University of British Columbia between high school achievement, as represented by grade twelve results, and university performance, as represented by first year standing. The aim of the work was to provide counsellors, both at the University of British Columbia and in the secondary schools of this province with predictive information for use in counselling. The high school variables used were letter grade average, percentage average, standing at first attempt, recommendation, number of Departmental examinations written, and major subjects taken. The criterion of university performance used was first year standing in April. A sample of 737 students was chosen from the Faculty of Arts and Science during the academic year of 1957-58. The students chosen had completed their final year in a public high school in British Columbia, were not repeating any first year university courses, and had had an uninterrupted secondary education. They had registered for at least fifteen units of course work, which included English 100-101, Mathematics 100 or 101, a foreign language, a science, and an elective. Results of this study can therefore be used adequately only with students of comparable high school background and with similar freshman programmes. Literature relevant to the areas investigated in this study was reviewed. By use of the Chi-Square technique and of a method of partitioning Chi-Square, it was determined whether the difference in freshman performance was significant among the students grouped according to the various high school variables, and where the difference lay. Contingency coefficients were calculated to show the degree of relationship between the variables and the criterion. Most of the results of the investigation were in agreement with those reported by other authors who had conducted similar studies. It was found that there is a high positive relationship between freshman standing and grade twelve average, whether letter grade or percentage, that students who complete University Entrance standing at first attempt perform at a higher level at university than students who are required to make more than one attempt, that recommended students are better academic risks than non-recommended students, and that students who are required to write three or more Departmental examinations are more likely to fail at university than students who write just one or two examinations. Contrary to most studies, and agreeing rather with the exceptions, it was found that there is some relationship between major subjects taken in high school and freshman standing. Students who have included in their high school programmes Mathematics, Science, English, and Social Studies as majors are less likely to fail at university than students who take Mathematics and Science majors but omit English and Social Studies majors. Students who have taken a high school foreigh language major are more successful in first year university than those who omit a foreign language major. A word of caution was included regarding the impossibility of perfect prediction for all students owing to the unreliability of marks, to individual differences, and to personal problems, adjustment and growth. Within the specified limitations of the results, the study indicated that high school achievement could be used effectively in prediction of performance at university. A number of suggestions for further study were mentioned, the most strongly recommended of which were a study of the possibility of using a prediction formula including both high school achievement records and aptitude test results, and an investigation of capable students who do not proceed to university. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

The study problem was to analyse the characteristics of individuals who reported interest in continuing education from data collected by means of interviews conducted in a survey of rural residents in the North Okanagan. Two hypotheses were tested to ascertain whether or not there were any significant differences between interested respondents and uninterested respondents with respect to socio-psychological characteristics; and whether or not there were any significant differences between interested participants in adult education and interested non-participants. Data from two hundred and thirty-nine household heads were analysed. There were statistically significant differences between interested and uninterested respondents with respect to twelve psycho-social characteristics. Of the characteristics of interested respondents studied there were significant differences between participants and non-participants with respect to four: including, level of schooling, wife's schooling, social participation and level of living. The findings of this study indicated that interest in continuing education was higher for younger respondents, for those with more years of schooling and those whose wives had completed more years of school. Respondents who expressed interest in further education or training had a higher level of living index and a higher income; they were more active in social organizations and in adult education courses; they were more likely to have been born in Canada outside of the survey area than in the North Okanagan district or in other countries. Interest was higher for farm respondents who had more personal contacts with agricultural extension personnel. Interest in continuing education was lower for respondents who were more alienated, and those who had a negative attitude toward change. It was lower also for those who had been unemployed longer in the last three years and those who had spent fewer years in their present occupation. Expressed interest appears to be one of the measurable characteristics which may be expected to affect the future participation of individuals in adult education. The findings of this study indicated that among those respondents who were interested in continuing education or training, those who had participated in adult education courses were more likely to have had more schooling and their wives to have completed more years of school; were more active in social organizations; and had a higher level of living. Age, schooling and wife's schooling are important factors in all studies of adult education participation. The indications of this study are that the kinds of attitudes or abilities which lead a respondent to earn socially approved membership in the community are also related to participation in adult education. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

The study problem was to analyse the characteristics of individuals who reported interest in continuing education from data collected by means of interviews conducted in a survey of rural residents in the North Okanagan. Two hypotheses were tested to ascertain whether or not there were any significant differences between interested respondents and uninterested respondents with respect to socio-psychological characteristics; and whether or not there were any significant differences between interested participants in adult education and interested non-participants. Data from two hundred and thirty-nine household heads were analysed. There were statistically significant differences between interested and uninterested respondents with respect to twelve psycho-social characteristics. Of the characteristics of interested respondents studied there were significant differences between participants and non-participants with respect to four: including, level of schooling, wife's schooling, social participation and level of living. The findings of this study indicated that interest in continuing education was higher for younger respondents, for those with more years of schooling and those whose wives had completed more years of school. Respondents who expressed interest in further education or training had a higher level of living index and a higher income; they were more active in social organizations and in adult education courses; they were more likely to have been born in Canada outside of the survey area than in the North Okanagan district or in other countries. Interest was higher for farm respondents who had more personal contacts with agricultural extension personnel. Interest in continuing education was lower for respondents who were more alienated, and those who had a negative attitude toward change. It was lower also for those who had been unemployed longer in the last three years and those who had spent fewer years in their present occupation. Expressed interest appears to be one of the measurable characteristics which may be expected to affect the future participation of individuals in adult education. The findings of this study indicated that among those respondents who were interested in continuing education or training, those who had participated in adult education courses were more likely to have had more schooling and their wives to have completed more years of school; were more active in social organizations; and had a higher level of living. Age, schooling and wife's schooling are important factors in all studies of adult education participation. The indications of this study are that the kinds of attitudes or abilities which lead a respondent to earn socially approved membership in the community are also related to participation in adult education. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

This study explored the teaching processes in mathematics education for adults and how they are shaped by certain social and institutional forces. Teaching processes included the selection and ordering of content to be taught; the choice of such techniques as lectures or groupwork; the expectations, procedures and norms of the classroom; and the complex web of interactions between teachers and learners, and between learners themselves. The study addressed three broad questions: (1) What happens in adult mathematics classrooms? (2) What do these phenomena mean for those involved as teachers or learners? and (3) In what ways do certain factors beyond the teachers’ control affect teaching processes? The theoretical framework linked macro and micro approaches to the study of teaching, and offered an analytical perspective that showed how teachers’ thoughts and actions can be influenced and circumscribed by external factors. Further, it provided a framework for an analysis of the ways in which teaching processes were viewed, described, chosen, developed, and constrained by certain “frame” factors. The study was based in a typical setting for adult mathematics education: a community college providing a range of ABE-level mathematics courses for adults. Three introductory-level courses were selected and data collected from teachers and students in these courses, as well as material that related to the teaching and learning of mathematics within the college. The study used a variety of data collection methods in addition to document collection: surveys of teachers’ and adult learners’ attitudes, repeated semi-structured interviews with teachers and learners, and extensive ethnographic observations in several mathematics classes. The teaching of mathematics was dominated by the transmission of facts and procedures, and largely consisted of repetitious activities and tests. Teachers were pivotal in the classroom, making all the decisions that related in any way to mathematics education. They rigidly followed the set textbooks, allowing them to determine both the content and the process of mathematics education. Teachers claimed that they wished to develop motivation and responsibility for learning in their adult students, yet provided few practical opportunities for such development to occur. Few attempts were made to encourage students, or to check whether they understood what they were being asked to do. Mathematical problems were often repetitious and largely irrelevant to adult students’ daily lives. Finally, teachers “piloted” students through problem-solving situations, via a series of simple questions, designed to elicit a specific “correct” method of solution, and a single correct calculation. One major consequence of these predominant patterns was that the overall approach to mathematics education was seen as appropriate, valid, and successful. The notion of success, however, can be questioned. In sum, mathematics teaching can best be understood as situationally- constrained choice. Within their classrooms, teachers have some autonomy to act yet their actions are influenced by certain external factors. These influences act as frames, bounding and constraining classroom teaching processes and forcing teachers to adopt a conservative approach towards education. As a result, the cumulative effects of all of frame factors reproduced the status quo and ensured that the form and provision of mathematics education remained essentially unchanged. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Recent conversations in the field of evaluation concern the number of graduate degree evaluation programs (LaVelle & Donaldson, 2010), a high job-market demand for trained evaluators (Stufflebeam, 2001), and a call to meet that demand using evaluator competencies (Stevahn, King, Ghere, & Minnema, 2005; Russ-Eft, Bober, de la Teja, Foxon, & Kosxalka, 2008). There has also been an increase in the promotion of practice-based instructional strategies for the teaching of evaluation (Alkin & Christie, 2002; Kelly & Kaczynski, 2008; Oliver, Casiraghi, Henderson, Brooks, & Muslow, 2008; Patton & Patrizi, 2005; Skolits, 2009; Trevisan, 2004). This study examined six evaluation degree programs in the United States to describe the knowledge, skills, abilities, and values reflected in the program structure (course work and student experiences). This study utilized a purposeful sampling strategy to identify doctoral programs that had been sustained over time. Practices programs used to develop evaluation professionals were identified from material used to describe programs in terms of evaluator competencies, the program structure used to promote student achievement of those competencies, and the socialization experiences that prepared students for careers in evaluation. Data was collected from interviews with prominent theorists in the field and program-informants, program web-based documents, and evaluation-specific course syllabi. The practices for Developing Evaluation Professionals can be described in two dimensions: Socialization of Students and Individualized Career Preparation. Critical elements include (a) use of evaluator competencies to guide and inform student learning goals, (b) use of experiential learning strategies to facilitate learning, (c) fostering flexible coursework options in designing a program of studies that meets student career goals, and (d) creating tailored practica experiences that engage students with skill sets matched to their career goals. Programs framed these dimensions with two faculty approaches important to supporting, guiding, and enhancing the process of developing evaluation professionals: extensive faculty mentoring and practica experiences culminating in leadership roles. Like the Carnegie Initiate on the Doctorate, discussion addresses opportunities and challenges in identifying "the desired core ingredients of an enriched form" (Golde & Walker, 2002, p. 2) of university-based evaluation training for doctoral students. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2012. / March 16, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references. / Linda B. Schrader, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Robert A. Schwartz, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Vanessa Paz Dennen, University Representative; Richard C. Kunkel, Committee Member; Sande D. Milton, Committee Member.

The purpose of the study was to explore the process of conducting action research and to describe how two groups of teachers came to understand, account for and apply their own action research plans. The processes involved in conducting action research and the degree to which teachers conducting action research can bring effective change in their own classrooms are described. The study analyzed the path of four teacher researchers conducting action research and provided insights into their understanding of the process of implementing their own action research plans. The primary research question addressed in this qualitative study during the fourteen-week period was: What is the difference in the process of conducting action research between those teachers whose action research plans were evaluated to have modeled appropriately the action research process taught to them and those teachers whose action research plans were evaluated to be divergent from the guidelines taught to them? The methods employed in this study involved the collection of qualitative data through observations, interviews, field notes, personal journals, reflections, document analysis and questionnaires. The analysis techniques included analytic induction and the constant comparative method. Using the constant comparative method together with triangulation revealed ten themes with supporting assertions that explicated the research questions. The four cases in this study demonstrated that conducting action research helped the teacher researchers provide personal and professional growth that brought effective and meaningful change in their teaching practices. This study also confirmed the findings of previous research indicating that action research contributes to the knowledge base of teaching, improves teachers' individual practice, changes their teaching and helps teachers become more reflective about their instructional practices during the inquiry. Although there were various degrees of differences between the two participant groups of teachers in the study, these differences were not extreme. Overall, it was evident that the process of action research enabled each of the participant teachers to bring about change in areas that they believed needed improvement. In this manner, action research was used as a school improvement tool and as an individual professional development alternative to bring about change and improvement. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Childhood, Reading, and Disability Services in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2005. / October 25, 2004. / Challenges in Teacher Research Process, Reflective Practice and Critical Thinking, Professional Development through Action Research, The Effects of Action Research, Benefits through Action Research Process, Action Research, Teacher Research Process / Includes bibliographical references. / John Hansen, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sande Milton, Outside Committee Member; Ithel Jones, Committee Member; Diana Rice, Committee Member.

A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education in Educational Psychology in the faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2018. / Education White Paper 6 was developed with the aim of transforming the educational system of South Africa from one of exclusion of learners with disabilities to one that is more inclusive of all learners. This was to be done through the establishment of an integrated educational system that embraces children with barriers to learning into mainstream public schooling systems. This system should hold a flexible curriculum, structures to provide support for teachers and other schooling staff in implementing and maintaining the new inclusive system. The skills of teachers are to be improved so as to effectively manage classes wherein diverse ranges of learning needs are present. The primary aim of this research was to examine inclusive education research conducted in South Africa since its implementation in 2001. This was done through a systematic literature review analysis. Articles were selected for inclusion in the review based on the following criteria: the studies had to have been published in peer-reviewed journals between the years 2001 and 2016 to represent the extent of research on inclusive education in South Africa since its implementation. Studies had to be data based (either primary or secondary) and documented in English with a focus on inclusive education in South Africa. Studies had to meet all the inclusion criteria in order to be selected for inclusion into the review. Thirty seven eligible journal articles were included for the current review, of which 43% (n=16) used a qualitative methodology, 16% (n=6) used a mixed methods design and 6% (n=2) used a quantitative methodology. The remaining 35% (n=13) were conceptual articles. To obtain a thematic review of inclusive education research in South Africa Thomas and Harden’s thematic synthesis approach of data analysis was used. The results identified the following main emergent themes: Attitudes, beliefs, perceptions and practices of key stakeholders, Dissemination of information, Teacher training, Contextual factors, History, culture and traditions toward inclusive education, and Collaboration. Findings of the review clearly indicate that there are drawbacks and limitations as well as successes in relation to inclusive education implementation in South Africa. There are lessons to be learned from the South African experience of inclusive education in relation to the implementation of educational policy and the need for research to inform practice. / MT 2018

Includes bibliographies.

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No description available.