With the changing media environment, media literacy education begins to be an emerging field in China. There are many studies showing the significance of media literacy education; however, few studies on school practices are presented. The existing studies are mostly based on the context of western discourse. Even the curriculum framework in this case is influenced by western scholars. There have been a few studies investigating media literacy education in the Asian context. It is still struggling for the foothold in schools in China compared with countries where it has been practiced for a long time. Based on this understanding, this study is to explore the entry and approaches of media literacy education in a Chinese primary school. It aims to shift media literacy education from an international context to its local setting, and offers a point of reference to enrich the theory and practice in the process of localization. The research questions are concentrated on how media literacy education was initiated in the context of the national curriculum reform, and two ways in which it implemented in the HZMHT primary school. It is a qualitative case study, using observation, interviews, focus groups, group meetings and document analysis as the main methods of collecting data in the field. The introduction of media literacy education in the HZMHT primary school is consistent with the national curriculum reform, which provides an opportunity for the development of media literacy education. Through the changes in management structure and curriculum standards, the HZMHT primary school gets officially support to promote its curriculum innovation through media literacy education. The school practice becomes a response to curriculum reform in return. In this study, the curriculum practice is a result of a collaborative effort between a university and a primary school. With the endeavor of teachers in the HZMHT primary school and the team members from BBU, media literacy education was exercised both as a school-based curriculum and as an integrated component of multiple subjects. In the curriculum practice of media literacy education, students’ media culture is brought into the classroom and they are encouraged to interact with a digital society from the perspective of constructivism and critical pedagogy. Students construct new knowledge and fulfill personal growth by interacting with teachers and peers in a student-centered dialogue. In addition, they become aware of media environment and their roles in a world with dominant media. Five conceptual understandings of media literacy education are practised in the school-based curriculum, while priority was given to achieving the objectives of the original subjects in the integrated curriculum, where media literacy education is integrated with moral education, math education, information technology and integrated practical activities in a constructivist approach. Students’ engagement and interactive activities indicate the effectiveness in the curriculum practice. The research gaps on the process of contextual adaption and pedagogical exploration for media literacy education are filled through this school initiative in this case study. First, the changing paradigm of school practice and moral cultivation of the curriculum in China enrich the theory of localization for media literacy education. Second, the school initiative of a curriculum innovation fulfills the pedagogical exploration for the promotion of media literacy education and its legitimacy in Chinese context. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This study investigated the Information Literacy levels of High School students in Kenya and has examined the relationship between these and the frequency of access to ICT and the internet. The level of teacher training in ICT and its impact on Information Literacy was also explored. An Instrumental case study approach was used to assess the Information Literacy levels of students in 4 High schools in the North Rift of Kenya. Teachers from each school outlined their training and the extent of their ICT use with the students. It was found that the frequency of access that students had to ICT and to the internet had a positive impact on their ability to evaluate information and its sources critically. This correlation was found to be stronger if the access was outside of school. However, students with more frequent access were not better at retrieving information efficiently or at determining the nature and extent of information needed. The 4 schools involved in the study all had at least one teacher with advanced ICT training such as a computer science degree, however the majority of teachers at these school had only received training in the use of software packages or had not received any formal ICT training. The study found that there was a strong correlation between the level of teacher training and the extent to which they allowed students to use ICT in their lessons. The need for teacher training in pedagogic techniques for ICT was highlighted, as was the need for Information Literacy to be explicitly taught within the Kenyan High School Curriculum. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Science in Information Technology in Education

Past research has not sufficiently addressed the question of what types of adult literacy instructional practice are recognized by participants, i.e., students and teachers, as facilitating learning in Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes. The purpose of this study was to describe instructional practices in two urban literacy programs serving low level adult readers, and to identify which practices were effective in meeting student needs. Effectiveness was measured by the ability of students to achieve learning objectives identified by themselves and the teacher, and included attendance patterns and student participation. Quantitative measures of achievement were not used as criteria since few classes utilized comparable formal assessment instruments. The process of generating grounded theory developed by Glaser and Strauss (1967) provided a suitable methodological framework for this qualitative research design that used an ethnographic approach as the format for the participatory research study. Teachers and students in six ABE classes provided data which were collected using a multi-method-plan utilizing interviews, participant observation, and documentary materials The study was structured around one primary and four secondary research questions. These questions were designed to address the various aspects of effective instructional practices in ABE classes and began by describing how teachers and students defined literacy skills and student goals, what practices were used in the classrooms, and how students perceived their learning. After this information was gathered, effective practices could be identified using the criteria elicited from teachers and students. Effective practices were found to be an interdependent process that included teacher, students, and goals within the context of the ABE classroom. The study showed that the effectiveness of discrete instructional practice was dependent on an instructional process that resulted from a teacher's choice of materials and methods accurately reflecting the attributes of students and their educational objectives. Crucial aspects of the teacher's actions were identification of primary objectives development of basic learning skills, interpersonal communication, and establishment of a supportive environment. For students, an active role within the class that included participation and self-directedness was recognized as contributing to goal achievement. Where this process was observed, there was a greater chance of students remaining in the program, actively participating in their learning, and ultimately achieving learning goals.

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This study is a deliberation on students who advance from high school to a higher education institution, without demonstrating the attributes required on admission. They are granted formal access, despite being underprepared for tertiary studies. One of the qualities that they noticible lack is academic literacy. In the course of this investigation, academics had to relate what their perceptions were of the academic literacy of their students at higher education level. Initially, being literate meant the ability to read and write, but the term literacy has assumed a more varied form. The term multi-literacies is employed now, as there are several forms of literacy. These include, Information Technology, Technology, pictorial and numerical literacies, to name a few. Academic literacy constitutes more than one literacy, namely, operational or functional literacy, cultural literacy and critical literacy. These literacies are elaborated on and the role of language proficiency, together with the inter-relatedness between students' linguistic competence and their cognitive ability are discussed in depth. Alternatives are examined to assess how this problem of the lack of academic literacy can be circumvented and what mechanisms can be put in place in order that students can be assisted in their pursuit of academic literacy.

Thesis (M. Tech. Information and Communications Technology)--Vaal University of Technology. / The personal computer has changed the way people think and live and has found its way into every area of life. The ability to work with computer technology is a requirement for today's world. The number of virtual learning environments (VLE's), is increasing and e-learning has been promoted as a solution for remote education. Computer literacy, the ability to use computers to perform a variety of tasks, is becoming fundamental to the learning process. Students need to be computer literate, because they are expected to use the computer in most of their subjects, by completing projects, perform electronic searches or typing assignments, to name a few. Many of the learners, who enrol at Vaal University of Technology (VUT), do not have this basic skill, and a great number of them do not have their own computers. It is thus still necessary for VUT to offer a subject such as Computer End Using to provide the learners with the basic level of computer literacy. According to the South African Qualifications Authority, computer literacy is on NQF level 4. Although computer literacy is regarded as being at a lower level than the first year in higher education, it remains a vital prerequisite for completing qualifications. It is therefore important that higher education institutions offer training for fundamental computer skills. This is also supported by the National Plan for Higher Education (NPHE), which emphasizes the mainstreaming of academic development. VUT faces a challenge in terms of providing computer literacy training through online learning. The exact skills the students need in order to engage in online learning, are the same skills taught online, subsequently these programmes require motivated learners with fundamental computer skills. The two online learning packages that were investigated in this study were a national product (HS Training) and an international product (SimNet). An informed recommendation was made with regard to the software

This research aimed to understand the coaching experiences in the Gauteng Primary Literacy and Mathematics Strategy of 4 Foundation Phase teachers in 1 state school in Gauteng. It is a qualitative case study in an educational setting. The participants included 3 teachers, the Head of Department of the Foundation Phase, the coach and the coach’s supervisor. Interviews and observations of teachers’ lessons and of feedback sessions were the primary research instruments. The data was analysed using a model proposed by Ehrich, Hansford & Tennent (2001). The research found that the personal attributes and performance of the coach are important features in a successful coaching relationship. It also found that coaching appears to be making a positive contribution to these teachers’ understanding and interpretation of curriculum documents, as well as adding to their content knowledge and methodology. The study suggests that a focus on enhancing teachers’ reflective capacity, especially in relation to their pedagogy, may be a beneficial addition to current coaching practice.

A research report submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Education degree (Coursework and Research Report) of the University of the Witwatersrand. / The purpose of this study was to develop a curriculum for the training of literacy teachers using a needs-based approach. Over 15 million adults are illiterate in South Africa and this could seriously hamper the new nations's reconstruction and development if not tackled effectively. To date the focus in the field has .been the development of a national examination and curricula for learners. However little is being done to prepare the teachers who will have to take learners through the new system. It has therefore been the focus of this research project to establish the needs of these teachers and providers and thereafter to develop a training course that would address their needs.(Abbreviation abstract) / Andrew Chakane 2018

A large body of recent research calls for expanding what it means to teach literacy in the content areas. This includes movement away from conceiving of content literacy instruction as generic literacy strategies superimposed on content-area text. Instead, the focus is on the discursive literate practices of the disciplines, including ways of thinking, acting, and believing. This disciplinary literacy perspective addresses the literacy demands specific to disciplines such as history and views literacy as socially situated. Little research has been done to find out how teachers respond to expectations to incorporate literacy in their content area classrooms, and few opportunities exist for teachers to explore the literacy practices inherent in the disciplines, or to collaborate on how these might be taught. Thus, this practitioner research focuses on a teacher inquiry group formed to explore literacy in the middle and secondary social studies classroom. Consistent with practitioner research and an inquiry as stance perspective, the productive and generative potential of tension and conflicts was considered. The talk and activities of teachers were documented as they participated in the group to illuminate the discourses on which teachers drew when they talked about literacy, and to demonstrate how, in this context, teachers might collaboratively interrogate, transform, and generate knowledge around literacy in social studies. This study contributes to conversations about literacy instruction in subject areas specifically by attending to teachers’ perspectives. The talk was analyzed using a modified discourse analysis approach, framed by perspectives on language described by Gee and Bakhtin. Findings show that the typical discourse patterns of the inquiry group talk were shaped by curricular and institutional expectations that produced normalized notions of what counts as reading and texts in social studies classrooms. Disciplinary discourses were also evident. Additionally, the inquiry group talk was shaped by discourses of student ability that suggested links to racial, socio-economic, and developmental factors, as well as special education labeling. Moments of intensity that arose out of tensions or conflict resulted in the interrogation, transformation, and generation of knowledge around literacy in social studies; it broadened to include discipline-specific practices while continuing to encompass generic ones.