Heeding current best practice, many teachers prioritize student-centered instruction as the most effective pedagogy to achieve student learning. However, preservice teachers at a small, southeastern U.S. university have expressed reservations in executing student-centered instructional methods when they become lesson facilitators. The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine whether probational elementary teachers have the knowledge and skill set to execute student-centered instruction and identify the characteristics of this method based on their preservice experiences. The conceptual framework consisted of constructivist, humanism, and social learning, theories . The four research questions focused on participants' understanding of student-centered and teacher-centered pedagogical methods, whether or not their understandings changed in practice, and what factors influenced those changes. Purposeful sampling provided 5 probationary elementary teachers who had graduated from the same university. Data included 3 semistructured interviews, 2 classroom observations, and a review of instructional materials. Data were inductively coded and analyzed throughout the collection process. Findings revealed that each participant practiced and could theoretically identify the characteristics of both student-centered and teacher-centered methods; however, they could not identify these characteristics consistently in their own practices. Findings indicated that preservice teachers needed more exposure to student-centered pedagogy. Teachers who develop proficiency with student-centered pedagogy may be better able to empower students to solve problems, make decisions, advocate, and negotiate relationships with others. These characteristics are the foundation for active citizenship making positive social change possible.

The purpose of this descriptive, mixed-method study was to explore a possible relationship between teacher beliefs and their philosophy of teaching. A theoretical framework depicted connections among levels of science anxiety and science teaching self-efficacy, and their influences on elementary teacher instructional preferences for a traditional or inquiry-based model of instruction. A card-sorting methodology was adapted to create an interview protocol that examined teacher instructional practices within the framework of an inquiry continuum. Teacher groups were identified quantitatively with two existing instruments to examine science anxiety and science teaching self-efficacy. Subtests of both the Science State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) were administered through an online survey and completed by 86 elementary teachers of science in a large urban school district. From the survey data teachers were grouped by levels of anxiety and self-efficacy in order to further examine their beliefs. Results identified three groups of teachers meriting additional investigation - low anxiety and high self-efficacy, high anxiety and low self-efficacy, and high anxiety and high self-efficacy. From these groups, eight total participants were interviewed using a semi-structured protocol consisting of a science teaching scenario card sort and open-ended questions to classify groups of teachers as primarily learner- or teacher-centered, and preferring a traditional or inquiry-based method of instruction. Based on qualitative coding for levels of inquiry and responses to questions probing teacher beliefs and practices, all of the teachers were classified as preferring a primarily teacher-centered model of instruction, thus upholding the theoretical framework for the high anxiety groups. In contradiction to the expectations described in the theoretical framework, the low anxiety and high self-efficacy group stated one of the strongest preferences for traditional instruction. In conclusion the low anxiety group may have preferred a traditional approach in order to meet campus expectations of instructional strategies that promote passing scores on standardized tests. Implications suggest that explicit instruction is needed on the essential features of inquiry for teachers during the preservice and induction phase of their careers, and additional professional development support for practicing elementary teachers. / text

This study reports on an exploration of one group’s experience of making the transition from a teacher-centred to a learner-centred computer-rich classroom. The learners’ experiences are investigated in the light of the premises of learner-centred learning as they are defined by the American Psychological Association. The researcher seeks to identify the factors that would make the transition to a more learner-centred learning environment easier for learners and provides some factors that teachers need to consider if they wish successfully to transform their classrooms to a learner-centred learning environment. A case study examines the reactions of one group of learners to the transition. Learners were required to complete three types of projects. These projects were on different levels of learner-centeredness. The data was collected in three main ways: from participant observation, interviews and focus-group discussions, and from an analysis of the assessment results on the projects. The study concluded that learners had to learn how to cope and perform well in a learner-centred class environment, and that the matriculation examination at the end of the year undermines the effectiveness of learning in a learner-centred learning environment. / Dissertation (MEd(Computer-integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

The aim of this study explicates both the dynamics in theoretical and practical perspectives of novice and experienced practitioners on the effects of a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education. This programme is designed and developed with the dual purposes to empower higher education, training, and development practitioners to facilitate learning in an innovative way and to ensure transfer of learning. Following the global critique on the lack of training of novice practitioners, the lack of training of experienced practitioners; quality teaching and learning in higher education, improvement and reform of teaching in higher education, and transfer as “an ultimate goal that has thus far proved elusive” (Pedersen&Liu 2003:313), the enquiry exposed key results and insights into the programme, transfer, and higher education. Quantitative data from seven case studies enhanced holistic understanding sprouting from internal and external influences on learners in comparrison to the teoretical paradigm and outcomes set by the programme. This paradigm nutures factors driving transfer, innovative teaching strategies and approaces employed by the programme and South African educational system. The study substantiated transferred professional and personal development and ideological change attributing to competence as three major findings. This study therefore suggests that it is possible to attribute current competence, knowledge, facilitating skills, attitudes, and values to the programme as initial learning provider. The greatest inhibitor to transfer appeared to be a deification of traditional forms of education agains the modern paradigm as well as insificient cencern with a substantial knowledge base and facilitating skills. Recommendations includes modelling of principles of approaches to teaching and learning regarding OBE, learner-centrered, adult learning, the accomodation of learning style and integration of “multiple layers of meaning and experience rather than defining human possibilities narrowly” (Miller 2003). The findings and recommendations constitute greater attention to the facilitators of learning’s ways of knowing in the classroom as critical to supporting adult learning and growth. The study employed a lens through which learning and teaching experiences are and could be filtered, given developmentally appropriate supports and challenges to enhance facilitating skills and competencies to meet the demands of the changing nature of work and learning. Therefore, turning to a specific alternative (and surely not flawless) application of the messages carried by interpretation of theory transferred to the art of teaching and training practices, this study portrays the broader concept of symbolic inversion and transgression. The study becomes the variety of facts and figures, of form and future in the wholeness and limitations of being, belonging and seeing in higher education. The interior translation of the inputs and process of a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education by the facilitators of learning who participated in this programme hold the multiple ways of more sustained and more profound effect in their teaching practice, translating learning into the real and living world. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / PhD / unrestricted

In our increasingly competitive world, it is critical that college graduates enter the workplace with the appropriate skills to not only survive but also grow their career. Current college graduates have not consistently acquired the skills needed for success in the workplace to learn and thrive continuously in our rapidly changing world. The Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Science must identify the specific strategies that develop best the needed skills for the success of the graduate and society The purpose of the study was to identify a land grant college of agriculture and life sciences' (LGCALS) current programmatic and classroom strategies for developing students' ability to learn and thrive continuously in our rapidly changing world and a (1) explore programmatic strategies for developing students' ability to continuously learn and thrive; (2) explore innovative instructors classroom strategies for developing students' ability to learn and thrive continuously; (3) describe graduates perceptions of career readiness as measured through the bases of competence inventory, and finally; (4) compare programmatic strategies, classroom strategies and graduates' perceptions for career readiness. A mixed methods convergent parallel design guided the research. Qualitative interviews were employed for exploring experiences using an interpretive, constructivist, and naturalistic approach for research objectives 1 and 2. A cross sectional survey design and questionnaire, Making the Match, was used to conduct the quantitative research for objective 3. The mixed methods portion of the convergent parallel design was used to frame and explore research objective 4. Findings of the study detail need for curriculum improvement in problem solving, learning, time management, creativity and change, and personal strengths. / Ph. D.

George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion (1912) and its musical adaptation, My Fair Lady (1956) offer 20th century’s most famous example of dialect acquisition: the transformation of Eliza Doolittle under the tutelage of Professor Henry Higgins. The opportunity to work on Barksdale Theatre’s production of My Fair Lady (2012), both as the actress playing Eliza Doolittle and as a dialect coach for the production, prompted an analysis of the dialect pedagogy of Henry Higgins. The centenary of Pygmalion is also a prime juncture to document, in contrast or complement to Higgins’ model, contemporary theories and techniques of dialect pedagogy. Chapter one of this thesis explores the ideology of dialect acquisition, addressing the issues of dialect prestige and standard speech. Chapter two examines the rapport between teacher/coach and learner/actor, including a comparison of teacher-centered and learner-centered pedagogies and the influence of expectancy theories on learner growth. Chapter three details the methods of dialect acquisition, addresses language learning theories as applied to dialect learning, and offers practical exercises and techniques. The conclusion outlines areas of future consideration to enhance the dialect acquisition process in the classroom and rehearsal hall.

District administrators face concerns over students dropping out of school without a high school diploma. District personnel in a Mississippi urban school district identified specific curricular, instructional, and co-curricular factors that prompted students to leave school. The purpose of this bounded qualitative case study was to explore perceptions of principals, teachers, and counselors regarding factors that influenced students' disengagement and dropping out of school. Battin-Pearson's theory of academic mediation, which attributes poor academic performance and student-centered learning to students dropping out, framed this study. The research questions focused on how district personnel identified and monitored at-risk students and provided interventions to prevent them from disengaging and dropping out. A purposeful sample of 2 principals, 5 teachers, and 2 counselors, who had knowledge of dropout prevention strategies, volunteered and participated in semistructured interviews and classroom observations. Data were analyzed inductively using segment and thematic coding. Results indicated a multi-tiered system of support was used to identify and monitor at-risk students. Participants expressed a need to build cohesive and collaborative learning communities and relationships, provide student guidance and support, engage more with students, and provide targeted professional development (PD) for educators. Based on these findings, a 3-day PD was developed to address student engagement and dropout prevention. These endeavors may contribute to positive social change by providing educators with learner-centered strategies through a collaborative, flexible blended-learning PD aimed at identifying and assisting at-risk students, resulting in an increase in graduation rates and reduce in dropouts.

Taiwan English teachers in secondary schools are facing a new challenge of having to teach listening comprehension skills to their students. Many instructors are not equipped to deliver adequate listening instruction although listening comprehension has become a benchmark for senior high students aspiring to enter a tertiary institution and earn a college degree. Instructors, students, parents, administrators, and members of the Ministry of Education agree that there is a need to meet the demands of the National English Curriculum Standards. Weimar's approach of learner-centered teaching served as the conceptual foundation for this study since the focus was on ways teachers could work collaboratively to learn evidence-based strategies for teaching listening comprehension skills. Guided by 4 research questions, the study investigated the perspectives of 4 teacher-participants at a Northern District Senior High regarding the process of teaching listening comprehension. In this qualitative study, an inductive analysis was used to define themes and concepts to discern any patterns and relationships connected with the data collected: interviews, classroom observation and unobtrusive measures. The findings showed that teacher-led peer coaching, via collegial collaboration, led to the building of teaching communities and more effective use of evidence-based strategies for improving the teaching of listening comprehension. This improved teacher pedagogy may lead to a positive social change whereby teachers have skills for teaching listening comprehension and students are better prepared for further schooling. Components of the project also can be used by other school districts and educational organizations where the administration can use the model to further advance similar workforce capacity in teaching L2 learners listening instruction.

本研究旨在觀察了解利用電子白板融入英文教學，輔以學習者為中心的教學理念讓國中九年級的學生利用合作學習的機會來完成演示任務的過程。本研究方法採質性研究，採用兩班共選四組十六名九年級學生做為觀察對象，利用課堂觀察，訪談，及教師反思日誌，著重在觀察老師、學生與電子白板三者之間的互動過程，學生學習態度以及老師對於自己教學方式的省思。 經由本研究發現學生能接受新的電子白板教學方式，電子白板的多媒體教材能吸引較低成就學生的學習興趣，進而增加其跟電子白板互動的意願。學生剛開始不能適應學習者為中心的教學法，在團隊合作方面通常都以組長為中心擔負過多工作，有責任分配不均的問題。部分學生只被動地接受組長分派工作，甚至有學生完全沒有參與。進一步分析後發現學生因缺乏相關合作經驗、指導與長期競爭的升學壓力下，在過程中對於此計畫有諸多抱怨，認為本計畫壓縮他們學習時間進而影響之後的升學考試；但是在經過幾次成功完成演示任務後，學生開始產生信心而改變對此教學法的態度。因此雖然電子白板有其缺點，但學生仍對於電子白板融入教學活動保持正面態度。 以研究者同時為教學者的角度而言，有了電子白板教師能方便提供貼近生活的補充教材，設計文法互動遊戲，刺激學生學習意願。然而電子白板也有其缺點，包括尺寸限制、反光、燈光昏暗導致學生上課精神不佳等問題。更重要的是，實施學習者為中心的電子白板教學為身為教師的一大挑戰，教師要轉換身分為學生學習的輔助者、適應並開發電子白板的教學軟體、承受學生們質疑此項計畫的聲音並且在不拖累教學進度下實行本研究，這些在在都成為教師的壓力來源。然而在看到學生的進步及態度的轉變，再加上觀察者的鼓勵及其對於電子白板的教學也產生興趣後，教師也發現電子白板所帶來的改變及其效益而有所改觀。透過本研究同時也發現教師需要更多的資源與協助來完成電子白板的教學。最後，研究者提出相關的建議以作為未來電子白板教學研究的參考。 / The purpose of the study was to investigate the process of utilizing the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) and the learner-centered instruction and having four groups of sixteen 9th graders, who belonged to two classes, cooperated to accomplish presentation tasks. Grounded in qualitative inquiry, the study used classroom observation, group interviews, and the teacher’s log as the data for analysis. Focusing on the process of interaction between the students and the IWB, the students’ attitudes, and the teachers’ own reflections after implementing the IWB plan. It was found that the students accepted the new IWB instructional plan because of its multimedia teaching material, which facilitated some low achievers’ interests making them willing to interact with the IWB. As for the students’ performances, the researcher found that the students were not used to the learner-centered instruction. The group leaders were usually responsible for the majority of works and caused an unfair share of works among group members. Some students stayed passive and only received the work from their group leaders, and some did not involve in the group activities and presentations at all. After further investigation, it was found that the students were lack of experience and teacher’s guidance. Furthermore, they were long under the competitive educational culture. They thought that doing such cooperative tasks would take up their study time and further affect the effort they make for the high school entrance examination, so they had a lot of complaints during the plan. However, after several times of accomplishing the presentation tasks together, the students started to gain confidence and change their attitudes. Although there were some drawbacks, the students eventually held positive attitudes toward the IWB instructional plan. From the teacher/researcher’s point of view, with the IWB, the teacher could also provide the students with some authentic materials and design some grammar games for the students to learn. However, there were still some disadvantages of the tool, including size limitation, sun reflection, and the dark light which made the students feel sleepy. Most importantly, it was a great challenge for the teacher/researcher to implement the plan. The teacher had to first change her role from a dominator to a facilitator, adjust the program and develop some games from the IWB, implement the plan under the pressure of the students’ complaints while following the school-required teaching schedule in the meantime. Seeing the progress of the students’ performances and their change of attitudes, together with the encouragement of two observers and the other English teachers’ interests in the plan, the teacher/researcher changed her attitudes toward the plan as well. The results of the study suggest that more resources and supports are needed for teachers to achieve the IWB plan. Finally, other suggestions for the IWB instructional plan are provided for further studies.

The aim of this study was to investigate how well pre-service teachers are being prepared by the Computers in Education course to integrate computers into their teaching methods by the Faculty of Education at the Instituto Superior de Ciências de Educação (ISCED) in Lubango, Angola. The study used a constructivist learning event devised by the researcher to assess how well the selected sample of pre-service teachers were able to use computers and the Internet to fulfil a series of tasks contained in the constructivist learning event under carefully controlled research conditions. After they had completed these tasks under experimental conditions, the researcher and her two assistants used various means to assess the performance of the participating groups in these activities. A qualitative case study approach was used for this study. The case study took place at ISCED in Lubango because ISCED is the only institution of higher education in Angola that uses computers to prepare pre-service teachers to integrate computer technology with their teaching. The course in which this takes place is known as the Computers for Education course. Twenty-one pre-service teachers and the two Information and Communication Technology (ICT) teachers of the Computers for Education from ISCED participated voluntarily in the study. The data collection instruments used included questionnaires for the pre-service teachers and ICT teachers; observation checklists for the pre-service teachers; interviews of pre-service teachers and ICT teachers, and scoring rubrics for the pre-service teachers’ task assessment documents. The data analysis method used in this study was that of interpretive analysis. The theoretical framework used to scaffold this study was the theory of constructivism devised by Bruner (1966). Bruner states that constructivism is the “theory of learning, where learning is seen as an active process in which students construct new ideas or concepts based upon their current or past knowledge”. In constructivist learning events of this kind, students select and transform information, construct hypotheses and make their own decisions in reliance upon their own cognition and previous knowledge and experience. Cronjé’s Model of Four Quadrants (2000), which enables a researcher to plot objectivism as complementary to constructivism, was used by the researcher as the basis for an analysis of data. The Model of Four Quadrants describes how learning theories such as behaviourism and constructivism exist as opposites in the quadrant upon which the model is based. An objectivist or behaviourist approach to teaching and learning assumes that knowledge exists essentially and independently outside the minds of both learners and teachers, and behaviourist methods of teaching effect a transfer of objective knowledge from the mind of the teacher to the mind of the student. In contrast to this, the constructivist approach is based on the assumption that all meanings are subjectively constructed in the human mind, and that learners acquire knowledge (and therefore education) by creating their own meanings while engaging in the solution of authentic learning tasks devised by the teacher. Constructivism does not recognise the existence of any kind of objectively independent shared reality that can be transferred materially from one mind to another. Although these two approaches are radically different from one another, and although they exist conceptually as polar opposites in Cronjé’s Model, elements from both models can be utilised to achieve a desired learning outcome. What the researcher has suggested in her analysis, conclusions and recommendations is that elements from both learning theories described in the model can be successfully used to teach ISCED students how to integrate computer technology into their teaching. Current teaching and learning practices at ISCED are predominantly behaviourist in method and outcomes since the ICT teachers at ISCED use mainly the lecture method for teaching. For formative assessment, the present teachers use question and answer methods. For summative assessment, they use multiple-choice questions, schedules that require students to insert information into blank spaces, projects, and essay-type questions. In contrast to this, they use learner-centred constructivist forms of teaching such as projects, group work and verbal expression of appreciation to encourage learner performance. The teaching of the Computers in Education course at ISCED may therefore be said to combine both behaviourist and constructivist methods of teaching. / Dissertation (MEd (Computer Integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / MEd / unrestricted