Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / A qualitative study was conducted to explore and describe the factors that hinder parent involvement in the High Five Life Skills Programme for at risk children. Parent involvement remains a challenging phenomenon, which affects not only the child, as an individual, but also the family in society. However, although parenting children is perceived to be an important responsibility, parents do not receive any formal training on how to be good parents. An explorative and descriptive research design was utilised. Data collection was done by means of semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, with the parents/guardians and children in the High Five Life Skills Programme, as well as the teachers, who refer children to the programme. The method of non-probability sampling, employed in this study was purposive sampling. The sample was selected on the basis of the researcher’s own knowledge, as well as the purpose of the study. Data were analysed using the nine steps proposed by Creswell. The results highlighted six barriers that hindered parent involvement in the High Five Life Skills Programme, namely, Low self-esteem of parents/caregivers and children; Lack of communications between all relevant parties - caregivers, teachers and the facilitators of the High Five Life Skills programme; Lack of role models: Parents’ not being role models as their own negative behaviour hindered their involvement; Lack of an emotional bond between parents and children, coupled with absent fathers; Lack of parents’ parental skills and support networks; and the lack of resources and support with transport to and from meetings, as well as child care for younger siblings. The participants, especially the children, freely expressed themselves, and contributed to the results; thereby assisting the researcher to explore the barriers that hinder parent involvement in the High Five Life Skills Programme. It is anticipated that the results of this current study will form a basis for the High Five Life Skills Programme to develop strategies that respond to the needs of the parents and children involved in the programme.

Technological innovation is increasingly contributing to the development of smart objects, meant as semi-autonomous devices augmented by sensing, processing and network capabilities that facilitate older adults being independent and in control of a healthy lifestyle. Given the lessened familiarity that the ageing population has with internet-based technologies, a 'digital divide' among generations is often observed. This research is premised on the basis that design interventions can develop intuitive and understandable smart objects minimising age-related differences and promote a greater technology adoption. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the understandability of smart objects for the ageing population could be supported through the application, at the product design level, of Smart Materials (SMs), a category of engineered materials whose properties can be designed to both stimulate human sensorial abilities and to develop engaging experiences. In line with such research enquiry, SMs are adopted in this thesis for their ability to embody 'analogies' and 'metaphors' into product designs and systematically stimulate the prior knowledge and memories of older adults to facilitate their understanding of new concepts, following the principle of 'familiarity'. Analogies and metaphors, powerful learning tools for written, verbal and visual communication, have been recently investigated as 'non-linguistic' tools, when physically embedded into product designs, to facilitate the users' understanding how technology works. How non-linguistic metaphors help to cope with age-related differences is still incomplete. In order to demonstrate that embodied SMs can minimise differences in the understandability of technologies across generations, a qualitative and exploratory study was conducted; empirical evidence was collected through four techniques to accomplish the following objectives: 1. identify critical areas that affect older adults' everyday life and that smart objects should cope with; 2. define a set of embodied Smart Materials to be included into the prototype of a Smart Radio, a novel communicative device specifically design for the ageing population; 3. evaluate the prototype of the Smart Radio, where age-related similarities and differences in the interpretation are made explicit. 62 participants (n=31 under-60-year-old and n=31 over-60-year-old participants) evaluated the developed Smart Radio, the main evaluation study conducted in this thesis, using four different families of SMs. Findings reveal that embodied SMs considerably help mitigate age-related differences in the understanding of smart objects; this in return may increase the chance of technology adoption among ageing users. The embodiment of Smart Materials that enable metaphorical processing shows promising improvements on the older adult's ability to reaffirm their own subjective awareness, hence control, of the world around them along with opportunities for a human-centred technology development.

Increasing access to higher education has led to a diversified student body, suggesting that conceptualising the ‘student experience' as homogeneous is no longer viable. Previous research reported that age and gender exert significant influences on the student experience, but this has generally taken a ‘snapshot' of those experiences rather than tracing differences over time. This study makes a contribution to this area by assessing changes in the student experience over the lifespan of the degree to explore the relative impact of age and gender (and the potential interaction between them). The study employed a longitudinal qualitative design to explore in-depth the experiences of sixty-one students over three years, using an innovative email research method. Data was analysed in two key ways: a thematic analysis of the findings which identified issues including confidence, friendships, social life, paid work and family commitments; the exploration of illustrative case studies used to highlight the experiences of ‘ideal type' students in four demographic groups. Key findings include the following: age and gender influenced the student experience, yet gender exerted the strongest influence. Mature male students were found to share more commonalities of experience with their traditional male counterparts than with female students of varying age. Of the variables which shape experiences, the thesis identified ‘external commitments' as the key factor. This was evidenced by the contrast between the mature female and male groups, with mature women reporting being constrained by family and home responsibilities, whereas mature men were able to create and maintain ‘separate worlds' of university and home life. The thesis argues that the ‘double shift' described as women entered the workplace, has become a triple shift for mature female students attempting to combine home, work and academic responsibilities; notwithstanding this context, this group are the higher performers academically.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Learners in mainstream schools have diverse learning needs and experience a variety of learning barriers. Many of the learners struggle to read and write, and are therefore in need of assistance to enhance their academic performance. In addition, schools and teachers tend to assess leaners predominantly through writing methods and prefer text-based approaches in the form of writing over numerous other forms of assessment methods prescribed in the National Policy Pertaining to the Programme and Promotion Requirements (NPPR) (DBE: 2012). However, there are other ways through which learners can be assessed. This study explored the use of scribes as an alternative method to assist learners with learning barriers. The study examined the challenges relating to alternative methods of assessment within the inclusive education paradigm which seeks to accommodate different learning needs in South African schools. The study investigated factors that influence the implementation of alternative assessment to assist learners with diverse learning barriers. This study was conducted within the framework of a qualitative case study research methodology. Data collection methods included the use of questionnaires, document analysis and semi-structured interviews with teachers in Cape Town at a primary school (which constituted the case). The research eek answers to the following research question to understand why the phenomena exist; What factors influence the use of alternative assessment methods such as the use of scribes? The research also aimed to understand teachers‟ views and perceptions regarding the implementation and processes of alternative assessment methods.

The focus of this thesis is a series of seven papers published in peer-reviewed journals over the last eleven years. The thesis takes the form of a critical appraisal of published work linking the data collected and conclusions drawn under an overarching critical framework: ‘Building relationships for learning: the role of professionals and paraprofessionals in supporting pupils’ learning and social inclusion.’ In this thesis I argue that the development of positive relationships is at the heart of learning, teaching and social inclusion and I identify two strands in my research which have investigated this issue. Strand One consists of three publications which explored the use of Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperrider & Whitney, 1999) to investigate and improve working relationships in the classroom. Doveston 2007- Paper 3, reported on my first classroom based action research project implemented in 2003 which identified key themes which were subsequently developed in research carried out in 2004 reported in Doveston and Keenaghan 2006- Papers 1 and 2: solution rather than problem focused exploration of capacity for change and growth, collaborative consultation, and skill development. Paper 1 applied the principles of Appreciative Inquiry to propose a theoretical framework for exploring and developing working relationships in the classroom whilst Paper 2 discussed the findings and implications from classroom projects that had utilised the approach. In the second strand, four publications investigated the development of professional and paraprofessional roles to support learning and social inclusion using semi-structured interviews and surveys. Traditionally relationships in the classroom were forged between pupil and pupil, or pupil and teacher. The evolution of the paraprofessional roles of Teaching Assistant, Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA), Learning Mentor and the professional role of the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo), have positioned the pupil within what can sometimes be a complex web of relationships. The research uncovered a shared commonality of experiences related to the status and recognition, deployment, and preparedness for the role of the SENCo and paraprofessionals explored in Rose and Doveston 2008- Paper 4, Jones, Doveston and Rose 2009- Paper 5, Devecchi et al., 2012- Paper 6, and Brown and Doveston 2014-Paper 7, which affect their ability to support pupils and teachers. The research was located within a qualitative paradigm and three distinct research methodologies are discernible within the seven papers submitted for PhD by published works: Appreciative Inquiry, Narrative Research and Mixed Methods. The principles of Social Constructionism (Gergen, 1973) underpinned the use of Appreciative Inquiry reported in Strand 1 and Narrative Research (Elliott, 2005) in three papers from Strand 2: Rose and Doveston 2008-Paper 4, Jones, Doveston and Rose 2009-Paper 5, and Devecchi et al., 2012- Paper 6. These research methodologies enabled the gathering of rich qualitative data from pupils and the adults who supported them to illuminate and generate new insights into the complex interplay of factors impacting on learning and social inclusion in school and classroom environments. Two further papers (Devecchi et al., 2012-Paper 6 and Brown and Doveston 2014Paper 7) employed a mixed methods approach although Devecchi et al., also employed semi-structured interviews in Phase 2 of the research project. The generation of both qualitative and quantitative data was pertinent in these two studies. Devecchi et al., 2012- Paper 6 was commissioned research and the funding body required quantitative data to help inform their understanding of how HLTAs were currently employed and deployed. Brown and Doveston 2014-Paper 7, used a survey as a starting point for an evaluation of a training programme whose first cohort contained 97 participants. It was the free text responses, however, which proved the most useful in highlighting issues relating to role and status that impacted on the capacity of SENCos and HLTAs to support learning and social inclusion.

Urban ecological restoration and the creation of urban green space has become a major focus for environmental organizations in Milwaukee, WI. This thesis examines the inclusivity practices of two Milwaukee organizations working on environmental restoration and asks the question, how can inclusive restoration be used to broaden the environmental justice framework? Literature was reviewed on the topics of Inclusive Restoration, Access to Green Space, and Environmental Justice. Through participant observations, interviews, and surveys, themes emerged regarding the perceived value of urban restoration, creation of green space, and how Inclusive Restoration is or is not used to enhance community engagement and further environmental justice discourse. The organizations were evaluated with regard to their inclusive restoration practices using the Multicultural Organization Development Model. Recommendations are offered with the intention of increasing the engagement of communities directly affected by organizational restoration practices with regard to project planning and volunteer participation.

Orientador: Claudia Regina Mosca Giroto / Banca: Rosimar Bortolini Poker / Banca: Silvia Regina Ricco Lucato Sigolo / Resumo: O Brasil passa por mudanças em seu contexto educacional, a fim de garantir educação a todos no ensino regular, particularmente no que diz respeito aos alunos público-alvo da Educação Especial: alunos com deficiências; transtornos globais do desenvolvimento (TGD); e altas habilidades/superdotação, conforme as políticas educacionais vigentes. Tais políticas delinearam a reorganização do sistema educacional, de maneira que a educação especial assumiu caráter transversal e de suporte ao ensino regular, desde a educação infantil ao ensino superior. Nesse sentido, os sistemas de ensino precisam se organizar na perspectiva da educação inclusiva, sendo que tal organização deve contemplar a oferta dos serviços dessa área em todas as etapas e níveis de escolarização para seu público-alvo. Comunidade, família, escola, funcionários, aluno, professor, gestores, secretarias municipais, estatais, federais, entre outras, são algumas relações que a Educação se vincula de forma que se faz necessário entende-las e como são estabelecidas para atender a heterogeneidade encontrada na sociedade. Tal reorganização deve estar comtemplada nos planos municipais de educação (PME) e, nesse sentido, a gestão municipal de educação tem papel fundamental na sistematização das ações pedagógicas propostas frente aos princípios da educação inclusiva, para a garantia de uma educação de qualidade a todos. Assim, o presente estudo teve por objetivo verificar como ocorre a organização e a gestão dos serviços da edu... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Brazil undergoes changes in its educational context in order to guarantee education for all in regular education, particularly with regard to the target public students of Special Education: students with disabilities; developmental disorders (TGD); and high skills / giftedness, according to the current educational policies. These policies outlined the reorganization of the educational system, so that special education assumed a transversal character and support to regular education, from kindergarten to higher education. In this sense, education systems need to be organized in the perspective of inclusive education, and such an organization must contemplate the provision of services in this area in all stages and levels of schooling for its target audience. Community, family, school, employees, student, teacher, managers, municipal, state, federal secretaries, among others, are some relationships that Education is linked in a way that it is necessary to understand them and how they are established to meet the heterogeneity found in society. Such a reorganization must be contemplated in the municipal education plans (PME) and, in this sense, the municipal education management has a fundamental role in the systematization of the pedagogical actions proposed against the principles of inclusive education, to guarantee a quality education to all. Thus, the present study aimed to verify how the organization and management of special education services occurs in the 14 municipaliti... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment for the degree of Masters of Education by coursework and research report. Johannesburg, March 2016 / Educators at full-service schools in South Africa are required by policy, to respond to the diversity of learners in the classroom by means of differentiating the learning environment, teaching methods employed and the manner in which the learners are assessed. Within the South African context, three studies relate specifically to differentiated instruction and multi-level teaching: Nel, Kempen and Ruscheinski (2011); de Jager (2013); Walton, Nel, Muller and Lebeloane (2014). The above research was concerned with using differentiated instruction to modify the curriculum of the ‘Learn Not To Burn’ Programme to make it accessible for learners at a special school, challenges with regard to implementing differentiated learning activities within a high school context and investigating responses of educators at a full-service school in the long term, to training they had undergone in multi-level teaching. The topic of this study aims to explore and describe Grade 7 Mathematics and English First Additional Language educators’ understanding, knowledge of and ability to apply differentiated instruction in relation to inclusive teaching and learning within a full-service school. The research was conducted at two, full-service schools in Gauteng, over the course of three weeks. There were six participants in total, including three Grade 7 Mathematics and three Grade 7 English educators. A qualitative research methodology was adopted. Data was collected by means of an initial questionnaire, a preliminary interview, classroom observations, document analysis (analysis of lesson plans and assessment tasks) and post-observation interviews. The patterns which arose from the data analysis were determined by initially summarising the data at an individual level for each participant and then comparing the six participants’ responses with each other in relation to the codes. An analysis of the GPLMS lesson plans indicated that the lesson plans specified core concepts of the curriculum, essential questions relating to the topic were evident, where the topic was divided into specific units to be covered in a particular order. Curricular strategies in relation to content, process and product were stated. However, a key pattern to emerge was that there is an over-reliance on GPLMS lesson plans as opposed to independent planning for differentiation. During classroom observations, the Grade 7 Mathematics and English educators identified big ideas when covering the curriculum, visual supports were evident; the educators varied the format of their instruction and demonstrated sensitivity to the learning needs of individual learners that had been identified during the lessons. While ‘common sense’ inclusive practices were observed, they cannot be described as differentiated instruction per se. The third pattern to emerge was that assessments were not differentiated optimally, as the focus was centred too heavily upon curriculum coverage and ensuring performance on the Annual National Assessment (ANA) exams. Results from this research suggest that at a basic level, some aspects of differentiated instruction are being included in Grade 7 Mathematics and English classrooms in full-service schools in Gauteng. This is not at a sufficient level to facilitate transformation and inclusion. (Key Words: Transformation, inclusion, differentiated instruction, full-service school, GPLMS lesson plans, curricular strategies, assessment tasks).

A presente dissertação tem como objetivo geral propiciar uma reflexão sobre as mudanças na educação a partir do olhar de profissionais especializados da Rede Municipal de Ensino de São Paulo que atuaram na inclusão de alunos com surdocegueira. Os objetivos específicos eram: pontuar elementos das histórias de vida das colaboradoras que participaram da pesquisa e sobre a sua atuação profissional, principal-mente na EMEBS; problematizar as escolhas e ações durante o exercício de sua profissão, visando com-preender seu olhar sobre o objetivo da educação; analisar os relatos dessas profissionais sobre as mu-danças metodológicas, buscando reunir informações sobre esse processo. As questões que nortearam o estudo foram: Como se deu a chegada de alunos com surdocegueira nessas unidades? O que essa che-gada causa nos professores especialistas? Como compreender a educação especial em uma perspectiva inclusiva, frente a uma escola bilíngue para Surdos? Qual o papel dos profissionais envolvidos nesse processo e qual a relevância de um espaço especializado? Optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa e as fontes primárias para a realização da pesquisa foram as histórias de vida de quatro colaboradoras, todas mulheres, todas da mesma unidade educacional. A coleta foi feita por meio de entrevistas orais e os critérios utilizados para a escolha das participantes foram: profissionais que atuassem ou tivessem atu-ado nas EMEBS; que soubessem Libras; que tivessem atuado direta ou indiretamente na inclusão de alunos com surdocegueira nessas unidades; e que tivessem interesse em contribuir, voluntariamente, com o estudo. Após da realização das entrevistas, todo o material em áudio foi transcrito, mas apenas parte das informações foram utilizadas em uma discussão que teve como base teórica as obras de Arendt, Adorno e Horkheimer. Foi possível propor e aprofundar algumas reflexões sobre a educação a partir da inclusão de alunos com surdocegueira. Pudemos constatar que a chegada desses alunos provocou, em um primeiro momento, resistência por parte de alguns profissionais. Entretanto, ações coletivas garan-tiram a entrada e a permanência desses alunos, com qualidade, na rede municipal de ensino. As reflexões seguiram duas categorias de análise: a concepção de educação dessas profissionais especializadas e a questão de como a ideia de normalidade comparece na EMEBS. Foi possível propor palavras-síntese para representar o olhar dessas educadoras: direito, acolhimento, respeito e responsabilidade. A soma desses diferentes olhares propiciou a inclusão, libertando esta palavra de sua origem etimológica, que remete à ideia de clausura. A reestruturação das EMEBS, a opção pelo exercício da profissão na rede pública e as experiências passadas dessas educadoras, favoreceram o estabelecimento de um repertório que permitiu a formulação de respostas novas. Foi possível perceber que a EMEBS é um lugar que tem estabelecido teias de relações, não apenas com outros profissionais da rede municipal de ensino, como também com pessoas da Comunidade Surda e pessoas com surdocegueira adultas, constituindo-se como um espaço bicultural. Essa reflexão passou a apresentar-se como chave para a compreensão da perspec-tiva inclusiva. Este trabalho também buscou registrar uma versão que se afasta do discurso do fracasso da educação pública / The general objective of the present dissertation is to propitiate a reflection on the changes in education from the view of specialized professionals who took part in the process of the inclusion of students with deafblindness in the municipal education network of São Paulo. Its specific goals are to point out the cooperators life history and their professional performance, especially in the EMEBS (Municipal School of Bilingual Education for the Deaf); question their choices and actions as professionals, in order to comprehend how they understand education; analyze their stories on the methodological changes, trying to gather information about this process. The guiding questions of this study were: How do the students with deafblindness get to these educational units? What do their arrival cause in the specialized profes-sionals? How can we understand the special education in an inclusive perspective, facing a bilingual school for the Deaf? What is the involved professionals role and whats the importance of a specialized space? Weve chosen the qualitative approach and the primary sources for the execution of the research were the life histories of four cooperators, all women, all from the same educational unit. The collection was done through oral interviews and the criteria for the selection of the participants were: professionals who work or had worked in the EMEBS; who knew Libras; who had worked directly or indirectly in the inclusion of students with deafblindness in these units; and who had the interest to contribute, vol-untarily, with this study. After recording the interviews, all the audio material was transcribed, but only part of the information was used in a discussion that had as a theoretical basis the studies of Arendt, Adorno and Horkheimer. It was possible to propose and to deepen some of the ideas related to the education from the inclusion of students with deafblindness. We could ascertain that the arrival of these students caused, in a first moment, resistance of some of the professionals. However, collective actions guaranteed the entrance and the permanence of these students, with quality, in the municipal education network. The reflections followed two categories of analyses: the notion of education of the specialized professionals and the question of how the idea of normality is present in the EMEBS. It was possible to propose some synthesis-words to represent the point of view of these educators: right, welcoming, respect and responsibility. The sum of these different views fostered the inclusion, making this word get free from its etymological origin, that refers to the idea of enclosure. In the very structure of the EMEBS, the option to work as a professional in the public schools, and the past experiences of these educators, promoted the establishment of a repertoire that enabled the shaping of new answers. With the reflections, it was possible to comprehend that the EMEBS are places where a web of relations are being settled, not only with other professionals of the municipal education network, but also with adult people from the Deaf Community and adult persons with deafblindness, arising as a bicultural space. These thoughts became a key for the comprehension of the inclusive perspective. This research aimed to register a version that gets apart from the failure discourse of public education

The concepts of an inclusive classroom, inclusion, co-teaching, and disability have been called poorly defined and in need of fresh conceptual analyses. In Chapter 1, I respond to this call for further analysis and then demonstrate, using current educational headlines, that these concepts of `an inclusive classroom,' `inclusion,' `co-teaching,' and `having a disability' are not just issues that are discussed in academia, but are also current issues in schools, courtrooms, and statehouses. In Chapter 2, the Literature Review examines philosophical literature of inclusive education, legislative and judicial history, and service delivery models for special education. In Chapter 3, Methods: A Conceptual Analysis, we examine the history and practice of conceptual analysis, and then look at the models of conceptual analysis as detailed by Jonas Soltis. Chapter 4, Conceptual Analyses, is the core of this dissertation, containing a generic analysis of the `inclusive classroom,' differentiation analyses of `inclusion,' and `co-teaching,' and a generic analysis of `having a disability.' Finally, in Chapter 5, Discussion, we examine implications for further research and conclusions.