Through the years, educational theorists and researchers have been interested in a possible relationship between teachers' effectiveness and their beliefs and expectations. Three concepts underpinned this work: teacher effectiveness, cultural diversity, and teachers' beliefs and expectations. The premise of the study was that the beliefs and expectations of effective secondary choral teachers are related to the social-cultural contexts in which they teach. The study implemented critical discourse analysis as the theoretical framework and the in-depth phenomenological long interview for data collection. Three secondary choral teachers were selected to participate in the study based on the researcher's criteria. The study revealed how each teacher conceptualized student cultural diversity during the teaching experience. Teacher beliefs about effective teaching in culturally diverse settings were described as developing over time in phases along a continuum. The study also confirmed that teachers' beliefs about students can be changed through experiences and reflection. The study revealed effective teachers focused on three different types of expectations in the teaching and learning context and affirmed diverse cultural identities and backgrounds. Recommendations included the development of stronger mentorship programs to increase effective teaching strategies for the secondary choral classroom. The findings of this study support my previous work, which introduces a sequential learning framework for teaching music in culturally diverse schools.

There have been increase in calls for researchers in educational psychology to integrate methods as well as theories across motivation and multicultural education to examine the intersection of culture and diversity with motivational principles. While much work has been done in K – 12 classrooms examining the application of principles related to autonomy – supportive and culturally responsive teachers and classrooms, not much work has been done examining these constructs together in university classrooms. Global and paradigm shifts in higher education coupled with rising tensions of diversity and inclusion on college campuses have catalyzed the need for intentional approaches to cultivate inclusive classroom environments to facilitate students’ development of academic as well as global competencies. This thesis employed a convergent – parallel mixed methods design integrating frameworks from multicultural education with Self – Determination Theory (SDT) to explore the extent to which instructors’ degree of intercultural competence and diversity inclusivity in their courses was related to students’ perceptions of the classroom environment as culturally responsive and autonomy – supportive as well as academic motivation and intercultural knowledge and competence development. A conceptual model for integrating Multicultural Education frameworks and SDT is proposed with theoretical and methodological implications. Practical implications are discussed for researchers, educators and administrators in higher education highlighting the importance of considering both cultural and motivational factors of students and instructors to facilitate enriching teaching and learning experiences in preparation for living and working in a global multicultural society.

This study investigates the integration of lecture recordings to support flexible learning and responsive pedagogical approaches in an undergraduate LLB degree presented in a dual mode (face-to-face and online) by the University of the Free State’s Faculty of Law. In this faculty, lecture recording is observed by compulsory integration in all classes; the only options pertain to three basic software tools. According to literature, integrating lecture recording can bring about flexibility in student learning, and flexibility can have both positive and negative implications for student learning. This study uses Puentedura’s (2006) SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition) model as a theoretical lens to analyse different levels or types of integration of lecture recording by students and lecturers. The SAMR categories assisted the study to identify whether Substitution, Augmentation, Modification or Redefinition were present when students and lecturers integrated lecture recording in teaching and learning. The study implements a mixed-method research approach that included student and lecturer surveys, lecturer interviews, and telephonic interviews and focus group discussions with students. Findings indicate that students’ overall experience of lecture recording was that it enhanced their learning and gave them flexibility regarding how, where, when they could learn. Some lecturers claimed that lecture recording enhances their teaching methodology, and that it can have an impact on their students’ learning. Lecturers agreed that lecture recording can be applied and integrated to transform the way they teach. Lecturers also indicated that lecture recording, in the form of audio recordings of lectures, in some instances caused students to hold lecturers accountable, not always fairly, for their utterances in class. Both staff and students indicated that they had concerns about class attendance when lecture recording was used, regardless of whether lectures were recorded when presented online or face-to-face. The study found that campus-based and online students integrated lecture recordings as part of their learning experiences in a variety of ways. The majority of campus-based students reported using lecture recordings to augment their learning experiences, especially in relation to how and whether they attended faceto-face lectures. Modification strategies for online students included making use of lecture recordings as a substitute for their presence at face-to-face lectures. Some online students reported that engaging with lecture recordings made them feel part of the course and its community of students. Lecturers’ specific approaches to teaching play a considerable role in the way they experience lecture recording and the way they integrate it in their courses. In addition to survey findings, the study also presents lecturer views, to illustrate some of these variations and interplays. While some lecturers reported that using lecture recordings has completely transformed the way they teach, others admitted that if they had a choice, they would not use lecture recordings in their teaching. The study offers a contextual account of lecture recording integration and contributes to global debates around lecture recording. Student and lecturer experiences with lecture recording, as observed through various SAMR levels of integration, depend on the type of lecture recording tool and software used, beliefs relating to the purpose of a lecture, regardless of its mode of delivery, and the reason for recording it in the first place. The study contributes to a local understanding of lecture recording integration and stimulates new dialogue that could guide future integration of lecture recording technologies, locally and internationally.

Diversity is now an essential matter in US public schools. For the first time in America's history, students of color will constitute a majority of the public school enrollment; on the other hand, most early childhood and elementary teachers remain monolingual, white, middle-class females (Hussar & Bailey, 2019). The demographic mismatch between students and teachers presents a critical concern for teacher preparation programs (Banks et al., 2005; Gay, 2018; Muñiz, 2019). Therefore, this study proposed that understanding the relationship between pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs and their culturally responsive classroom management self-efficacy illustrated factors that may improve their teaching concept toward diversity. The study also evaluated whether early childhood (PreK-3) pre-service teachers held different personal epistemologies of teaching and culturally responsive classroom management self-efficacy beliefs than elementary (K-5) pre-service teachers. Lastly, the study explored factors that may contribute to pre-service teachers' personal epistemological beliefs of teaching and their self-efficacious beliefs about culturally responsive classroom management. The study used the explanatory sequential mixed-methods design that contained two phases. In Phase I, 111 pre-service teachers completed two surveys: the teachers' Personal Epistemologies of Teaching Scale (PT-PETS) and the Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Self-Efficacy scale (CRCMSE). In Phase II, six pre-service teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. The results indicated no significant linear correlation between pre-service teachers' sophisticated personal epistemological beliefs and their confidence in employing culturally responsive classroom management. In addition, the integration of the quantitative and the qualitative data demonstrated that pre-service teachers held sophisticated personal epistemological beliefs of teaching. They also showed different confidence levels about applying culturally responsive classroom management. A two-way ANOVA revealed that only semester level significantly affected the PT-PETS scores, where pre-service teachers in the seventh semester performed better than those in the fifth semester. The current study illustrated various positive and negative factors that may influence pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs of teaching and their self-efficacious beliefs in culturally responsive classroom management, which may provide insight for teacher preparation programs.

The presentation of the search result information has become more important ever since the rapid development and use of smartphones. This thesis investigated what makes search engine result pages efficient and effective on the smartphone screen. For this thesis an experimental study of Karolinska Institutet’s search solution was executed. Three different versions of Karolinska Institutet’s search engine result pages were developed, by researching potential features that would improve the effectiveness and efficiency. The developed versions were compared to the original search engine result pages through experiments with students from Karolinska Institutet. The quantitative results showed no statistical significance of improvement in effectiveness or efficiency. The qualitative results indicated that categories and summary texts are preferable features in a search GUI in a smartphone. Thus the results were indecisive, the author reflects and provides ideas on how to achieve clearer results. / Hur man presenterar sökresultat har blivit allt viktigare i och med dagens av smarttelefoner. Det här arbetet undersökte vad som gör sökresultatssidor effektiva när man använder en smarttelefon. I arbetet utfördes en experimentell studie av Karolinska Institutets söklösning. Tre olika versioner av Karolinska Institutets smarttelefonsgränssnitt utvecklades genom att undersöka potentiella \emph{features} (funktioner, egenskaper) som förbättrar effektiviteten. De olika utvecklade versionerna jämfördes mot det original som Karolinska Institutet använder idag. Detta gjordes genom experiment med studenter från Karolinska Institutet. De kvantitativa resultaten kunde inte visa på någon statistisk signifikant effektivitetsförbättring. De kvalitativa resultaten pekade på att kategorisering och summeringstexter är föredragna features i ett sökgränssnitt i smarttelefonen.

Syfte Syftet med studien är att undersöka vad som ligger till grund för hur lärare i idrott och hälsa (åk 7-9) väljer ut sitt innehåll, organiserar sin undervisning samt vad de värderar som kunskap i friluftsliv i skolan. Studien avser besvara följande frågeställningar: · Hur väljer lärare ut sitt innehåll i friluftsliv i skolan? · Hur organiserar lärare undervisningen i friluftsliv i skolan? · Vad värderar lärare som viktig kunskap i friluftsliv i skolan?   Metod Sex högstadielärare i idrott och hälsa (tre kvinnor och tre män) intervjuades mellan 25-35 minuter genom semistrukturerade intervjuer via ett digitalt mötesrum. Intervjuerna kodades via en innehållsanalys och därigenom samlades svaren i olika teman. Läroplansteorin utgör det teoretiska ramverket och användes i diskussionen för att tolka resultatet. Resultat Vad gäller lärarnas val av innehåll, präglade det centrala innehållet undervisningen i stor utsträckning, samt faktorer som egna erfarenheter av friluftsliv, bedömningsstöd etc. Idrottslärarna i denna studie organiserar sin undervisning med en stark koppling mot idrottslogiken där orientering genomförs ofta samt andra idrottsaktiviteter utomhus. Resultaten påvisade även en aktivitetsdiskurs vilket karaktäriseras av att sin undervisning ska förbereda eleverna för turfriluftsliv. Vad lärarna värderar som viktig kunskap stämmer överens med hur de väljer ut sitt innehåll samt organiserar sin undervisning. Slutsats Undervisningen verkar präglas av en tradition och kultur där strävan efter turfriluftsliv framträder starkt i lärarutbildningar, i bedömningsstödet samt lärares syn på friluftsliv. Att skilja på friluftsliv som skolämne och samhällsfenomen har aktualiserats nu då internationella influenser skapat intresse för hur lärandesituationer kan skapas genom exempelvis platsresponsiv pedagogik. Dessa lärandesituationer ställer lägre krav på material och tid vilket denna studies lärare nämnde som begränsande faktorer. / Aim The aim of the study is to investigate what is the basis for how teachers in sports and health (years 7-9) choose their content, organize their teaching and what they value as knowledge in outdoor education in school. The study intends to answer these questions: • How teachers choose their content in outdoor education in school? • How do teachers organize the teaching of outdoor education in the school? • What do teachers’ value as important knowledge in outdoor education in school? Methods 6 high school teachers in sports and health (3 woman and 3 men) were interviewed between 25-35 minutes through semi-structured interviews via a digital meeting room. The interviews were coded via a content analysis and thereby the answers were collected in different themes. Results Regarding the teachers' choice of content, the central content characterized the teaching to a large extent, as well as factors such as own experiences of outdoor life, assessment support, etc. The PE teachers in this study organize their teaching with a strong connection to the sports logic where orienteering is often implemented and other outdoor sports activities. The results also showed an activity discourse which characterizes by the teacher preparing students for tur-free-air-life. What teachers value as important knowledge is consistent with how they select their content and organize their teaching. Conclusion The teaching is characterized by a tradition and culture where the pursuit of outdoor adventure is strong in PE-teacher education, assessment support and also what the teachers consider to be free-air-life. Distinguishing between free-air-life as a school subject and societal phenomena has been updated now since international influences have created interest in how learning situations can be created through for example place-responsive pedagogy. This type of learning situation creates low demands on material and time, which the teachers of this study mentioned as limiting factors.

Despite considerable interest among South African scholars in learner behaviour management in South African schools, there is little literature on learner behaviour management in the context of cultural diversity. The present study investigates this essentially neglected space by focusing on learner behaviour management practices of teachers in culturally diverse classrooms of a high school in the Tshwane South District within the Gauteng Department of Education, South Africa. Cultural diversity is used as a lens to explore the practices of teachers. The theoretical underpinnings of culturally responsive classroom management are used to describe and to interpret learner behaviour management practices of teachers to determine whether the approaches and the resultant strategies that they use are culturally responsive. A qualitative case study approach was used, and data was collected through semi-structured interviews that included critical incident narratives obtained from teachers, analysis of pertinent documents and observations of 10 culturally diverse teachers who teach the same class consisting of culturally diverse learners, as well as of the Discipline Officer and two additional teachers that were identified through snowball sampling. The findings revealed that learner behaviour management practices of most teachers are not culturally responsive. This is a result of factors such as lack of recognition of their own ethnocentrism and biases, as demonstrated mainly by their unrealistic expectations, pessimistic attitudes and stereotyping perceptions; ignorance of learners‟ cultural backgrounds, as demonstrated mainly by teachers‟ denial and minimisation of the importance of understanding learners‟ cultural backgrounds (leading to misinterpretation of the behaviours of culturally different learners); lack of commitment to building a caring classroom community; lack of consciousness of the broader social, economic and political context of the South African education system; and lack of ability to apply culturally responsive classroom management strategies, which is exacerbated by lack of teacher education and development in this regard. The implication of these findings is that teachers need to possess an ethnorelative mindset, and to be interculturally competent. A key recommendation is that teachers should endeavour to move away from ethnocentrism towards being ethnorelative by developing an inclusive outlook, accepting cultural differences and adapting their perspective to take the cultural differences that influence learner behaviour into account. The study also recommends that teacher education programmes should prioritise teacher development on intercultural issues and the acquisition of intercultural competencies, as these aspects are crucial for teachers to appropriately manage the behaviours of learners whose cultural backgrounds are different from their own. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Education Management and Policy Studies / PhD / Unrestricted

On the brink of a sixth mass extinction, I renegotiate, through crafting, some basic assumptions on which our economy-culture is built, those of separation and dominance. The project Till Källan / Water Talks is based on a method where I ask various places what they would want me to do on site. It is a process of reconnecting to place and the non-human, a radical rethinking of relationship between human and the other. I investigate the possibilities of craft to be a conductor of that relationship.The paper tracks various lines of thought around my practice, like trickles gathering more water into my pond. It starts in a quantum physics philosophical base for how the world is in a state of becoming through intra-action, on to why water is the perfect medium to affect the world through a puddle. I look at how my practice has an affinity with animism as philosophy and indigenous ways of relating to place and materials. I explore various facets of performativity, in world-making, craft-making, in the resulting objects and in the restoring of relationship through ritual. The enquiry that runs through the paper is what craft is when the object was made for a place rather than for the “art-world” or other economic systems. Going back and forth between a western and a non-western mindset, between practice and theory and between the poetic and prosaic, makes for a synthesizing of sources, leading up to the concept of Rewilding Craft, and a number of crafted objects and images that speak of the relationship.

Att använda fixerad webbdesign, endast anpassad efter större skärmar påverkar ofta användarupplevelsen för en webbsida negativt. Läsbarhet minskar och navigering blir sämre. Inte minst för webbsidor inom domänen e-commerce. Lösningen är respsonsive webbdesign som gör det möjligt att anpassa webbsidor efter alla typer av enheter och skärmstorlekar, som i sin tur ger en optimal användarupplevelse. Nackdelen med responsive design är ökad komplexitet och därmed ökade laddningstider. I detta projekt genomfördes ett experiment där fixerad webbdesign jämförs med responsive webbdesign för att undersöka skillnader i prestanda. Experimentet kompletteras av en användarundersökning där användarupplevelse och funktionalitet hos designmodellerna utvärderades. Prestandamätningar visade att responsive webbdesign hade något längre laddningstider än fixerad webbdesign. Användarundersökningen visade att responsive webbdesign hade en högre användarupplevelse än fixerad webbdesign. En vidareutveckling av projektet kan bestå av att utföra mer omfattande mätningar och optimera designmodellerna och dess innehåll för att minska laddningstider.

The Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus (CAEV) genome encodes three structural (gag, pol, and env) and three accessory (rev, tat, and vif) genes. The Rev-C protein regulates Gag, Pol and Env expression by transporting their mRNAs to the cytoplasm. Rev trans-activation requires binding of Rev to an RNA structure called the Rev Response Element (RRE-C). Previous mutational analyses have shown that two domains of Rev are required for its function. The basic domain mediates RRE binding and multimer formation, and the nuclear export signal (NES) mediates trans-activation. Preliminary experiments demonstrate that Rev-C N-terminal deletion mutants bind the RRE less avidly than does wildtype Rev. As a result, it was hypothesized that an additional domain located in the N-terminal exon of Rev-C was required for optimal RRE binding. To test this hypothesis, Rev-C alanine scanning mutants were generated and in vitro RRE binding assays were performed. Alteration of Rev-C amino acids K13, E14, N15, V19, T20, M21 and R27 dramatically decreased affinity for RRE-C. These data demonstrate that Rev-C N-terminal amino acids are required for optimal RRE-C binding and suggest that a third functional domain exists within the N-terminus of Rev-C.