Thesis (M. Ed.(Curriculum Studies))-University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

The purpose of this study was to examine the following research questions in Turkish coaching context: a) How do coaches perceive sport science research? b) Which sources do coaches utilize when obtaining the knowledge they need? c) What obstacles do coaches confront when trying to access the knowledge they need? Participants were 322 coaches (256 men, 66 women) from diverse sports and coaching levels working in Ankara. &ldquo / New Ideas for Coaches&rdquo / questionnaire by Reade, Rodgers and Hall (2008) was translated and adapted into Turkish for the current study. There was a strong concurrence between Turkish coaches in terms of the belief that sport science contributes to sport (%78). Gaps exist, however, between what coaches were looking for and the research that is being conducted. Coaches were most likely to attend seminars or consult other coaches to get new information. Scientific publications were ranked very low by the coaches. The barriers to the coaches&rsquo / access to sport science were finding out the source of information, being able to implement the knowledge that was obtained from sport sciences into field of coaching, lack of monetary support for the expenses about obtaining knowledge, and language barrier respectively. Coaches&rsquo / demographic characteristics influenced their perceptions of and preferences for obtaining new information. Strategies to remove the barriers could include providing further education opportunities for coaches and eligible scientific knowledge sources to ensure successful knowledge transfer.

The initial purpose of this thesis is to begin an exploration into the level of support given by colleges and universities to high-skills lifelong learning in the field of business and management, referred to as executive and professional education (EPE). To properly define level of support several additional undertakings were necessary, including: discovering methods of valuing knowledge to a region, state or country, establishing why participants in EPE programs enroll in them, and developing a set of indicators that would determine the level of support in the higher education system. As the scope of this study in the Unite States is too great, the state of Florida was chosen as a specific case. Florida has a substantial network of both private and public (state) universities and colleges. The thesis concludes with recommendations for advancing the support of EPE in the state of Florida As we move more strongly into the knowledge based economy, and as knowledge creation expands exponentially the need for a continued updating of knowledge and skills in the working community becomes evident. To support this inquiry a set of research questions were developed, as follows: 1 What are the components of relevant EPE? 2 What motivates participants to take part in EPE? 3 What is the level of support of the universities in the state of Florida for EPE? 4 Prepare recommendation based on the findings of the study for the state of Florida to improve support for EPE To address these questions three research methods were employed. Based on the previous experience of the researcher an exploratory case study was written exploring the intricacies of developing a successful EPE department. This exploratory case study served as a basis for developing a survey questionnaire, administered to participants in EPE to determine reasons for their participation. The case study, coupled with certain elements of the questionnaire led to the definition of a group of indicators with which to evaluate the level of support to EPE in a selected group of public and private universities in Florida. This final survey was conducted via the internet by website information of the various universities relative to EPE. Through this research, components of EPE were identified, motivations of participants were ascertained and the level of support by universities was evaluated. The research led to the conclusion that state support of EPE is woefully lacking. Recommendations were developed and included. While this thesis utilized a case, the state of Florida, the researcher believes that the findings and conclusions will be of value to practitioners involved in EPE, as well as to academics studying this area of business education. This research exercise has assisted the researcher in being more effective in managing and developing EPE within his own university. The researcher hopes that the outcome of this research will lead to a more organized approach to EPE in the state of Florida and beyond. As professions and skills are made obsolete in the knowledge economy the need for continued high level lifelong learning becomes increasing important to the sustainability and viability of local, regional, state and national economies.

This interactionist study follows a group of adults, who, after a break in their formal education, return to study in an institution of public sector higher education. It is based on a series of interviews, before and during the first year of their courses to examine their subjective interpretations of the reality of the return to study in comparison with what they expected it would be like. The increasing numbers of adults returning to higher education through a variety of access courses would seem to make this an opportune time to examine such experiences. However, this research raises questions about why this should be the case and examines answers at the level of the institution and the individuals themselves. It addresses the claims that the reasons for the increase are based on ideological assumptions in line with social justice but the reality which meets this group questions whether in fact provision and practice is in line with philosophy and purpose. By allowing a group of mature students to speak for themselves it questions the assumptions of those who would advocate a separate theory of adult education. Such humanistic beliefs may be within the perception of the educators but be beyond the reality or requirements of men and women who must fit their studies into already busy lives and who may thus have an instrumental approach to education. To suggest it should be otherwise is ethnocentric. This study seeks to examine whether or not one particular polytechnic takes cognisance of the needs of adults to meet the aims it claims to hold at an ideological level. At the same time, however, it asks about the relevance of humanistic approaches considering the conflicting demands of accountability within the changing status of public sector higher education corporations.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996. / Issued also on microfilm. Includes tables. Sponsor: Franceska Smith. Dissertation Committee: Kathleen Loughlin. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 235-245).

An examination of the trainee experience in a competency based training programme. In a high-risk industry, having highly trained personnel is taken very seriously. This four year training programme produces highly qualified and skilled individuals and this research examined the experience of progressing through the training programme through the trainees' lens. Learnings include two consistent elements contribute to a negative trainee experience: Evaluation Methods that produced a tension between memorisation and learning and Trainer Practices that lacked student-centred, research informed methods that would likely improve the trainee success rate as well as the overall trainee experience.

The purpose of this study was to investigate perceptions of self-initiated professional development of English language teachers at English Language School of BaSkent University. Within this framework, teachers&amp / #8217 / attitudes towards their professional development, their perceptions of major professional development activities, and the factors that hinder change and growth in teachers were investigated. The data collection instrument used was a questionnaire administered to 110 English language teachers at BaSkent University. The questionnaire consisted of both open-ended and close-ended items and the data collected were analyzed descriptively to understand the general trends and differences among teachers. The data analysis revealed that the teachers agreed with most of the concepts that reflect the importance of professional development. In addition, they were aware of the importance of major professional development activities for their growth. However, peer observation and action research, which are developmental activities, were not favoured as much as the other activities. In addition, it was found that the teachers did not make use of the activities as much as they gave importance to. Furthermore, teachers showed significant differences in importance given to and making use of the activities by the background variables. Female teachers, young teachers and the teachers who do not have much experience seemed to give more importance to and actualize some of the professional development activities more than the other teachers. Meanwhile, it was also noted that the listed factors that hinder growth were all found important by the teachers. The most important impediments to growth were indicated as excessive workload, lack of self-motivation and lack of institutional support for professional development.

This case study, of veterinary education at Glasgow between 1949 and 2006, was undertaken to provide an illustrative account of learning and teaching practices over time. Ultimately the aim was to inform discussions on curriculum reshaping in undergraduate veterinary education at Glasgow. A questionnaire was distributed to 2360 alumni, 513 students and 50 teachers, to obtain quantitative data on the availability and perceived usefulness of different educational methods and technologies, analysed using SPSS. Qualitative data were sought principally through ten student focus groups and interviews with over thirty current and former staff, theoretically coded using NVivo. Questionnaire responses (from 11.5% of alumni, 23.8% of students and 72% of teachers invited to participate) revealed that lectures, printed notes, tutorials, practical classes and clinical training were used consistently over time and rated highly by stakeholders, confirming the importance of didactic teaching methods coupled with discussion and practical hands-on experience. The focus groups with students highlighted their strong desire for earlier clinical training, with the recognition that a case-based approach resulted in more meaningful learning. The interviews with staff revealed that whilst all staff welcomed the opportunity for increased vertical integration, problem-based learning was rejected as a wholesale solution. Highlights of the school’s curricular innovations to date include the clinico-pathological integrated sessions, the lecture-free final year, and the introduction of a veterinary biomolecular sciences course that allowed for a seamless vertical integration in years 1 to 4. However, recent efforts to implement self-directed learning and assessment strategies have been hampered by the fact that these were isolated innovations set within a traditional teacher-centred paradigm. There was little support among stakeholders for undergraduate specialisation. There is still a perceived need for veterinarians to have omni-potential – if not to be omnicompetent. However, it is recommended that the current system of tracking be replaced with a more streamlined core-elective system, to allow students to pursue specific topics of interest in the later years of the course. Teachers and students cited attributes of ‘good’ teachers. These generally did not change over time, although technologies did change. Good communication appears to be central to good teaching, with an in-borne desire to enthuse and motivate students to learn for the pleasure of learning rather than the need to hurdle-jump examinations. Both teachers and students cited good teaching characteristics in terms of the teacher as authority and motivator, rather than as a facilitator of independent learning, reflecting the nature of the traditional, didactic course. There was little evidence of pedagogical change resulting from technological innovations. If anything, newer technologies compounded surface learning approaches and low level cognitive processing, rather than promoting deep learning and higher order thinking skills. Identified barriers to teaching innovations included lack of time, reward and support (for teachers and students). Future curricular innovation will require a substantial investment in the scholarship of teaching – rewarding staff for excellence in teaching, putting it on a par with research excellence, and ensuring the necessary support mechanisms and infrastructure are in place to ensure the success of a self-directed learning curriculum. A guided discovery learning curriculum is recommended, a compromise between traditional teaching and a fully problem-based curriculum. The study did not specifically focus on assessment, but it is recommended that learning, teaching and assessment practices should be constructively aligned.

My original contribution to knowledge is the use of computer generated, three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds using Second Life® as a three-way sustained engagement and a mechanism for a genuinely productive dialogue between Further Education (FE) colleges, employers, employees and apprentices. This thesis shows how the use of virtual worlds creates meaningful employer engagement where Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are involved in planning and contributing to learning (Healey et al, 2014). A radical rethink is taking place about the way we should learn. That is that most learning is informal, at work, under the guidance of non-educationalists and that this situation is universal in the government's priority area of apprenticeship (HM Treasury, 2015) and among most private providers. I will discuss how virtual environments allow SMEs to work in ways they cannot in real life and juxtapose this against the real world, in order to reveal the previously misunderstood connections between the two. The question of Further Education (FE) reform has been widely debated (Bailey et al, 2015, Kelly, 2015) with former Skills Minister, Nick Boles, questioning whether the general FE college model has a future (Evans, 2015) and The Centre for Vocational Education Research (2015) reporting “FE needs to be rethought and rebuilt”. The gap in research for UK vocational education is significant, in comparison to school or university education (Coffield 2008, Grollmann, 2008) and detrimental to the UK government’s drive to recruiting 3 million apprentices by 2020 (Gov.UK, 2015a). This thesis addresses the use of virtual worlds to enhance work transitions both educationally and work related with special attention to apprentices. Specifically, I will be looking at research that pays attention to the socio-cultural context of situated learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991, Vygotsky, 1978), in order to show communities of practice in virtual worlds, transferring motivation and knowledge management. I argue working in virtual worlds bridges the gap between education and industry to develop a modern workforce for the continuation of learning across formal and informal settings (Vavoula et al, 2007) and how its use is endless and hugely enriching by allowing learning to be much more opportunistic. There are so many opportunities in the use of virtual worlds, related particularly to a three-way partnership in learning between apprentices and employees, employers and FE colleges: co-ordination of off- and on-the-job learning; real-time oversight for employers of their employees’ progress; use of virtual events at work to enrich learning, demonstrations of processes and development of learning communities.

The statutory education sector and health and social sectors are obliged to provide Welsh language services, either by teaching through Welsh-medium or Welsh as a second language or by providing an ‘Active Offer’ of Welsh language services. This thesis identifies that bilingual capacity in the workforce is vital to fulfilling these policies and that training the current workforce to increase their fluency and confidence to use Welsh is necessary to increase capacity. This thesis used questionnaire data obtained from participants on the sylfaen | foundation course of the Welsh National Sabbatical Scheme to investigate the course as a language capacity building and strengthening model, both to determine its effectiveness and best practices in increasing fluency and confidence to use Welsh by its participating English-medium primary school teachers; and its generalisability and applicability to the health and social sectors. A Sabbatical Scheme Model was proposed to senior officials in the social and health sectors in the Cardiff region and semi-structured interviews were undertaken of current Welsh language training and the perception of Welsh in the sectors. Based on these interviews, new questions were raised in terms of how the sectors are focusing on increasing fluency and confidence in using the Welsh language in work, with focus turning to either language capacity strengthening or language capacity building as opposed to a combination of the two. As a result, this thesis sets out conclusions regarding language capacity building versus language capacity strengthening, and how both are necessary in creating a strong bilingual workforce that can both actively offer and deliver Welsh language services.