published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

No description available.

Η σχολική αποτυχία αποτελεί διαχρονικά το ζητούμενο του εκπαιδευτικού συστήματος. Φαινόμενο πολυσχιδές και πολυδιάστατο προσεγγίζεται ερευνητικά με διαφόρους τρόπους. Στην έρευνά μας επιχειρούμε να συνδέσουμε την αντιμετώπιση της σχολικής αποτυχίας με την επιμόρφωση των εκπαιδευτικών, ως φορέα διαμόρφωσης παιδαγωγικών πρακτικών ανάσχεσης του φαινομένου. Αξιοποιώντας το θεωρητικό πλαίσιο του B. Bernstein και εφαρμόζοντας την πολυμεθοδολογική προσέγγιση έρευνας – συνέντευξη και παρατήρηση στο πεδίο – συλλέξαμε τα δεδομένα μας και οδηγηθήκαμε σε συγκεκριμένα συμπεράσματα. Διαπιστώσαμε ότι η επιμόρφωση των εκπαιδευτικών υπολείπεται στη διαδικασία συγκρότησης παιδαγωγικών πρακτικών που θα συμβάλλουν στον περιορισμό της σχολικής αποτυχίας. Οι κυρίαρχες παιδαγωγικές πρακτικές εμφανίζονται ομοιόμορφα, με επιμέρους διαφοροποιήσεις, αποτελούν διαδικασία μύησης στον κυρίαρχο κώδικα και συμβάλλουν στην πολιτισμική αναπαραγωγή ρυθμίζοντας τη συνείδηση των υποκειμένων. Τέλος, οι εκπαιδευτικοί μετέρχονται συγκεκριμένες στρατηγικές για τη στήριξη των "αδύνατων" μαθητών, οι οποίες επιφέρουν μια επιπλέον διαστρωμάτωση στην ήδη διαστρωματίζουσα παιδαγωγική πρακτική. / All over the years, school failure has been the aim of the educational system. Being a rather multifaceted and multidimensional phenomenon, school failure can be approached in various ways. This research attempts to associate facing school failure with in-service training which can be regarded as an agent to eliminate it. Utilizing B. Berstein’s theoretical framework and applying mixed methodology in our research – interview and observation in the field – we collected our data and reached certain conclusions. We found that in-service training falls short of establishing pedagogical practices that could help to reduce school failure. Dominant pedagogical practices are common, having only a few variations, and conductive to cultural reproduction as they influence the consciousness of the subjects. Finally, teachers use certain strategies to support weak students causing an additional stratification to pedagogical practice which is already stratifying

No description available.

Information Technology (IT) is revolutionizing every sphere of human interaction. IT has changed the way individuals communicate. In the healthcare system, information technologies are considered the key to addressing challenges to healthcare delivery such as shortages of healthcare professionals, and networking. Therefore, healthcare providers need to possess information technology skills, knowledge, and resources to communicate and manage information effectively and efficiently and also to be able to perform their duties adequately in such an information technology age. Nurses, the largest group of healthcare providers who spend the most time with patients, are also frontline healthcare managers and need to have access to IT and should be computer literate in order to perform their duties quickly and adequately. In South Africa, the health system has been slow in integrating IT into healthcare delivery, particularly in rural and remote areas where such services are most needed. A "digital divide" exists, by which access to computers and the internet remain a privilege, and many nurses are unable to use a computer even after completing the computer literacy courses. This study aims to investigate the challenges faced by professional nurses to access and use information technology in healthcare facilities after being trained. Data was collected through focus group discussions conducted with professional nurses from two regional and four district hospitals. Participants who had received computer training offered by the Department of Health were selected to ensure that issues beyond a lack of training could be explored. Focus group discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was used to identify themes from the transcriptions. Results show that professional nurses had little access to information technology. Reasons given were a lack of hardware and appropriate software, insufficient training and lack of support, irrelevance of the computer courses, and negative attitudes towards computers. Despite previous computer training, the professional nurses interviewed felt they lacked the skills to use computers confidently in their daily activities. The quality of the training was perceived as inadequate and irrelevant with a lack of ongoing support to cement new skills and build confidence. The provision of training workshops for nurses is not sufficient to ensure that IT will be used for healthcare delivery. On-going support an motivation, among others, are needed to encourage nurses to use IT efficiently. / Thesis (M.Med.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This thesis was an attempt to better understand what it would take for faculty development decision makers to promote faculty vitality more effectively in British Columbia community colleges. First, it was necessary to examine governmental expectations and objectives for the entire system. Next, a review of the complex terminology used to describe multiple aspects of faculty development was presented. This was followed by an extensive review of the literature on the subject, going back to its early development through to the year 1992. This review revealed the existence of considerable diversity throughout the field. In an effort to somewhat rationalize what faculty development pursuits had come to, a comprehensive model was developed and put to the test with a sampling of decision makers employed at two-year institutions. The model served as a base for the development of an integrated questionnaire which featured an elaborated checklist of potential faculty development activities. Respondents were asked to provide strategic as well as operational information as it related to the developmental needs of regular full-time faculty members. The study's inductive findings supported the model well, enabling an analysis of its implications regarding theory, research, and practice.

This study of science teachers in a Philippine state school explored the potential of group discussions as a learning landscape considering, in particular, how sharing of teaching experiences may contribute to professional growth. The study was conducted from July 1997 to January 1998. The main objectives were to gain an understanding of the influence of social interactions in improving the practice of individual teachers; and to explore how Filipino culture affects the interaction process. The setting of the study was the science department at a state school (K-10) in the Philippines. A discussion group was established to explore how teacher interaction might serve to raise awareness and shape classroom practice. The group discussions and individual interviews were videotaped and audiotaped, respectively. Group discussion as an intervention of the study provided an opportunity to examine how certain Filipino cultural traits and traditions may influence the participation of teachers in the interaction process. Qualitative analyses of the data provided information about the nature, value, benefits, and constraints of group discussions in learning to teach. The findings suggest that improvement in teaching is a collective rather than an individual enterprise and that teaching happens best in concert with colleagues (Rosenholtz, 1989); that collaboration is linked with norms and opportunities for continuous improvement and career-long learning (Fullan, 1991); that by interacting collaboratively, strengths can be maximized, weaknesses can be minimized, and the result will be better for all (Friend & Cook, 1992); that a learning forum free from traditional restraints is instructive (Krupnick, 1997); and that the field of education needs to capitalize on the knowledge of teachers who know about education as few others do (Duckworth, 1997). The researcher argues that Filipino culture plays a significant role in the dynamics of interaction occurring during group discussions. Recognizing and identifying this role is important if we wish to provide the teachers with the support, reassurance, and strength that their school and work demand.

This thesis explores thoughts, observations and theoretical research associated with work-related career shifts, adult learning and education. In contemporary society, work-related values are changing. Workers need to be flexible, adaptive and in terms of skills, up-to-date. Since an individual may experience a variety of career shifts during the course of her working adult life, learning and education are essential. But how should work-related learning occur and what avenues are available for those who require it? Workplace learning occurs in many forms and settings, and since learning is a personal process, it is difficult to ascertain ideal learning situations for each employee. The purpose of this study was to reflect on and analyze the just-in-time learning experience of one individual who underwent a career shift in the high tech industry. This thesis recounts the learning journey of the author, a high school English teacher and graduate student, who embarked on a new career as an education consultant. It is a multifaceted and multidisciplinary narrative that explores three distinct areas: the narrative and personal observations central to the author's learning and work experience; theoretical perspectives relating to the contemporary workplace and adult learning; the characters, themes and metaphors from The Tempest that illuminate the author's learning journey. Principles of adult education and theory pertaining to workplace and other settings for learning, along with characters from The Tempest, are invoked to deepen the author's understanding of what occurred during her high tech adventure. The author highlights contradictions between corporate jargon and educational theory, and dwells on dilemmas problematic for protean workers and others destined for corporate education and training. Concepts relating to knowledge management, organizational learning and elearning are challenged in conjunction with issues of power and knowledge. Caught between the demands of the continuously changing corporate world and protected realm of academia, the narrator is forced to combat a storm. Her survival is testimony to her capacity to learn, adapt and rely on previous skills garnered from years as a graduate student and English teacher. Survival does not come easy—there are fumbles, frustrations, and follies along the way. This narrative provides a personal account of what it means to learn and work in the high tech industry. Although this is one person's story, the insights developed and theory invoked have utility that extends to other workers and settings.

Using a qualitative case study approach, the purpose of the study was to explore the nature of the practical knowledge about teaching constructed by physical education preservice teachers during their practicum experience, that is, to gain insights into the 'sense making' process in which preservice teachers engage as they learn to teach during this experience. In addition, the study examined the factors which enhance or constrain this constructive process. The data analysis was guided by two research questions: What is the nature of the practical knowledge about teaching constructed by physical education preservice teachers during their practicum experience?; and what factors influence (enhance or constrain) the development of this knowledge during the practicum experience? The study was situated within the everyday experiences of four physical education preservice teachers as they completed an extended (thirteen week) practicum in secondary school settings. The methods used to collect data were those associated with qualitative case studies. They included lesson observations, in-depth interviewing, video and stimulated recall sessions of lessons taught by the participants, and journal writing. Separate cases have been written for each of the four participants, while the final chapter discusses the substantive issues that have arisen from the study. There were a number of conclusions that emerged from the study. With regards to the nature of practical knowledge constructed by preservice teachers the findings include its thematic development, the dynamic transformation of 'knowing that' into 'knowing how', how practical knowledge was evident but rarely heard in the practice of preservice teachers, and the role of each participant's image of himself or herself as a physical educator. A number of factors were identified that enhanced or constrained this process. These factors include prior coaching experiences, the role of sponsor teachers, the impact of university faculty advisors, video and stimulated recall sessions, and the teaching of a second subject by each participant. The study concludes by outlining a number of implications for teacher education. First, it suggests that during their teacher education program preservice teachers need to be taught how to learn from experience and that sponsor teachers have a key role to play in this process. Second, that biography has a significant impact in directing what and how preservice teachers learn about teaching during a practicum and that preservice teachers must be encouraged to examine and look beyond their own experiences when learning how to teach.