Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1971. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-135).

Disputats, Mälardalens högskola, 2007. / Findes også på internet (PDF-format): http://www.diva-portal.org/diva/getDocument?urn_nbn_se_mdh_diva-169-2__fulltext.pdf. Med litteraturhenvisninger.

This is a study about teacher learning in a case school. In this context, the study concentrates on teacher learning in groups. In the literature, there is a lot of attention to teacher learning in groups, community, and networks; however, many researchers indicate the necessity of understanding the processes of teacher’s interactions and obtaining concrete evidence of such interactions. This points to the need to secure quantitative data as well as qualitative data. This study is a step-wise exploration of teacher learning in the school. Step 1: The study began by understanding the pattern of teacher’s professional interactions using Social Network Analysis (SNA). Step 2: In order to delineate teacher learning in the school, the study then borrowed the concept of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) from Karen Seashore Louis (2006). Hence, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used to confirm that the chosen Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) constructs are suitable for this study. Step 3: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was adopted to link the pattern of teacher’s professional interactions to the confirmed PLCs constructs. Step 4: Interviews were conducted to triangulate with and to interpret the quantitative findings. While Social Network Analysis (SNA) provides a general pattern and relative positions of teacher’s professional interactions, Structural Equation modeling (SEM) helps identifying the types of professional activities and their intensity in the networks. Hence, it provides a 3-D picture of relations among teachers in the case school. This integrated analysis leads to the comprehensively understanding of learning activities that occurred among teachers in this school. In this study, the concept of PLC is seen as a combination of Professional Community (PC) and Organizational Learning (OL). It is found that, in this school, teachers themselves have high capacity for learning through networks. The major way of interactions among teachers is through discussions to exchange resources and ideas. The findings are in two dimensions: The first is about professional community. The framework of professional community comprises reflective dialogue (which is how teachers engage in deep discussions about instructions) and deprivatized practice (which is how teachers exchange their practices through classroom observation and coteaching). Teachers in the school are found to be strong in the former and weak in the latter. Second, because of the lack of practice sharing and because of the lack of a whole-school system to promote collective practice (which can be IT platforms, regulations, policies, mechanisms, and so forth), the school is yet to demonstrate full capacity of organizational learning. In relevance to theory, while there is a vague, ambiguous, and overlapping meaning of professional community and organizational learning in the literature, the study points to the possible distinction between the two. Empirically, it can be concluded that professional community emphasizes on the interactions among teachers, whereas organizational learning emphasizes on collective actions in the whole school. The study leads to the reinterpretation and modification of Louis (2006)’s framework. To become a learning school, three elements are essential: (1) Teachers engage in professional discussions (i.e. reflective dialogue), (2) Teachers exchange and share professional practices (i.e. deprivatized practice), (3) There must be systemic efforts to facilitate collective action (i.e. shared social construction). / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Education

The Accounting Education Change Commission (AECC) is a consortium of concerned accounting professionals and accounting educators that advocates the redesigning of accounting curriculums in higher education. Traditionally accounting programs have focused on the technical aspects of the profession. Although technical competence is necessary for the profession, the AECC urges accounting curricula to provide students with experiences that will foster decision-making skills, communication skills and interpersonal skills. This study was an attempt to respond to the recommendations of the Accounting Education Change Commission through cooperative learning pedagogy. Related research suggests that employing particular elements of cooperative learning can improve intellectual skills, communication skills, interpersonal skills, learning to learn, active learning, achievement, attitudes and student evaluations of teachers. The data from this study indicate that while imposing the AECC's recommendations through the use of cooperative learning pedagogy most students attained high levels of achievement on unstructured problems requiring high levels of cognitive applications. However, student achievement was not as high as expected on structured problems requiring lower levels of cognitive applications. In addition, students' reactions to cooperative learning and implementation of the AECC's recommendations were mixed. Team work was not perceived by many students to be important in introductory accounting. However, learning to learn and active participation in the learning process were deemed important to students in introductory accounting. Furthermore, students evaluated the professor's teaching effectiveness significantly lower than did previous students taking introductory accounting from the same professor using traditional lecture-recitation methods. Imposing the AECC recommendations through cooperative learning techniques in introductory accounting in higher education clearly calls for further research and longer-term exposure to the changes in classroom pedagogy. / Graduation date: 1995

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Idaho, 2006. / Also available online in PDF format. Abstract. "February 28, 2006." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 185-195).

This inquiry explored cooperative learning theory and methodology in the context of teaching functional keyboard skills in undergraduate collegiate group piano classes. The purpose was to create a teaching guide to be used in the teaching and learning of harmonization, transposition, improvisation, sight-reading, accompanying, playing by ear, and technique. The guide was created using established cooperative learning methods and was intended to be used in conjunction with other resources common to collegiate group piano classes. The majority of cooperative learning material pertains to non-music subjects; of those resources that relate to music, there are almost no available published sources that incorporate cooperative learning into the group piano curriculum. Teachers of collegiate group piano classes may wish to use this guide to introduce cooperative learning methodology in their teaching situations. / School of Music

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-42).

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-88).

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-139).