How do conventional performance-based models of drama in high schools serve to oppress students? How can Applied Drama models serve to emancipate students? This thesis invites educators to imagine drama programs in high schools as being capable of employing the use of imaginative dramatic arts processes for their emancipatory potential aimed to break oppressive habits and to rehearse alternative dialogue and action in the lives of students. Drama processes in high schools could be designed within an emancipatory paradigm of curriculum-making. Instead of designing drama programs around the goal of producing scripted theatre performances, drama programs in high schools can be designed with the goal of engaging students imaginations. Specifically, Applied Drama processes have the potential to nurture students social and moral imaginations which, in turn, allow students to become more empathetic. Moreover, through dramatic role-play, students enter an imaginary world and rehearse alternative ways of acting in the world. If the dramatic role-play addresses issues of oppression in the world, then the imaginary world presents scenarios in which students can rehearse emancipatory ways of acting and thinking about their lived reality. Specifically, Applied Drama processes are best suited for emancipatory, imaginative drama programs in high schools. In this thesis, I also discuss the importance of reflection in emancipatory drama processes.

How do conventional performance-based models of drama in high schools serve to oppress students? How can Applied Drama models serve to emancipate students? This thesis invites educators to imagine drama programs in high schools as being capable of employing the use of imaginative dramatic arts processes for their emancipatory potential aimed to break oppressive habits and to rehearse alternative dialogue and action in the lives of students. Drama processes in high schools could be designed within an emancipatory paradigm of curriculum-making. Instead of designing drama programs around the goal of producing scripted theatre performances, drama programs in high schools can be designed with the goal of engaging students imaginations. Specifically, Applied Drama processes have the potential to nurture students social and moral imaginations which, in turn, allow students to become more empathetic. Moreover, through dramatic role-play, students enter an imaginary world and rehearse alternative ways of acting in the world. If the dramatic role-play addresses issues of oppression in the world, then the imaginary world presents scenarios in which students can rehearse emancipatory ways of acting and thinking about their lived reality. Specifically, Applied Drama processes are best suited for emancipatory, imaginative drama programs in high schools. In this thesis, I also discuss the importance of reflection in emancipatory drama processes.

Inclusive education is an international philosophy that places emphasis on the provision of special education services to students with special learning needs within regular classrooms. Teachers, regardless of where in the world they are, require positive attitudes to engage in discussions, adapt curricula, develop strategies and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for the implementation of inclusionary practices. The aim and rationale for this study was to explore the attitudes of South Africans as expatriates in a foreign country (Oman) at schools where inclusion was recently implemented but where little research was conducted in the area. In addition, the purpose was also to gain more knowledge about the elements that may influence teacher attitudes towards inclusion. A quantitative approach was employed and an online questionnaire was used to obtain data. The small sample (N=35) limited findings to descriptive statistics only. The study revealed that most teachers held positive attitudes towards the fundamental principles of inclusive education but teachers held negative attitudes towards the practical implementation of inclusion within classrooms. Teachers who received training were more positive to supporting inclusion. Male teachers expressed greater negativity than female teachers towards inclusionary practices in schools but then male teachers were more supportive and willing to undertake training, engage in teacher support and work collaboratively. Teachers teaching older groups of students appear to be less knowledgeable and less prepared or equipped to deal with inclusion. Teachers with less teaching experience held more positive attitudes towards inclusive education. Recommendations were made to provide suggestions of ways to eliminate and discourage negative attitudes and research based recommendations for future research were listed. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

Inclusive education is an international philosophy that places emphasis on the provision of special education services to students with special learning needs within regular classrooms. Teachers, regardless of where in the world they are, require positive attitudes to engage in discussions, adapt curricula, develop strategies and acquire the necessary knowledge and skills for the implementation of inclusionary practices. The aim and rationale for this study was to explore the attitudes of South Africans as expatriates in a foreign country (Oman) at schools where inclusion was recently implemented but where little research was conducted in the area. In addition, the purpose was also to gain more knowledge about the elements that may influence teacher attitudes towards inclusion. A quantitative approach was employed and an online questionnaire was used to obtain data. The small sample (N=35) limited findings to descriptive statistics only. The study revealed that most teachers held positive attitudes towards the fundamental principles of inclusive education but teachers held negative attitudes towards the practical implementation of inclusion within classrooms. Teachers who received training were more positive to supporting inclusion. Male teachers expressed greater negativity than female teachers towards inclusionary practices in schools but then male teachers were more supportive and willing to undertake training, engage in teacher support and work collaboratively. Teachers teaching older groups of students appear to be less knowledgeable and less prepared or equipped to deal with inclusion. Teachers with less teaching experience held more positive attitudes towards inclusive education. Recommendations were made to provide suggestions of ways to eliminate and discourage negative attitudes and research based recommendations for future research were listed. / Inclusive Education / M. Ed. (Inclusive Education)

The goal of this study was to investigate the interaction between professional development and professional capital within international schools in Asia. The researcher employed a multi-site case study to inform the research goals. A conceptual framework based on Hargreaves and Fullan’s (2012) professional capital theory was used to guide the study’s methods and data collection. The data were collected in two phases. The first phase consisted of a digital survey that was distributed to ten international schools associated with the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS) and the Office of Overseas Schools (OSS). The survey was analyzed to identify the experiences and perceptions of professional development within international schools. The second phase was comprised of semi-structured interview data from twelve international educators to explore the relationship between professional development and professional capital. The findings of this study helped outline themes of how a professional development fosters professional capital within the international schools. Specifically, international educators use professional development to increase human capital through their experiences to improve personal practice, while developing, retaining, and attracting educators to the international schools. Social capital is impacted through the amount of time international educators allocate to collaborative and networking experiences with other international educators within their field through professional development. By increasing decisional capital, international educators develop expertise with effective professional development guided through the support of mentors by increasing decisional capital. The findings suggest professional development within the international schools studied is connected to an increase in professional capital. The findings also suggest international educators need to maintain a level of autonomy in regard to decision making to continue to increase professional capital within international schools. Suggestions for a refinement of the theory of professional capital leadership include a balanced approach to professional development where teachers use their human capital and school leaders use their social capital collectively to make professional development decisions.

Submitted by Rosmari Capra Sales (rcaprasales@gmail.com) on 2017-12-16T00:01:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_201017_finalENTREGUE.pdf: 1541318 bytes, checksum: 674ea8009dbf247bc39bc9783e775390 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Janete de Oliveira Feitosa (janete.feitosa@fgv.br) on 2017-12-19T15:45:18Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_201017_finalENTREGUE.pdf: 1541318 bytes, checksum: 674ea8009dbf247bc39bc9783e775390 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-12-26T17:11:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_201017_finalENTREGUE.pdf: 1541318 bytes, checksum: 674ea8009dbf247bc39bc9783e775390 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-16 / Considering the entry of new investments in the basic education market in Brazil, schools facethe weight of competition, especially when there are new directions for the premium segmentat this level of education. In this sense, the focus of the current research was to understand thevalues that are important in the choice of international schools in the context of the city of Riode Janeiro, exploring the British School. To the extent that value creation is the mission ofmanagement and, knowing that, in addition to all demands and reasons for existence,international schools are business, as well as educational institutions, it becomes imperative tounderstand what value matters for the consumer of these schools, against the value proposedby the educational institution. A qualitative research was carried out to analyze, according tothe view of the British School and the parents who have their children enrolled, what valueswould differentiate it in the local market of Rio de Janeiro. Data collection was done throughfocus groups and individual interviews, involving 13 parents of students and individualinterviews with two professionals of the School who occupy strategic positions for thepurposes that interest here. Based on the results presented and the corresponding analysis,there is a misalignment between what the international school offers and what parents buy asintangible good in education. In the voice of the school, the offer is clear: English proficiency,curriculum and access to international universities. On the side of families, proficiency in theEnglish language is a core value that translates into symbolic and social capital. / Diante da entrada de novos investimentos no mercado de educação básica no Brasil, as escolas enfrentam o peso da concorrência, sobretudo quando se constata que há novos direcionamentos para o segmento premium nesse nível de educação. Nesse sentido, o foco da presente pesquisa primou por entender os valores que são importantes na escolha de escolas internacionais no contexto da cidade do Rio de Janeiro, explorando, como campo de análise, a Escola Britânica. Na medida em que a criação de valor é a missão da gestão e, sabendo que, além de toda demanda e razões de existência, as escolas internacionais são negócios, além de instituições de ensino, torna-se imprescindível compreender qual é o valor que importa para o consumidor dessas escolas, diante do valor proposto pela instituição de ensino. Realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa para analisar, segundo o ponto de vista da Escola Britânica e dos pais que têm os seus filhos ali matriculados, quais são os valores que a diferenciariam no mercado local do Rio de Janeiro. A coleta de dados foi feita por meio de grupos focais e entrevistas individuais, envolvendo 13 pais de alunos e entrevistas individuais com dois participantes da Escola que ocupam posições estratégicas para os fins que aqui interessam. Pelos resultados apresentados e a correspondente análise, percebe-se um desalinhamento entre o que a escola internacional oferece e o que os pais compram como bem intangível em educação. Na voz da escola, a oferta é clara: proficiência da língua inglesa, currículo e acesso às universidades internacionais. Pelo lado das famílias, a proficiência na língua inglesa é um valor central que se traduz em capital simbólico e social.

Change is critical in most organizations. International schools attempting to redefine 21st century education for their students are innovating pedagogies and schools’ structures. However, the leader of an organization or school may be the most influential advocate for or barrier to change. International schools’ leaders continue to play a role in the diffusion of distance education. This study identified the knowledge and experience of international school leaders and identified themes that are related to the likelihood distance education would or would not be adopted by the schools they lead. This applied dissertation describes international school leaders’ knowledge and use of innovation diffusion theory in adopting distance education into kindergarten-Grade 12 East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS). International schools are a unique niche in the global educational environment. Triangulating data from EARCOS school leaders collected through individual innovativeness surveys and coding open-ended interview transcripts provided insight to school leaders’ knowledge and use of innovation diffusion theory when applied to adopting or rejecting the use of distance education within their schools. Data collected in this study indicated that EARCOS school leaders’ use of formalized planning when diffusing innovations, including distance education, within their schools varied depending on the scale of the innovation and the stakeholders involved. EARCOS school leaders rated themselves higher on average in individual innovativeness when compared to other innovativeness survey normative groups. Several other key themes emerged from the data including the following: Opinion leadership and change agents play a vital role in diffusing innovations in EARCOS schools. School leaders need to be adaptable and recognize opinion leadership within their schools to diffuse innovations efficiently. EARCOS school leaders rated themselves as highly innovative but were reluctant to explore innovative ways of delivering instruction, including distance education. Distance education was not seen as relevant in EARCOS schools, even though school leaders recognized their students would be exposed to online learning upon matriculation. Barriers to the diffusion of distance education exist in EARCOS schools including cost to develop distance education programs and courses, existing school structures, and the perceived absence of need.

A case study using a phenomenological approach was carried out to determine how effective and enduring learning is for two diverse groups of grade 9 natural science learners when delivered through a collaborative co-teaching approach involving a high school science teacher and a special needs teacher. Even though the findings of this research indicate that the co-taught sessions did not significantly affect the learners’ test results, the majority of the learners reported very positive perceptions of co-teaching. From the findings the main benefits for the learners included an improvement in their understanding of learning styles and associated study skills, increased contact time with the teachers, and the benefit of another teacher’s expertise in the classroom. The researcher found the co-teaching approach yielded a clearer focus on the individual learning styles, new strategies for differentiation, and a positive teaching experience. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

A case study using a phenomenological approach was carried out to determine how effective and enduring learning is for two diverse groups of grade 9 natural science learners when delivered through a collaborative co-teaching approach involving a high school science teacher and a special needs teacher. Even though the findings of this research indicate that the co-taught sessions did not significantly affect the learners’ test results, the majority of the learners reported very positive perceptions of co-teaching. From the findings the main benefits for the learners included an improvement in their understanding of learning styles and associated study skills, increased contact time with the teachers, and the benefit of another teacher’s expertise in the classroom. The researcher found the co-teaching approach yielded a clearer focus on the individual learning styles, new strategies for differentiation, and a positive teaching experience. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)