This thesis explores the educational potential of virtual environments, which are computer-generated spaces that allow users to have a sense of presence and interaction with simulated worlds. In this thesis, I argue that virtual environments are not merely tools for learning specific skills or knowledge, but can also enable formative experiences that contribute to the purpose of education as understood by contemporary educational theorists. Using Masschelein & Simons’ concept of Scholè, which is a touchstone for the reinvention of school education, this thesis compares and contrasts different aspects of virtual environments with those of the scholastic. In order to do that, I propose a fictional virtual environment exclusively designed for formal education, called the Virtual Educational Environment (VEE), and discuss its possibilities and challenges. In doing so, I also suggest that virtual environments can be a global form of gathering that can augment physical classes, and call for more attention to their theoretical and practical implications for education.

Švietimo įstaigų uždavinys - sukurti į mokinį orientuotą aplinką, kurioje būtų sudarytos galimybės pasirinkti ir siekti savo individualius mokymosi tikslus. Mokyklos aplinka apibrėžiama kaip sociokultūrinė ugdymo institucijos erdvė, kurioje vyksta nuolatinis, įvairiapusis vaiko ugdymo ir jo saviugdos procesas. Mokyklos aplinką, jos įtaką mokinių asmenybės brendimui bei tiesioginiams mokymo rezultatams tyrinėjo nemažai Lietuvos ir užsienio mokslininkų (Jensen, 2001; Jucevičienė, 2003; Zulumskytė, 2004; Petty, 2006; Arends, 2008). Tačiau kūno kultūros udgymo/si aplinkos aspektai Lietuvoje tyrinėti fragmentiškai ir visiškai netirta, ar mokytojai ir mokiniai panašiai suvokia kuriamos aplinkos atskirus komponentus. Todėl aktualu išsiaiškinti, kaip kuriamą aplinką suvokia mokiniai ir mokytojai, ar bendro lavinimo mokyklų fizinio ugdymo/si aplinka yra palanki pasiekti kūno kultūros programos tikslus. Tyrimo objektas - Vilniaus rajono Bendro lavinimo mokyklų ugdymo/si aplinka per kūno kultūros pamokas. Tyrimo subjektas - Vilniaus rajono Bendrojo lavinimo mokyklų X klasių mokiniai. Hipotezė – Vilniaus rajono mokyklų mokytojai ir mokiniai panašiai suvokia ir vertina ugdymo/si aplinką per kūno kultūros pamokas ir ji yra palanki įgyvendinti Bendrųjų programų kūno kultūros dalyko tikslus. Tikslas - Ištirti Vilniaus rajono bendro lavinimo mokyklų 10 klasių mokinių ugdymo/si aplinką per kūno kultūros pamokas. Uždaviniai: 5. Apžvelgti Vilniaus rajono bendro lavinimo mokyklų materialinės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The main objective of educational institutions is to create an environment oriented towards learners that provides possibilities to choose and to pursue their individual learning goals. The school environment is described as a socio-cultural space of educational institutions embracing an ongoing versatile process of educating children and their self-education. Many Lithuanian and foreign scholars studied the school environment and its influence on the development of children’s personalities as well as direct learning results (Jensen, 2001; Jucevičienė, 2003; Zulumskytė, 2004; Petty, 2006; Arends, 2008). However, aspects of the environment of physical education in Lithuania have received only a fragmentary analysis. It has not been studied at all whether teachers and learners similarly perceive separate components of the created environment. Therefore, it was necessary to find out how the created environment is perceived by teachers and pupils and whether the environment of physical education in comprehensive schools is propitious to pursue goals of the syllabus of physical education. The object of the analysis was the educational environment during lessons of physical education in comprehensive schools of Vilnius District. The subject of the analysis was pupils of the tenth form in comprehensive schools in Vilnius district. Hypothesis – teachers and students from schools of Vilnius District understand and perceive the educational / learning environment in physical... [to full text]

Taking an action research approach, this study explores the experiences of three intakes of undergraduate students who worked in a cohort-based learning environment where team work and classroom participation was expected. This educational setting required students from diverse backgrounds to work closely together on campus during the intense one-year program. To facilitate in the development of a face-to-face learning community, where individual differences could be celebrated and problems could be solved in an open, trusting environment, an online bridging course was developed. Aimed at decreasing the incidence of minority group marginalization and reduce feelings of isolation, the bridging course provided activities directed towards encouraging students to begin to develop an inclusive learning community prior to their arrival on campus. Exploring how online transitional activities had contributed to the development of a face-to-face learning community, as well as perceived disadvantages to that model, key stakeholders' perceptions were obtained through focus groups, interviews, and surveys. Findings include: (a) an enhanced understanding of the ways in which an online course can be used to aid in the development of a learning community for oncampus students; (b) a heightened awareness of challenges faced by those working in a learning community; (c) a systematic approach to the development of learning communities. This research suggests that an online bridging course can be an effective way for on-campus students to start developing a learning community.

Esta pesquisa visa contribuir com a análise e compreensão dos limites e potencialidades do ambiente educacional de uma instituição pública de educação superior, a partir do estudo sobre como as relações humanas no ambiente educacional desta instituição podem ser influenciadas por elementos culturais relacionados a poder, dominação, hierarquias e dicotomias. A relevância desse trabalho encontra-se na possibilidade de se constituir diálogos sobre a formação cidadã e a construção de uma cultura de procedimentos democráticos para a universidade no século XXI. Em termos de coleta e análise de dados foi estabelecido um processo metodológico idiossincrático, fundamentado por Becker (1999), entre as perspectivas teóricas da etnografia e da Análise Crítica do Discurso (ACD). As técnicas associadas à etnografia, como a observação participante e as entrevistas semiestruturadas e mais o acréscimo de grupos focais fundamentaram a coleta de dados em campo. A análise dos dados obtidos foi realizada por meio de algumas perspectivas da teoria da Análise Crítica de Discurso (ACD) e mais o processo de triangulação de dados e fontes, sob a dinâmica dos aportes teóricos aqui escolhidos. Entre os participantes estão: os alunos do curso de engenharia agronômica envolvidos diretamente com o núcleo de agroecologia; alunos e professores da licenciatura em Ciências Agrárias; alunos (graduandos e pós-graduandos) articulados em grupos de trabalho, centros acadêmicos ou coletivos, como o feminista e o LGBT. O propósito desta escolha foi: dar voz às pessoas dispostas a lançar um olhar crítico sobre o ambiente educacional e pensar em possíveis desconstruções da cultura atual; buscar pessoas engajadas politicamente para conversar sobre questões antagônicas à tradição da instituição, abrindo diálogo sobre diversidade, sexualidade, pluralidade, gestão estudantil, democracia e saberes do senso comum, como a agricultura de base ecológica. Nesta pesquisa, não há intenção em denunciar falhas, apontar erros ou expor pessoas e a instituição a juízos de valor. Preserva-se, assim, o anonimato da instituição e de seus participantes através de um \"Termo de Esclarecimento e Livre Consentimento\". Foram realizadas quinze entrevistas individuais e três grupos focais, totalizando trinta participantes. Sob a perspectiva do grupo aqui pesquisado há duas limitações relevantes da instituição em foco que precisariam continuar a ser investigadas: há indícios que os docentes, graduados e pós-graduados, nesta instituição tendem a reproduzir a mesma cultura vivida há décadas neste ambiente educacional, propiciando um viés cultural formativo para os discentes; há indícios que o trote ou qualquer outro tipo de relação de poder e hierarquia entre os discentes parece emergir como um sintoma das relações humanas disfuncionais no processo de ensino e aprendizagem, no âmbito interno e externo da sala de aula. / This research aims to contribute to the analysis and understanding of the limits and potentialities of the educational environment of a public institution of higher education, based on the study on how human relations in the educational environment of this institution can be influenced by cultural elements related to power, domination, hierarchies, and dichotomies. The relevance of this work lies in the possibility of forming dialogues about citizen education and building a culture of democratic procedures for the university in the 21st century. In terms of data collection and analysis, an idiosyncratic methodological process was established, based on Becker (1999), between the theoretical perspectives of ethnography and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Techniques associated with ethnography, such as participant observation and semi-structured interviews, plus the addition of focus groups, supported field data collection. The analysis of the data obtained was carried out through some perspectives of the theory of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and the process of triangulation of data and sources, under the dynamics of the theoretical contributions chosen here. Among the participants are: the students of the agronomic engineering course directly involved with the agroecology core; students and professors of the degree in Agrarian Sciences; students (undergraduates and graduate students) articulated in work groups, academic or collective centers, such as the feminist and LGBT groups. The purpose of this choice was to give voice to people willing to cast a critical eye on the educational environment and think about possible deconstructions of the current culture; to find people politically engaged to talk about antagonistic issues to the tradition of the institution, opening dialogue on diversity, sexuality, plurality, student management, democracy, and common sense knowledge, such as ecologically based agriculture. In this research, there is no intention to report failures, point out errors or expose people and the institution to value judgments. This preserves the anonymity of the institution and its participants by means of a \"Clarification and Free Consent\". Fifteen individual interviews and three focus groups were held, totaling thirty participants. From the perspective of the group studied here, there are two relevant limitations of the institution in focus that would need to be further investigated: there are indications that teachers, graduates and postgraduates in this institution tend to reproduce the same culture lived decades ago in this educational environment, propitiating a formative cultural bias for the students; there is evidence that trotting or any other kind of relationship of power and hierarchy among students seems to emerge as a symptom of dysfunctional human relationships in the teaching and learning process, both within and outside the classroom.

Schools that implement a school uniform policy are on the rise (Musu-Gillette, Zhang, Wang, Zhang & Oudekerk, 2017). About 74% of these schools have a high population of low socioeconomic status students (Musu-Gillette et al., 2017) with about 75% or more qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The purpose of this study was to examine any relationships between students' perceptions of the effects of school uniforms and student socioeconomic status. In a charter school, a survey was completed by students to gather perception information and a separate survey by parents to gather socioeconomic status information. Hypotheses were tested using descriptive statistics and multiple regression models. Data were gathered from 184 students in grades 3 through 8. Examining individual survey items revealed older students were more likely to report that school uniforms help to reduce bullying and teasing. Another statistically significant difference was that some students of high socioeconomic status reported that uniforms help reduce arguments with parents about clothing (t(182) = 2.66, p<.01). Student responses on 10 survey items were grouped into one factor called School Climate, reflecting student perceptions on how uniforms affect the school's climate. Analyses revealed no significant relationships between the School Climate factor and socioeconomic status. However, Hispanic students reported a significantly more positive response overall than non-Hispanic students. These findings suggest students of various socioeconomic status perceive school uniforms similarly, but older students could be more likely to associate uniforms with a reduction in bullying. More research needs to be done in charter schools as little research has been done on school uniforms in charter schools, and among Hispanic students because the participation of Hispanic students was relatively low.

This master thesis was performed at the business area of Aeronautics at Saab AB in collaboration with Linköping University during the spring of 2015. In a complex product development environment, having knowledge about different processes is advantageous for efficiency. Model Based Definition (MBD) is a product development process where a 3D-model is the main source of information and the same 3D-model is applied all the way from design to production. In assembly, the operator follows work instructions where the 3D-model, and its requirements, is visualized. The model is always updated to the latest version and no 2D-drawings are needed. Saab applied MBD during the development of the new generation of the fighter aircraft JAS 39 Gripen. This change, from previously 2D to 3D, has caused that both internal and external people have minor knowledge about the new developing process of MBD. The purpose of the thesis was to develop a demonstrator acting as an educational environment to share knowledge about the MBD-process and the 3D work instructions. New methods and processes could be tested and evaluated in the demonstrator before implementing into the real product development process. By following and developing an interdependent and iterative product development process, this work has visualized the MBD-process. Designing and developing a demonstrator, using the same tools as in the real product development process, accomplished this. This thesis has developed a demonstrator that includes the main components of a physical model with corresponding 3D work instructions and a conceptual layout. A physical Lego model of Gripen provides a flexible and interesting way of sharing knowledge to the user who interacts with the demonstrator. The 3D work instructions were created in a way so that the user can assemble and interact with the same expressions and terms in order to get an understanding about how they are used. The educational aspect is important where simplifications and additional notes to the instructions help to get a better understanding. Depending on who the user is, different levels of preparations are needed. The recognition factor is important to a user with experience of MBD; it needs to be able to understand how different terms and requirements are used in the development process. The future work is about setting up the demonstrator and conduct usability tests to evaluate, modify and implement more details. Using a demonstrator in this purpose can be helpful for evaluating different techniques, methods or systems and reduce the errors in the product development process. It can also encourage people to a new enjoyable way of learning.

Darbe analizuojami mokinių ir mokytojų poreikiai programavimo pagrindų mokymo procese. Ištirta esama pasiūla. Sukurta programa, skirta mokytis savarankiškai ar užsiėmimų metu. Programavimo pagrindams mokyti pasirinkta FreePascal programavimo kalba, bet yra mokoma ne šios kalbos, o paties programavimo. Mokomąją programą sudaro teorijos mokymas su pavyzdžiais, praktinės užduotys ir testai. Teorinėje dalyje mokinys yra supažindinamas su pagrindiniais programavimo komponentais (struktūra, ciklais, sąlygos sakiniais ir t.t.). Praktinė dalis skirta mokiniui „treniruotis“, susidūręs su įvairiomis situacijomis, jis matys, kur yra daromos klaidos, bandys jas taisytis, aiškiau žinos, ko reikia dar pasimokyti. Testai yra skirti mokytojams, turintiems programavimo modulius. Ši dalis palengvins mokinių vertinimą. Programa sukurta su Delphi 7 programavimo kalba. Mokomoji medžiaga pateikiama naudojant MS PowerPoint pateikčių kūrimo programą. / At work analyzes the needs of students and teachers of programming elements in the teaching process. Examined the existing supply. Designed program for self-study or lessons time. Chosen to teach programming fundamentals FreePascal programming language, but it is not taught the language but the programming. Educational program consists of theory with examples, practical exercises and tests. On theoretical part student is indoctrinate with basic programming components (structure, cycles, conditional statements, etc.). The practical part is for students practice, when faced with different situations, he will see where he make the mistakes, try to mend them, know exactly what he need to learn more. Tests are designed for teachers with programming modules. This part will facilitate students assessment. The program was created with Delphi 7 programming language. The educational material includes the use of MS PowerPoint presentation creation program.

Analizuojant muziejinės edukacijos ir neformalios muziejaus erdvės reikšmę lankytojų inkultūracijai bei atitikimą mokymo standartams, darbe buvo išnagrinėti temos teoriniai ir praktiniai aspektai. Apžvelgus muziejinės edukacijos vystymąsi istorine prasme, išanalizuota muziejinės edukacijos teisinis ir socialinis reglamentavimas, kitų šalių patirtis edukacijos klausimais. Baigiamasis darbas skirtas išsiaiškinti, ar Kauno apskrities pedagoginiame muziejuje vykdomos edukacinės programos atitinka bendrojo lavinimo mokymo standartus, todėl darbe buvo analizuojamas programų dalyvių bei juos atlydėjusių mokytojų požiūris į edukacines programas, jų naudingumą, atliktas empirinis tyrimas. Išanalizavus tyrimo rezultatus paaiškėjo, kad labiausiai yra ugdomi šie kūrybiniai komponentai: nuostatų, kognityviniai, tarpasmeninių santykių ir motyvacijos. Hipotezė, kad edukacinės programos atitinka , vykdomos Kauno apskrities pedagoginiame muziejuje, nevisiškai tenkina mokinių ir mokytojų poreikius, pasitvirtino iš dalies. / By analyzing the meaning of museum education and non-formal museum space for the enculturation of the visitors and adequacy for the teaching standards, there were theoretical and practical aspects of this topic analyzed. After reviewing the museum education development in the historical context, there were analyzed legal and social regulation of the museum education as well as other countries experiences in education. The final paper is devoted to ascertain if the existing education program in Kaunas Pedagogical Museum match the standards of basic education. Because of this reason there was an attitude of the programs participants and their teachers to the educational programs, their benefits and there was an empirical research performed. When the results of the research were analyzed, it was found out that these creative components are nurtured most of all: provisions, cognitive components, interpersonal relationships and motivation. The hypothesis, that educational programs in Kaunas Pedagogical Museum meet the teachers and pupils needs, was proved partly.

This graduate work is about didactic issues related to the preschool environment. The study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how the preschool teachers can plan and design the indoor environment to promote children's development and learning. We will also examine how the work of the preschool indoor environment relates to the kindergarten curriculum. This will be examined through qualitative interviews with teachers at a preschool in Botkyrka municipality. The thesis is based on an inductive study method so the theoretical approach has been chosen by the informants' responses. As a complement to the previous research, we have chosen to base our study in Vygotsky's educational psychology to clarify the interactions between the environment and children's development and learning. The informants in our study described, among other things, that their work with preschool indoor environment is based on an environmental document, which is an evolving supplement to the kindergarten curriculum. They create various "corners" or base environments where children can meet and learn from each other. These base environments are designed in the way that they are self-explanatory, that is, the children develop into independent individuals.

Syftet med den här studien är att få förståelse för och bidra med kunskap kring tillgängligheten av skapandematerial i förskolans pedagogiska inomhusmiljö. Samt hur barns utveckling och lärande kan påverkas utifrån förskolans pedagogiska idé kring miljöns utformning. Frågeställningarna som vi har utgått ifrån handlar bland annat om vad som tillhör en pedagogisk miljö och vad förskollärarens roll är i skapandet av den pedagogiska miljön? Vilken syn förskollärarna i verksamheten har på tillgängligheten av skapandematerial för barn och vilka pedagogiska idéer det finns gällande tillgången? Samt hur barns utveckling och lärande kan påverkas av tillgängligheten av skapandematerial i förskolan?   Det här är en kvalitativ studie. Den utgår från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv samt har en fenomenografisk analysmetod. Den använda metoden för att samla in källdatan är intervjuer. Dessa har genomförts med fyra förskollärare från fyra olika förskolor i södra Sverige. Intervjuerna spelades in med ljudinspelning och transkriberades därefter till text. Det i sin tur användes till att presentera resultat och analysen i studien.   Studiens resultat visar på att de fyra förskolorna ser väldigt olika ut när det kommer till den pedagogiska miljön och tillgängligheten av skapandematerial. Både skillnader och likheter har dock framkommit i resultatet. Alla förskollärare berättar om sina möjligheter att påverka den pedagogiska miljön och alla förskollärare anser att de hela tiden har någon form av skapandematerial tillgängligt för barnen. Vad tillgängligt skapandematerial innebär råder det dock olika meningar kring.