Literature has shown that assessment has various purposes in education, ranging from establishing the starting point, to monitoring and evaluation, while the role of assessment in supporting learning is yet to be explored. In this study I explore the influence of assessment on teaching in the Lesotho junior certificate science curriculum. I achieve this by exploring the nature tools of summative assessment, teachers’ views on these tools and how teachers engage the tools once they have served the summative assessment purpose. In exploring the nature of tools of assessment I conducted a documentary analysis of junior certificate science papers written over three years, and obtained teachers’ views on the papers and their uses through a questionnaire and a focus group interview. The study is predominantly qualitative and interpretive and is informed by three theories; curriculum theory; which explains the cyclic relationship of the curriculum elements, Bloom’s taxonomy which guides the drawing of educational objectives and construction of tools of assessment and social theories explaining reflection on and understanding of one’s social practices. Analysis of the past examination papers showed that they are relatively valid for the syllabus for which they are designed, though there are some discrepancies. Teachers find the questions in the examination papers appropriate for use in teaching, though they need to be simplified at times. The question papers also assess the understanding of science in the context of life around the learner. The uses to which teachers put past examination papers range from planning to testing and the most common uses are teaching and testing. According to the findings, past examination papers do have an influence on what teachers select for teaching and how they approach what they have selected. Further recommendations that I can make on the basis of this study are; that teachers can derive themes for action research from which they can build pedagogical content knowledge for various topics. Finally, they can also be used as a source of a variety of tasks for learners.

Vietnam is a country with more than 80 percent of the population living in the countryside. Rural education is, therefore, of vital importance to Vietnamese education; and ELT effectiveness and efficiency in junior secondary schools in rural Vietnam is a problem of worthwhile attention. This study, being a pilot one, limits itself to seeking solutions to the increase of ELT effectiveness and efficiency in terms of syllabus design, textbook revision and teacher development. The study contains 5 chapters and a conclusion. Chapter 1 deals with the general background of the study, schooling and educational philosophies in Vietnam. In this chapter, special attention is given to the role of foreign language teaching and learning in Vietnamese schools. In addition, educational philosophies in Vietnam are discussed as the philosophical and legal basis for any implementation of FLT and ELT innovations in junior secondary schools in rural Vietnam. Chapter 2 deals with input studies and some models of language teaching and learning that appeared in the last two decades. In this chapter, special emphasis is laid on studies which explain how input is transformed into intake and on the models of teaching and learning that may be applied to the teaching and learning of English in the context of rural Vietnam. Chapter 3 deals with language teaching methods as the neverending search for teaching effectiveness and efficiency. In this chapter, based on the understanding of such concepts as effectiveness and efficiency, language teaching methods are presented as a means to an end, not as an end in itself. Thus, the selection and use of a method depends completely on the goal set for the process of language teaching and learning. When the goal changes, the method will change accordingly. Chapter 4 deals with the actual FLT and ELT situation in rural junior secondary schools in Vietnam. This chapter includes the results of surveys on teacher quality and a critical look at the implementation of the communicative approach in language teaching in the current textbooks in use in junior secondary schools The background of rural students is discussed to clarify the context of the learners in question. In chapter 5, based on the theoretical findings in chapters 2 and 3 and on the actual ELT situation mentioned in chapter 4, possible solutions to the increase of ELT effectiveness and efficiency are proposed. These solutions are concerned with syllabus design, textbook revision and teacher development. The study closes with a conclusion which relates solutions to ELT effectiveness and efficiency to the general solutions to teaching effectiveness and efficiency mentioned at a number of workshops held in Vietnam recently.

In the past two decades much research in the field of Mathematics in Education has dealt with boy- girl differences. In the 1960's sex differences in mathematical achievement played an important role in research. The results of more recent and better controlled studies seem to indicate that overall boy-girl differences in mathematical achievement are probably negligible at the Primary stage and exist at the Secondary stage principally in areas involving spatial visualization and problem solving.

The central focus of this study is to look at the legitimacy of using computer games for textual study in subject English and to understand the value that non-traditional forms of narrative text can have in enhancing student learning and enjoyment. This thesis argues that when students are engaged in textual study that is pleasurable, learning outcomes can be enhanced. Narrative computer games are appropriately placed within the realm of popular cultural texts, therefore, this study is also located within a cultural studies field of inquiry. A range of theoretical lenses which are appropriate to this field, such as critical theory, poststructuralism, reader response theories and narratology, are drawn upon in order to provide different perspectives on knowledge, relationships of power, and elements of story. These multiple perspectives are combined to construct a methodological framework for my research that brings a richness to data analysis. In locating my study within this multi-dimensional methodological framework, it is possible to achieve a layering and interpretation of the many different responses to the binaries of “work” versus “play” inherent in my title. The study focuses on a junior secondary English class at a school in South-east Queensland. The students undertook a curriculum unit which used a critical literacy framework to study the narratives and cultural identifications inherent in a number of computer games. The participants’ responses to “play” within the classroom forms one facet of the study; the depth of narrative experience enabled by computer games forms another facet; and the final facet examines the cultural responses to newer forms of literacies. The study concludes that using narrative computer games as a form of text for study in subject English allows for an examination of new forms of literacies that are student-friendly. A hybridised form of communication and pedagogy is also suggested. Narrative computer games allow for pleasure and play in the classroom, albeit in a less traditional way, and a hybridised communication can allow students and teachers access to a dialogue that values the learning experiences associated with this textual medium.

Euclidean geometry and geometric proof have occupied a central place in mathematics education from classical Greek society through to twentieth century Western culture. It is proof which sets mathematics apart from the empirical sciences, and forms the foundation of our mathematical knowledge, yet students often fail to understand the purpose of proof, they are unable to construct proofs, and instead readily accept empirical evidence or the authority of textbooks or teachers. (For complete abstract open document)

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Nigeria is one of the most multilingual nations in Africa which consists of over 450 languages (Adegbija, 2004; Danladi, 2013). It has a population of more than 150 million people, with three major languages, namely Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo, and a number of minority languages. Despite its linguistic and cultural diversity, English is the main medium of instruction from primary to tertiary education. The negative effects of learning through the medium of English second language (L2) are evidenced in the learners’ poor achievement in the external examination results of the National Examination Council (NECO) and the West African Examination Council (WAEC). There is an assumption that learners’ poor performance in English (L2) is due to little attention given to English writing in schools, and the use of less appropriate or effective teaching approaches (Babalola, 2011). There is a special concern about the poor writing proficiency levels of learners, particularly in the Junior Secondary School (JSS) phase which is an exit to Senior Secondary School level where learners are expected to show strong academic literacy skills. Writing is a process which is central to learners’ learning across the curriculum and it enables learners not only to access knowledge from different sources, but also to display the acquired knowledge in different domains. Learners’ poor writing skills are a great concern given that English (L2) is the main medium of instruction at all levels of education in Nigeria. In light of the above, this study set out to explore the pedagogical strategies and problems encountered by both teachers and learners in English (L2) academic writing in Junior Secondary School (JSS 3) classrooms in the Ekiti State, Nigeria. Guided by Second Language Acquisition theory, the study explored the factors that influence second language learning, in relation to the sociocultural and contextual factors that influence learners’ writing abilities. Through the lens of the Genre Pedagogical Theory and the Social Constructivist theory, it investigated teachers’ pedagogical strategies in English (L2) writing, and analysed learners’ written texts in order to understand the extent to which they reflected the features of specific genres that support learners’ writing skills. Four JSS3 teachers in three schools were purposively selected to participate in the study. The study employed a qualitative research paradigm, underpinned by the interpretive theory. Through the use of an ethnographic design, the day-to-day happenings such as thoughts and engagements of both teachers and students in the English (L2) lessons were observed and recorded by means of an audio-recorder in order to build a comprehensive record of the participants’ practice in the classroom. In addition, both semi-structured and unstructured interviews were conducted with the individual teachers. The students’ written texts and other relevant documents were collected and analysed for the purpose of data triangulation. Ethical considerations such as informed consent, voluntary participation, respect and anonymity of participants were observed throughout the study. In this study, the findings show that the teaching of English (L2) writing is still a challenge to many teachers due to a variety of factors which include linguistic, pedagogical and structural factors. As a result, learners’ academic writing suffers, especially writing to learn at secondary school level. Specifically, the findings of this study indicate that the teachers made use of traditional teaching approaches in the teaching of English (L2) writing as against the approaches recommended in the curriculum. The study also reveals that most of the JSS(3) students’ level of proficiency in English writing is below the expected levels stipulated in the curriculum document, although some of them displayed good basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS), Other contributing factors to the learners’ low academic writing proficiency in English (L2) include teachers’ limited understanding and application of the Genre-Based Approach in teaching writing, inadequate language teaching and learning resources, learners’ limited exposure to English (L2) and limited writing opportunities. The study concludes that while the use of the Genre-Based Approach is not the only strategy to enhance learners’ writing skills, the teaching of writing remains crucial as it is central to language use in different knowledge domains. Students’ writing proficiency is critical for cognitive and socio-economic development as it has implications for students’ access to knowledge and academic literacy which spills over to tertiary education. In a country like Nigeria where the main language of instruction is English, there is a need to prioritise teacher development and to revisit the curriculum to determine how it meets the academic needs of learners in this century.

Master of Public Health - MPH / The Family Life and HIV/AIDS Education (FLHE) curriculum was introduced into Junior Secondary Schools (JSS) in Nigeria to provide young people with life skills and knowledge essential for protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS. However, coverage of schools with the FLHE curriculum implementation is low. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that affect the implementation of the FLHE curriculum in JSS in Abuja, Nigeria. This study was a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional survey. The study populations were teachers from public JSS implementing the FLHE curriculum in Abuja, among whom 300 teachers selected using systematic random sampling constituted the sample size. A close-ended anonymous questionnaire was administered to the research respondents as a self-administered questionnaire in English Language in their schools. A total of 300 questionnaires were administered of which 251 completed questionnaires were returned and analysed. Data analysis was undertaken using SPSS version 17 and included frequency distribution, mean score and standard deviation (univariate analysis), and cross tabulations of dependent variable (teaching of FLHE curriculum) and independent variables (awareness of HIV/AIDS policy and government directive; level of knowledge of the FLHE curriculum; level of comfort to teach FLHE curriculum; religious belief and affiliation; and cultural values of respondents). Chi-square tests and p-values were calculated to determine relationship between variables. Throughout this study, the autonomy of the respondents and dignity were respected; and their participation was voluntary. There was full disclosure of the purpose of the study. The respondents were assured of the confidentiality and anonymity of the information collected; and their written consent were secured prior to participation in the study. The majority (72%) of teachers in this study were aware of the National HIV/AIDS Policy and the government directive to mainstream topics in the FLHE curriculum into existing subjects (78%). Just above one-third (36%) of the teachers had ever seen a copy of the HIV/AIDS policy and knew all the content of the policy. The study revealed that only 5% of the teachers in schools implementing the FLHE curriculum had sufficient level of knowledge of the FLHE curriculum. Majority of the teachers (71%) knew the content of only one (HIV infection) out of the five themes in the curriculum, and 4 out of 5 of the teachers were comfortable in teaching the curriculum to students. The lack of sufficient level of knowledge of the FLHE curriculum and the content of the HIV/AIDS policy and government directive among majority of the teachers were major factors that affected the implementation of the curriculum. Awareness of the government directive (P= 0.000) as opposed to the HIV/AIDS policy (P= 0.772) among the teachers was found to be an important factor to harmonize implementation modalities of the curriculum. The study also noted that personal perception (P = 0.000), cultural values (P = 0.000) and religious belief (P = 0.000) of the teachers as opposed to their religious affiliation (P= 0.218) were important factors in the teaching of FLHE curriculum to students. This study has established that several factors among teachers that included awareness of the government directive to mainstream topics in the FLHE curriculum into subjects, knowledge of the content of the FLHE curriculum and personal perception to the teaching of the curriculum, as well as religious belief and cultural values affected the implementation of FLHE curriculum in JSS in Abuja, Nigeria.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Educational Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This study examined the degree of alignment between instructional practices and national curriculum standards, which may vary as a function of teacher characteristics. Using self-reports from teachers about their experiences teaching the national curriculum standards, the study explored three aspects of the alignments: (1) topic coverage, (2) level of difficulty for teachers to teach, and (3) level of difficulty for students to learn. While topic coverage is determined by the percentage of the national curriculum standards topics taught during the year of 2008-2009, the level of teacher difficulty to teach and the level of student difficulty to learn are assessed using a scale from 1 (very easy) to 4 (very difficult). I used mixed multilevel regression analyses to examine the relationships between alignments and teacher characteristics. The study involved 501 junior secondary school teachers from three western provinces in Indonesia (Lampung, Jakarta, and East Java) who teach the following nationally-assessed subjects: Indonesian, English, science, and mathematics. The findings showed that the majority of teachers taught 100% of the topics that were outlined in the national curriculum standards. Teachers generally found the topics easy to teach; however, students had some difficulty understanding the topics. In terms of the relationships of alignments with teacher characteristics, the findings suggested that these relationships varied. Theoretically, this research provides two contributions. First, lacking research in the area of curriculum standards and classroom instruction as mediator of student competencies, the findings of this study make an important contribution to the current research of the standards-based education system. Second, predicting alignments as a function of teacher characteristics in this study contributes to the theoretical discussion of teacher characteristics. As practical implications, the low level of the students' understanding required by the national standards is a problem that requires great concern from the government at all levels. Regarding topics, there is an urgent need to identify the specific topics that teachers think are difficult for the students to understand.

The debate on how students of different abilities should be organised and taught is probably as old as the introduction of formal schooling. It has generated a lot of debate in the past and continues to do so in the present millennium. This debate has invariably divided the world of educational research into two distinct camps. On one hand are proponents of ability grouping who claim that this grouping approach creates homogeneity which make it possible to tailor teaching to individual needs and thus raise achievement. On the other hand, are the exponents of mixed-ability grouping, who argue that ability grouping denies equality of educational opportunities to many young people, limiting their life chances and increasing social segregation. However, there is an emerging trend which posits that teachers should view students' mixed-abilities as an asset, which if properly exploited can result in effective instruction for the benefit of all students regardless of their many individual differences. This emanates from the realisation that there are different types of intelligences, and that it is not always possible for an individual student to posses all the types of intelligences. Therefore, students from diverse backgrounds, endowed with multiple intelligences, can help one another understand the content better as they will perceive the content from their diverse experiential backgrounds. This qualitative study concerned itself with investigating how mixed-ability grouping can be optimised for effective instruction at the junior secondary school level in Botswana. The study made use of literature study, focus groups, follow-up interviews and lesson observations. Major findings were that teachers are not optimising mixed-ability grouping for effective instruction. Instead, teachers have problems in teaching mixed-ability classes, with most of their teaching being teacher-centred. However, teachers can optimise mixed-ability grouping through the use of student-centred instructional strategies such as cooperative learning, small-group instruction, peer teaching and student research. Gifted students could be catered for through curriculum compaction, enrichment and extension work, while mentally challenged students could be offered remedial work. These cited teaching strategies are differential and they make use of the diverse abilities found in mixed-ability classes. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)