This naturalistic case study documents a year long Teacher Professional Development Program (TPDP) initiated by an elementary school staff in British Columbia. The TPDP was designed to enable the teachers to meet their objective of making science instruction more frequent, more active, and more student-centered in all classrooms in the school. This case study addresses two research questions: 1. What attributes of the Teacher Professional Development Program supported the school's "objective" for improved science instruction? 2. How did the outcomes of the Teacher Professional Development Program relate to the achievement of the school's educational objective? The site for the research was a kindergarten - Grade 7 school. A university professor and the researcher were invited to visit the school on a bi-weekly basis during one school year (1993-94) to facilitate a series of science workshops involving the entire teaching staff and to provide classroom support to teachers. Teachers were offered university course credit for their participation. This case study draws on qualitative data including: audio recordings of planning/debriefing sessions, workshop discussions, and interviews with participants; field notes and written observations; a survey of teachers' opinions about the TPDP; and documents relating to the school accreditation process in 1994-95. The results of the study show that teachers, administrators, and parents were satisfied that the school's objective for science instruction was met, and that the TPDP contributed significantly to this outcome. The study identifies TPDP attributes which supported the school's objective with reference to the teachers and their context, the planning process, and the organizational context, that is, the school. This study contributes to our understanding of teacher professional development by examining an alternative to more common approaches to elementary teacher science inservice in British Columbia, which are typically short-term, designed by inservice providers with little input from participants, and removed physically and conceptually from the classroom. Such inservice experiences often lack administrative and collegial support for the teacher who attempts classroom implementation. While this study relates to science, the discussion is relevant to other curriculum areas such as fine arts or physical education. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to ascertain if nurses-in-training in today's vocational schools are receiving instruction which capably prepares them to meet the needs and exigencies demanded by the medical profession in our rapidly changing society. The study also purports to demonstrate the need for in-service training of nurses already in the profession as well as the mandate for change which had to be carried out by all nursing trainers in light of the rapidly evolving technological advances of the medical field of the nineties.

Studies have shown that most teachers in South Africa have no background in Environmental Education (EE), have not received pre-service training in EE and very little teacher education has taken place in EE. The Revised National Curriculum Statements emphasise the infusion of EE in all learning areas. There is, however, a problem whether there is a need for professional development of teachers for effective EE. The main aim of this study is to enable teachers to acquire knowledge and skills to infuse EE in all learning areas. The study gathered data through literature review from primary and secondary sources. The questionnaire was developed as a research tool and was sampled to 216 Tshwane North District Office teachers. The collected data are analysed by using the frequency tables indicating percentage of respondents in each category. The study recommends the professional development of teachers for effective implementation of EE in schools. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

Studies have shown that most teachers in South Africa have no background in Environmental Education (EE), have not received pre-service training in EE and very little teacher education has taken place in EE. The Revised National Curriculum Statements emphasise the infusion of EE in all learning areas. There is, however, a problem whether there is a need for professional development of teachers for effective EE. The main aim of this study is to enable teachers to acquire knowledge and skills to infuse EE in all learning areas. The study gathered data through literature review from primary and secondary sources. The questionnaire was developed as a research tool and was sampled to 216 Tshwane North District Office teachers. The collected data are analysed by using the frequency tables indicating percentage of respondents in each category. The study recommends the professional development of teachers for effective implementation of EE in schools. / Educational Studies / M.Ed.

A sociocultural theoretical lens is used to study university and school collaboration, and the ways in which a context for teacher learning is created in this process. It also examines the results of teacher learning. Using qualitative data gathered in the two projects, the study confirms that collaboration can offer a supportive context for teachers to learn. / As an area of inquiry, teacher learning has grown increasingly important in the field of teacher development and school improvement. It is commonly believed that teacher development is a form of professional development; and professional development implies 'learning' by teachers. Even though opportunities for teachers' professional development have increased in recent years, there has been little advancement toward a commonly shared understanding of the vital aspects of professional development: What are the essential factors for success? What do teachers really learn from professional development? Based on the idea of facilitating school improvement and teacher development more effectively, several important university-school collaborative projects were introduced and launched in Hong Kong and Beijing in the last decade. / During the process of appropriation, teachers master and own the necessary cultural tools, and then aquire about new knowledge and skills that enhance understanding on practice. During the process of collaboration, which is established on the principles of trust and equality, university faculties provide teachers with cultural tools, which is essential for teacher change. Only when the cultural tools are appropriated by teachers as agents can real change take palce. / From the institutional perspective, school organization, education policy, and social culture are important factors that have a strong impact on teachers. This study finds that teachers can construct a new understanding on the major subject that they teach, their relationship with the student, and their role and identity as a teacher. This is accomplished through a reflection on the moral dimension of teaching, an exercise that involves both the teachers and univerisy faculty. / Key words. teacher learning; teacher professional development; university-school collaboration; sociocultural theory; teacher professional identity / This study aims to delineate teacher learning in the context of university and school collaboration. The two projects under investigation are based in Hong Kong and Beijing. While the two projects have different missions, the participants in both projects share a common belief that collaboration should enhance teacher capacity and ultimately help to improve students' learning. / 鍾亞妮. / Adviser: Lo Nai-Kwai-Leslie. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-08, Section: A, page: 3114. / Thesis (doctoral)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 242-258). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in Chinese and English. / School code: 1307. / Zhong Yani.

Thesis (M Social Work (Social Work))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The welfare of communities depends to a large extent on the successful mobilisation of the voluntary contributions (manpower, time, money) by religious based organisations. Poverty and all the other social problems like unemployment and HIV/AIDS, that are associated with it, can only be addressed effectively if volunteers are empowered by social workers to handle the problems in a sustaining way (Annual report, Unit for Religion Development Research: 2002). In order to empower the volunteers, it is important that social workers understand their role in the empowerment process. The aim of the study is to clarify the task of the social worker regarding the empowerment of volunteers at religious based organisations. This study is a descriptive study, seeing that the empowerment of volunteers are described at the end of the research (Mouton, 2001:54). The study also contains elements of an exploring (investigation) study, seeing that the situation has been explored in practice. After completion of a literate study, an empirical investigation was done with the aim to investigate principles of empowerment in practice. For the purpose of this study, the universe is regarded as the social workers who work at religious based organisations in the working area of the Valcare Trust. Deliberate selection, according to the non-probability test sampling as described by Babbie and Mouton (2001:166-168) was used to obtain the test sample. The type of test sample selection is applicable where the researcher is conversant with the research problem and the universe (Rubin and Babbie, 1993). Deliberate selection is therefore based on the researcher’s judgement and the aim of the study (Rubin and Babbie, 1993). The researcher is well conversant with the universe, seeing that the social workers are working at religious based organisations that are registered on the database of the Valcare Trust. Questionnaires, consisting of structured questions were compiled after completion of the literate study for the purpose of the empirical study. The self administered questionnaires were supplied to the respondents. Thirteen respondents took part in the empirical study.

Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This dissertation is an interpretive analysis of the professional experiences of six beginning Home Economics teachers in Malawi. The specific aim of the study was to explore the opportunities, challenges and problems of the teachers in their first year of teaching. The data for the study were developed using a triangulation of five research methods, including a questionnaire, face-to-face interviews, classroom observations, teachers’ reflective diaries and focus group discussions. Grounded theory was used as the methodology and analytical framework of the study. Research in teacher education acknowledges that learning to teach is a complex process (Calderhead & Shorrock, 1997; Flores, 2001; Flores & Day, 2006; Solmon, Worthy & Carter, 1993) and that the first year of teaching has a very important impact on the future careers of beginning teachers (Stokking, Leender, De Jong and Van Tarwijk, 2003; Solmon et al., 1993). The transition from the teacher training institution to the secondary school classroom is characterised by a type of reality shock in which the ideals that were formed during teacher training are replaced by the reality of school life (Lortie, 1975). The results in this study point at the school context as the ‘reality definer’ in the professional experiences of the teachers. The findings also support previous studies of beginning teachers which have emphasised the vulnerability of beginning teachers and show the first year of teaching as a ‘sink or swim experience’. However, the results show a unique relationship between the school context and school expectations. In this dissertation I contend that it is this relationship that was fundamental to the professional experiences of the six beginning Home Economics teachers. In the dissertation I present a three-stage substantive-level theory of the beginning teachers’ experiences and argue for the redefinition of the perception of teacher learning in Malawi: from a definition of pre-service teacher education as teacher learning, to teacher learning as a ‘triadic process’ comprised of teacher education, school induction and continued professional development.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The purposes of this study were to determine (a) what teacher evaluation processes or instruments are used in the 45 independent schools of the Southwest, (b) what types of professional development activities or programs are provided for teachers in these schools, and (c) how the development and implementation of the teacher evaluation process and professional development programs are perceived by the teaching faculty in selected schools. Questionnaires were administered to chief administrators of the 45 member schools of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest. From the 28 schools submitting completed questionnaires and evaluation instruments, it was found that: (a) 3 of the schools had a very informal process, (b) 7 of the schools had an informal process, (c) 12 of the schools had a formal process, and (d) 6 of the schools had a very formal process. Four generalizations emerged from factors evident at the 5 schools selected for on-site visitations which should be addressed by independent schools regardless of the type of evaluation process used: (a) each school should develop a teacher evaluation policy; (b) each school should develop evaluation criteria and procedures that relate to each teacher's classification; (c) each school should delineate the specific role of the chief administrator in the evaluation process, and (d) each school should design a program of preferred professional development activities for each teacher's classification and level of the school. Finally, the recommendation was made that further research on teacher evaluation in independent schools include the investigation of how and why schools select a particular teacher evaluation process.