This study took place at a private high school in the Kavango region with my 32 grade 10B learners as the research participants. Its objective was to investigate how the grade 10 learners make sense of concepts on refraction of light through exploring their cultural beliefs/everyday experiences about the rainbow. This research study was essentially triggered by my own classroom experience of teaching the topic on refraction of light. In order to achieve the goal of this research, a qualitative case study located within an interpretive paradigm was adopted. To gather data I used multiple data gathering techniques such as brainstorming session, learners conducting interviews in the community, practical activities and focus group interviews. This resulted in descriptive data that qualified to be analyzed in a qualitative way. The themes that emerged from the generated data were coded using upper letter cases and various colours. A methodological triangulation was employed by using multiple data generation techniques. Member checking during focus group interviews also ensured validity in this case study. The findings of this study revealed that the use of learners’ cultural beliefs/everyday experiences can be used to enhance learner engagement, meaning making and conceptual development during the science lessons. In addition, the ways in which practical activities are designed and presented to learners in the science classroom determine learners’ participation and conceptual attainment. Therefore, based on my research findings, I recommend that teachers need to be trained to be able to elicit and integrate learners’ cultural beliefs/everyday experiences in conjunction with hands-on practical activities which focus on conceptual development during their science lessons. However, although this study had many benefits, it also showed that it is not easy to close the gap between learners’ prior everyday knowledge and school science. This warrants further research.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether teaching materials designed around fourth graders' preconceptions effectively produced conceptual change about light propagation. Four Taiwanese fourth-grade intact classes (194 subjects), taught by two teachers, participated in this study. The experimental group was exposed to the conceptual change materials (CCM), and the control group was exposed to the current traditional materials (non-CCM). A 10-item paper-and-pencil instrument for assessing conceptual change was developed, which included three categories: Category I, a window image, a phenomenon children observe in life experiences; Category II, a pinhole image, a classroom demonstration of how light travels; and Category III, shadows, an advanced application of light propagation. T tests were employed to assess differences between the pretest and posttest in each group. ANCOVA with the General Linear Model procedure was used to assess differences between the control and experimental groups. No teacher effect and no interaction between pretest and treatment were found in the procedure; therefore, pretest scores were used as the covariate and posttest scores were used as the response in the analysis. Results revealed that, both in the overall test and in Category I, significant differences existed between the experimental group and the control group after the teaching interventions. However, no significant differences existed between the groups in either Category II or Category III after teaching interventions. Children in the experimental group performed significantly better than did children in the control group in Category I (t=-2.44, p<.05 posttest; t=-2.57, p<.05 delayed posttest), but there was no significant difference between the groups in Categories II and III. CCM appears to work better in life application than in classroom activities and advanced application. The study suggested that the CCM teaching approach was effective, but the low percentage (55%) of the scientifically accepted concepts retained after teaching intervention needs to be improved. The test-retest stability between posttest and delayed posttest indicated that the CCM teaching approach had a lasting effect after two weeks. / Graduation date: 1996

A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Education at the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. / The aim of this study was to determine whether alternative conceptions about interference and diffraction do indeed exist, to identify the most important of these conceptions and to determine whether these conceptions relate to textbooks, as one of the main sources of students' knowledge. An analysis of secondary level textbooks and tertiary level non-calculus textbooks revealed that presentations of constructive and destructive interference, diffraction and other related aspects are treated inconsistently and in some cases contradictorily by different authors. The research instrument was a Physical Optics test which Physics students of the Technikon Pretoria wrote. This test revealed that alternative conceptions on elementary principles of interference and diffraction of light do exist and that they relate to textbook presentations. This study reveals that (i) the terms in phese and out of phase are not consistently used in different textbooks; (ii) the definitions of constructive and destructive interference in terms of phases cause major aiternative conceptions, (iii) the interrelation between interference and diffraction is not clarified. / AC2017

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-05-25T13:23:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 marcileamachadodesouza.pdf: 1155262 bytes, checksum: ee126155119628ab3f4bbb01b52d0aa0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-05-25T13:34:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 marcileamachadodesouza.pdf: 1155262 bytes, checksum: ee126155119628ab3f4bbb01b52d0aa0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-25T13:34:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 marcileamachadodesouza.pdf: 1155262 bytes, checksum: ee126155119628ab3f4bbb01b52d0aa0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-21 / Nesse trabalho foi confeccionada uma Antiluneta Polarizadora que foi aplicada em sala de aula, simulando a redução da intensidade da luz com o inverso da distância ao quadrado, usando lentes e lâminas polarizadoras sobrepostas em tubo de PVC. Foi possível, ainda, simular a visão que teria um observador ao ver o Sol em outros pontos do universo, de forma que, com isso, os alunos compreenderão a Física presente no mundo atual e em vários equipamentos e procedimentos tecnológicos. O intuito primeiro é o de que essa Antiluneta Polarizadora seja utilizada pelo professor em sala de aula, reforçando a aprendizagem dos alunos e a compreensão da Física envolvida no citado fenômeno óptico. Destaca-se que este trabalho apresenta uma proposta de reprodução da Antiluneta Polarizadora nas práticas didático-metodológicas, demonstrando que o uso de materiais simples pode ser uma alternativa criativa e instrutiva para o enriquecimento da aula e um facilitador para o estudo da luz, e sua propagação em meios refringentes e de alguns aspectos da óptica geométrica. Foi desenvolvido também o estudo da luz abordando aspectos históricos no surgimento e desenvolvimento da Física e do Sistema Solar, até nossas concepções atuais. / The purpose of this work is to present the development of the study of light addressing historical aspects in the creation and evolution of Physics up to our current conceptions; presenting the nature of light and its propagation in refringent means and some aspects of geometrical optics, a polarizing anti-telescope was created, which was applied in the classroom, simulating the reduction of light intensity with the inverse of the distance squared, using lenses and overlapping polarizing blades in PVC pipe, as well as to draw a vision that would have an observer see ingthe Sun in other points of the universe, so that, with this, the student swill understand the Physics present in the current world and in various equipment and procedures. The primary purpose is that this polarizinganti-telescope to be used by the teacher in the classroom, reinforcing students learning and understanding of the physics involved in the mentioned optical phenomenon, which is experienced by them in their every day life, that is, highlighting that this paper presents a proposalfor the reproduction of anti-polarization lenses in the didactic-methodological practices, demonstrating that the use of simple materials can be a creative and instructive alternative for the enrichment of theclassroom and a facilitator for the study of light.

Diploma thesis Aquapark Brno is directly connected with the previous specialist course "Sports Center Za Lužánkami Brno". This project dealt was focused on overall concept, architectural and urban study of this area with an emphasis on sports, recreation and relaxation. There was created a zone of predominantly professional sport in the southern part of this area. There were built football and ice hockey stadiums on the newly created terrace/platform. These stadiums are located approximately in the same places as their current (football) or non-existent (hockey) predecessors. The terrace/platform (parking is located under the terrace) continues, and the newly expanded Boby Hotel follows the recreational sports zone with an Aquapark and outdoor sports grounds located behind the existing Tesco shopping centre. There is formed a new park in north of the sports grounds forming a recreational-relaxation zone on the territory of Planýrka. The existing building of a 50 meter swimming pool dominates the area of Aquapark. It was built in 1979 according to the project architect Otakar Oplatek. However this object no longer meets the requirements of today's visitors or athletes. The new building which includes a twenty-five meter tall swimming pool with a background is being added to the existing building. So there is a separable swimming area created here, which can serve both - swimmers and teenagers or professional athletes. There is a good possibility of racing as well. The new building connects eastward to the building of the roofed Aquapark partially hidden beneath the terraces and resting areas. These three through-flowing but mutually separable objects together with the platform define the area of the outdoor aquapark. He is also separate off from the noisy Sportovní street, but it has a sufficient supply of sunlight. In the place of the original children's pool and extension to the places of today's little park in front of the building there is space f