Aim To demonstrate an improvement in the management of sexual health promotion and problems by health professionals in general practice after they had participated in learning about sexual health. Objectives 1. To establish if the literature suggests that promotion of sexual health is appropriate in pnmary care 2. To determine from health professionals in general practices: a) the current management of sexual health b) the amount and perceived usefulness of training in sexual health c) current knowledge, attitudes and skills in sexual health by self-assessment d) what further training was desired e) their response to learning activities in sexual health promotion f) perceived barriers to learning activities among the responders who did not access them.Method Following the literature search, a postal questionnaire was sent to health professionals in general practices in North Staffordshire. Learning opportunities were offered and audit outcomes recorded. Those who wanted further learning, but did not take up the activities offered, were surveyed. Results Few health professionals had received more than five days pre-qualification training in sexual health and nearly all would like to learn more. One third took up the activities offered during a twelve-month period and showed improvement in their management of sexual health. Lack of protected time for learning was given as a common reason for non-participation. Conclusions The literature survey suggested that clinical staff competency to manage sexual health promotion and problems would benefit patient health. Learning of varied types, together with audit activities, needs further investigation for efficacy in improving the abilities of health professionals to promote sexual health and manage sexual health problems. Without protected time for learning, it seems likely that only a minority of health professionals will be willing or able to fill the gaps in their knowledge and skills.

Yes / This report is a summary of the activity and findings of a small-scale educational research project conducted as the part of the Fourth Cohort of the Inter/National Coalition for Research into Electronic Portfolios. The project was conducted between 2007 and 2010 at the University of Bradford in the UK. It investigates how academic staff are utilising eportfolio tools to support learner development, particularly within specific modules of study. In particular it aims to identify strategies that contribute to the development of learner autonomy. Modules from a range of subject areas: Psychology, Midwifery, Geography and Combined Studies were included in the study.

The overall aim of this study is to provide insight into entrepreneurial learning behavior and activities which could possibly serve as a model for others regardless of whether they pursue entrepreneurial career or not. As there is limited literature on entrepreneurial learning, the first part focuses on providing overview of existing literature on learning theory and the study of entrepreneurship. Based on this theory propositions about entrepreneurial learning behavior were formed. Second part is focused on empirical testing and analysis of the data identified by the research. The research is grounded upon interviews and survey of 25 entrepreneurs managing growing start-ups from Slovakia and Czech Republic. Based on the research findings suggestions are formulated with regards to effective learning behavior.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to survey the educational activities offered for persons age sixty and over in Southern Baptist churches in a five-state area (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) and to determine if there are significant differences (1) in the preferences shown by older persons between church-sponsored instrumental and expressive learning activities and (2) between the number of church-sponsored instrumental and expressive learning activities. The population for the study consisted of 114 Southern Baptist churches in ten selected metropolitan areas identified as providing educational activities, other than Bible study, for adults age sixty and over. Data were collected by a questionnaire mailed to these 114 churches. The data from the responses were tabulated, compared, and summarized, using descriptive statistical procedures.

The nurturing of critical thinking skills is one of the cornerstones of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). This study investigated to what extent teachers create classroom climates that nurture the development of critical thinking abilities. A literature study was undertaken to highlight the importance and nature of the development of critical thinking skills, and to establish the relationship between classroom climate and the development of critical thinking abilities. The use of teaching methods and strategies, learning activities, questioning techniques, the role of the teacher and the role of the learner during teaching and learning in the classroom were explored. The literature review provided the conceptual framework for the study, as well as the framework for designing a questionnaire that was utilized to obtain the perceptions of teachers and learners regarding the opportunities provided by teachers for the development of critical thinking abilities in the classroom. By means of quantitative, non-experimental descriptive survey research, a self-constructed questionnaire was administrated to a convenient sample of a purposively selected group of Grade 9 and Grade 11 teachers (n=241) and learners (n=403) in the Sedibeng West District of the Gauteng Department of Education. The triangulation of learner and teacher data revealed differences and similarities in opinion related to the classroom climates that teachers create for nurturing critical thinking. In essence, the data revealed that teachers are, to some extent, creating classroom climates that nurture critical thinking through their choice of teaching methods and strategies, questioning techniques and the learning activities that they choose. However, the responses did not convincingly indicate to the researcher that the nurturing of critical thinking skills takes place on a regular and frequent basis. According to the learner responses, it appeared that teaching and learning methods and strategies that promote interactive learning, are underutilized by the teachers. This study is concluded with recommendations to teachers on how to create classroom climates that promote the development of critical thinking skills. Key words: cognition, cognitive development, critical thinking, classroom climate, teaching methods and strategies, learning activities, questioning techniques. / M.Ed., North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / This study investigates “why adults participate in learning activities” and “what barriers deter adults from participating in learning activities.” Learning activities can include informal learning initiatives and formal education programmes. According to Larson and Milana (2006) “the question of why some people participates in adult education and training while others don’t thus” (p. 2) is as relevant and urgent as ever as we want to make lifelong learning accessible for everybody. While working at a Community College in the Western Cape (South Africa), for the period October 2007 until June 2010, I have observed and noticed that many of the learners who entered the different programmes were all of a certain age. Many of them experienced an excess of barriers deterring them from participation in learning. For the purpose of this study, I am going to use the Chain-of-Response (COR) Model by Cross (1981a) to investigate specifically the situational barriers affecting those learners. Cross (1981a) developed the COR model. The rationale behind it was to better understand what urges people to participate in higher education or learning institutions. This model can be seen as cyclic, and involves seven steps developed by Cross (1981a) which have different impacts on the decision-making process of whether to enter or participate and persist in an adult learning course. Cross (1981a) argues that “an adult’s participation in a learning activity is not an isolated act but is the result of a complex chain of responses based on the evaluation of the position of the individual in their environment” (p. 36). Responses leading to participation tend to originate within the individual, as opposed to outside forces; it can either encourage or discourage participation in learning.

<p>This dissertation aimed to study the effects of rationale generation on college students’ autonomous motivation. Specific research questions were: (1) to investigate the relations among rationale generation, motivation, and learning through the lens of SDT; (2) to examine the causal effects of rationale generation on autonomous motivation and learning performance; and (3) to understand students’ perceptions of successful motivation strategies during uninteresting but required academic activity. An explanatory sequential mixed method design was used to answer these questions. </p>

The aim of this thesis is to explore a brand new learning activity named Mission-based Learning (MBL), which is based on the Complex Problem Learning. Two research objectives are to develop the designing principles for MBL and to analyze the relationship among entrepreneurship, learning strategy and performance while learners participating Mission-based learning activities in groups. According to the concept of ARCS model proposed by Keller, we developed six designing principles for MBL activities; they are (1) Commitment (2) Risk-taking (3) Persistence (4) Positive Self-talk (5) Self-reflection and (6)_ Self-improvement. According to the designing principles we developed, we designed and conducted two real MBL activities, ¡§Searching and Backtracking of Chinese Family Names¡¨ and ¡§Unified Invoice¡¨ using the K12 digital school (http://ds.k12.edu.tw/). We adopted all the student groups that participated MBL activities from the beginning to the end as valid samples. Then we took the whole participated groups as valid samples and analyzed their narratives by content analysis. We explored the relationship among entrepreneurship, learning strategy and performance for groups participating in Mission-based learning activities. Our study has found that the participated groups with competitive aggressiveness would favore adopting action control as learning strategy in doing the two MBL activities. We also found that the participated groups with higher competitive aggressiveness would have a higher performance in two MBL activities. Moreover, we found that the relationship between learning strategy and performance would be affected by different orientations of MBL activities. The participated groups with good adaptation of information-processing strategy will show a higher performance in knowledge-deep oriented MBL activities. And the participated groups with good adaptation of action control strategy will show a higher performance in knowledge-wide oriented MBL activities. To effectively applying MBL activity, some suggestions are provided for teachers. (1) Participating groups should be well-informed the meaning and spirit of MBL activities before their participation. (2) All groups should be working independently and autonomously by minimizing teacher¡¦s intervention. (3) In order to strengthen the action control strategies of participated groups, adequate psychological scaffolding should be provided by teachers during groups participated in MBL.

The nurturing of critical thinking skills is one of the cornerstones of Outcomes Based Education (OBE). This study investigated to what extent teachers create classroom climates that nurture the development of critical thinking abilities. A literature study was undertaken to highlight the importance and nature of the development of critical thinking skills, and to establish the relationship between classroom climate and the development of critical thinking abilities. The use of teaching methods and strategies, learning activities, questioning techniques, the role of the teacher and the role of the learner during teaching and learning in the classroom were explored. The literature review provided the conceptual framework for the study, as well as the framework for designing a questionnaire that was utilized to obtain the perceptions of teachers and learners regarding the opportunities provided by teachers for the development of critical thinking abilities in the classroom. By means of quantitative, non-experimental descriptive survey research, a self-constructed questionnaire was administrated to a convenient sample of a purposively selected group of Grade 9 and Grade 11 teachers (n=241) and learners (n=403) in the Sedibeng West District of the Gauteng Department of Education. The triangulation of learner and teacher data revealed differences and similarities in opinion related to the classroom climates that teachers create for nurturing critical thinking. In essence, the data revealed that teachers are, to some extent, creating classroom climates that nurture critical thinking through their choice of teaching methods and strategies, questioning techniques and the learning activities that they choose. However, the responses did not convincingly indicate to the researcher that the nurturing of critical thinking skills takes place on a regular and frequent basis. According to the learner responses, it appeared that teaching and learning methods and strategies that promote interactive learning, are underutilized by the teachers. This study is concluded with recommendations to teachers on how to create classroom climates that promote the development of critical thinking skills. Key words: cognition, cognitive development, critical thinking, classroom climate, teaching methods and strategies, learning activities, questioning techniques. / M.Ed., North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010