Correspondence physics competition of MFF UK - FYKOS - is extracurricular physical educational activity organized by university students for upper secondary school students. FYKOS is organized by Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of Charles University in Prague (MFF UK). FYKOS' main goals are: dissemination of physics, education of upper secondary school students, establishing conditions for creation of social bindings between participants (and organizers) and propagation of possibility of studies at MFF UK. This work is the first complete text about running of FYKOS and it is also the first systematical feedback from FYKOS' participants and FYKOS' organizers. The first part is a description of all FYKOS' activities (correspondence part, camps, FYKOSí Fyziklání and others). The second chapter includes an analysis of statistical survey of FYKOS' participants. Other chapters are dedicated to the description of gathering feedback and its interpretation. The feedback was made in several ways - interviews, web questionnaire and email questionnaire. Special attention was turned to study and professional development of former participants. Acquired knowledge lead up to formulation of possible improvements of FYKOS which are introduced in the last part of this theses. It was discovered that among respondents of...

Thesis advisor: Michael Barnett / Scientific proficiency is important, not only for a solid, interdisciplinary educational foundation, but also for entry into and mobility within today's increasingly technological and globalized workplace, as well as for informed, democratic participation in society (National Academies Press, 2007b). Within the United States, low-income, ethnic minority students are disproportionately underperforming and underrepresented in science, as well as mathematics, engineering and other technology fields (Business-Higher Education Forum, 2011; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009). This is due, in part, to a lack of educational structures and strategies that can support low-income, ethnic minority students to become competent in science in equitable and empowering ways. In order to investigate such structures and strategies that may be beneficial for these students, a longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted. The 15 month study was an investigation of science identity negotiation informed by the theoretical perspectives of Brown's (2004) discursive science identities and Tan and Barton's (2008) identities-in-practice amongst ten high school students in an informal science program and employed an amalgam of research designs, including ethnography (Geertz, 1973), case study (Stake, 2000) and grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Findings indicated that the students made use of two strategies, discursive identity development and language use in science, in order to negotiate student science identities in satisfying ways within the limits of the TESJ practice. Additionally, 3 factors were identified as being supportive of successful student science identity negotiation in the informal practice, as well. These were (i) peer dynamics, (ii) significant social interactions, and (iii) student ownership in science. The students were also uncovered to be particularly open-minded to the field of STEM. Finally, with respect to STEM career development, specific behaviors were indicative of students' serious consideration of STEM careers and two major patterns in STEM career interests were uncovered. The findings are discussed in relation to existing research in science education, as are implications for future research and practice. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo central entender como um espaço fisicamente alterado influencia as percepções e explicações acerca da gravidade pelos estudantes do Ensino Médio. A pesquisa foi realizada na Casa Maluca do Centro de Divulgação Científica e Cultural da Universidade de São Paulo. Esta é uma casa com piso e paredes inclinados com ângulos de 15 graus em relação ao referencial externo, ao entrar em seu interior os visitantes experimentam alterações na percepção de alguns fenômenos do cotidiano relacionados com a força da gravidade. Tomamos como referencial teórico principal as noções de obstáculos e perfil epistemológicos propostos Gaston Bachelard e metodologia de pesquisa do tipo quantitativa e qualitativa, apoiada em observação, aplicação de questionários, gravação em áudio e vídeo e entrevistas semi-estruturadas. A análise dos dados apontou a presença de alguns obstáculos epistemológicos proposto pela epistemologia bachelardiana, tais como: experiência primeira, realismo ingênuo, substancialismo, animismo e obstáculo verbal; demonstrou ainda algumas das dificuldades dos alunos em entender o conceito gravidade e seu caráter vetorial. Também ficou clara a influência dos contextos de aprendizagem (pessoal, sociocultural e físico) nas atividades realizadas. Em diversos momentos, as atividades realizadas na Casa Maluca ilustraram, em maior ou menor proporção, a interpolação destes três contextos. / The main objective of this research was to understand how a modified physical space can influence the perception and explanations about gravity held by high school students. This research was conducted in the \"Mad House\" of Centre of Scientific and Cultural Dissemination of the University of Sao Paulo. This is a house with walls and floor tilted by an angle of 15 degrees in relation to the external framework. When the visitor enters the house, she/he experiences alterations in the perception of some daily phenomena related to the force of gravity. The adopted theoretical framework were the notions of epistemological obstacles and profile proposed by Gaston Bachelard. The research methodology relied on quantitative and qualitative analysis by means of observations, questionnaires, video and audio recordings and semi-structured interviews. The data analysis points to the presence of some epistemological obstacles proposed by the bachalerdian epistemology, such as; first experience, animism, naive conceptions and verbal obstacle; it also demonstrated some of student\'s difficulties in understanding gravity concept and its vector character. The influence of the three learning contexts (personal, social cultural, physical) also became clear during the activities. In different moments, the activities performed inside the \"Mad House\" illustrated in larger or smaller scales the interpolation of the three contexts.

Esta tese focaliza os itinerários (entendidos como uma sequência de operações que se sucedem no tempo) de catadores de materiais recicláveis integrantes de associações e cooperativas localizadas na região sul do Brasil. Estruturou-se em três arranjos. No primeiro, o trabalho de pesquisa se voltou à compreensão das influências recíprocas entre o campo ambiental e a atividade de reciclagem. No segundo, voltou-se aos modos através dos quais os catadores, desde suas vinculações com a atividade de reciclagem e com o campo ambiental, relacionam-se com variados discursos que os interpelam. Por fim, focalizou as práticas sociais (discursivas e não discursivas) utilizadas por esses sujeitos na (re)invenção de seus cotidianos e suas trajetórias de vida. A investigação foi desenvolvida através do acompanhamento in situ das atividades dos catadores e por meio de entrevistas semi-estruturadas. Além disso, recorreu à análise documental para a caracterização dos discursos com maior poder de interpelação junto aos catadores. No que tange aos atravessamentos entre o campo ambiental, a reciclagem e os catadores, os resultados interrogam o papel dessa intensa produção simbólica na (re)colocação social da atividade de reciclagem, assim como dos sujeitos que a animam. Sugerem que, a despeito da significativa ampliação do repertório simbólico desde o qual ambos – catador e reciclagem – vêm sendo pensados, as repercussões da incorporação do argumento ambiental para esses sujeitos, em especial sob a forma de oportunidades para reconstrução de si, ainda são pouco sensíveis. A descrição densa das práticas dos catadores, além disso, problematiza a ideia de que estas apenas se conformam às estruturas sociais preexistentes, reproduzindo-as acrítica e inconscientemente. O acompanhamento e a caracterização pormenorizada dessas práticas sublinham aquela sua dimensão criativa, inseparável da estrutura social é certo, mas não completamente determinadas por ela. As catadoras e os catadores de materiais recicláveis, através dos seus itinerários, desafiam-nos a repensar a rigidez dos lugares desde os quais oferecemos leituras acerca dos seus posicionamentos. Desafiam-nos igualmente a rever a rigidez dos lugares que resultam dessas leituras (e que de modo geral são utilizados para “aprisioná-los”). Decorre daí a necessidade, apresentada aqui como sugestão, de tornar mais fluido e móvel o lugar educativo desde o qual tanto as práticas educacionais, quanto as políticas públicas vem sendo pensadas e direcionadas a esses sujeitos. / This thesis focuses on the itineraries (understood as a sequence of operations that take place in time) of recyclable materials collectors members of associations and cooperatives located in southern Brazil. It is structured into three arrangements. In the first arrangement, the research geared toward the understanding of the reciprocal influences between the environmental field and recycling activity. In the second one, it geared toward the ways in which the waste collectors, from their linkages with the recycling activity and the environmental field, relate to various discourses that interpellate them. Finally, it focused on the social practices (discursive and non-discursive) used by these subjects in the (re) invention of their everyday life and their life path. The research was developed through the in situ monitoring of the waste pickers activities and through semi-structured interviews. Furthermore, it was resorted to documentary analysis to characterize the discourses with greater power of interpellation with the waste collectors. With regard to the crossings between the environmental field, recycling and waste collectors, the results interrogate the role of this intense symbolic production in the (re) placement of social recycling activity, as well as the subjects that animate it. It is suggested that despite the significant expansion of the symbolic repertoire from which both collector and recycling have being designed, the effects of the incorporation of the environmental argument for these subjects, particularly in the form of opportunities to rebuild themselves, are still poorly sensitive. The thick description of the practices of collectors also questions the idea that they just conform to existing social structures, reproducing them uncritically and unconsciously. The monitoring and detailed characterization of these practices emphasize its creative dimension, certainly inseparable from the social structure, but not completely determined by it. The women and men collectors of recyclable materials through their itineraries, challenge us to rethink the stiffness of the places from which we offer readings about their positionings. They also challenge us to revise the rigidity of the places that result from these readings (and they are generally used to "capture them"). Hence the need, presented here as a suggestion, to make it more fluid and movable the education place from which both educational practices and public policy have been designed and targeted to those subjects.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T16:17:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silvana _Vailloes.pdf: 8365848 bytes, checksum: f872581aa6a38840820ca1956bc769a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-16 / This paper intends to verify the contribution of the work by the cartoonist and journalist Henfil for informal education. The Fradim magazines (issues 1-3) were used to show his contribuition as cartoonist.The literature survey included authors who analyzed Henfil s works, as Silva (2002 , 2004 , 2007) , Moraes (1997 ) , as well as in informal education: Gohn ( 2006, 2008 , 2010) , Bittencourt ( 1999); Fantin (2006 ) and Pacheco (2009 ). The use of comics as media for the contribution to the informal education included authors as Vergueiro (2009 ). It also aims to discuss the techniques used by the author, under the production of comics, their nuances and the scope that media has in contributing to the education and political awareness, especially emphasizing the period of repression and censorship where Henfil s work is inserted. Gubern & Gasca (2011 ) and Eisner (1989, 2005) contributed as authors for this analysis. The objective was to prioritize the upbringing of this artist s work; in order to do that , testimonies of people considered opinion leaders were collected , such as teachers , journalists , cartoonists and politicians who had contact with the work and felt influenced by his creation.Thus, we can say that the Henfil s work had also a social resonance on the them. By considering the Fradim magazines for analysis we seek to understand the author's work in a broad sense, since it appeared only in fragmented forms in other newspapers and magazines.The depictions of Henfil meant a way of opposition to the military regime , as well as his contributions to a broad new way of education and training : the one that comes through various media and from books; of what oneself is exposed to in everyday life.These contacts contribute to the educational training of people, however that does not happen in the formal educational spaces and are important for the perception of reality. Even that Henfil had used various languages and media to highlight his work, such as magazines, newspapers, television, theater and even film, the contribution offered by the comics may be considered unique, since it contributes to the formation of new readers, as well as the perception of a world that is inferred by the design, the graphic forms and language, which are not distanced from the critical conception of the subjects covered. / Este trabalho tem como intenção verificar a contribuição da obra do cartunista e jornalista Henfil para a educação informal. Considerando seu trabalho como cartunista, foram utilizadas as revistas Fradim (número 1 ao 30), atentando-se para a sua contribuição no âmbito das charges e cartuns. A pesquisa bibliográfica compreendeu autores que voltaram seu olhar para a análise do trabalho do Henfil, como Silva (2002; 2004; 2007), Moraes (1997), bem como sobre a educação informal como Gohn (2006; 2008; 2010), Bitencourt (1999); Fantin (2006) e Pacheco (2009); o uso dos quadrinhos como mídias para a contribuição para a educação informal compreendeu autores como Vergueiro (2009). Também se objetivou discutir as técnicas utilizadas pelo autor no âmbito da produção dos quadrinhos, de suas nuances e do alcance que essa mídia tem na contribuição para a educação e para a conscientização política, principalmente, ressaltando-se o período de repressão e censura em que está inserida a obra do Henfil. Para essa análise da linguagem chargística, contribuíram autores como Gasca e Gubern (2011) e Eisner (1989; 2005). O objetivo foi priorizar o caráter formador da obra desse artista; para tanto, foram utilizados depoimentos recolhidos de pessoas consideradas formadoras de opinião, como professores, jornalistas, cartunistas e políticos, que tiveram contato com a obra e sentiram-se influenciadas por sua criação. Sendo assim, é possível afirmar que a obra do Henfil teve ressonância social, também pelos formadores de opinião. Considerar as revistas do Fradim para a análise constituiu-se numa busca de examinar a obra do autor de uma forma ampla, já que em outros jornais e revistas da época ela aparecia apenas de forma fragmentada. As representações de Henfil significaram uma expressão de oposição ao Regime Militar, assim como suas contribuições para uma nova e diversa maneira de produzir discursos e práticas educativas: a que surge por meio das mídias diversas, dos livros, daquilo com que se tem contato no cotidiano. Tais relações contribuem para a formação educativa das pessoas, por mais que não aconteçam nos espaços formais de educação, são importantes para a percepção da realidade. Mesmo que Henfil tenha se utilizado de diversas linguagens e mídias para evidenciar sua obra, tais como revistas, jornais, televisão, teatro e até cinema, a contribuição oferecida pelos quadrinhos pode ser considerada ímpar, já que contribuiu na formação de novos leitores, assim como para a percepção de um mundo que está inferido pelo desenho, pelas formas gráficas e pela linguagem, que não se distanciavam da concepção crítica sobre os assuntos abordados

This dissertation provides a history of Mexicana/os' participation in three modes of education: formal, non-formal, and informal, in the midwestern states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, and Missouri, from 1910 to 1955. Informed by Critical Race Theory and LatCrit Theory, the study addresses the social constructions of race, gender, and class as it analyzes how these ongoing and complex constructions influenced not only how dominant society structured and practiced education offered to Mexicana/os but also how Mexicana/os participated in education and made education work for them in parochial and public schools, in settlement houses, in churches and missions, and in familial and community settings.

The purpose of this study is to review the use of educational resources at National Science and Technology Museum (NSTM) by Kaohsiung junior high school science & technology teachers. Using judgemental sampling, 260 questionnaires were sent out to science & technology teachers who taught at junior high schools in Kaohsiung. A total of 172 completed questionnaires were returned. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA and Pearson¡¦s correlation. Six insights were gained from this study. First, results show that in reality, the usage rates of the resources available at the NSTM among teachers are quite low. Second, The teachers possess a low level of knowledge and understanding with regard to the resources available at the NSTM. Third, The teachers have a very favorable view of the usage of the resources offered by the NSTM. Fourth, the use of the educational resources at NSTM, the knowledge associated and the attitude towards it vary depending on the teachers' gender, educational background and teaching experience. Fifth, the frequency of usage of the resources, the knowledge and attitude are all positively correlated. Sixth, NSTM¡¦s active involvement in providing more services, expanding its facilities and supporting the logistics of the field trip may increase the teachers¡¦ willingness to use its resources.

The purpose of this study was to investigate why adult students engage in arts learning and what they gain from that experience. Specifically, this research combined case study and narrative inquiry methods to produce a richly textured understanding of the John C. Campbell Folk School and the experiences had by students, instructors, and staff at the school. Due to the unique nature of a rural, interdisciplinary folk arts school, a survey of the Folk School’s history and educational philosophies was conducted to provide a framework for understanding the school’s specific environment. Through informal narrative interviews with students, instructors, and staff, individual accounts of the Folk School experience were established. By identifying what drives enrollment and outcomes of attendance, this study draws conclusions about what individuals seek through informal arts learning. The findings of this study indicate consistent motivations for initial enrollment at the school, but a broad range of reasons for re-enrollment. The reported outcomes were strongly related to personal development, enjoyment, and relationships built at the school. Based on the findings of this study, key components of informal, adult arts learning were identified that can inform other schools and institutions as they promote adult programs. / text

This thesis charts the outcomes of family play-learning through make-and-play activities with traditional Thai toys activities (TTTA). Family learning is a component of inter-generational learning, and the research explores this through ‘edutainment’ activities within the informal educational system of a science museum. The thesis also identifies key factors that influence family play-learning through TTTA and explores the nature and impact of traditional Thai culture, local wisdom and Western modern science after participation with the TTTA. Participants in the toy-making activities at the National Science Museum, Thailand are members of the general public, day visitors to the museum who volunteer to join the activities, and represent all age groups. They also have varied levels of educational achievement, backgrounds in science and dispositions towards play. The research follows 93 families, including children, teenagers and adults, a total of 179 participants. Participants’ dispositions towards play are collected through self-reporting questionnaires based upon Barnett's (2006) work on playfulness; data on their individual and group actions have been collected in terms of their levels of enjoyment and engagement with the tasks, and learning outcomes. The data from structured routine observation indicates that, within the make-and-play activities, there is a two-way transfer of learning from older to younger, and from younger to older. The analysis of family learning is based upon Bandura’s (2005) social cognitive theories, used here in relation to informal museum education. Family play-learning is seen as significant, where more experienced members of the family transfer their knowledge and role-model skills to their children or younger members of the family. There is also an upward transfer where discerning youth model the fun and creativity they bring to the tasks. The Toy Learning Outcomes Questionnaire (TLOQ) has been used to study families’ learning outcomes from the TTTA with 51 families composed of 125 participants in total. The TLOQ is based upon work of the Research Centre of Museums and Galleries at the University of Leicester (Hooper-Greenhill, 2007), and uses a four-point Likert-style scale to explore seven areas of interest: (i) knowledge and understanding; (ii) skills; (iii) attitudes and values; (vi) enjoyment, inspiration and creativity; (v) action, behaviour and progression; (vi) scientific learning, and (vii) attitude towards Thai local wisdom. The findings show that families appear to have learned most in relation to two of these areas, ‘scientific knowledge’ and ‘Thai local wisdom’, when compared with the other areas. Data from semi-structured ‘exit interviews’ at the end of the activities, explore this clash of cultures, between Western modern science (WMS) and Thai local wisdom (TLW). This allows for a discussion of the integration of knowledge systems versus distinctive and separate fields. Findings from the interview data indicate that participants treat the TTTA, and work of the museum generally, bi-gnosically: they had positive yet parallel attitudes towards both domains of knowledge. The overall outcomes of this body of work indicate two main factors that encourage family play-learning: (i) the context of the play, which emphasises participants’ personal engagement, social relationships, and the physical setting (the environment and resources in the TTTA); and (ii) the conditions to play, playfulness of the participants and the opportunities they take to learn together through play. The thesis concludes with the implications of this work and recommendations for further research.

Lietuvos valstybės politika įgyvendinant socialinės atskirties prevenciją akcentuoja būtinybę garantuoti socialinės atskirties grupėms priklausantiems asmenims ne tik visas reikalingas materialines gėrybes ar socialines paslaugas, bet ir galimybes įgyti tinkamą išsilavinimą. Neformalusis ugdymas, organizuotas atsižvelgiant į vaiko interesus, gali prisidėti prie bendro ugdymo tikslo - savarankiškos ir kūribingos, maksimaliai jau mokykloje savo gebėjimus išskleidžiančios asmenybės ugdymo. Tyrimo objektas - išanalizuoti neformaliojo ugdymo formos ir teikiamos galimybės socialiniame darbe. Darbo tikslas - išanalizuoti neformaliojo ugdymosi galimybes ir įvertinti šio ugdymo įtaką mažinant ugdytinių socialinę atskirtį. Darbe keliama hipotezė, jog optimali neformaliojo ugdymo formų dermė bendruomenėje gali prisidėti prie vaikų socialinės atskirties mažinimo. Tyrimas buvo atliekamas Kazlų Rūdos miestelio bendruomenėje naudojant šiuos metodus: 1)socialinių institucijų veiklos bendruomenėje organizuojant neformalųjį ugdymą analizė;2)kokybinis tyrimo metodas apklausiant socialinę atskirtį patiriančius vaikus ir socialinius darbuotojus, kurie tiesiogiai dalyvauja sprendžiant socialinės atskirties mažinimo problemas. Apklausta dešimt socialinę atskirtį patiriančių vaikų ir keturi socialiniai darbuotojai. Nustatyta, kad Kazlų Rūdos bendruomenėje yra platus socialinių institucijų, potencialiai pajėgių dalyvauti neformalaus ugdymo organizavime, tinklas, tačiau bendradarbiavimo ryšiai šiuo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Realizing prevention of social disjuncture, the policy of the state of Lihuania emphasizes the necessity to ensure all necessary worldly goods or social service as well as possibility to get proper education for the people who belong to the groups of social disjuncture. Informal education that is organized in consideration of child interests can also contribute to the general purpose of education which consists of forming an independent and creative personality able to reveal his capabilities already at school. The object of the research is forms of informal education and possibilities that are offered by social work. The objective of the work is to analyse possibilities of informal education and evaluate the impact of this education on reduction of pupils’ social disjuncture. The hypothesis of the work is that optimal tune of informal education forms in community can contribute reducing social disjuncture of children. The research was carried out in Kazlu Ruda community using these methods: 1) analysing activities of social institutions that organize informal education; 2) qualitative analysis method questioning children who experience social disjuncture and social workers who participate directly solving problems related with reducing social disjuncture. It was questioned ten children experiencing social disjuncture and four social workers. It is defined that Kazlu Ruda community has a wide network of social institutions that are potentially able to participate in... [to full text]