde tendense, maar dat die basiese wetenskappe en opleiding in kliniese vaardighede nie in detail aangespreek is nie. Dit het die evalueerbaarheid van fase I van die kurrikulum en die kliniese rotasies4 deur die metode wat in hierdie studie gebruik is, gekompromitteer. Om hierdie rede, en met inagneming van die tydsraamwerk van hierdie evaluasie, is fase I en die laat kliniese rotasies nie in die tweede gedeelte van hierdie studie ingesluit nie. Die doelwitte van die kurrikulum wat gedurende die verklarende evaluasie geformuleer is, is ook met die dokument, Die Profiel van die Stellenbosch dokter 5, belyn. Dít het aangedui dat die beplanningsproses van die kurrikulum in lyn met die beoogde uitkoms daarvan is.Die tweede deel van die studie het bestaan uit ʼn ‘implementerings-evaluasie’ van fases II en III van die teoretiese komponente en van die vroeë en middel kliniese rotasies van die kurrikulum. Data vir die implementerings-evaluasie is vanaf April 2002 tot Junie 2003 ingesamel. Modulevoorsitters6, dosente en studente is as bronne van data vir die evaluering van die teoretiese fases gebruik. Die indrukke van hierdie groepe persone betreffende die implementering van die teoretiese fases is deur middel van vraelyste ingesamel wat spesiaal vir hierdie studie ontwerp is. Vir die evaluering van die kliniese rotasies is die resultate van die standaard studenteterugvoer wat deur die Fakulteit ingewin word, gebruik as bron vir sekondêre analise. Die studiegidse wat vir elke teoretiese module en die kliniese rotasies verskaf word, het ook as ʼn bron vir sekondêre data-analise gedien. Die data wat vir hierdie studie ingewin is, is deur middel van die raamwerk wat deur die Logika Model verskaf is, geanaliseer. Daarna is ʼn oordeel gevel oor die kwaliteit van die implementering van die kurrikulum. Die kurrikulum-soos-beplan is belyn met die uitgevoerde kurrikulum deur ’n ‘kurrikulumtelbord’ op te stel. Die bevinding was dat hierdie belyning voldoende bereik is vir ses van die geïdentifiseerde doelstellings van die kurrikulum, terwyl die uitvoering van vier van die doelstellings nie goed met die beplanning daarvan belyn was volgens die kriteria wat vir hierdie studie gebruik is nie. Hierdie studie illustreer dat die metodes van programevaluasie geldig toegepas kan word in die evaluering van ’n kurrikulum in mediese onderrig en opvoeding. Die Logika Model maak dit moontlik om die beplande kurrikulum met die uitgevoerde kurrikulum te belyn. Dit kan dan gebruik word as ’n maatstaf van die kwaliteit van ’n kurrikulum in terme van ‘geskiktheid vir doel’.4 Sien Addendum A vir ʼn diagrammatiese oorsig van die kurrikulum. Die kurrikulum is gestruktureer volgens drie teoretiese fases (fases I, II en III) en drie kliniese rotasies (vroeg, middel en laat). 5 Hierdie dokument is gedurende die vroeë fases van die beplanningsproses van die kurrikulum saamgestel en word deur die Fakulteit as ʼn bloudruk vir die beoogde uitkomste van die kurrikulum beskou.6 ’n Module-voorsitter in die konteks van die Fakulteit Gesondheidswetenskappe van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch is ʼn senior lid van die fakulteit wat verantwoordelik is vir die organisasie en bestuur van die modules wat as deel van die kurrikulum in mediese onderrig en opleiding aangebied word.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to research the establisment of a culture of learning in a childcare school. The appeal by the government of the establisment of a culture of learning, serves as background to this study. This appeal implies a change of attitude by both learners and educators with regard to the learning and teaching process. The objective of this change is to prioritize learning and teaching in schools. This will enable learners to effectively develope intelectually, personally and socially. The feasibility to transform the school to a learning organization , is being researched. In a learning organization , learning is being internalised. Transformation to a learning organization will ensure that the school keeps pace with, and make the neccesary adjustments relative to the change. In achieving the transformation to a learning organization, such a school can be sure that learning and teaching will remain a top priority. This study is a situational analysis of a childcare school, which requested to remain anonymous. This analysis clearly expose the lack of a culture of learning at this school, due to the cultural bagage of the learners, which are manifested in serious behavioral problems, and which in turn prevent an effective learning prosess. The behavioral problems impede an the educators abillity to teach effevtively. It leads to high stress levels and a low morale. It is very clear that this situation can only be remedied if the behavioral problems of the learners are effectively dealt with. The study begins with identifying the problems and setting the questions for research. In the ensuring chapters, a study of the literature, a situational analysis and proposed programme to establish a culture of learning, follows. The proposed programme, amongst others, put forward a strategy to eliminate the behavioral problems of learners as well as reducing the stress-levels of the educators. It uniformaly focusses on the role of the prinicipal in obviating the said encumbrances, and the transformation to a learning organization. The programme includes a comprehensive discussion of strategic planning as an instrument In establishing a culture of learning and transformation to a learning organization. The programme can possibly serve as a guideline for schools which accommodate large numbers oflearners with serious behavioral problems. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die vestiging van 'n leerkultuur in 'n kinderhuisskool is in hierdie studie ondersoek. Die studie is onderneem teen die agtergrond van die regenng se oproep om 'n leerkultuur in ons skole te vestig. Hierdie oproep impliseer 'n verandering in leerders en onderwysers se ingesteldheid ten opsigte van leer en onderwys. Hierdie verandering het dit ten doel dat leer en onderrig prioriteit in skole sal geniet. Die moontlikheid om die skool in 'n lerende organisasie te transformeer word ondersoek. In 'n lerende organisasie word leer geïnternaliseer. Transformasie na 'n lerende organisasie sal verseker dat die skool tred hou met verandering en die nodige koersaanpassings maak. Indien 'n skool daarin kan slaag om tot 'n lerende organisasie te transformeer sal dit verseker dat leer en onderrig altyd prioriteit by die skool sal bly. Hierdie studie is 'n situasie-analise van 'n kindershuisskool, wie op versoek anoniem wil bly. Vanuit die situasie-analise blyk dit duidelik dat daar nie 'n leerkultuur in die skool aanwesig is nie. Die leerders se kulturele bagasie, wat uitdrukking vind in ernstige gedragsprobleme, verhoed dat effektiewe leer plaasvind. Die gedragsprobleme kortwiek die onderwysers se werkverrigting aangesien dit aanleiding gee tot hoë stresvlakke en dus 'n lae moraal. Dit blyk baie duidelik dat dit slegs moontlik sal wees om 'n leerkultuur te vestig indien die leerders se gedragsprobleme effektief aangespreek kan word. Die studie begin deur die probleem en navorsingsvrae te stel. Die volgende hoofstukke behels 'n studie van die literatuur, die situasie-analise en 'n voorgestelde program om 'n leerkultuur in die skool te vestig. Die voorgestelde program doen, onder andere, strategieë aan die hand om die leerders se gedragsprobleme te elimineer en om die onderwysers se stresvlakke te laat daal. Dit fokus deurgaans op die prinsipaal se rol in die uitskakeling van bogenoemde hindernisse en sy rol in die vestiging van 'n leerkultuur en die transformering na 'n lerende organisasie. Die program sluit 'n volledige bespreking van strategiese beplanning as instrument in die vestiging van 'n leerkultuur en die transformering na 'n lerende organisasie in. Die program kan moontlik as riglyn dien vir skole wie groot getalle leerders met gedragsprobleme huisves.

published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

A Thesis presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. December 1969, / No abstract

In a growingly complex and ambiguous world it is thought that flexible, change-oriented leadership that encourages a culture that is risk taking, innovative, and proactive is necessary to survive and prosper. The extant literature offers entrepreneurial leadership as having a positive impact in such environments in business settings. Schools, which are not exempt from complex and ambiguous environments, might also benefit from this new type of leadership. Hence, this study expands the study of entrepreneurial leadership to the education profession, examining the relationship between principal autonomy, a principal’s entrepreneurial orientation, school culture, and school performance. This study, supported by findings of numerous educational leadership studies, posits that a significant positive indirect relationship exists between a principal’s entrepreneurial orientation and school performance, with school culture as a mediating variable. It is proposed that a greater disposition to proactive and risky behaviors in pursuit of innovation will correlate with greater cultural innovativeness, leading to higher levels of school performance. The contribution this study makes is both theoretical and practical. Theoretically, it adds a new dimension to the educational leadership literature by investigating the potential effectiveness of entrepreneurial leadership in improving teaching and learning in American schools, and the impact of risk taking, innovativeness, and proactiveness as individual distinct determinants of school performance. Practically, the study could identify new dispositions valuable to principals in efforts to improve their school’s performance. The study uses a nonexperimental, quantitative research design to explore these relationships, using correlational and regression analyses. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Utilizing a modified Delphi Technique research study, consensus was sought from 298 practitioners in the public assembly facility management (PAFM) industry regarding their perceptions on varied matters connected to the academic preparation of managers/executives serving the industry. A comprehensive literature review and a prior pilot study were conducted for the purpose of creating the initial survey (Questionnaire 1). The pilot study consisted of an open-ended interview session with a panel (N=16) of PAFM managers. Sixty-four (64) of 66 consensus-seeking items attained consensus from the respondents (N=298) after Questionnaire 1 results were tabulated. Respondents were given the opportunity to re-assess their Questionnaire 1 choices in Questionnaire 2 and if compelled, change them. Items related to Kinesiology and Physical Education did not attain consensus status in Questionnaire 1 or Questionnaire 2. This study concluded: a) academic program in PAFM is beneficial to the industry (96%) and 63.5% viewed the degree as very important or essential; b) the preferred academic delivery level was Bachelors/undergraduate (52.7%); c) the degree program should be housed in Business (42%); d) the preferred competencies and skill sets were identified; e) the preferred course components were identified. / Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between the type of public assembly facility where a respondent worked and the preferred academic unit of the program, as well as preferred general course components. Recommendations for future research include: (a) conducting a similar study employing solely qualitative methodology; (b) seeking potential significant relationships with gender, ethnicity, geographic location, ownership and governance of facilities, years of experience; and (c) comparing and contrasting results of this study among faculty who currently teach public assembly facility management courses and the students that are in said courses . The rising cost of providing safe and cost-efficient public assembly facilities require that the people operate these facilities possess the best set of managerial, administrative and technical skills related to the management of these facilities; this study aids in that quest by suggesting competencies and course components, and potentially a PAFM general academic curriculum, based on practitioner viewpoint. / by James J. Riordan. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Teachers often use instructional goals to guide students’ learning and to track their performance. Typically, teachers develop these instructional goals before they meet students and then hand over their list of goals to students during their first class session. Prior research shows that students do not necessarily understand the underlying principles of those broader terms and how they are to be assessed—they don’t truly understand what is expected of them, nor how a teacher sets out to help them learn. The inadequacy in students’ understanding about instructional goals has been shown to be related to student underachievement, disengagement in classes, and poor student-teacher relationships. The effectiveness of goal-driven learning is dependent on the learner’s ability to make informed decisions about what to learn and what strategies to use to achieve the desired objectives. Given that, I hypothesize that helping students understand their teacher’s rationale behind the goal creation process will help students make better decisions with their study, demonstrate stronger motivation, develop better student-teacher relationships, and eventually improve their academic performance. To test these hypotheses, I created an intervention that required students to have a discussion with their teacher about how the instructional goals were prioritized. Eighty-nine students from an introductory Microbiology class were randomly assigned into three conditions: (1) Goal Listing (GL) condition, in which students read a list of instructional goals as they were in the syllabus; (2) Goal Ranking (GR) condition, in which students read a list of instructional goals that had been ranked according to their importance by their teacher; and (3) Goal Ranking + Discussing (GRD) condition, in which students read the ranked goals and discussed them with their teacher in a one-on-one meeting. The measures I used to test the effects of the intervention include study-time allocation, accuracy of self-assessment for an upcoming exam, help-seeking tendency toward the teacher, attitude toward the class and the teacher, and class performance. Results showed that the GRD group performed significantly better than the other two groups on every behavioral measure, but no significant difference was found between the GR and GL group. Specifically, students in the GRD condition scored significantly higher, planned their study more strategically, predicted their final grade more accurately, and demonstrated stronger tendency to seek help from their teacher. Mediation analyses were conducted to test whether students’ metacognitive strategies causally contributed to their better performance. Results show that both study-time planning and self-assessment mediated exam performance for the GRD group, but not for the GR group. This suggests that a discussion on the ranked goals is more powerful in affecting students’ learning process than simply showing them the goals without an explanation. In addition to the behavioral measures, we also examined students’ attitudes toward their teacher and the course. The results show that the GRD group gave a more positive evaluation of their teacher and perceived the course as more interesting and valuable than the other two groups. This suggests that a discussion of goals can bring about motivational benefits such as improving student-teacher relationships. This study made unique theoretical and practical contributions to our understanding of how teachers can best communicate goals to their students. First, most previous research on students’ goals focused on what goals might be beneficial to learning, but did not address how to enable students to strategically arrive at those goals. Our study suggests that having teachers explain how their instructional goals were set can be a promising step toward that end. Second, our findings add to past research on metacognitive training, which largely focused on teaching strategies to students. Our study suggests that we can improve students’ use of metacognitive strategies by helping them gain a clear understanding of the instructional goals. Moreover, the study points to the important role of social interaction in enhancing students’ self-regulating abilities such as planning and self-assessment. Metacognition is not just about understanding one’s own thinking. Understanding the goals of those who are important to one’s learning can be helpful to improving one’s metacognition. Finally, the study offers clear guidance in how to make teachers’ office hours more productive. Goal discussion provides an implementable tool that can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their communication and their relationship.

This study sought to determine the importance community college instructional stakeholders--teachers, administrators, and support staff--ascribe to 23 student outcome goals and to examine the relationships between biographical variables and stakeholders' perceptions. The study addressed the following research questions: (a) Which of the 23 student outcomes do instructional stakeholders as a whole perceive to be most important?; (b) Can these outcomes be factored into a set underlying constructs?; (c) Does the perceived importance of student outcomes vary in relationship to the type of student the stakeholder serves?; (d) Which outcomes do stakeholders serving different types of students value most highly?; (e) Does the perceived importance of student outcomes vary in relationship to: professional role, number of years worked in a community college, number of years worked at the community college surveyed, campus assignment, and gender? Data were collected from 241 subjects employed by a large, urban community college. Subjects rated the importance of 23 student outcomes on a Likert-like scale. The Student Outcome Goals Inventory, a survey instrument developed by the researcher, was used to collect data. Data were analyzed using one or more of the following statistical tests where appropriate: ANOVA, t Test, Factor Analysis, and Discriminant Function Analysis. The major conclusions drawn from this study were: (a) Instructional stakeholders as a group perceived outcomes related to affective constructs, basic skills development, and goal setting to be most important; (b) six constructs represent the outcomes (Personal/Social, Transfer, Credentialing, Employment, Traditional College, and Developmental); (c) Type of student served has a significant relationship to the perceived importance of 12 of the 23 outcomes with most differences occurring between stakeholders serving lower division transfer students and those serving professional/technical students; (d) Few significant relationships exist between the remaining biographical variables and the 23 outcome variables; (e) The type of students stakeholders served can be predicted with 69% accuracy. The outcomes rated most highly by stakeholders are those that represent a foundation of skills that students are typically expected to gain in their secondary education.

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, school districts face a myriad of challenges including a steady stream of calls for reform, major shifts in demographics and increasing accountability standards. Despite the calls for reform and the threat of sanctions, school districts have found it difficult to affect significant changes in the gaps between the academic success rates for those who are identified as Economically Disadvantaged or minority and their more affluent, white students. The literature on change, on motivation, and on successful organizations quite often suggests having a “shared vision” as a prerequisite for success. The research specifically examining vision as a critical variable in school district-level success is limited. This study sought to examine vision as a “shared” or aligned component of success as perceived from the perspectives of the superintendent and principals in a successful urban school district. While there are questions about various aspects of vision that could be examined, this study drew its focus from three. The research questions the study considered were: What does the superintendent perceive the essential components of the district’s vision to be? What do the principals perceive the essential components of the district’s vision to be? Are the principal’s perceptions of the vision aligned with the perceptions of the superintendent? This study used qualitative research methods to study the strategies and practices employed by the superintendent of Compass ISD to generate a shared vision of success. Data for this study was from information from the Texas Education Agency, district publications and one-on-one interviews with the superintendent and several principals. Findings revealed a strong alignment of the superintendent’s perception of the vision for the district with those perceptions held by campus principals. The vision became a shared vision through the use of communication strategies, the establishment of desired results, setting guidelines for achieving those results, the appropriation of resources, through sharing accountability methods and measures, and by making the consequences for success or failure in achieving those standards known. The superintendent used data as a frame for his communications and for his decisions in all areas. / text