O homem produz conhecimentos científicos e tecnológicos que interferem em seu cotidiano. Para que todo cidadão possa compreender como essas novas tecnologias vão afetar a sua vida se faz necessária uma compreensão do conhecimento básico a respeito da genética, dos mecanismos de transmissão das características hereditárias, bem como de genética molecular, da estrutura do material genético, o DNA. Nessa fase, o aprendizado, conforme descrito por Kolb (1984) pode ser compreendido como um processo de ressignificação da realidade, que ocorre por meio da relação dialética entre as experiências anteriores e a reflexão com relação a novas informações adquiridas pelo sujeito. Este mesmo autor, com base nesse processo dialético de aprendizagem, desenvolveu o ciclo de aprendizagem experiencial composto por quatro modelos de aprendizagem: experiência concreta (EC), a observação reflexiva (OR), a conceitualização abstrata (CA) até alcançar a experiência ativa (EA). Por meio dos modelos expostos e da relação dialética entre eles, Kolb desenvolveu categorias de estilos de aprendizagem (acomodadores, assimiladores, convergentes, divergentes) nas quais seria possível verificar o perfil que se adequa a cada fase do aprendizado. O ambiente cultural em associação com o ambiente de ensino estabelece o estilo de aprendizado de cada aluno influenciando no modo de aprender. Desta forma, a cultura e os estilos de aprendizagem caminham correlatos e influenciam no comportamento do aluno. Neste sentido, Geert Hofstede (1980) apresentou um método de identificação de dimensões culturais (distância hierárquica, individualismo versus coletivismo, masculinidade versus feminilidade, aversão a incerteza e orientação a longo prazo). Neste contexto, este trabalho foi desenvolvido com alunos de biologia do ensino médio de uma escola particular de Guaratinguetá-SP para trabalhar o conceito do DNA objetivando especificamente: verificar a existência de predominância de algum estilo de aprendizagem, bem como, detectar a existência ou não de congruência entre os estilos de aprendizagem dos alunos e as dimensões culturais de Hofstede. Foi possível também usar a estratégia \"Ensinar ao redor do ciclo de aprendizagem de David Kolb\" para propor ações de melhoria da qualidade e da aprendizagem. Nesta etapa, utilizou-se o sistema de resposta interativa (clikers). O sistema interativo de respostas é uma tecnologia portátil por meio da qual o professor consegue medir o grau de entendimento dos alunos em sala de aula sobre determinado assunto, de forma imediata. Como resultado tem-se que o grupo de alunos em que a aprendizagem foi baseada no ciclo de David Kolb levando em consideração as atividades baseadas no perfil cultural dos alunos apresentou coeficiente de variação menor do que o outro grupo, ou seja, o desempenho dos alunos foi mais homogêneo em termos de nota, provavelmente pela abordagem baseada nos diferentes estilos de aprendizagem destes alunos. Assim, levar em consideração os estilos de aprendizagem e as dimensões culturais do grupo de alunos contribuiu para praticamente duplicar a média final deste grupo em relação ao outro grupo de alunos. Desta forma, acredita-se que a partir do momento que o professor entender que suas atitudes pedagógicas podem ser alteradas em função do grupo ocorrerá uma aproximação do professor e aluno de uma forma mais significativa para melhorias efetivas na educação de nosso país. / Men produce scientific and technological knowledge that interfere in their daily life. In order to have every citizen understand how these technologies will affect their lives, it is necessary a basic genetic understanding, as well as the understanding of the mechanisms of genetic inheritance transmission of traits, molecular genetics and the structure of DNA. In this phase, learning, as described by Kolb (1984), can be understood as a process of resignification of reality, which occurs through a dialectical relation between previous experiences and the thinking regarding new information acquired by the individual. Kolb, based on this dialectical learning process, has developed the four-stage learning cycle: immediate or concrete experience (CE), reflective observation (RO), abstract conceptualization (AC) and the active experimentation (AE). Through the exposed models and the dialectical relation between them, Kolb has developed categories of learning styles (accommodating, assimilating, converging and diverging), in which it would be possible to verify the profile that fits in each phase of the learning process. The cultural environment together with the teaching environment will determine the learning style of each student, influencing his way of learning. Therefore, culture and learning styles are correlated and influence the student\'s behavior. In this way, Geert Hofstede (1980) has presented an identification method of cultural dimensions (power distance, individualism versus collectivism, masculinity versus femininity, uncertainty avoidance and time orientation). Within this context, the current research was developed with biology high school students from a private school in Guaratinguetá - SP, in order to work the concept of DNA, aiming specifically to verify whether there is the existence of prevalence of any learning style, as well as to find out whether the congruence between the learning styles and the cultural dimension of Hosfede exists. It was also possible to use the strategy \"teaching around Kolb learning cycle\" to propose improvement actions in learning quality. This phase used the system of interactive response (clickers). This system of interactive response is a mobile technology through which the teacher is able to immediate measure the students\' level of understanding of a subject in the classroom. As a result, it could be observed that the students who had their learning based on David Kolb learning cycles, taking into account tasks based on the cultural profile of the students, presented a lower variation coefficient. That is, the performance of this group was more homogeneous in terms of grades, which is probably due to the approach based on different learning styles of these students. Therefore, taking into account the learning styles and the cultural dimension of the group of students contributed to increase nearly two times the final average of this group, comparing to the other group of students. It is believed that by the time the teacher understands that his pedagogical attitudes could be modified according to the group, this teacher will get closer to his students in a more substantial way, so as to achieve improvements in the education in our country.

I engelskämnets centrala innehåll och kunskapskrav ställs det krav på att eleverna i slutet avårskurs 6 ska kunna skriva olika typer av texter. Samtidigt identifieras skrivandet som enmöjliggörande faktor för utvecklingen av ett andraspråk. Syftet med den här studien var att fåkunskap om hur elever i årskurs 6 stöds i skrivandet av olika texttyper på engelska utifrånläroboken och lärarens undervisning, vilket har skett genom en kombinerad metod avläroboksanalyser och semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet visade att eleverna främst skrevberättande- och beskrivande texter. I läroböckerna gavs eleverna stöd genom att läsa ellerlyssna på texter kopplat till ämnet, introducera nyckelbegrepp, studera exempeltextersutformning och samtala om ämnet. För att stödja elevernas skrivande erbjöd lärarna tydligtavgränsade skrivuppgifter och gav återkoppling. Lärarna uppgav att de använde läroboken menatt de valde bland uppgifterna och tog de som ansågs passande samt att nivåskillnader mellanelever skapade svårigheter i skrivundervisningen. / The English curriculum has requirements for writing different kinds of texts in English in year6. The act of writing can also be a way to develop a second language. The purpose with thisstudy has therefore been to examine how English textbooks and teachers are working to supportpupils in year 6 in their writing of different kinds of texts. This has been done through acombination of content analysis and semi-structured interviews. The result showed that thepupils mainly wrote narrative- and describing texts. The textbooks gave the pupils support intheir writing through the work of reading texts connected to the subject, introducing keywords,studying texts as examples and through conversations about the subject. The teachers wereusing the textbooks by choosing exercises that were thought to be relevant. Further, theyoffered the pupils feedback on their texts and suggested that aspects of level differencesbetween the pupils’ knowledge affected the teaching.

The diploma thesis is focused on the topic of transformative learning in connection with adult experiential learning. The goal of the thesis is to identify transformative effects in the interpretation of participants' experiences which are caused by experiential learning courses. The concept of transformative learning is mainly examined by foreign authors who look at the concept from different perspectives. This thesis deals with a qualitative survey which is based on the reflection of the common framework of transformative learning, including its various concepts and topic of adult experiential learning. Respondents of the survey are nine employees in management positions who have completed a long-term development program focused on management skills. The development of semi-structured interview with respondents was aimed at identifying a shift in "knowing" and changes in thinking, perception and action throughout life. The analysis of qualitative data brings concrete implications in the interpretation of experience in work and personal life. Key words transformative learning, Jack Mezirow, perspective transformation, disorienting dilemma, critical reflection, dialogue, experiential education, Kolb's learning cycle, experience

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur undervisning med genrepedagogiska drag påverkar elevers argumenterande texter i åk 6. Studien utgår från tre frågeställningar som ligger till grund för undersökningen. Dessa frågor rör vilka genredrag elever använder i argumenterande texter före undervisning, hur undervisningen genomförs och vilka genredrag elever använder i argumenterande texter efter undervisningen. Materialet för studien baseras på observationer av genrepedagogiskt baserad undervisning och elevtextanalyser av argumenterande texter skrivna av elever i årskurs 6. Till grund för studien ligger den sociokulturella teorin där läraren stöttar eleverna i sitt lärande samt cykeln för undervisning och lärande. För att analysera texterna före och efter undervisning används en checklista med genretypiska drag för den argumenterande genren. Studien visar tydligt att före undervisning med genrepedagogiska drag har eleverna svårigheter med att skriva väl fungerande argumenterande texter. Med stöd av undervisning om genredrag i argumenterande texter utvecklar eleverna sitt skrivande och skriver i högre grad texter med genrespecifika drag. Dock visar studien att ytterligare stöttning av läraren och mer tid för att lära sig de genretypiska dragen för en text behövs för att eleverna ska klara av att göra egna kreativa val i sina texter.

This study examines how adult second language learners in the context of a writing pedagogical intervention give and receive feedback and how they talk about argumentative texts. The study highlights students' work with peer response and the questions that can arise when students need to relate to instructions, model texts, and feedback that can provide inconsistent information about the text's desired design. The design of this study has taken inspiration from genre theory and formative assessment, emphasizing the role of an explicit writing pedagogy. The results show the importance of teacher guided practice and teaching metafunctional linguistic resources in order to improve students´ writing. Furthermore the results indicate the role of function in writing instruction. Second language writers, as well as any student concerned with writing, need to understand how different linguistic choices affect the content and the readers´ perception of the text.

This exploratory case study research was conducted with a view to exploring how teachers teaching emergent bilingual students in ESL programs can enact the principles of culturally sustaining systematic functional linguistics (CS SFL), such as critical centering, historicizing, curricularizing, teaching and learning cycle (TLC), and semantic waving in their classrooms. Two middle school teachers participated in the study and used CS SFL principles to teach their emergent bilingual students. I gathered data for the study through non-participatory observations, semi-structured interviews, informal talks with the teachers, usually right after their classes, and artifacts from teachers and students. The thematic analysis of the data demonstrated that teachers could recognize their students' ways of knowing and being by (a) translanguaging between English and Spanish seamlessly in their classrooms; (b) centering their students' lifeways, prior knowledge, and lived experiences by making them the parts of their curricula; (c) using TLC for creating dialogic interactions between teachers and students and among students; (d) positioning their students through strength perspectives; and (e) using multimodal and multi-semiotic means of communication so that their students can understand their content area knowledge and express their ideas even if their English language is emerging. The teachers faced tensions about whether to reject or perpetuate the monolingual and monocultural ideologies expressed through English language requirements that emergent bilingual students should meet in order to succeed academically. Similarly, they reported that they had challenges in preparing students for high-stakes testing and offering their support for the students sent to in-school suspension (ISS).

Although the merits of practical work in physics are often questioned, it remains part of physics curricula world-wide. In distance education the incorporation of practical work into the curriculum is considerably complicated by the unique logistics of the setting and the high cost involved. The research reported in this thesis emanated from the need to improve the practical work module for first year physics at the University of South Africa, one of the largest distance education universities in the world. Specifically, the home-based component which, up to the commencement of the research had been entirely text-based, needed to be addressed. To this end it was necessary to identify a valid and attainable set of objectives and to determine the characteristics, abilities and needs of the students in the target group. A survey polling the viewpoints of South African physics lecturers and students about the objectives of practical work was conducted and an extensive student profile comprising a biographic, cognitive and affective component was compiled. Biographically, the target group is unique in the sense that it consists mainly of adult learners, a large percentage of whom study in a second language. The cognitive component of the profile covered aptitude, proficiency in English, mathematics and the integrated science process skills and level of cognitive development, all of which were investigated for possible influence on performance in practical work. On an affective level, students displayed a very positive attitude towards practical work, seated mainly in their need for concrete exploration of the theory. A practical work module structured around an experiential learning cycle adapted to the distance education environment was subsequently designed. The study material developed for the module comprised an interactive study guide on data processing and experimental procedure, a home experiment kit with accompanying workbook and a laboratory manual. From the pilot study forming part of the development process, it was found that students performed significantly better in an assignment based on home-experimentation than in any of the pen- and paper assignments preceding it. Based on the results of the pilot study, a full home experiment kit was designed, evaluated, refined and implemented. / Physics / D.Phil. (Physics)

The diploma thesis deals with an issue of a teaching process initiation in a literary education. The aim of the thesis is to prove that applying a constructivist approach to the lesson structure arouses pupils' and students' interest, activity and motivation to learn and it also supports the learning process and critical thinking. The thesis verifies a positive effect in using of the E-U-R learning model based on studying scientific literature and author's pedagogical experience. More specifically, the thesis focuses on the first phase, evocation. It presents the criteria and methods of realization and it suggests the possible content of evocation. In the practical part, the author verifies these findings on six lessons. The reflections prove that effective evocation supports the learning process.

Although the merits of practical work in physics are often questioned, it remains part of physics curricula world-wide. In distance education the incorporation of practical work into the curriculum is considerably complicated by the unique logistics of the setting and the high cost involved. The research reported in this thesis emanated from the need to improve the practical work module for first year physics at the University of South Africa, one of the largest distance education universities in the world. Specifically, the home-based component which, up to the commencement of the research had been entirely text-based, needed to be addressed. To this end it was necessary to identify a valid and attainable set of objectives and to determine the characteristics, abilities and needs of the students in the target group. A survey polling the viewpoints of South African physics lecturers and students about the objectives of practical work was conducted and an extensive student profile comprising a biographic, cognitive and affective component was compiled. Biographically, the target group is unique in the sense that it consists mainly of adult learners, a large percentage of whom study in a second language. The cognitive component of the profile covered aptitude, proficiency in English, mathematics and the integrated science process skills and level of cognitive development, all of which were investigated for possible influence on performance in practical work. On an affective level, students displayed a very positive attitude towards practical work, seated mainly in their need for concrete exploration of the theory. A practical work module structured around an experiential learning cycle adapted to the distance education environment was subsequently designed. The study material developed for the module comprised an interactive study guide on data processing and experimental procedure, a home experiment kit with accompanying workbook and a laboratory manual. From the pilot study forming part of the development process, it was found that students performed significantly better in an assignment based on home-experimentation than in any of the pen- and paper assignments preceding it. Based on the results of the pilot study, a full home experiment kit was designed, evaluated, refined and implemented. / Physics / D.Phil. (Physics)

Affective learning forms part of all kinds of educational experiences, regardless of whether the primary focus of learning is on the psychomotor or the cognitive domain. When students are exposed to these different types of educational experiences, their feelings or emotions will be stirred (Bastable 2003: 333). The aim of this study was to investigate the affective experiences of students who were enrolled for an online module, as part of their study programme. The study specifically aimed to investigate the meanings that students attached to their affective experiences during the module. The rationale of this study was based on the fact that students have affective experiences that influence their decision to persevere with a course. The purpose of this study was thus to explore and interpret the participants’ affective experiences in an online learning environment and to discover important categories of meaning (Marshall&Rossman 1999:33). The basis for the study was the fifth module of a two-year tutored master’s degree in computer-assisted education. This module, with its focus on e-learning, was presented entirely online for a period of six weeks. A game was played in cyberspace; and as the learning experiences of participants were based on surfing the Web, the game was called CyberSurfiver. In the e-learning environment, participants had to interact and communicate mainly by means of e-mail, Internet groups, and the online learning platform WebCT. Participants could also communicate synchronously by means of the Internet-based synchronous tool called Yahoo! Messenger. A qualitative approach was used for this research. A case study was chosen as a design for this study because it reflects particularistic, descriptive and heuristic characteristics. On the one hand, the case study could be related to the online culture but, on the other hand, the study aimed at interpreting meaning attached to experiences within the online culture. This study can be seen as falling within the constructivist-hermeneutic-interpretivist-qualitative paradigm. In this study, two focus group interviews were used as the principal method of data collection. The main purpose of the focus group interviews was to collect data about the affective experiences of participants. The first category identified during the data analysis and coding process of this study was called Curative Factors. The second category was called Process of Affective Development. It was concluded that the participants’ affective development could be compared to the levels of Krathwohl’s Taxonomy. The participants’ affective development were further assessed by means of a learning cycle model developed by Kort and Reilly (2002a:60-61). A third category namely <c>Inhibiting Factors was identified. The findings of this study emphasise the importance of the recognition of the holistic nature of the online students and their experiences, which imply that affective development cannot be separated from cognitive and psychomotor development. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted