published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Der Autor entwickelt, aus Sicht der Erwachsenenbildungswissenschaft, anknüpfend an den bisherigen Diskussionsprozess in Sachsen zur Einführung eines sächsischen (Weiter-)Bildungsberichts, anhand theoretischer Vorannahmen zur Steuerung im Weiterbildungsbereich sowie zur Weiterbildungsberichterstattung und anhand empirisch eruierter Empfehlungen einen Gestaltungsvorschlag für ein wissenschaftlich fundiertes Untersuchungsdesign zur Entwicklung eines sächsischen Weiterbildungsberichts. In der zugrunde liegenden empirischen Studie werden vorhandene (Weiter-)Bildungsberichte und durchgeführte Experteninterviews dahingehend analysiert, inwieweit sie Anregungen für einen indikatorenbasierten sächsischen Weiterbildungsbericht geben können. Hierfür werden mittels qualitativer Inhaltsanalysen deduktiv und induktiv gebildete Kategoriensysteme erarbeitet. Es wird deutlich, welche Themen ein sächsischer Weiterbildungsbericht in Bezug auf landesspezifische Erkenntnisinteressen, seine nationale Anschlussfähigkeit sowie in Bezug auf die vorhandene sachsenspezifische Datenbasis, abdecken könnte. Dabei werden Lücken in der Datenbasis aufgezeigt und Entwürfe für Datenerhebungsinstrumente vorgestellt, um die aktuell vorhandene Datenbasis schrittweise zu erweitern, zu vertiefen und aktuell zu halten. Die Arbeit endet mit Vorschlägen für weitere Projekt- und Forschungstätigkeiten.

Title: Various Approaches to Didactics of Physics in the Czech Republic and Abroad Abstract: This diploma work deals with selected aspects of didactics of physics as a branch of science. Its aim is to start a more systematic reflection of a domestic didactics of physics in connection with the situation abroad as well as with previous developments in the Czech Republic. Important approaches to didactics of physics, (above all the applied, integrated and communicative approach) are described in this work and attention is also paid to international developments. This work also presents arguments about why didactics of physics could be perceived as a branch of science together with the mutual relationships of didactics of physics with other scientific fields. In the last chapter there is a discussion about new possibilities in the development of didactics of physics, especially about the tendency of mutual linking of didactics of physics with didactics of other school subjects. In this chapter there is also an outline of a new approach which focuses on goals. Keywords: didactics of physics, physics education research, approach to didactics of physics, subject didactics

M.A. / School leavers are faced with the need to study further in an attempt to increase their chances of finding employment. However, school leavers are rarely equipped with all of the necessary skills, information and self-knowledge necessary to make the "right" career decision and study-path choice. The cost of tertiary education is high, and a school leaver who makes an unsuitable study-path selection could be trapped in an unsuitable career for life or drop out of the tertiary education sector due to boredom or failure. This further decreases their chance of finding employment. It is against this background that this study was conducted. In an attempt to assist potential students applying to the largest private education provider in South Africa with their choice of study-path, a career-counselling workshop was offered which included psychometric testing. Essentially this study had two main objectives. The first was to validate the suitability of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Self-Directed Search as careercounselling tools in a South African tertiary environment. The second objective was to quantitatively assess the suitability of the career guidance workshop designed to assist school leavers to make the most suitable choice of a field of study, subjects and a career. The results of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Self-Directed Search were compared using straightforward Pearson's product-moment correlations and an interbattery correlation. The results indicated the need to continue to use both of the instruments simultaneously, as they appeared to be measuring different underlying constructs. In addition, each instruments was able to supplement the information provided by the other, which allowed the career counsellor to give the students additional information to assist them with their studies and their lives. The research around the career-counselling workshop involved the use of the developmental research design methodology. which stipulated the appropriate methodological procedures to follow. The workshop was developed utilising an understanding of career-counselling theories and practices, as well as an understanding of the various Myers-Briggs types and Holland types (as determined understanding of the various Myers-Briggs types and Holland types (as determined by the Self-Directed Search) that would attend the workshops. The workshop was, therefore, designed to appeal to a wide audience, and to give as many different "types" of students the experience which they required to make an informed and realistic course, subject and career choice. The success of the workshop was evaluated by means of a questionnaire completed by the students, a comparison of the failure rates of students who attended the workshop and those who did not attend it, and an analysis of the pass/fail statistics between those who attended the workshop and those who did not. The findings of this study indicated that the workshop was well received by the students and that it had sufficient internal and face validity for use with this group of school leavers. The research group was a convenience sample that consisted of 73 students who had applied to the largest South African private education provider. These students were from four major campuses in South Africa, they had very different academic and cultural backgrounds and they were interested in different academic fields of study. The one similarity was that all of the courses offered by this private education provider are business-orientated, and only students who were interested in business studies would apply. This study established the validity of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the Self- Directed Search in a career-counselling context. The validity of the careercounselling workshop was also established. As this research group cannot be said to be representative of the general population, it is not possible to generalise these findings beyond this group. However, as the results do match those found in other similar international studies, it could be deduced that if this study were repeated with a representative sample the results would be replicated.

A research dissertation presented to the Faculty of Humanities (School of Education) In Partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree Masters of Education by Research University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg Date of Submission: 29 April 2016 / This study is part of a larger research project titled Conditions of teaching and learning that facilitate and/or constrain learning English in rural high schools. The focus of the research project explores the conditions of teaching and learning English, and the contextual factors that facilitate and/or constrains learners’ motivation and participation in learning, in five rural high schools in Bushbuckridge area. The current study focused on how grade 10 and 11 First Additional English rural teachers’ conceptualise learning and teaching in Acornhoek schools, part of Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga Province. Given the focus of the study the literature review detailed issues with development of rural education, teachers’ conceptions of learning, teachers’ conceptions of teaching, English as a First Additional language (EFAL) in South Africa and the spectrum of current pedagogical practices. The literature review highlighted significant gaps that are important for the this study such as a lack of research in Africa and South Africa focusing on teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching, particularly in rural schools. Furthermore the corpus of research conducted on conceptions focused on tertiary students’ conceptions of learning, there is limited research in schools, with teachers and learners, especially teachers’ pedagogical practices in relation to the conceptions. In addition the development of rural education and research in South Africa continue to be underdevelopment, with most research perceiving rurality as a deficit paradigm. Thus in order to address the literature gaps mentioned above the study engaged with six grade 10 and 11 rural teachers from Acornhoek, Mpumalanga Province. The sampling strategy was purposive, as only grades 10 and 11 EFAL teachers were the selected to participate in the study. In order to address the research questions and sub research questions, a qualitative research approach was used as it focuses on understanding socially and historically constructed meanings about experienced phenomena. Through the use of phenomenological methodology teachers’ meanings and beliefs about learning and teaching were interrogated and problematized. In order to interrogate and problematize teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching two data collection methods were used namely: semistructured individual face-to-face interviews and non-participatory observations. The semi-structured individual face-to-face interviews were used to address the following research questions: 1. What are grade 10 and 11 English First Additional Language teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching? 2. What shapes teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching? The following research question was addressed by use the non-participatory observations: 3. How do teachers’ conceptions influence teaching approaches, if at all, during English poetry and short story lessons? In order to answer the above questions critical discourse analysis was used, to engage with participants’ responses from their individual face-to-face interviews. Critical discourse analysis assisted with ensuring in depth engagement with participants’ narrations, without taking any words for granted because meaning might be hidden in the selection of words. Thus critical discourse analysis enabled the critical identification of particular words used by the participants in order to gain insight to the underlying influences that shape rural teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching in poetry and short stories lessons. As a result this involved an intense data analysis process, which incorporated the non-participatory classroom observations as well as the conceptual frameworks discussed from Bernstein, Alexander, and Scott and Mortimer. Some of the major findings suggest that teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching are complex and complicated particularly if contextual issues are considered, as possible influential factors that shape teachers’ conceptions. The findings indicated that rural teachers’ conceptions of learning should be understood from early school learning to current teaching profession. The dominant conceptions of learning from early school and current teaching profession suggest memorisation, mimicking, and acquisition of information and little conceptions shows learning for transformation and change as a person. Various factors were identified to influences the conceptions such as policy, lack of resources and overcrowded classrooms. In addition, findings on teachers’ conceptions of teaching explicated the dynamics teachers face between ideas they hold about teaching and how they teach. The study indicated that some teachers mentioned ‘banking’ model of teaching that suggested teacher centred conception of teaching, which linked with some of the conceptions of learning. Most conceptions were about spoon-feeding, telling/giving learners information, and coordinating learning which link with conceptions of learning that promote surface learning. Other conceptions promoted transformation, unlocking minds, and life-learning, to show that teaching is not only about giving information but also ensure that the information changes the way learners make sense of the social issues in relation to the world. It was noted that teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching seemed to have influenced how teachers teach poetry and short stories lessons, because irrespective of conceptualising teaching and learning in transformational and enlightenment but teachers used a unidirectional teaching approach. This teaching approach that all teachers used suggest ‘normality’ with using this way of teaching poetry and short stories, especially if the nature of poetry and short stories are taken into consideration. Without critiquing teachers’ pedagogical approaches, of concern is that all observed teachers, irrespective of different schools, used similar teaching approach which was shaped by curriculum policy expectations, teachers’ perceptions of learners, and the nature of the socio-cultural and economical context. Owing to some of the complexities mentioned above, further research on teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching, particularly in rural schools is needed, because embedded in teachers’ conceptions lies their lived experiences and ideas about learning and teaching in rural school. Therefore if effective interventions are to be considered partnering with teachers and/or learners in rural schools to understand their conceptions, need to be seriously taken into account. The purpose is not to research with teachers rather than for teachers to enhance existing knowledge in partnership, rather imposing knowledge. / MT2017

Thesis (M. Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2003 / Refer to the document

Thesis (M.ED.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / A deep level approach to learning leads to quality learning outcomes. Teachers should use appropriate teaching strategies to encourage learners to use deep level approaches to learning. The Conceptual Change Model (CCM) approach is one such strategy for the teaching of science concepts. Deep level approaches are a necessity when dealing with a difficult science concept like photosynthesis. The purpose of this study was to investigate Grade 10 learners’ achievements in photosynthesis using the CCM approach in order to minimize misconceptions and develop a broader and deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process in the high school context in a semi-rural South African school. The learners’ attitudes towards the CCM approach in the teaching of Life Sciences were explored. This study aimed to answer the following main question: what are the achievements of Grade 10 learners’ in photosynthesis as core knowledge? The CCM approach included worksheets based on all five steps of the CCM process: commit to an outcome, expose beliefs, confront beliefs, accommodate the concept and extend the concept. The sample consisted of 78 Grade 10 learners. The research was carried out with a quasi-experimental/control group design and lasted for six weeks. The achievement test and questionnaires were used as instruments to collect data. The analyses of results show that experimental and control group’s pre-test academic achievement scores were similar and there was no significant difference between them (p < 0.05), but when the academic achievement of the post-test results of the EG and CG were analyzed, it was clear that there is a significant difference. The results from post-tests suggest that learners from the EG, taught using the CCM approach, show significantly greater achievements in photosynthesis than learners from the CG. In addition, learners from EG show a positive attitude towards Life Sciences after CCM teaching approach, but not from the CG taught using traditional approach. These findings have implications for a science teacher and recommendations are made to improve the teaching of photosynthesis as core knowledge.

Educators and researchers continue to explore the benefits, real or imagined, of implementing pair programming as part of the computer science pedagogy. Current reviews of computer science educational research practices do not focus on educational pair programming. This thesis presents a review of the research methods used in recent educational pair programming research. The primary purpose of this review is to inform the ongoing dialogue about and to provide evidence-based recommendations for improving educational pair programming research. Replicating the design of a previous computer science education methodological review, this study inspected a sample of 108 articles from a population of 129 of articles related to educational pair programming published from 2000 to 2008. Articles were classified using a 112-variable taxonomy, identifying report elements, research methodology, research design, kinds of variables inspected, and statistical practices. Major findings include several differences between the methodological characteristics of educational pair programming research when compared to general computer science education research, including: (a) an increased proportion of studies involving human participants, (b) a decreased proportion of quantitative methodologies, and (c) an increased proportion of controlled research designs. There exists some minor evidence that researchers affiliated with institutions in the United States are more likely than their counterparts outside of the United States to inspect only student attitudes and implement a posttest-only research design, and less likely to implement an experimental or quasi-experimental methodology

Previous studies have shown that many students have misconceptions about basic concepts in physics which persist after instruction. It has been concluded that one of the challenges lies in the teaching methodology. To address this, Georgia State University (GSU) has begun teaching studio algebra-based physics. Although many institutions have implemented studio physics, most have done so in calculus-based sequences. Additionally, the unique environment of GSU’s population as a diverse, urban research institution is considered. The effectiveness of the studio approach for this demographic in an algebra-based introductory physics course was assessed. This five-semester pilot study presents demographic survey results and compares the results of student pre- and post-tests using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). FCI results show that 1) the studio approach yields higher learning gains than the conventional course, 2) there are significant performance differences among ethnic groups, and 3) a gender gaps exists regardless of instructional method.

This thesis is about knowing in biology in higher education and research. The gene concept is used as an example of knowledge content that is common to both biological research and education. The purpose is to study how knowing about the gene is expressed in different forms of knowledge contexts at the university. This is important to study in order to understand documented learning problems regarding the gene concept but also to better understand the relation between knowledge in research and teaching. Knowledge has to be transformed to become an educational content, a process that is of special interest within the field of Didaktik. The thesis is based on three qualitative case studies. Study I is an analysis of a textbook in biology. The purpose is to examine the content as presented to the students to see how its structure may contribute to the problems students have. How does the gene concept function as a scientific representation and at the same time as an object for learning in a biology college textbook? A phenomenographic approach is used to study implicit variation in gene concept use when the textbook treats different sub disciplines. The results show conceptual differences between them. The different categories of the gene found–as a trait, an information structure, an actor in the cell, a regulator in embryonic development or as a marker for evolutionary change–mean that we deal with different phenomena. The gene as an object is ascribed different functions and furthermore these functions are intermingled in the textbook. Since, in the textbook, these conceptual differences are not articulated, they likely are a source of confusion when learning about genes. Study II examines the gene concept use in a scientific context, as exemplified by five research articles from a scientific journal. Using an adaptation of Hirst’s criteria for forms of knowledge, the study characterizes how the scientific contexts for the gene concept use vary. What kinds of different gene concept use in these contexts can be discerned? When comparing the articles, it becomes evident that the gene concept is used to answer different kinds of questions. The meanings of the gene concept are connected to various knowledge projects, their purposes and the methods used. Shifts of methodologies and questions entail a concept that escapes single definitions and “slides around” in meanings. These contextual transformations and associated content leaps are here referred to as epistemic drift. Study III follows an integrative research project in biology.  What are the characteristic content conditions for knowledge development? What different ways in using the gene concept can be distinguished? By using the analytic methodology developed in study II, the scientific contexts are categorized according to their knowledge project, methods used and conceptual contexts. The results show that the gene concept meanings and the content vary in focus, are more or less explicitly formulated, or possible to formulate, and consist of different skills. One didactic conclusion is that by being more overt about the conditions for problem solving within a specific subdisciplin (i.e. fruitful questions to ask, knowledge needed to answer them, and methods available), students may be given opportunities to get a broader perspective on what it means to know biology. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>