abstract: Abstract   Much has been researched and written concerning the structure, attributes, and benefits of the professional learning community (PLC), yet many have found that this highly collaborative model is difficult to implement. One reason for this was that conflict among team members often limited communication and therefore halted collaboration. In an attempt to overcome conflict, the researcher introduced an intervention to five grade-level teaching teams at a suburban elementary school where staff had been struggling to develop teams into PLCs. The intervention consisted of training participants in the use of collaborative norms, and then tracking the use of these norms during team meetings, as well as gathering the teachers' perceptions on how their team was being affected by the use of the norms. Seven training sessions were conducted, each devoted to an individual norm such as pausing, putting ideas on the table, or presuming the positive, and so on. A mixed-methods action research model was utilized in gathering and analyzing the data in this study. Qualitative measures included reflection journals completed by the teachers, open-ended survey questions, and written responses in which the teachers described prior to the intervention and again after the intervention how their team: 1. Is like a PLC, 2. Is not like a PLC, and 3. Is becoming like a PLC. Quantitative measures included a survey of team communication that used questions regarding efficacy, conflict, and candor/trust. Quantitative measures also included an instrument developed as part of the System for Multi-Level Observation of Groups (SYMLOG) which is used for recording evidences of values observed in team members. Results demonstrated increases in teachers' perceptions of friendliness among their colleagues, ability to deal with conflict amicably and constructively, and in teachers' perception that they were now being listened to and understood more than they had been previously. Teachers also reported that they came to think of their team as a PLC, and began to perceive that there were benefits with respect to student achievement because they were becoming a PLC. Discussion focused on lessons learned, implications for practice, and implications for research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2011

Submitted by Tatiana Lima (tatianasl@ufba.br) on 2016-08-08T21:15:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigues, Luzia Coelho.pdf: 2131730 bytes, checksum: cb9bedd869ea8a9ae903d6aa80cfcd0a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Angela Dortas (dortas@ufba.br) on 2016-08-10T20:48:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigues, Luzia Coelho.pdf: 2131730 bytes, checksum: cb9bedd869ea8a9ae903d6aa80cfcd0a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-10T20:48:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigues, Luzia Coelho.pdf: 2131730 bytes, checksum: cb9bedd869ea8a9ae903d6aa80cfcd0a (MD5) / Este estudo situou a oferta de cursos de especialização do Programa Nacional de formação em Administração Pública (PNAP), na UNIVASF, com o objetivo de identificar as contribuições da formação para melhoria das ações dos profissionais qualificados. Foram utilizadas diferentes abordagens dentro do tema avaliação de egressos, no contexto da avaliação de programas institucionais e de cursos: orientada por objetivos do programa, de natureza quantitativa; centrada em expectativas de usuários e avaliação negociada, ambas de natureza qualitativa. Para coleta de dados foram utilizados levantamento tipo survey, pesquisa documental e grupo focal, com análise estatística, análise de conteúdo e discurso do sujeito coletivo. Na pesquisa quantitativa, os resultados da análise fatorial apontaram elevada percepção do desenvolvimento de competências e habilidades previstas no Projeto Pedagógico dos cursos, com ênfase para as competências técnicas gerenciais, não apresentando diferenças significativas quando comparadas ao curso realizado e ao perfil sociodemográfico. A avaliação centrada em expectativas ensejou uma variedade de categorias dentro das dimensões da avaliação de cursos, destacando as contribuições do programa para a melhoria das práticas profissionais dos participantes, bem como representando subsídios para a reoferta de turmas e para a tomada de decisão quanto à melhoria de práticas institucionais relacionadas ao ensino a distância. Os resultados da avaliação negociada possibilitaram a identificação de valores e necessidades, a partir do envolvimento de grupos de egressos, em relação aos aspectos considerados importantes na avaliação do curso realizado e a consequente contribuição desses aspectos para a prática profissional dos participantes, destacando os seguintes indicadores como importantes na avaliação de cursos: dialogicidade dos materiais; processo de orientação durante o trabalho de conclusão de curso, sugerindo necessidade de entrega por parte dos orientadores; relevância das atividades práticas e visitas técnicas para a contextualização dos conteúdos trabalhados; relevância do PNAP para a melhoria da execução de políticas públicas em saúde; importância da mediação, por parte de professores e tutores, nos fóruns de discussão; realização de atividades em grupo em cursos EAD como recurso de integração e importância da realização de atividades interativas para manter a qualidade do curso, entre outras. A partir dos resultados das três abordagens, surgiram como pontos de melhoria para novas turmas: aumento da frequência de recursos de interação como chats, videoconferência e encontros presenciais; maior acompanhamento por parte da coordenação do curso durante a elaboração do TCC; realização de visitas técnicas e trabalho em grupo em cursos EAD. Sugerem, ainda, estimular a interação virtual professor-aluno, aluno-aluno e demais atores na condução dos fóruns de discussão. / This study placed on the offer of specialization courses from the National Program for training courses in Public Administration (PNAP) in UNIVASF, in order to identify the contributions of this training to improve the actions of qualified professionals. Were used different approaches within the theme evaluation of graduates in the context of the assessment of institutional programs and courses: driven by program objectives, quantitative nature; focused on expectations of users, and evaluation negotiated, both in qualitative nature. For the data collection were used survey, desk research and focus groups, with statistical analysis, content analysis and collective subject discourse. In quantitative research, the results of factor analysis showed a high perception of the development of skills and abilities set out in the Education Program of the courses, with emphasis on managerial expertise, no significant differences when compared to the realized progress and socio-demographic profile. The evaluation focused on expectations gave an opportunity the a variety of categories within the dimensions of course assessment, highlighting the program's contributions to the improvement of professional practices of the participants, as well as representing grants for reoffer classes and decision making in improving institutional practices related to distance learning. The results of the evaluation negotiated were possible to identify values and needs, from the involvement of graduates groups in relation to important aspects considered in the evaluation of the implemented course and the consequent contribution of these aspects for the professional practice of the participants, highlighting the following indicators as important in the evaluation of courses: dialogicity of the materials; process of guidance during the course completion assignment, suggesting the need of delivery by the coordinators; relevance of practical activities and visits to the contextualization of the contents worked; relevance of PNAP to improve the implementation of public health policies; importance of mediation by teachers and tutors, in discussion forums; carrying out activities in groups of distance education courses as integration feature and importance of conducting interactive activities to maintain the quality of the course, among others. From the results of the three approaches have emerged as improvement points to new classes to sample of increased frequency of interaction features, such as chats, video conferencing and face meetings; greater monitoring by the coordination of the course during the preparation of course completion assignment; technical visits and group work in distance education courses. The data also suggest to encourage the virtual interaction between teacher-student, student-student and other stakeholders in the conduction of discussion forums.

abstract: In the next decade, community college English departments will expand their developmental course offerings. The students who take these developmental courses generally have higher incidence of diagnosed learnin g disabilities, bleak economic circumstances that require them to work full time, greater dependence on public transporation, and some level of frustration and confusion about being placed in a non-credit course despite graduating from high school. Using a qualitative approach, this action research study articulates the faculty behaviors, classroom environments, and faculty-student interactions that help developmental writing students succeed. The researcher interviewed successful students about what the faculty members did that helped them succeed in developmental writing classes. Then the researcher created and tested a checklist to help writing instructors conform their practices to best practices identified in published research and interviews with successful students. Instructors found the checklist useful in evaluating their own practices in relation to the current research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2012

abstract: Effective professional development has been shown to improve instruction and increase student academic achievement. The Train the Trainer professional development model is often chosen by the state Department of Education for its efficiency and cost effectiveness of delivering training to schools and districts widely distributed throughout the state. This is a study of the Train the Trainer component of an innovative K12 professional development model designed to meet the needs of the state's lowest performing schools that served some of the state's most marginalized students. Pursuing a Vygotzkian social constructivist framework, the model was developed and informed by its stakeholders, providing training that was collaborative, job-embedded, ongoing, and continuously adapted to meet the needs of the School Improvement Grant participants. Schools in the multi-case study were awarded the federal ARRA School Improvement Grant in 2010. Focus questions include: What influence does the Train the Trainer component have on classroom instruction specifically as it relates to formative assessment? and To what extent does the trainer support the implementation of the Train the Trainer professional development at the classroom level? The action research study took place from August 2011 to February 2012 and used a mixed-methods research design. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2012

abstract: Geologic field trips are among the most beneficial learning experiences for students as they engage the topic of geology, but they are also difficult environments to maximize learning. This action research study explored one facet of the problems associated with teaching geology in the field by attempting to improve the transition of undergraduate students from a traditional laboratory setting to an authentic field environment. Utilizing an artificial outcrop, called the GeoScene, during an introductory college-level non-majors geology course, the transition was studied. The GeoScene was utilized in this study as an intermediary between laboratory and authentic field based experiences, allowing students to apply traditional laboratory learning in an outdoor environment. The GeoScene represented a faux field environment; outside, more complex and tangible than a laboratory, but also simplified geologically and located safely within the confines of an educational setting. This exploratory study employed a mixed-methods action research design. The action research design allowed for systematic inquiry by the teacher/researcher into how the students learned. The mixed-methods approach garnered several types of qualitative and quantitative data to explore phenomena and support conclusions. Several types of data were collected and analyzed, including: visual recordings of the intervention, interviews, analytic memos, student reflections, field practical exams, and a pre/post knowledge and skills survey, to determine whether the intervention affected student comprehension and interpretation of geologic phenomena in an authentic field environment, and if so, how. Students enrolled in two different sections of the same laboratory course, sharing a common lecture, participated in laboratory exercises implementing experiential learning and constructivist pedagogies that focused on learning the basic geological skills necessary for work in a field environment. These laboratory activities were followed by an approximate 15 minute intervention at the GeoScene for a treatment group of students (n=13) to attempt to mitigate potential barriers, such as: self-efficacy, novelty space, and spatial skills, which hinder student performance in an authentic field environment. Comparisons were made to a control group (n=12), who did not participate in GeoScene activities, but completed additional exercises and applications in the laboratory setting. Qualitative data sources suggested that the GeoScene treatment was a positive addition to the laboratory studies and improved the student transition to the field environment by: (1) reducing anxiety and decreasing heightened stimulus associated with the novelty of the authentic field environment, (2) allowing a physical transition between the laboratory and field that shifted concepts learned in the lab to the field environment, and (3) improving critical analysis of geologic phenomena. This was corroborated by the quantitative data that suggested the treatment group may have outperformed the control group in geology content related skills taught in the laboratory, and supported by the GeoScene, while in an authentic field environment (p≤0.01, δ=0.507). / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2012

This research is a case study of the quality improvement process in an English further education college. It examines the way that staff involved in the design and operation of the quality system shape the process in a part of the education sector that struggles with issues of performance. The case is placed into the context of an unstable policy environment, where further education colleges have been subjected to frequent bouts of government intervention and a funding regime that is unfavourable when compared to secondary schools and universities. The contribution to knowledge of this thesis is that it addresses an under-researched area of further education by viewing the quality process from the perspective of the governors, managers and professional staff responsible for its design and operation. As such it addresses a problem where a lot of attention has been given to teaching staff who experience the quality process or to macro studies where the focus is on outputs in the sector. However, less attention has been paid to the governors, senior staff and quality teams who assess teaching and learning in colleges. The data for the case study were gathered over a two-year period between 2010-2012 and include interviews with college staff, senior staff from OFSTED and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills and staff from a second college, used to help verify the findings. In addition to this, documentation for the quality system was gathered including inspection documents and policy documents. The data were analysed in order to surface traits of social and organisational practice that address the problem of operating a quality system in an environment that is highly resistant to systemisation and predictability. The findings are presented as 'fuzzy' generalisations supplemented by guidance in the form of design principles. The thesis provides an empirically grounded description of key elements of the relationships and the surrounding sociotechnical system that were found in the case. The design principles augment the case study and provide guidance on how a combination of trust relationships, resilience of processes to disruption and flexibility of application provide a background for the quality improvement process at Stretchford College, which was rated as 'Outstanding' at the time of the research.

In this research, I investigated the extent to which language versions (English, French and Arabic) of the same science test were comparable in terms of item difficulty and demands. I used PISA science 2006 data from three countries (respectively, UK, France and Jordan). I argued that language was an intrinsic part of the scientific literacy construct, be it intended or not by the examiner. The tight relationship between the language element and the scientific knowledge makes the language variable inextricable from the construct. This argument has considerable implications on methodologies used to address this question. I also argued that none of the available statistical or qualitative techniques were capable of teasing out the language variable and answering the research question. In this thesis, I adopted a critical evaluation and empirical methods, using literature from various fields (cognitive linguistics, psychology, measurement and science education) to analyse the test development and design procedures. In addition, I illustrated my claims with evidence from the technical reports and examples of released items. I adopted the same class of models employed in PISA, the Rasch model, as well as differential item functioning (DIF) techniques to address my question empirically. General tests of fit suggested an overall good fit of the data to the model with eleven items out of 103 showing strong evidence of misfit. Various violations to the requirements of the Rasch model were highlighted. The DIF analysis indicated that 22% of the items showed bias in the selected countries, but bias balanced out at test level. Limitations of the DIF analysis to identify the source of bias were discussed. Qualitative approaches to investigating question demands were examined and issues with their usefulness in international settings were discussed. A way forward incorporating cognitive load theory and computational linguistics is proposed.

Orientador: Lúcia Pereira Leite / Banca: Simone Ghedini Costa Milanez / Banca: Olga Maria Piazentim Rolim Rodrigues / Resumo: A síndrome de Sturge-Weber é uma síndrome de rara incidência e sua manifestação completa consiste na associação de três aspectos: anomalias cerebrais, oculares e cutâneas. As anomalias cerebrais podem ser identificadas pela presença de epilepsias, calcificações e atrofias cerebrais localizadas, causando déficits cognitivos e outros distúrbios funcionais. As anomalias oculares caracterizam-se pela presença de glaucomas, assim como as anomalias cutâneas se manifestam através de hemangiomas faciais, que muitas vezes acabam estigmatizando seus portadores. Pesquisas sobre esta síndrome, concentram-se na área biomédica, destacando-se a neurologia, odontologia e a dermatologia, havendo defasagem de estudo na área da psicologia, em especial na área psico-educacional. Deste modo, este estudo se propõe a descrever os aspectos cognitivos, sociais e educacionais de uma adolescente de 15 anos, portadora da Síndrome de Sturge-Weber, que frequenta a 7ª série do ensino regular e apresenta dificuldades significativas em aprender conteúdos acadêmicos. Foram utilizados como instrumentos de coleta de dados: entrevistas, observações e a aplicação de testes. Os resultados apontam que a adolescente possui déficits cognitivos, acadêmicos, motores e de linguagem que interferem principalmente no desenvolvimento da sua aprendizagem acadêmica, como também nas suas interações sociais. Esses achados contribuem para formação acadêmica de especialistas no ensino a pessoas com deficiência, como também ampliam o universo de conhecimentos científicos sobre a síndrome, sobretudo nas áreas da psicologia e da educação. / Abstract: The Sturge-Weber Syndrome is a syndrome of rare incidence and its complete manifestation is consisted of three aspects in association: cerebral, ocular and cutaneous anomalies. The cerebral anomalies can be identified by the presence of epilepsies, calcifications and cerebral located atrophies, causing cognitive deficits and other functional disorders. The ocular anomalies are characterized by the presence of glaucomas and also the cutaneous ones are manifested through facial hamangiomas, which most of the times appear to stigmatize their victims. Researches on this syndrome are concentrated on the biomedical area, standing out neurology, dentistry and dermatology with a difference in phase in the psychology area, particularly in rhw psycho-educational one. Thus, this study aims to describe the cognitive, social and educational aspects of a 15-year-old adolescent girl who attends the 7th grade of the regular education system and presents significant difficulties in learning the academic contents. Interviews, observations and the application of tests were used as instruments of data collection. The results point out that the adolescent has cognitive, academic, motor and language deficits, which mainly interfere in her academic learning development as well as in her social interactions. These findings not only contribute to the academic formation of education the syndrome, especially in the psychology and education areas. / Mestre

Este estudo tem o objetivo de analisar os instrumentos elaborados pelo MEC e seus pares para avaliar os cursos de graduação através de exames nacionais. Demonstra-se que diferentes estratégias de governação se operacionalizam através dos exames nacionais constituindo um padrão de normalidade para produzir o professor de Matemática ideal. Com apoio em Foucault, Barriga, Deleuze, Negri, Dias Sobrinho e Leite, mostra o modo como, historicamente, ocorreu a emergência da avaliação produtora de conhecimentos e verdades, constituindo modos de governar. Metodologicamente examina, analisa e compara dados de um corpus de informações obtidas em fontes documentais oficiais referentes às diretrizes curriculares e aos exames nacionais relativos ao período 1998-2005. Toma como estudo específico um curso de licenciatura plena em Matemática, para mostrar de que modo as exigências apresentadas nas diferentes Diretrizes Nacionais dos Exames – ENC e ENADE – contribuíram para a produção de um profissional matemático adequado ao contexto da globalização, da sociedade da informação, da sociedade do controle. Ao final, deriva lições e indagações sobre a função dos exames nacionais na produção de “verdades” sobre o professor de Matemática, caracterizando o ENADE como instrumento eficaz para dar conta das exigências de tal profissional através do componente de Formação Geral e de seu modelo dinâmico evidenciado pelo valor agregado. / This study has the objective of analyzing different instruments that are elaborated by the Ministery of Education (MEC) and its assessment associates to evaluate undergraduate courses in Mathematics through National Exams. It can be seen that different governmental strategies works through these exams creating a standard pattern to produce the ideal professor of Mathematics. The historical aspects that brought the urge for an evaluation – which produces knowledge and truths constituting ways to rule – is shown, based on Foucault, Barriga, Deleuze, Negri, Dias Sobrinho and Leite. This study methodologically examines, analyzes and compares data from official documental sources related to guidelines for curriculum and to National Math Exams in the period 1998-2005. A specific study of a plain bachelor degree in Mathematics is used to show how the requirements which were presented for the different National Guidelines for Exams – ENC and ENADE – contributed to produce a professional in Mathematics adjusted to the context of globalization, within the information society and the controlling society. At the end, it brings lessons and questions about the function of the national exams when producing “truths” about the professor of Mathematics, characterizing ENADE as an efficient instrument, able to deal with the requirements demanded from the professional through the component of general formation and its dynamic evaluation model, which is put in evidence due to its increased value

JESUS, Bianka de. Fundamentos da avaliação educacional: trabalho alienado ou trabalho criativo? 2015. 141f. – Dissertação (Mestrado) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Programa de Pós-graduação em Educação Brasileira, Fortaleza (CE), 2015. / Submitted by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-08-04T12:59:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_bjesus.pdf: 813221 bytes, checksum: f4de37dce092515256e0043615691dfe (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Márcia Araújo (marcia_m_bezerra@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-08-04T16:21:42Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_bjesus.pdf: 813221 bytes, checksum: f4de37dce092515256e0043615691dfe (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-04T16:21:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_dis_bjesus.pdf: 813221 bytes, checksum: f4de37dce092515256e0043615691dfe (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / The dissertation "Foundation of Educational Evaluation: Alienated Labor and Creative Work" aims to investigate the dominant paradigm of the conceptual theory of Teaching and Learning Assessment in Brazil. It's goal is to investigate if this dominant paradigm is credible to diagnose and guide this educational discipline in the country and at the same time establish the comparative relationship between the theoretical formulation of the evaluation paradigm and this conception in international institutions, national and local environment from a case study. The method applied to research is the dialectical materialism of Marx, aided by epistemology and comparative analysis, as well as statistical and quantitative sample survey. The dissertation makes the assumption that the dominant paradigm of evaluation theory is the same as the theory of education, which has been pointed out by specialized literature as education for work or productivist, or human capital. / A dissertação Fundamentos da Avaliação Educacional: Trabalho Alienado ou Trabalho Criativo? tem por finalidade investigar o paradigma dominante da teoria conceitual da Avaliação do Ensino-Aprendizagem no Brasil. Seu objetivo é pesquisar até que ponto este paradigma dominante é crível para diagnosticar e orientar esta disciplina educacional no país e ao mesmo tempo estabelecer a relação comparativa entre a formulação teórica do paradigma de avaliação e a concepção presente nas instituições internacionais, nacionais e locais e entorno, a partir de um estudo exploratório realizado com os licenciandos da Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC) e da Universidade Estadual do Ceará (UECE). O método aplicado à pesquisa é a dialética materialista de Marx, auxiliada pela epistemologia e análise comparativa, além da estatística e pesquisa quantitativa por amostragem. A dissertação parte da hipótese que o paradigma dominante da teoria da avaliação é o mesmo da teoria da educação, que tem sido apontado pela literatura especializada como o da educação para o trabalho ou produtivista ou ainda do capital humano.