Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of West Florida, 2005. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 155 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of West Florida, 2003. / Title from title page of source document. Document formatted into pages; contains 142 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Indiana University, 2007. / Title from screen (viewed on June 27, 2007) Department of English, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-80)

Extracurricular enterprise activities have steadily increased over the past decade within universities (Rae et al., 2012), as has the domain of entrepreneurial learning research (Wang and Chugh, 2014) yet limited empirical research examines links between the two phenomena. This thesis connects educational theory, entrepreneurial learning theory and entrepreneurial education research to examine the role that extracurricular enterprise activities may have within the entrepreneurial learning processes of students at United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions. Utilising a social constructionist paradigm of enquiry this thesis critically examines perceptions of the value of extracurricular enterprise activities from an educator and student perspective. A semi-structured survey (n=55) and in depth interviews with students (n=23) and enterprise educators (n=3) across 24 UK universities explored what extracurricular enterprise activities students engaged in, their motivations for engagement and the perceived value of extracurricular enterprise activities in relation to entrepreneurial learning processes. Findings suggest that extracurricular enterprise activities not only provide value in the experiential and social learning opportunities afforded for participants, but the positioning of these activities outside of the main curriculum enables students to develop their autonomous learning capabilities. The results contribute to an emerging body of literature examining self-directed learning activities and entrepreneurial learning (Van Gelderen, 2010; Tseng, 2013). The thesis concludes that while experiential and social learning opportunities occupy a central role within entrepreneurial learning processes of university students, self-directed learning activities are increasingly important, and emphasis should be placed upon enabling students to self-direct their entrepreneurial learning processes. For policy and practice, this research provides additional scrutiny of the proposition that extracurricular enterprise activities positively enhance learning through examining what extracurricular enterprise activities students choose to engage in and the benefits they perceive they attained. This research also provides an enhanced understanding of how students interpret and apply the theoretical concept of entrepreneurial learning. Research examining entrepreneurial learning is important in enabling a more effective understanding of the entrepreneurial process yet studies examining student perceptions of entrepreneurial learning remain limited (Mueller and Anderson, 2014; Wang and Chugh, 2014). Finally, this thesis presents the central role of self-directed learning activities to students’ entrepreneurial learning processes and provides recommendations for enhancing entrepreneurial education.

Counsellors are advised to include developmental knowledge of each adult student client into their practice and, in particular, to differentiate between those who are experiencing intrapersonal transformation and those who are not. The research, however, lacks guidance on specific ways counsellors might pragmatically accomplish this. Using an interpretative qualitative research approach, this study considered whether it was possible to discern a group of adult students' developmental distinctions by locating developmentally unique points of view they had towards experiences adjusting to school. Participants were eleven female and four male adult students attending a British Columbia college; ages ranged in ages from early thirties to late fifties. Each participated in one audiotaped interview. Open-ended questions focused on gaining an understanding of their perceptions of their experiences adjusting to school. Issues salient to a participant were probed to determine meaning-making. Four dimensions of analysis were conducted on the data, transcripts of interviews. The first two dimensions located participants within the context of research literature on adult students. Consistent with other studies, though participants' life circumstances differed, they shared similar experiences. They had returned to school in response to a life transition, held common attitudes towards their schooling and faced similar challenges adjusting to school. The third dimension of data analysis assessed each participant's epistemological structure according to Robert Kegan's (1982, 1994) Constructive-Developmental theory. These findings revealed that, as a group, they were developmentally diverse. When interviewed, they had described their experiences from seven qualitatively different developmental perspectives. Nine participants had constructed meaning from varying phases of developmental transformation. The fourth dimension of data analysis synthesized previous findings. Differences in the meanings participants attached to some experiences they shared in common, their unique points of view, were concluded to be sufficiently reflective of specific epistemological structures to be considered a useful heuristic for recognizing clients' developmental distinctions. Developmentally distinctive points of view were reported, within the context of relevant adjustment issues, as Developmental Indicators—conclusive examples of how participants demonstrated developmental structures and phases of transformation, and also as Developmental Clues—inconclusive probabilities of developmental distinctions. / Graduate

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology / The research question that guided this doctoral study is: How do pre-entry academic and non-academic factors influence teacher education students’ first-year experience and academic performance? The study was designed within the qualitative research paradigm and employed a case study strategy to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative approach included a questionnaire that was completed by 195 respondents. The qualitative data was obtained from one-on-one and focus-group interviews with eight participants that were purposively selected. The conceptual framework developed for this enquiry took into consideration the significance of student diversity in understanding first-year experience and thus employed concepts from two sociological models, Tinto’s (1975; 1993) integration model (social and academic integration) and Bourdieu’s (1984; 1990) theoretical tools of capital, habitus and field. Six key themes emerged from the data: determination, self-reliance, fitting-in, out-of-habitus experience, positioning oneself to succeed and challenges. The unequal distribution of economic, social and cultural capital created disparities between students’ habitus and schooling experiences which influenced the way they integrated into their first year at university. The study revealed that more mature students than school-leavers and gap-students are entering higher education. Further, the majority of first-year students are unable to fund their studies and source external funding or engage in part-time employment. Students pursued financial aid before focusing on academic activities. Engagement in the social domain remained marginal. Students’ determination to change their economic circumstances was the primary factor that influenced their attitudes and actions at university. Higher education needs to consider student diversity, financial constraints of disadvantaged students, first-year curriculum planning and delivery, and the high cost of university studies. It needs to move away from viewing entering students from a deficit model, to capitalise on their qualities of determination, optimism, enthusiasm and openness to learning, thereby creating an inclusive first-year experience that could encourage retention and student success.

This study aimed to investigate the level of understanding of Euclidian geometry, in terms of theoretical knowledge as well as its problem-solving application, in pre-service mathematics education (PME) students at the University of Pretoria. In order to do so, a one group pre-test/ post-test procedure was conducted around an intensive geometry module, and a representational group of students was interviewed before and after the module to discuss their high school experiences of learning geometry and to analyse their attitudes towards the subject. The van Hiele Theory of Levels of Thought in Geometry was used as the theoretical framework for this study. The PME students in this study, prior to their completion of the geometry module, lacked the content knowledge, skills and insight in Euclidian geometry that is expected at matric level (Level 3). The pre-test results revealed that half the group could only be classified as being on Level 0. By the time the post-test was written, 60% of the group had moved onto Level 1 as their maximum competence level. This implies that these students were all brought to greater insight by the teaching they received during the geometry module. However, the overall improvement in the group as revealed in the post-test results, consisted of an upward movement of only one level. Therefore, the geometry module offered did not bring about sufficient improvement for these students to be able to teach geometry adequately (Level 3 is required). The students who were interviewed for this study uniformly expressed their dislike or fear of Euclidian geometry in general, but described the positive change in their attitude during the course of the module because of the way it was presented. Training of students for a career as mathematics educators which includes an in-depth van Hiele-based geometry module would facilitate the acquisition of insight and relational understanding. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / MEd / unrestricted

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