This dissertation aimed to investigate the use of Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) as supportive materials in students&rsquo / learning process. In this respect, a MUVE named Quest Atlantis had been used by students in formal and informal learning settings. The students participated in a project that was developed based on an ecological problem resulted in fish decline in a river. As being a multiple case study research, data were collected from four separate cases, selected from three different places. Specifically, students&rsquo / and teachers&rsquo / perceptions were gathered, and challenges and barriers of implementations were investigated. The research results indicated that most of the students liked learning in environments using MUVEs. Besides being intrinsically motivated towards learning science topics, the students stated that it was a good way of reinforcing what they learn in school settings. Students found MUVEs effective learning environments as it allowed them to learn with active participation / rather than being taught as it usually happens in school context. The teachers had positive opinions about the use of MUVEs. They claimed that MUVEs have the potential to support students&rsquo / learning visually and let students learn through an inquiry-based learning approach with situated information to virtual settings. According to the teachers, MUVEs allowed various skill developments of the students and it created a dynamic learning environment in which students interacted and collaborated with each other. Even though students and teachers have positive perception about the use of MUVEs in learning setting, it is quite challenging to place these applications to learning settings, especially to formal ones. There are numerous challenges and barriers that can be faced with during the implementation process. In this research, the challenges and barriers are grouped under four main categories: 1) teacher related, 2) student related, 3) system related, and 4) technology related. When the implementation results of formal and informal learning setting were compared, it was possible to see how the very dimensions of formal learning settings made the innovative technology-based implementations difficult. On the other hand, informal learning settings were more flexible learning environments allowing a better learning experience for the students.

There is a growing consensus that the character of pedagogy must shift from one of teacher- and textbook-directed instruction to one of student-centered learning. This transition stems from the need to maintain the United States’ competitive edge in the world market and prepare young people for a society that is more socially, economically, and politically complex. Progressive educators advocate for a “learning reform” facilitated by digital media, and the skills and competencies that young people develop through using participatory media in an informal setting. This study examined how the use of new media can support subject-area knowledge building and 21st century skills development in nine classrooms in an independent high school. A constructivist grounded theory approach guided the collection and analysis of empirical data. This process took the form of semi-structured interviews with students and teachers, classroom observations, and an examination of course-related documents. A symbolic interactionist perspective framed the data analysis. The study examined wiki use, blogging, microblogging, and document sharing in six high school subject areas: ninth grade History, Latin II, Advanced Placement Art History, twelfth grade English, Anatomy and Physiology, and Environmental Science. Conceptual categories derived from the findings suggest that the use of specific new media tools support subject-area knowledge building, both explicit and tacit. This occurs by promoting participation among all students, which helps students broaden their perspectives through universal access to their peers’ thinking. Findings also suggest that the integration and use of these specific new media tools support the development of certain 21st century cognitive and interpersonal skills. The findings from this study support two substantive theories: 1) The use of new media support knowledge building and skills development through increased participation, leading to broadening students’ perspectives about subject-area content, and 2) as students engage in knowledge building activities, specific features of new media support the development of specific 21st century skills within the cognitive and interpersonal domains. The results of this study provide educators with a set of guidelines to consider as they integrate new media into subject-area curricula, and offer an agenda for further research on a local and national level. / text

The main assertion in this dissertation is that there is a lack of adequate and appropriate parent involvement in Hlanganani South Schools to make them centres of teaching and learning excellence. The empirical research was conducted in one of the most under-researched and often misunderstood areas of education in South Africa. The purpose was to investigate how effective parent involvement in the schools could improve the learning culture in the Hlanganani schools and their communities. A qualitative investigation of parent involvement in four secondary schools of Hlanganani South was conducted by collecting data through interviews with four school managers (principals), twenty-eight parents and six educators (teachers). The literature that was reviewed focused on the history of parent involvement in the world and South Africa, factors that increase and hinder parent involvement, legislation concerning parent involvement in education and issues involved in education provision to South African rural areas such as Hlanganani South. The research has revealed that the lack of a culture of learning in Hlanganani is influenced by factors such as high unemployment rate, poor socio-economic background, high illiteracy rate, high failure rate of learners, and urbanisation of the area. The investigation further found that there is an urgent need for school managers to acquire knowledge, skills, and strategies for active involvement of parents in schools. The participation of parents in schools needs effective school management strategies, regular communication between parents and schools, and clearly communicated community expectations for the schools. There must be training of School Governing Bodies, educators, and school managers for parent involvement to be effective in the improvement of a learning culture. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Comparative Education)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-15T00:46:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Marcia DAmelio1.pdf: 2831807 bytes, checksum: 2b00c4d2350338a94c2284c3c4a4802c (MD5) Marcia DAmelio2.pdf: 2280462 bytes, checksum: b7eed446190529f07df48238b45ef685 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-12-18 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / The aim of this study is to identify and to analyze the learning processes that permeate the development of people's managerial competences of different professional formations. The investigation belongs to the basic or generic qualitative studies category and the data gathering was collected by using semi-structured interviews accomplished with fifteen managers. The analytical process was based on procedures of textual interpretative analysis and templates techniques. The results demonstrated that the development of the managers capacities happened in a varied manners. The formal learning was shown significant, mainly when integrated into the informal learning. Larger emphasis, however, was verified in the contribution of the informal learning based on experiences obtained in elapsing of their professional career and in the exercise of the management. The relevance of the social interaction and also the reflection were prominences in the managers learning process of the three professions. / O estudo proposto tem como objetivo identificar e analisar os processos de aprendizagem que permeiam o desenvolvimento de competências gerenciais de pessoas com diferentes formações profissionais. A investigação pertence à categoria dos estudos qualitativos básicos ou genéricos. Utilizou como estratégia fundamental de coleta de dados entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com quinze gerentes: engenheiros, psicólogos e administradores de empresas. O processo analítico foi baseado na análise textual interpretativa e na técnica de templates. Os resultados demonstraram que o desenvolvimento das capacidades dos gerentes deste estudo ocorreu de modos variados. A aprendizagem formal se mostrou significativa, principalmente quando integrada à informal. No entanto, foi verificada mais ênfase na contribuição da aprendizagem informal baseada em experiências obtidas no decorrer da carreira profissional e no exercício da função gerencial. A relevância da interação social e da reflexão foram destaques no processo de aprendizagem dos gerentes das três profissões.

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L’étude des défis et enjeux relatifs à la mise en œuvre de la reconnaissance et de la validation des acquis de l’expérience concerne les représentations et les comportements qui s’expriment tant à travers les discours argumentatifs que les agissements, qu’ils soient de nature individuelle ou institutionnelle. Or, plusieurs systèmes de représentations et de positionnements s’interpénètrent selon une typologie des acteurs rencontrés dans les organismes de formation et de certification, voire de travail. Cette interaction est autant le fruit de négociations que de transactions sociales qui se nourrissent mutuellement dans la mesure où le niveau de réflexivité des acteurs leur permet de tisser des liens entre parcours de validation et formation tout au long de la vie. A l’échelle européenne et internationale, l’universalité du caractère de reconnaissance et de validation des acquis, que ceux-ci soient de nature informelle ou non formelle, est mise à l’épreuve de l’interculturel, fruit de rencontres entre injonctions et adaptations / The study of the challenges and stakes relating to the implementation of the recognition and the validation of informal and non formal learning relates to the representations and the behaviors which are expressed as well through the speeches argumentatives than the intrigues as they are of individual or institutional nature. However, several systems of representations and positioning interpenetrate according to a typology of the actors met in the training companies and certification, even of work. This interaction is as much the fruit of negotiations as of social transactions which are nourished mutually insofar as the level of reflexivity of the actors enables them to weave bonds between course of validation and lifelong learning. On a European and international scale, the universality of the character of recognition and validation of the informal and non formal learning is put to the test of intercultural, fruit of meetings between injunctions and adaptations

Abstrakt Wikner, E. (2015). Förutsättningar för vuxnas lärande: En observationsstudie influerad av ramfaktorteorin. Högskolan i Gävle.   Detta arbete är en observationsstudie med syfte att undersöka vilka förutsättningar för lärande är vid tre specifika lärandesituationer i samhället samt att undersöka hur förutsättningarna varierar beroende på vad det är man ska lära sig. Observationerna som gjordes var semi-strukturerade och genomfördes utifrån en observationsguide vid tre icke-formella lärandesituationer. Resultatet visade att de förutsättningar för lärande som fanns vid observationstillfällena var tidsbegränsningar, lokalens begränsningar, styrgruppsfenomen, förförståelse och ledarnas agerande. De skillnader när det gäller förutsättningar för lärande som fanns mellan lärandesituationerna visade sig inte bero på vad man skulle lära sig. Istället varierade förutsättningarna på grund av mer praktiska saker som vilket utbud på lokaler som fanns, hur lokalen såg ut och hur mycket tid som fanns. Studien använder sig genomgående av Urban Dahllöfs ramfaktorteori och denna teori används även när resultatet presenteras och analyseras.   Nyckelord: förutsättningar för lärande, icke-formellt lärande, vuxnas lärande, ramfaktorteori, observationsstudie.   Keywords: conditions for learning, non-formal learning, adult learning, framefactortheory, observational study.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur förutsättningarna för informellt lärande mellan kollegor påverkats i en tid där distansarbete blivit allt mer etablerat bland organisationer och arbetstagare. Att lyckas med digitalt lärande i arbetslivet anses viktigt då detta leder till en konkurrenskraftig organisation som utvecklas. Vi har undersökt hur möjligheterna till informellt lärande påverkas och vilka fallgropar det kan resultera i, samt hur lärandet kan stärkas och ta nya former. Studien är av kvalitativ form och semistrukturerade intervjuer var vår metod för datainsamling. Tio intervjuer genomfördes där samtliga informanter arbetar i en offentlig förvaltning i en av Sveriges regioner. Vi har med ett induktivt synsätt och med inspiration av den fenomenologiska ansatsen kommit fram till vårt resultat genom informanternas egna upplevelser av arbetsplatslärande. Resultatet som framkom var att lärandet tvingats ta nya former i takt med att distansarbetet ökat, vilket gjort att möjligheterna till lärande förskjutits mer från arbetsgruppen till den enskilda medarbetaren. En brist på social närvaro har upptäckts när man sitter och arbetar på distans, samtidigt som känslan också är att man aldrig varit närmre kollegorna runt om i regionen, nu när alla sitter på samma digitala avstånd. En annan upptäckt är hur mentalt närvarande och delaktig man är under digitala möten då en upplevelse av skärmtrötthet uppdagats. Ett annat fynd vi hittat är hur arbetsplatsen i dagsläget implementerat strategier som både varit mer och mindre lyckade för att lärande ska kunna ske även på distans, samt hur kunskapssökande kan tas i uttryck. / The aim for this study was to investigate how the presumptions for informal workplace learning and knowledge transfer between colleagues were affected by the increase of teleworking, which has become more and more established among organizations and employees. The success of digital learning is essential if you wish to sustain or become a competitive and developing organization. We have examined how the possibilities for informal learning has been influenced by teleworking, and what sorts of shortcomings this might lead to. We also wanted to research how the knowledge transfer may be invigorated and transformed due to the possibilities with teleworking. With a qualitative method and 10 semi-structured interviews with employees in a government-controlled business in a Swedish region, we collected our data, which led to our result. Our approach to answer the study’s purpose has been with an inductive eye and a phenomenological point of view, trying to understand and make conclusions based on our informants’ experiences of learning during teleworking. Our presented result shows that the process of knowledge transfer has, as a consequence of teleworking, shifted from the working party to the individual worker who now must rely on its own abilities. A lack of social presence has been discovered, but at the same time, the feeling of being closer than ever with all your colleagues in the region has appeared, since the digital distance is now equal to everyone. Another discovery mentions the mental presence during digital meetings, and how involved you are in them during the working day, with an experienced increase of screen fatigue. Furthermore, our research also examined how currently implemented strategies were more or less successful to maintain a knowledge transfer among colleagues, together with how knowledge seeking is expressed in the organization.

HR har en viktig funktion i att ta tillvara de mänskliga resurserna på bästa möjliga sätt utifrån organisationernas mål och visioner. Det är därför av hög relevans att belysa hur och på vilket sätt de HR-anställda själva lär för att kunna genomföra sitt dagliga arbete. Syftet med studien är därmed att, med hjälp av de HR-anställas erfarenheter, beskriva hur processer av formellt och informellt lärande kan ta sig uttryck i det egna arbetet. För att besvara vårt syfte har vi intervjuat 10 HR-anställda inom den privata sektorn och det insamlade materialet har analyserats tematiskt. Formellt och informellt lärande, krav-kontroll-stödmodellen samt erfarenhetsbaserat lärande har använts som teoretiska verktyg för att kunna besvara våra frågeställningar. Av resultatet har tre teman framkommit, den HR anställde i organisationen, stöd från organisationen samt det egna ansvaret för lärande och att dessa är aspekter som påverkar lärandet för de HR-anställda. Resultatet indikerar att det formella och informella lärandet tar sig uttryck på olika sätt för de HR-anställda. I många avseenden går studiens resultat hand i hand med teori och tidigare forskning rörande hur arbetsplatsen kan verka som en lärandemiljö. Resultatet av studien bidrar till en ökad förståelse för att de HR-anställda bär ett stort eget ansvar för det egna lärandet på arbetsplatsen. Vidare har frågor dykt upp i diskussionen kring hurde HR-anställdas egna värderingar påverkar upplevelserna av lärande, samt hur chefers inverkan och ansvar för kunskapsutbyte kan påverka de HR-anställdas upplevelser av lärande. Det finns därför ett fortsatt behov av forskning gällande HR-anställdas lärande i deras eget arbete. / HR has an important function to utilize the human resources in the best possible way based on theorganizations' goals and visions. Therefore, it is of high relevance to shed light on how, and in whatway the HR employees themselves learn in order to carry out their daily work. The purpose of thestudy is thus, with the help of the experience of the HR employees, to make visible how processes of formal and informal learning can be expressed in their own work. In order to answer our purpose, we have interviewed 10 HR employees in the private sector and the collected material has been analyzed thematically. Formal and informal learning, the demand-control-support model and experience-basedlearning have been used as theoretical tools to answer our questions. From the result, it has emerged that the HR employees in the organization, support from the organization and their own responsibility for learning are aspects that affect the learning for the HR employees. The result indicates that formal and informal learning is expressed in different ways for the HR employees. In many respects, the study's results go hand in hand with theory and previous research on how the workplace can act as a learning environment. The result of the study contributes to an increased understanding that HR employees bear a great deal of responsibility for their own learning in the workplace. Furthermore, questions have arisen how the HR employees own values in the workplace effects the experiences of learning, as well as how the managers influence and responsibility for the exchange of knowledge can influence the HR employees' experiences of learning. Therefore, the research regarding the HR employee's learning in their own work need further research.

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