Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / This study focuses on the learning experiences of adult learners entering higher education for the first time. Based in the Department of Adult Education and Extra-Mural Studies at the University of Cape Town, it analyses the experiences of successful adult learners on the first year (1995) of a formal Certificate Programme in Adult Education, Training and Development. The study concludes that the ways in which contexts and learning relate is complex. We need to understand that it is at the intersection of the individual and the social that meaning is made and negotiated in learning. This understanding, it is argued, is crucial to better understand the relationship between access, learning and success - within but also across contexts. The implications of this are raised tentatively by looking at alternative approaches to curriculum development and teaching-learning processes.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The deliberate and sometimes unwitting complicity of psychology with apartheid social formations has received little attention in the psycho-historical literature. This, study in an attempt to break the silence, offers a descriptive characterization of South African psychology by tracing its origins, evolution, formalization and development to its ethnoscientific, colonial and apartheid roots. The study begins with an examination of the globalization of Euro-American psychology. The proliferation and domination of Euro-American psychology closely correlates with the emergence and globalization of colonial power that is intimately connected to the missionary discourses of conquest and conversion and to the doctrines of scientific racism. Western explorers, soldiers, missionaries, and social scientists are among the figures who participated in the occupation and conversion of the 'Dark Continent' of Africa. Within the context of colonialism, psychology became an enterprise of conquest and conversion that endeavoured to understand how people of colour, 'marginal beings', could be transformed into active subjects The history of South African psychology provides an illuminating illustration of how psychological discourse and practice may be employed for the purposes of oppressive social engineering. Besides projecting psychological intervention as vital to the alleviation of economic, social and industrial problems, psychologists utilized their expert roles in the Carnegie Poor White Study, in the Air-force and in industry and objects of Western racial and economic exploitation. The history of South African psychology provides an illuminating illustration of how psychological discourse and practice may be employed for the purposes of oppressive social engineering. Besides projecting psychological intervention as vital to the alleviation of economic, social and industrial problems, psychologists utilized their expert roles in the Carnegie Poor White Study, in the Air-force and in industry to rationalize and bolster White economic and political hegemony. The racial overtones that characterized the establishment of a professional association represents a startling example of how apartheid ideology was reproduced within the profession itself Unfortunately, oppressive discourse appears to continue to inform the research agenda, practices and theoretical concerns of many South African psychologists, thereby creating the impetus for the present crisis within the discipline. The crisis relates to, among other issues, the failure of Euro-American psychology to represent the psychological experiences of people of colour. Attempts at resolving the crisis are stymied by the production and reproduction of conceptual paradoxes within the fields of family therapy, community psychology and cross-cultural psychology, fields that are often portrayed as the solution to the crisis. Despite the increasing levels of theoretical complexity and ideological scrutiny each of these fields offer, South African psychology still faces various epistemological challenges and communieentric biases. A content analysis of 977 articles that appear in the South African Journal of Psychology, Psychologia Africana, the Journal of Behavioural Science, Psychology in Society, Humanitas. Psygram and the South African Psychologist confirms that the crisis in psychology continues. Details obtained from the analytical review show South African psychology, between 1948 and 1988, to be characterized by five features. First, Whites and males affiliated to the open liberal universities and Afrikaans universities dominate knowledge-production in the discipline. Blacks and women authors, especially those affiliated to the historically Black universities, tend to occupy mainly co-authorship positions at the level of publication. Second, the majority of articles reviewed are written in English. Third, whereas the bulk of articles analysed are empirical in nature, there is an increasing trend towards theoretical articles that examine the ideological and philosophical premises of the discipline. Fourth, empirical studies tend -to select subjects from both male and female gender groups, who are mainly White, and mostly affiliated to institutional settings. Fifth, research is dominated by an emphasis on conventional areas such as psychometrics, research methodology, industrial psychology and educational psychology. The more recently evolved fields such as community psychology and the psychology of oppression receive little attention. By moving to a point beyond critique and characterizations, the study concludes with an exploration of the dynamic quest for liberatory psychology, central to which is the formulation of an emancipatory agenda. An emancipatory agenda may well propel progressive psychologists towards systematically addressing the silences within the field, securing the centralization of Blacks and women at the levels of knowledge production and political representation and creating liberatory epistemologies.

Denna studies syfte är att undersöka och beskriva vilken kunskapssyn som finns hos lärare i naturvetenskap, på högskolan, och hur denna överensstämmer med hur lärarna undervisar och bedömer studenternas kunskaper. Undersökningsgruppen som slumpmässigt valdes ut för studien bestod av lärare i naturvetenskapliga ämnen på Teknik och samhälle, Malmö högskola, och de undersökningsmetoder som användes var deltagande observationer och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Tolknings- och analysförfarande valdes i enlighet med Kvales (1997) "ad hoc"-metod. Materialet analyserades först för att definiera lärarnas huvudsakliga kunskapssyner, därefter för att besvara delfrågorna om påverkan och perspektivintegrering. Till sist gjordes jämförelser mellan observationer och intervjuer.Analysen av observationerna och intervjuerna visar på att tre av lärarna i studien har en processinriktad kunskapssyn och två har en konstruktivistisk inriktad kunskapssyn. Detta innebär att ingen av lärarna har en genomgående traditionellt inriktad kunskapssyn.Lärarna svarade mycket olika på frågorna som rörde deras kunskapssyn. Min analys av deras svar pekar på att det som hindrar användandet av kunskapssynen fullt ut i praktiken dels är medvetandegrad i förhållande till den egna kunskapssynen, kunskapssynens innebörd för lärandet samt val av undervisningsformer samt de organisatoriska, kulturella och sociala förhållandena på institutionen. Analysen visar också att de senare har en stor påverkan på lärarens möjlighet att använda sin kunskapssyn i sitt dagliga arbete och att lärarna upplever vissa delar av dessa förhållanden som hinder i lärargärningen.De lärare som har en formell lärarutbildning har en mer sammanhängande kunskapssyn än de lärare som saknar en längre utbildning. Analysen av de lärare som enbart har genomgått kortare pedagogiska utbildningar visar på en stor påverkan av dessa utbildningar på dessa lärares kunskapssyner. Denna påverkan verkar främst ske på synen på undervisningsformer, lärande och bedömning och i mindre grad på synen på kunskapens natur.Analysen visade även att kunskapssyn har samvarierar med attityden till införandet av perspektiven i undervisningen och med vilka problem läraren upplever i samband med integrering av perspektiven. / The aim of this thesis is to investigate and describe the epistemological beliefs science teachers, in higher education, have and how these beliefs agree with how the teachers teach and assess the students knowledge.The participants in the study was randomly selected and consisted of science teachers from the department Technology and society, Malmö university. The methods used in the study where participatory observations and semi-structured interviews. Interpretation and analysis where done according to Kvales (1997)) ”ad hoc”–method. The material where first analysed in order to define the teachers main summarized epistemological beliefs and secondly to provide answers to the research questions about influence and integration of Malmö universities perspectives. Comparisons between observations and interviews where done as a last element in the analysis.The analysis of the observations and the interviews shows that three of the participating teachers have summarized epistemological belief which is process orientated and that two have constructivist epistemological belief. This means that none of the teachers have a summarized traditionalistic epistemological belief.The answers to the questions about epistemological beliefs where very varied. My analysis of the answers indicates that the main obstacles to the use of epistemological beliefs in the teaching and assessing are the degree of awareness of the teachers own epistemological beliefs, the significance for the learning process and choices of teaching methods of the epistemological beliefs and the organizational, cultural and social circumstances at the educational institution. The analysis also indicates that the latter obstacles have a large effect on the possibility to use the epistemological beliefs in daily activities and that the teachers experience these obstacles as a serious.Those of the teachers in the participating group that have a teachers diploma show more coherent epistemological beliefs than those without a longer education in pedagogy. The analysis of the latter group shows that the shorter courses these teachers have attended have a large influence on their epistemological beliefs. The influence seems mainly to affect the view of methods for teaching, learning and assessment and in a lesser degree the persons view of the nature of knowledge. The analysis also shows a covariance between the epistemological beliefs and the attitude to integration of Malmö universities perspectives.

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In the first chapter of this thesis it is shown that Hume has not denied a "real connection" between physical causes and effects. It is argued that Hume is not mainly concerned with the ontological status of causal necessity. His main contention is epistemological; he aims to explain the grounds we have for asserting causal connections. When we look for the grounds of casual interference we find nothing but constant conjunction, which accounts for the mental determination to pass from an impression to the idea of its usual attendant. But it does not follow from this psychological theory that Hume denies "real connections" between physical objects and events. On the contrary, he is committed, as the texts reveal, to admitting that there is a "real connection", although he denies that we have any insight into the nature of that connection. Chapter two is intended to settle the dispute over the status of Burne's two definitions of "cause". It is shown that thev are not incompatible, and it is only when both the definitions are taken together that Hume's analysis of causation is complete. In chapter three a detailed defence is undertaken of Hume's claim that we do not know causal connections a priori and that the inference from past experience to future prediction is not rationally justifiable. Although predictions of future events can not be rationally defended, Hume does not reject them, but gives them a naturalistic, psychological explanation. By considering all relevant factors it is shown that Hume's analyses of causation are quite consistent and not subjectivist in the sense often attributed to them. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

This dissertation explores the problem of how knowledge is possible, given that knowledge is necessarily rooted in the reality of the knower. The Kantian critical philosophy defeats Humean skepticism by demonstrating the a priori necessity of certain categorical functions at the root of all human cognition, but ultimately results in merely shifting the problem of certainty to these same functions. Ernst Cassirer’s Philosophy of Symbolic Forms seeks to extend the critical philosophy of Kant beyond the limits of theoretical thinking, and thereby broadens the functional foundations of cognition to include all symbolic modes of thinking in a unified system of human cognition. However, this expansion of the system of knowledge only serves to further highlight the fundamental problem of how knowledge of any sort can be a “symbol” of reality, when the symbolic form that produces that symbol always involves the mediation of reality in some way. This general problem is described throughout Cassirer’s writings in terms of a dialectic of spirit (Geist) and life (Leben), which, he argues, is the fundamental dialectic to which all other oppositions in the history of metaphysics can ultimately be reduced. In the present work, the nature of this dialectic is described and tied to the general problem of knowledge within any systematic critical philosophy, as seen in Cassirer’s philosophy as well as the works of Peirce, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Wittgenstein. Through this discussion, Cassirer’s own esoteric conception of a monadic metaphysics will be revealed, and the key importance of freedom as a solution to this dialectic will be drawn from his interpretation of earlier philosophers, particularly Nicolaus Cusanus. / Philosophy

The intent of this two-phase, sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to examine the role teachers' beliefs play when making instructional decisions. The population included in-service teachers representing four Career and Technical Education disciplines located within the commonwealth of Virginia. Using a stratified random sample, 622 teachers were selected for the quantitative strand, and employing a system of four contacts, quantitative data were collected from 292 participants. Dweck's Theories of Intelligence scale assessed the nature of in-service teachers' beliefs about intelligence, and the Epistemic Belief Inventory was used to measure their epistemological beliefs. Finally, the participants rated their use of teacher-centered and student-centered teaching methods. In the second phase, qualitative data were collected from nine participants to further understand how in-service teachers' beliefs are related to the teaching practices they use. The quantitative and qualitative data were combined to determine if the descriptions of teaching method used, beliefs about intelligence, and epistemological beliefs aligned with the outcomes of the quantitative questionnaire. Significant correlations existed between the Theories of Intelligence scale and the Epistemic Belief Inventory. A significant positive relationship existed between the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory and the overall teaching practices score, indicating in-service teachers' advanced epistemological beliefs are related to the use of student-centered teaching practices. A regression analysis indicated that teaching discipline, epistemological beliefs, teaching experience, and highest level of education completed predicted the teaching practices in-service teachers' select. The qualitative data supported the claim that beliefs about intelligence and epistemological beliefs influence teaching practices. Six themes emerged from the qualitative data, and the themes were used as a framework for organizing the findings. The researcher acknowledges that teachers possess a variety of beliefs, and those beliefs influence how teachers teach. The researcher recommends that teacher educators attempt to identify the beliefs pre-service teachers hold, and if modifications of beliefs are needed, facilitate interventions to modify those beliefs. While some have labeled the direct relationship between teacher beliefs and teaching practices as "messy", the evidence indicates the two, are in fact, related. / Ph. D.

Η λειτουργία των Διδασκαλείων, ως θεσμού μετεκπαίδευσης, αποτελεί εκπαιδευτική πολιτική που αποσκοπεί στην άνοδο του επιπέδου των σπουδών και στη βελτίωση των προσόντων των εκπαιδευτικών της πρωτοβάθμιας εκπαίδευσης. Η ένταξή του θεσμού της μετεκπαίδευσης στα Παιδαγωγικά Τμήματα των Πανεπιστημίων αποτελεί πολιτική αποκέντρωσης. Στη διατριβή μας, παρουσιάζουμε τα αποτελέσματα της εμπειρικής μας έρευνας που αναφέρεται στη διερεύνηση των απόψεων 133 δασκάλων που αποφοίτησαν από το Διδασκαλείο Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης Γενικής Αγωγής Πατρών «Ευάγγελος Παπανούτσος». Το κεντρικό ερώτημα της μελέτης μας είναι κατά πόσο οι εκπαιδευτικοί που αποφοίτησαν από το συγκεκριμένο Διδασκαλείο πιστεύουν ότι η ακαδημαϊκή γνώση που τους προσφέρθηκε κατά τη διάρκεια της φοίτησής τους σ’ αυτό είναι επαρκής και κατάλληλη στο να αντιμετωπίσουν τις αυξημένες απαιτήσεις της καθημερινής τους διδασκαλίας και του παιδαγωγικού τους έργου. Η διατριβή αποσκοπεί στο να αποδείξει ότι οι έννοιες του Bachelard «επιστημολογικό εμπόδιο» (είναι οι βαθιά ριζωμένοι τρόποι σκέψης, παλιές, εννοιολογικές και μεθοδολογικές δομές που εμποδίζουν την πρόοδο της επιστημονικής γνώσης) και επιστημολογική τομή (είναι οι τρόποι με τους οποίους η επιστημονική γνώση αντικρούει τις ιδέες ή τις πεποιθήσεις που προέρχονται πρωτίστως από την άμεση γνώση, τη διαίσθηση και τον κοινό νου) θα μπορούσαν να εφαρμοστούν και στη μετεκπαίδευση των εκπαιδευτικών. / The preservation of the Teacher Training College or Didaskaleio as an institution of in-service training is an educational policy which is intended to assist in a real raising of the level of studies and an improvement in the quality of the educational qualifications of primary school teachers. Its integration into the Pedagogical Schools of the Universities constitute a policy of decentralization. In this thesis, we present the results of our empirical research, that concerning the assessments gathered from 133 teachers who graduated from Evangelos Papanoutsos Training College (Didaskaleio) in the Primary Education Department of the University of Patras, in Greece. One key question lies at the heart of our study: whether the teachers who graduated from Didaskaleio believe that the academic knowledge they are offered is adequate and appropriate to meet the increasing demands of their everyday teaching and pedagogical work. This thesis aims to show that Bachelard’s concepts of “epistemological obstacles” (they are ingrained ways of thinking, old structures, both conceptual and methodological, impeding the progress of scientific knowledge) and “epistemological break” (in general terms, they are the ways in which scientific knowledge contradicts the ideas or beliefs that come from foremost primary knowledege, intuitive and common sense) could be applied to in-service education and training of teachers.

Resource integration, as it relates to value creation, has recently been a key aspect of the discussions about service-dominant (S-D) logic. However, the majority of research pays relatively little explicit attention to the process of theorizing and the epistomological and ontological assumptions upon which the theorizing process is based. This article addresses these issues. The processes that relate to theorizing and developing strong theory are discussed. We then examine how to conceptualize ‘resources’ and ‘resource integration’ following differing ontological and epistemological assumptions that guide the theorizing process. Research recommendations to help navigate through the finer details underlying the theorizing process and to advance a general theory of resource integration are developed.

Dans un contexte où les outils numériques et le WEB permettent la diffusion et le partage massif de ressources, le défi actuel est de trouver la bonne ressource au bon moment. Pour les ressources d’enseignement, les standards de description actuels (LOM ou ScoLOMFr par exemple) ne permettent pas une description des dimensions didactiques d’une ressource. Notre thèse est une contribution pour combler ce manque, en nous situant dans le domaine de environnements informatiques pour l’apprentissage humain (EIAH). Nous nous sommes particulièrement intéressé à la description de ressources de type « énoncé avec tâche prescrite » (ETP). Nous nous sommes placé dans le cadre de la théorie anthropologique du didactique (TAD) et avons en particulier exploité la formalisation de l’approche praxéologique proposée par le cadre T4TEL. Nous proposons quatre résultats principaux. Le premier est un modèle de description didactique de ressources (M2DR) de type ETP. Il permet la description d’un ETP sur la base de critères didactiques et de déterminer son adéquation avec un curriculum. Ce modèle est construit à partir de l’exploitation d’un modèle praxéologique de référence (MPR). Le deuxième résultat est la modélisation d’intentions didactiques, utilisées pour pouvoir chercher des ETP décrits à l’aide du modèle M2DR. Le troisième résultat est un enrichissement du cadre T4TEL, en définissant une modélisation de la tâche et en introduisant la notion de type de tâches optimum. Le quatrième résultat est la définition d’un processus de construction d’une représentation ontologique d’un MPR décrit dans T4TEL à l’aide de générateurs de types de tâches. Ce processus permet une utilisation du modèle dans un cadre informatisé. Il a été appliqué à différents MPR, dans les domaines de l’algèbre élémentaire et de la numération. Ceci a permis l’utilisation du modèle M2DR pour décrire différents ETP. / In a context where digital tools and the WEB allow for the diffusion and massive sharing of resources, the current challenge is to find the right resource at the right time. Current description standards (e. g. LOM or ScoLOMFr) do not allow the description of the didactic dimensions of a learning object. Our thesis is a contribution to fill this gap from the Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) field point of view. We were particularly interested in the description of mathematics exercises. We conducted our work within the Anthropological Theory of Didactics (ATD) framework. More specifically, we have exploited the formalization of the praxeological approach proposed by the T4TEL framework. Our findings and propositions are four-fold. First, we proposed a didactic resource description model (M2DR) that allows the description of a mathematics exercises based on didactic criteria and determines its suitability for a curriculum. This model is based on the use of a reference epistemological model (REM). The second result is the modeling of didactic intentions, used for searching for mathematics exercises described with the M2DR model. The third result is an enhancement of the T4TEL framework defining a task model and introducing the notion of optimal types of tasks. The fourth result is the definition of a process for implementing an ontological representation of a REM described in T4TEL using types of tasks generators. This process allows the model to be used in a computerized environment. It has been applied to different REMs in the fields of elementary algebra and numeracy. That fostered the use of the M2DR model to describe different mathematics exercises.