The current research study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the basic language skills component (BLSC) in the ELT pre-service programme at a College of Education in Kuwait by eliciting the participants’ views regarding its quality and using the results as a basis for suggesting amendments and improvements. The BLSC comprises three courses, Writing, Reading and Conversation, which must be taken by new student teachers in the first semester of enrolment in order to improve their language proficiency. In view of the exploratory nature of this study and its context-specificity, the naturalistic orientation of interpretive and social constructivism as an epistemological stance were selected. The research design employed a sequential mixed methods case study using an adapted version of Bellon and Handler’s (1982) evaluation model. The participants in the study were three lecturers teaching the BLSC courses and 55 students in their first year at the English Department. The data, both quantitative and qualitative, were collected through course evaluation questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, diaries, and relevant written documents. Data were analysed quantitatively using SPSS descriptive statistics and qualitatively using exploratory content analysis. The findings revealed that the BLSC has some major shortcomings that need to be addressed. Shortcomings related to the physical environment of the college site include old buildings, a limited number of classrooms, shortages in learning and teaching resources and facilities, and insufficient library resources. With regard to the goals and objectives of the BLSC, the findings showed some critical issues and the need for a certain degree of revision. Moreover, the findings reveal students’ dissatisfaction with some aspects of the content and materials of the BLSC, including boring and non-challenging topics, and outdated textbooks. Teaching methods were found to be traditionally oriented, applying a teacher-centred approach. The findings show that students were extremely critical of the traditional assessment philosophy used by their teachers, which depends on a final exam that tests rote-learned materials. The study concludes by making suggestions that will have implications for the improvement and development of the given programme in particular, as well as educational practice in general. In addition, the study proposes a model for evaluation which can be applied and modified depending on the specifications of any given context.

<p>Cilj rada je da se ukaţe na prednosti i ograniĉenja kvalitativnih istraţivaĉkih pristupa u saznavanju i unapreĊivanju pedago&scaron;ke stvarnosti, kao i da se ukaţe na mogućnosti i probleme kombinovanja kvalitativnih i kvantitativnih metoda u prouĉavanju odreĊenih pedago&scaron;kih problema. U prvom delu rada, razmatraju se teorijske pretpostavke koje leţe u osnovi kvalitativnih istraţivaĉkih pristupa, predstavljajući ih kao kritiĉke i kao komplementarne kvantitativnim pristupima. Diskutujemo o posebnim pitanjima koja smatramo vaţnim za polje kvalitativnog pedago&scaron;kog diskursa: o kriterijumima nauĉnosti, strategijama formiranja uzorka i relevantnosti ovih istraţivanja za praksu i planiranje obrazovne politike. Detaljnije su razmotrena tri kvalitativna istraţivaĉka pristupa: studija sluĉaja, etnografski pristup i akciono istraţivanje, odnosno dometi i ograniĉenja primene ovih pristupa u prouĉavanju pedago&scaron;kih fenomena. Na kraju prvog dela rada, raspravljamo o mogućnostima i ograniĉenjima istraţivaĉkih nacrta u kojima se kombinuju kvalitativne i kvantitativne metode. U drugom delu rada, na primeru na&scaron;eg akcionog istraţivanja u osnovnoj &scaron;koli ilustrujemo doprinos ovog pristipa saznavanju i menjanju pedago&scaron;ke stvarnosti. Reĉ je o razvijanju i evaluaciji alternativnog programa razredne nastave, ĉija je jedna od osnovnih karakteristika primena grupno-istraţivaĉkog modela uĉenja. U istraţivaĉkom nacrtu kombinovani su kvalitativni i kvantitativni postupci i tehnike za prikupljanje podataka. Detaljnije je prikazan deo rezultata istraţivanja koji se odnosi na primenu grupno-istraţivaĉkog rada uĉenika u nastavi na tematski organizovanim nastavnim sadrţajima Poznavanja dru&scaron;tva u ĉetvrtom razredu, kao ilustracija mogućnosti akcionog istraţivanja da doprinese lak&scaron;em uvoĊenju inovacija u pedago&scaron;ku praksu. U tom smislu, kao poseban doprinos istraţivanja, dajemo predlog za izmene u programskim sadrţajima ovog predmeta i pristupima za njihovo izuĉavanje.</p> / <p>The goal of this paper is to point out to the advantages and limitations of qualitative research approaches in learning about and advancing the pedagogical reality, as well as to point out to the possibilities and problems of combining qualitative and quantitative methods in studying certain pedagogical problems. In the first part of the paper, we discuss theoretical assumptions underlying qualitative research approaches, presenting them as critical and complementary to quantitative approaches. We discuss special issues that we consider important for the field of qualitative pedagogical discourse: the criteria of scientific nature, the strategies for sample formation and relevance of these types of research for practice and planning of educational policy. Three qualitative research approaches have been considered in more detail: case study, ethnographic approach and action research, that is, the scope and limitations of application of these approaches in studying pedagogical phenomena. In the end of the first part of the paper, we discuss the possibilities and limitations of research designs that combine qualitative and quantitative methods. In the second part of the paper, on the example of our action research in primary school, we illustrate the contribution of this approach to learning about and changing the pedagogical reality. We are dealing with the development and evaluation of an alternative program of primary school, which has as one of its basic characteristics the application of group-investigation model of learning. This research design combines qualitative and quantitative procedures and data collection techniques. There is a more detailed presentation of that portion of research results that refers to the application of group-investigation work of pupils in class on topically organised teaching contents of Social Science in the fourth grade, as an illustration of the possibilities of action research to contribute to the easier introduction of innovations in educational practice. In that sense, as a special contribution of this research, we provide a suggestion for changes in program contents of this subject and approaches to their studying.</p>

<p>The primary purpose of this study was to design a valid and reliable survey instrument gauging three concepts; (a) utilization of technology-enhanced instructional practices, (b) perceptions of Missouri higher education faculty concerning self-reported instructor role and (c) perceptions of millennial students&rsquo; preferred learning styles. The secondary purpose of this study was to identify differences and similarities among various subsets of the data, examined by investigated concepts, as well as disaggregated by each demographic for individual survey items. </p><p> The six independent variables included type of institution, size of institution (based on Carnegie Size Classification), department, rank, gender and age range. The study also included 34 dependent variables divided into three sections. First were 8 items (items 7&ndash;14), designed to discern the HE faculty&rsquo;s self-reported utilization of technology-enhanced instruction in their classroom. Next were 10 items (items 15&ndash;24), focusing on faculty perceptions of their instructional role in the classroom. Following were 16 items (items 25&ndash;40) asking for self-reported faculty perceptions concerning the learning preferences of higher education students. </p><p> The population for this study included 2,978 faculty at a randomly selected group of 15 two-year and four-year, public and private Missouri higher education institutions based on a listing of Missouri higher education institutions provided by the Missouri Department of Higher Education (MDHE). The survey was completed by 249 of these faculty members. Cronbach&rsquo;s alpha and a pilot survey were conducted to determine validity and reliability. Univariate analyses, including cross tabulations and graphs showing frequency counts and percentages and measures of central tendency and dispersion, consisting of mean, median, mode, standard deviation and variance, were employed to determine utilization of technology-enhanced instruction by Missouri HE faculty as well as perceptions concerning instructional roles and millennial students&rsquo; learning characteristics as identified by research. Finally, Chi-square analysis and cross tabulations showing frequency numbers and percentages of each survey item were generated for each of the six demographic items. </p><p> The findings confirmed that the Survey of Higher Education Instructional Practices (SHEIP) was a valid and reliable instrument for collecting information concerning utilization of technology-enhanced instruction as well as perceptions of instructor role and students&rsquo; preferred learning styles. It was also shown a majority of Missouri higher education faculty are employing technology-enhanced instruction. Findings also indicated percentages of faculty using traditional and contemporary instructor roles were nearly equal. A small percentage more faculty did report using more contemporary instructor roles, but this is a point that could be explored in further research. Furthermore, outcomes indicated that a majority of faculty did agree with the manners which current research indicated millennial students prefer to learn. The theory of disruptive innovation indicated manners in which higher education can implement the change needed to &ldquo;disrupt&rdquo; the current system in academia. Research indicates change is needed if higher education is going to prosper in the rapidly changing academic world. </p>

Teacher assessment is a hot topic in today’s high-stakes, test-driven, accountability-focused educational environment. My recent research addresses how high school art educators, under the umbrella of non-tested subjects and grades, are assessed in their classroom teaching practices in Virginia. Based on my findings, it is clear that while the teachers surveyed do not fear accountability, they are wary of being evaluated by those who lack the content knowledge in the arts, by methods that are subjective, and with criteria that is inflexible. This thesis addresses the need to develop open forums that include the educator’s voice in order to create better teacher assessments that focus on student learning achievement in authentic and holistic ways. By learning about and sharing resources regarding how teachers in non-tested subjects and grades are evaluated suggestions are made to organize resources that may help develop more authentic assessments for art teachers focusing on meaningful student learning and achievement.

This thesis is focused on assessment in physical education and its impact on pupils' self-esteem and self-assessment. The theoretical part consists of personality and social characteristics of a child under school age, self-analysis as components of human self- mastery, and finally the theoretical content and forms of assessment at primary school with an emphasis on its objectives. The key chapter is the theoretical description of the concepts of evaluation in physical education. Research section is then devoted to determining the impact on self-assessment by comparing the parallel surveys and exploration of current trends in assessment in physical education.

Este trabalho teve como objeto de estudo o SAEM (Sistema de Avaliação das Escolas Municipais), desenvolvido pelo Colégio Cenecista Dr. José Ferreira onde o mestrando trabalha como professor e coordenador de avaliações e aplicado na rede municipal de ensino de Uberaba-MG, desde 2006, como uma ferramenta para mensuração do desempenho acadêmico dos alunos do 1º ao 9º ano do Ensino Fundamental no referido município. A análise explorou as quatro faces definidas para o SAEM: Teórica, Desenvolvimento, Aplicação e Expansão. Na face Teórica foi apresentada uma análise da adequação do SAEM aos padrões de qualidade da avaliação do Joint Committee Standards for Educational Evaluation (JCSEE) e uma análise comparativa entre as características da Prova Brasil/SAEB e do SAEM. A face Desenvolvimento discorreu sobre os passos para a elaboração de uma avaliação do SAEM, sendo que foi comprovada a validade de conteúdo da avaliação. Na face Aplicação foram descritas as etapas de aplicação de uma avaliação aos alunos da rede municipal de ensino de Uberaba-MG. Os relatórios produzidos a partir dos resultados de uma avaliação e os atuais usos desses resultados também são apresentados. Ainda dentro da face Aplicação, foi possível comprovar a adequação do SAEM aos conceitos de confiabilidade e de validade de construto e de critério de um sistema de avaliação. Finalmente, a face Expansão identificou possíveis pontos de melhoria na metodologia atual do SAEM e novos usos para os resultados de uma avaliação. Assim, foi possível atingir o objetivo principal deste trabalho, que consistiu na análise das características do SAEM, identificando suas vantagens e limitações como ferramenta de aferição do desempenho acadêmico de alunos de uma rede de ensino. / The objective of this study was to analyse SAEM - Evaluation System for Municipal Schools developed by Colégio Cenecista Dr. José Ferreira - where the Masters student works as a coordinator of evaluation and a teacher and applied to the municipal school chain in Uberaba-MG, since 2006, as a tool to measure the students\' academic performance from elementary to middle school levels, in the mentioned city. The analysis comprised of the four aspects, defined for SAEM: Theory, Development, Application and Expansion. In the Theory aspect, an analysis of SAEM adequacy to the evaluation quality standards from the Joint Committee Standards for Educational Evaluation (JCSEE) and a contrasting analysis between the characteristics present in Prova Brasil/SAEB and SAEM. The Development aspect was about the steps to develop a SAEM evaluation, in which the premise of content validity for the evaluation was proved. In the Application aspect, the steps followed to apply an evaluation to students in the municipal school system in Uberaba-MG were described. Besides these data, reports produced as the result of an evaluation and the present uses of these results were submitted. Still in the Application aspect, it was possible to confirm that SAEM meets the standards for reliability and construct and criteria validity of an evaluation system. Finally, the Expansion aspect identified some possibilities for improvement in SAEM\'s present methodology and new usages for the evaluation results. It was then, possible to achieve the main objective of this study, which was to analyze SAEM\'s characteristics, identifying its advantages and limitations as a tool to measure the students\' academic performance of a school system.

Esta pesquisa buscou investigar e analisar se e como as avaliações externas vêm influenciando o exercício da coordenação pedagógica no Ensino Fundamental I da rede pública de educação do município de Indaiatuba/SP, explorando possíveis implicações para a gestão pedagógica do trabalho escolar. A escolha do município deveu-se ao fato de o mesmo ter obtido um alto desempenho no Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica (IDEB), no ano de 2007, e por apresentar características relevantes para nosso estudo, entre as quais: a utilização da Prova Brasil e da Provinha Brasil, do Sistema de Avaliação do Rendimento Escolar do Estado de São Paulo (SARESP) e de avaliação externa própria elaborada pela Secretaria Municipal de Educação a Avaliação Municipal do Desempenho do Aluno (AMDA). Além disso, há na Secretaria um setor específico para cuidar das avaliações. Partiu-se da suposição de que essas avaliações têm gerado mudanças nas propostas e ações de natureza pedagógica e administrativa sob responsabilidade do coordenador pedagógico. É ele também que, usualmente, tem se responsabilizado pela organização dos processos avaliativos da escola, sejam eles internos ou externos. Dada a relevância que as avaliações externas vêm apresentando nas últimas décadas no Brasil e a hipótese assumida neste trabalho de sua crescente importância para o cotidiano das escolas, intencionamos apreender, por meio de manifestações expressas pelos coordenadores pedagógicos, em que medida as avaliações interferem na organização e dinâmica do seu trabalho, bem como da gestão pedagógica da escola. A pesquisa identificou influências relevantes das avaliações na organização do trabalho desses profissionais e das escolas, indicando movimentos de apropriação dos materiais e dados produzidos pelas avaliações no trabalho pedagógico. / This study investigates and analyze whether and how external evaluations has influenced the practice of coordinating education in elementary school I municipal education in Indaiatuba/SP, exploring possible implications for the educational management of school work. The choice of the city was given by the fact that it has obtained a high performance in Índice de Desenvolvimento da Educação Básica (IDEB), in 2007, and has relevants characteristics to our study, including: the use of evidence came from Prova Brasil and Provinha Brasil, the Sistema de Avaliação do Rendimento Escolar do Estado de São Paulo (SARESP) and own external evaluation prepared by the Municipal Department of Education - Avaliação Municipal do Desempenho do Aluno (AMDA). In addition, there is a specific sector in the Municipal Department responsible for this assessment. Starting with the assumption that these assessments have led changes in proposals and actions from educational coordinator teaching and administrative responsibility. Given the relevance of external evaluations have been taking in recent decades in Brazil and the assumption assumed in this work of his growing influence in the daily life of schools, we seek to learn through demonstrations expressed by educational coordinators, the extent to which evaluations influence the organization and work dynamics, as well as educational management school. The research identified relevant influences in evaluations of the organization of work of professionals and schools, movements indicating ownership of the materials and data produced by the joint evaluation of pedagogical work.

Neste trabalho, se descreve a situação atual em que se encontra a Informática Educativa, apresentando as novas formas de auxílio no processo educacional, que participam da inovação do mesmo. A introdução do computador na área educacional visa, principalmente, disseminar esta nova cultura desde a infância. Assim, os estudantes são preparados para lidarem com esta nova tecnologia como ferramenta de auxílio na realização de suas atividades futuras. Um outro objetivo apresentado, refere-se à forma de utilização do computador nos diversos ambientes de aprendizagem. Este deve funcionar como um recurso com potencial para incentivar o aprendizado de forma criativa e autônoma. Enfatiza-se a importância de desenvolvimento de softwares educacionais de boa qualidade, e a formação de bons profissionais que atuem na área de interesse. A partir daí, parte-se para a questão das necessidades básicas exigidas, para o desenvolvimento desses tipos de sistemas. Estes devem ser poderosos tanto a nível educacional quanto computacional. Neste contexto, é apresentado o problema da avaliação dos programas educativos, como uma atividade que deve apoiar a tomada de decisões educativas, relacionadas com a sua seleção e formas de uso. É discutido o problema da escolha dos softwares educacionais no processo de ensino-aprendizagem, que se adequem com a pedagogia vigente na escola e ainda, com o novo papel do professor. Este poderá intervir no processo de aquisição do conhecimento do estudante atuando, unicamente, como facilitador e orientador da aprendizagem. Através dos processos e resultados da avaliação, vê-se que é possível adquirir conhecimentos corretos a respeito das formas de uso dos programas. A partir da fundamentação teórica, viu-se a necessidade de construir uma metodologia de avaliação, para apoiar adequadamente qualquer decisão que se pretende tomar, a respeito do software em questão. Por isso, fez-se o estudo de um caso, com o objetivo de concretizar as idéias apresentadas. Assim, aplicou-se a metodologia de avaliação no sistema Win- Logo -ambiente integrado de programação e aprendizagem em linguagem Logo-. Levaram-se em conta, os aspectos considerados fundamentais para realizar uma análise correta e completa. Entre eles, se pode citar a justificativa de usar este programa, o tipo de ambiente utilizado na análise, o papel do professor, a filosofia educacional adotada e os objetivos propostos que devem ser atingidos com esta aprendizagem. Foi analisada a qualidade pedagógica ou educacional e, a qualidade técnica, a nível de hardware e software, a fim de validar ou não o sistema. Adotaram-se os devidos instrumentos de avaliação, para a criação de uma situação desejável, na "prova" do software. Dessa forma, esta amostra serviu como base para generalizar os resultados obtidos. Sendo assim, esta avaliação foi elaborada para explicar, de forma sistemática, determinados fenômenos detectados através deste estudo. / In this work, it is described the present situation of the educational computing, showing the new ways of helping in the education process and that take part in the innovation of it. The introduction of the computer in the education area aims for, mainly, spreading this new culture since childhood. Thus, the students are prepared to deal with this new technology as a helping tool in the realization of their future activities. Another objective showed, is referred to the way of using the computer in the several environments of learning. This should work as a resource with potential to stimulate the learning process in a creative and autonomous way. It is emphasized the importance of good quality educational softwares development and the education of good professionals that act in the interest area. From that on, it goes to the question of the demanded basic necessities for the development of these kind of systems. They must be powerful both education and computing. In this context, it is showed the problem of the evaluation of educational programs as an activity that should support the making of educational decisions related to their selection and ways of using. It is discussed the problem of the education softwares choice in the learning-teaching process that adapt to the school's pedagogy and, to the teacher's new role. He wont's be able to come up in the knowledge acquiring process of the student, acting just learning advisor and guide. Through the process and results of the evaluation, we see that it's possible to acquire the right knowlodge about the ways of systems using. From the theorical basis, we saw the needing of building and evaluation methodology to support any decision that is going to be made about the software in question. Thus, it was made a case study with the aim of making real . the ideas showed. So, it was applied the evaluation methodology in the WinLogo System -an integrated environment of programming and learning in the Logo language- it was taken into account the aspects considered the basis to achieve a complete and right analysis. Among them, we can mention the justification of using this program, the kind of environment used in the analysis, the teacher's role, education phylosophy adopted and the proposed objectives that should be reached with this learning. It was analysed the pedagogyc or education quality and the technical quality - hardware and software - in order to validate or not the system. It was adopted the proper instruments of evaluation for the creation of a suitable situation, in the "test" of the software. In this case, this sample was useful as a basis to generalize the obtained results. In this way, this evaluation was elabored to explain, in a systematic way, such phenomenons detected by this study.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-202).

Thesis (M.Sc.(Human Mvt.))--University of Western Australia, 2007.