Mathematical skill is viewed as critically important in a technologically sophisticated world. Since everyone needs to acquire at least some skills in this learning area, the poor performance of grade 12 learners raises concern. The process during which learners gain awareness of their own thinking processes when solving mathematical problems, is referred to as "metacognition". Metacognitive strategies include knowledge (of oneself as a learner, the task at hand and strategies to be used) and self-regulation (planning, monitoring and evaluation). Metacognitive strategies are linked interactively by its twin process of reflection, eventually facilitating the implementation of certain cognitive strategies. Since metacognitive strategies essentially comprise skills, facilitators of learning should facilitate learners' development and application of these skills and the study and mastery of mathematics in an integrated way, thereby ensuring that learners deliberately and intentionally apply these skills in a satisfactory way. It is important to note that "metacognition" is both directly and indirectly mentioned in the Critical Outcomes stated in Curriculum 2005 - after all, most of the outcomes referred to imply that learners should be directed to reflect on their own thoughts. The primary aim of my study was to investigate the possible value of metacognition for the teaching and learning of mathematics. I used a two-phased, consecutive, mixed research method involving learners as well as in-service and pre-service mathematics facilitators. Results of the quantitative part of my study were triangulated with the results of the qualitative part of my study. My findings indicate, inter alia, that learners' metacognitive strategies as regards prediction, evaluation, monitoring and reflection could be insufficient. In-service and pre-service facilitators of mathematics may very well possess metacognitive skills and utilise them intuitively, however, these skills are not implemented in their classes or learning to a satisfactory extent. Since this is a local study conducted on a relatively small scale, it would be inappropriate to infer. My findings do, however, suggest that implementation of and research on metacognition and metacognitive strategies in the teaching and learning of mathematics require attention at national. tertiary and secondary levels. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006

The aim of this research is to develop an understanding of factors that enable innovation teams to conduct agile innovation work in an industrial context. The background and reason for this research are not only that innovation is necessary for companies that want to stay in business, but also that these companies need to increase the speed of their innovation work to stay competitive. Research has demonstrated that cross-functional (X-functional) innovation teams are fast and agile, and are therefore assumed to be suitable for these activities. Still, there is much knowledge to be gained. Prior research has identified factors that are seen as important from an organizational, team, and individual perspective to enable teams to work with potentially innovative outcomes. However, in cases where teams have been created with the purpose of conducting innovation work, i.e. innovation teams, problems related to e.g. performance and learning have occurred, and the innovation work has stopped shortly after conducted research projects due to the high level of complexity. The research question (RQ) that this thesis explores is the following: “Which innovation enablers are important for innovation teams when conducting agile innovation work in an industrial context?” Based on the RQ, two sub-questions are formulated and operationalized to answer the RQ. Qualitative data have been collected from five innovation teams in two phases. Two innovation teams in two small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were studied in the first phase to clarify the situation for innovation teams before innovation work is begun. In the second phase, which built on the first one, three innovation teams in a large industrial company were studied as they conducted three separate innovation projects. This research revealed five main findings: first, knowledge about important innovation enablers (Enablers) revealed from a literature study; second, the Innovation Team Model (ITM), demonstrating innovation teams before innovation work is begun in relation to the individuals and organization in a holistic way; third, the innovation team creation process (CIT-process), a stepwise process in how to create an innovation team; fourth, the innovation facilitator, who supports and facilitates the innovation team throughout the CIT-process and the innovation projects; and fifth, the Extended Innovation Process (EIP), an extension of the traditional innovation process by a pre-phase, i.e. a Preparation-phase, to gather and prepare the innovation teams for forthcoming work. The findings regarding the importance of the CIT-process, the EIP, and the innovation facilitator were unexpected. The findings formed the Innovation Team Framework (ITF), which represents all of the findings in relation to each other. The EIP is used as the basis for which the other innovation enablers are provided to the innovation teams through an innovation facilitator’s competence throughout the innovation project. The ITF is multidimensional: it could serve as a tool to describe both the simplicity and the complexity when creating an innovation team and forthcoming work and activities. All separate findings within this research contribute to prior research in individual ways, however, the ITF is the main scientific contribution of this study to Innovation management. Practitioners can use the ITF as a complement to already established methodologies for product development or similar; however one should be aware of the limited nature of the data set that served as the basis for analysis and development of the ITF. Further studies regarding the ITF and its detailed models and processes are suggested.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:30:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leandra Aurelia Baquiao.pdf: 441239 bytes, checksum: 26cac8a0e1f8ac5ead3a4590d38dc872 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-18 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This dissertation aims to contribute reflections on the practical work of the facilitator of restorative justice from the theoretical framework of Psychodrama. The first chapter explains the origin of restorative justice, restorative justice in Brazil and implementation in the district of Porto Alegre. The second chapter describes some of the practice of restorative justice facilitator and how the circles and the areas where they are implemented in practice. In the third chapter outlines the key considerations regarding the differences to be considered between retributive justice and restorative justice. The fourth chapter presents the bias and Psychodrama with restorative justice and the last chapter, reviews the practice of the facilitators of restorative justice in Brazil, specifically in the district of Porto Alegre, where the research was performed. Discussion and final considerations that permeate the research lead the reader to thoughts about the facilitator of restorative justice through the theoretical framework of Psychodrama, considering it as an important tool for use by facilitators of restorative justice both in their capacity as your practical work / A presente dissertação tem como objetivo contribuir com reflexões sobre o trabalho prático do facilitador de justiça restaurativa a partir do referencial teórico do Psicodrama. No primeiro capítulo, apresenta a origem da justiça restaurativa; a justiça restaurativa no Brasil e a implementação na comarca de Porto Alegre. No segundo capítulo descreve um pouco da prática do facilitador de justiça restaurativa e como funcionam os círculos e os âmbitos onde são executados na prática. No terceiro capitulo descreve as principais considerações sobre as diferenças a ser consideradas entre a justiça retributiva e a justiça restaurativa. No quarto capítulo é apresentado o Psicodrama e um viés com a justiça restaurativa e no último capítulo, é analisada a prática dos facilitadores da justiça restaurativa no Brasil, em específico na comarca de Porto Alegre, onde foi realizada a pesquisa. A discussão e as considerações finais que permeiam a pesquisa levam o leitor a reflexões sobre o facilitador de justiça restaurativa mediante o referencial teórico do Psicodrama, considerando o mesmo como uma importante ferramenta para ser utilizada pelos facilitadores de justiça restaurativa tanto em sua capacitação quanto no seu trabalho prático

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T18:12:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Maria de Fatima.pdf: 927228 bytes, checksum: 15f091b7c8b72f7399a4a829d37c217c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-03-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study proposes that the speech therapist be a facilitator element of relationship between mother and baby of high risk, because sensorial involvement is indispensable for the psychical development of the baby and to the emergence of his oral language. The proposal of this study appeared since the evidence that many mothers of premature newborn babies in Newborn and Pediatric Intensive Treatment Unit of Hospital das Clínicas Samuel Libânio de Pouso Alegre/MG , were not able to identify corporal expression of their children and did not achieved the sensorial involvement during clinical evolution and qualification of babies to exclusive oral alimentation. In this manner, the proposal of this work is the investigation of mediation as a tool of facilitator intervention of the relationship mother and baby of high risk through technical instruments relationed with newborn care, and the shelter of mother with her anguishes and fears. The technicals tools used in this study were: the correct position of the baby; offering of smell and taste stimulus, the elicitation of alimentation and defense reflections, Nutritive Suction through sounding lead-finger technique; the No Nutritive Suction, the offering of pleasant touch, gentle opening of incubator porthole and the luminosity control through black using. Along the study it was evident that the speech therapy mediation fortifies the trust of mother in herself, and in an ability to become available to her child and recognize him as a love object that demands care, reflecting in the sensorial involvement offered by her. The technical instruments, in this context, become near mother and baby and contribute to the mother´s interest and her participation in the work of assistance the babies alimentation and cares relationed with hearing / Este trabalho propõe que o fonoaudiólogo se insira como elemento facilitador da relação mãe-bebê de alto risco, porque o envolvimento sensorial é imprescindível para o desenvolvimento psíquico do bebê e emergência de sua linguagem oral. Esta proposta surgiu a partir da constatação de que muitas mães de recém-nascidos prematuros, internados na UTI Neonatal e Pediátrica do Hospital das Clínicas Samuel Libânio , de Pouso Alegre/MG, não conseguiam identificar a expressão corporal dos filhos e, inclusive, envolver-se sensorialmente com eles durante a evolução clínica e a capacitação dos bebês para alimentação oral exclusiva. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a mediação fonoaudiológica como uma forma de intervenção facilitadora da relação mãe-bebê de alto risco, através do uso dos recursos técnicos fonoaudiológicos voltados para os cuidados neonatais, e do acolhimento à mãe em suas angústias e receios. Os recursos técnicos utilizados nesta pesquisa foram: o posicionamento correto do bebê; o oferecimento de estímulos odoríferos e gustativos, a elicitação de reflexos de alimentação e de defesa, Sucção Nutritiva através de técnica sonda-dedo, a Sucção-Não-Nutritiva, oferecimento do toque prazeroso, abertura suave da portinhola da incubadora e o controle de luminosidade, através do uso do black. Ao longo da pesquisa ficou evidente que a mediação fonoaudiológica fortalece a confiança da mãe em si e em sua capacidade de se disponibilizar ao filho e reconhecê-lo como objeto de amor que demanda seus cuidados, repercutindo no envolvimento sensorial oferecido por ela. Os recursos técnicos, neste contexto, aproximam mãe-bebê e contribuem para que a mãe tenha interesse e participe do trabalho fonoaudiológico de assistência à alimentação e de cuidados quanto à audição

The purpose of this study was to evaluate effectiveness of the facilitators of a stepfamily education course, based upon facilitator self-report as well as participant report. Agencies in northern Utah that provide services to low-income minority families were used to recruit a sample of 152 facilitators and 1,134 participants of which 519 of the participants were male and 613 of the participants were females. Additionally, 21 of the facilitators were male and 131 of the facilitators were female. Requirements for participants included having been previously married with no children or having children from a previous relationship that formed a current stepfamily. Intervention theory states the implementation of protective factors, such as preventative education, lessens the impact of risk factors in participants' lives. A self-report measure was used at the completion of the 12-hour course. Participants and facilitators were asked about the effectiveness of the facilitation with regard to facilitation skills and methods used. Participants and facilitators consistently reported that they did find the facilitation to be effective. Participants and facilitators agreed that facilitators explained course material clearly, answered questions well, stimulated conversation, cared about group members, and drew upon personal experiences effectively.

There are two studies in this dissertation. Both are about a program called “PICK a Partner.” The first study looked at how the program went for 682 people from the community who were taught PICK. These people ranged in age from 18 to 25. Those in attendance were given questions at the beginning of the program about their thoughts, perceptions, and knowledge regarding dating relationships. They were given these same questions at the end of the program. The scores on the questions at the end of the program were compared with scores on the questions at the beginning of the program. Peoples’ scores increased from before to after on all four questionnaires. These scores were also compared with scores from a group of students aged 18 to 25 from a university. Those that attended the program had higher scores; the scores of those from the university who did not attend the program stayed about the same. The second study examined how teachers influence scores and how individual characteristics of participants influence change in scores. The second study showed that teacher characteristics do matter somewhat in helping participants increase in knowledge. In addition, how religious a person is and whether they are a man or woman also matter, but only a little, in helping participants increase in knowledge. Future studies on PICK and the strengths and weaknesses of these studies are discussed.

This thesis details an action research project conducted into the theme of 'improving the functioning of a Faculty of Agriculture'. The Faculty had been changing to an experiential paradigm of learning over a period of ten years when the research began. The initial impetus for the research was a feeling of concern by many members of the Faculty about the impacts of this change. A research team of six members, which met regularly for 12 months, was organised. The research began with the assumption 'that an Action Research team can intervene in the life of an organisation for the benefit of that organisation, to bring about situation improvement'. There was an initial expectation that issues of accountability, responsibility and management within the Faculty, would be the focus of the research team. However, during the course of the research, the personal professional practice of the researchers became the focus. Analysis of the data highlighted a link between the technical, practical and emancipatory modes of Action Research, and the four stages of group development - dependency, conflict, cohesion and interdependency. The role of facilitation in the conduct of Action Research was highlighted, and the nature of the 'client' role was subjected to scrutiny. The wider ramifications of this research are discussed, particularly as they relate to the role of Action Research in improving large organisations, and as a tool to improve farming communities. In both cases, the concept of the 'critical community' was emphasised as an ideal to be aimed for in Action Research teams. To achieve such a group, the belief systems of members need to be brought out, to enable a group to develop in its interactions to a stage where issues can be properly dealt with, rather than only the assumed symptoms of underlying issues. A process of critique and reflection in an immediate and ongoing way has been shown to assist in this process of group development towards a critical community / Master of Science (Hons)

Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

As universities increasingly offer online nursing education, the transition that faculty members must make to their new instructional role is often overlooked. This phenomenological qualitative research involved the use of semi-structured interviews with 16 nursing faculty from four Florida public universities, who were asked to describe their experiences transitioning from classroom to online teaching. Interview questions focused on their prior assumptions about online education, their preparation for online teaching, their current teaching methods, and the identification of information they would recommend as vital for successful online teaching. Participants were voluntary and selected by both criterion and network sampling. Interviews were conducted in-person, audio-taped, transcribed, and analyzed for recurring themes. Data were validated using member checks, peer reviews, and Atlas.TI software. Participants reported that teaching online was more difficult than expected. Most frequently mentioned issues were time and effort required to design and teach due to factors such as students' needs, class sizes, and designing learning activities. Faculty preparation varied among institutions, but regardless of training most reported the significance of mentors or colleagues as critical for success. While some faculty reported feeling disconnected from students, many reported having better relationships with online students than with their face-to-face counterparts. Over half the faculty discussed the importance of their role as becoming facilitators of learning. Results support the need for institutions to provide both an adequate technology infrastructure and sufficient faculty support. From this study faculty recommended that mentoring and collegiality are vital components of the faculty development process. Administrators need to address issues of time and effort, and faculty need to learn different ways to work that include team approaches and flexible scheduling. Suggestions for future research include identifying the degree to which these findings transfer to other disciplines. Identifying strategies for developing, sustaining, and implementing online mentoring programs for faculty, and information on sustaining better communication in the online environment. Finally, looking at cost-efficient models for delivering quality services is a factor often overlooked by administrators.

Mathematical skill is viewed as critically important in a technologically sophisticated world. Since everyone needs to acquire at least some skills in this learning area, the poor performance of grade 12 learners raises concern. The process during which learners gain awareness of their own thinking processes when solving mathematical problems, is referred to as "metacognition". Metacognitive strategies include knowledge (of oneself as a learner, the task at hand and strategies to be used) and self-regulation (planning, monitoring and evaluation). Metacognitive strategies are linked interactively by its twin process of reflection, eventually facilitating the implementation of certain cognitive strategies. Since metacognitive strategies essentially comprise skills, facilitators of learning should facilitate learners' development and application of these skills and the study and mastery of mathematics in an integrated way, thereby ensuring that learners deliberately and intentionally apply these skills in a satisfactory way. It is important to note that "metacognition" is both directly and indirectly mentioned in the Critical Outcomes stated in Curriculum 2005 - after all, most of the outcomes referred to imply that learners should be directed to reflect on their own thoughts. The primary aim of my study was to investigate the possible value of metacognition for the teaching and learning of mathematics. I used a two-phased, consecutive, mixed research method involving learners as well as in-service and pre-service mathematics facilitators. Results of the quantitative part of my study were triangulated with the results of the qualitative part of my study. My findings indicate, inter alia, that learners' metacognitive strategies as regards prediction, evaluation, monitoring and reflection could be insufficient. In-service and pre-service facilitators of mathematics may very well possess metacognitive skills and utilise them intuitively, however, these skills are not implemented in their classes or learning to a satisfactory extent. Since this is a local study conducted on a relatively small scale, it would be inappropriate to infer. My findings do, however, suggest that implementation of and research on metacognition and metacognitive strategies in the teaching and learning of mathematics require attention at national. tertiary and secondary levels. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006