Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 342-359).

A prior study conducted by Walker (1996) showed teachers working in Primary schools in Hong-kong experienced professional development as a ‘one off’ occurrence, referring to one day out of the academic year, in the form of a workshop or course. Teachers felt that they did not take into consideration ‘teachers skills needs and involovement’ (Walker, 1996). According to the study, Principals and heads of department are usually responsible for shaping and establishing the norms for professional growth. The study revealed that the general consensus amongst principals and administrators believed that teachers should be involved in the actual planning and design of professional development. This study aims to further shed light on this phenomenon in the form of a case study at a primary school in Hong-Kong. An in depth look at how a school implements and organizes professional development can be beneficial to numerous members of the school community, including principals, teachers and administrators. Walker’s (1996) study was ultimately effective in recognizing the trends and opinions amongst principals and administrators regarding professional development. However there is limited research regarding how teachers perceive professional development and how they feel it can improve their needs. By acknowledging the lack of professional development , and it’s perceived ineffectiveness from teachers, this studies objectives is to explore how professional development is organized and developed in the school, and use such insights and opinions gained to provide a means to establish how professional development can be implemented more effectively to benefit teachers. Moreover research shows that in recent times, professional development is low on the list of teacher priorities, as they feel overwhelmed with their existing workload. Though the present study stems for the ideologies and perceptions teachers in Hong-Kong seemingly have toward professional development, majority of the research will be addressing the current effectiveness of professional development at the school, as this will enable one deduce factors that make it successful or unsuccessful. It is important to recognize that every school is different and will therefore have different needs. Thus making comparisons towards professional development regarding its policies and implementation will most likely to render obsolete, as a professional development program that is successful at one school may not be at the other. Though there is no concrete definition for what constitutes ‘effective professional development’ Desimone (2009) offers a framework that is broad enough to be relevant to most schools. Such a framework will be used as an indicator in establishing whether professional development is effective in the school (See appendix A and B). Responses from administrators and teachers from the interview questions will also be used to analyse whether professional development offered at the school is effective and productive. This study will adopt a qualitative approach primarily through the use of interviews and observations. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Nature is in many ways considered a source to both physical and mental health among people. Trends in today’s society reveal that children become more distanced to nature. Seen from the perspective of sustainable development this trend is considered crucial: it is of importance that children in their early ages experience nature positively in order to develop a dedication towards environmental issues as adults. The purpose of this study is to investigate how teachers use outdoor learning as an educational tool. Research data were collected through a series of interviews. Teachers from two different primary schools were interviewed, and one of the schools is oriented towards outdoor education. The data were analyzed based on the teachers’ ideas of children’s attitudes towards, and possibilities to, spending time in their natural surroundings. The results show that all participating teachers are of the opinion that children today generally spend less time outdoors. This could partly be connected to the increased range of technical products that makes spending time indoors more appealing. The parents’ influence in terms of passing on their attitudes towards nature to their children is considered an important factor. The teachers use their understanding of the pupils’ needs of outdoor experiences as a starting point in their outdoor educational activities. All participating teachers emphasize health, outdoor activities, environmental education and both personal and social development as significant parts of outdoor education. Our conclusion based on this study emphasizes the ability to mediate sustainable approaches towards nature as an important part of teachers’ work in outdoor education. The teachers are committed to their work with passion and consequently they provide positive nature experiences to the pupils. Perhaps emotion and empathy for nature is the most significant part of what teachers pass on to their pupils through outdoor education with an aim for sustainable development.

Germany has historically been a country where peoples from various countries have worked and settled, and diverse cultures have existed. Yet, German schools still adhere to what could be described as assimilative and deficit-oriented practices (Gogolin & Krüger-Potratz, 2006; Schanz, 2006). In addition, the German education system has a high degree of social selection (Auernheimer, 2006a) that creates severe educational inequities between German and immigrant students. After four years of primary school, students are streamed into one of the three major secondary school types Gymnasium, Realschule, and Hauptschule, based on achievement. Since these schools provide education of varying quality, students are denied equal opportunities. The purpose of this study is to explore and critically analyze possible ways to alleviate the existing inequities in the German school system, which are reflected in the achievement gap between immigrant and German mainstream students (Hormel & Scherr, 2004; Schofield, 2006). Using a case study approach, I analyze the educational work of the award-winning German primary school “Kleine Kielstraße” located in Dortmund with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population, situated in a socially disadvantaged district. My purpose was to gain insight into the school’s practices and strategies for recognizing diverse students and for striving to provide equitable education for all students. Despite the strategic steps taken by this school based on the competence and the enthusiasm of the principal and staff, it is quite evident that structural changes in the highly selective, three-tiered German secondary school system are required before educators can effectively challenge the built-in inequities. Though the German school system is designed and programmed to discriminate and deny equal opportunity, the participating school demonstrates a pedagogical approach that provides more equitable education for all students regardless of their cultural background and ethnicity. This thesis explores these strategies of the school to create an understanding that a progressive “Intercultural Pedagogy” can go a long way in providing a better education despite structural inequities. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-03 15:00:06.839

Christchurch has experienced a series of over 13,500 earthquakes between September 2010 and January 2012. Some children who have been exposed to earthquakes may experience post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD) including difficulty concentrating, feeling anxious, restlessness and confusion. Other children may be resilient to the effects of disaster. Western models of resilience relate to a child’s social support and their capacity to cope. The Māori model of wellbeing relates to whanau (family), wairua (spiritual connections), tinana (the physical body) and hinengaro (the mind and emotions). Children’s concepts of helping, caring and learning may provide insight into resilience without introducing the topic of earthquakes into the conversation, which in itself may provoke an episode of stress. Many researchers have studied the effects of earthquakes on children. However, few studies have examined positive outcomes and resilience or listened to the children’s voices. The objective of this study was to listen to the voices of children who experienced the Canterbury earthquake period in order to gain a deeper understanding of the ideas associated resilience. Individual interviews were conducted with 17 five-year-old participants during their first term of primary school. After the interviews, the teacher shared demographic information and reports on the children’s stress and coping. Six children were identified as New Zealand European and eleven children identified as New Zealand Māori. Children had different views of helping, caring and learning. Themes of resilience from Western and Kaupapa Māori models were identified in transcripts of the children's voices and drawings. Māori children voiced more themes of resilience associated with the Western model, and in the Tapa Whā model, Māori children's transcripts were more likely to be inclusive of all four components of well-being. How five-year-old children, having experienced an earthquake disaster during their preschool years, talk or draw pictures about helping, caring and learning can provide insight into resilience, especially in situations where it is not advisable to re-traumatise children by discussing the disaster event. Future research should interview parents/caregivers and whānau to gain further insights. Considering information from both a Western and a Tapa Whā perspective can also provide new insights into resilience in young children. A limitation of this study is that qualitative studies are not always free from a researcher’s interpretation and are, therefore, subjective.

Community Contexts of Maori-English Bilingual Education is a multi-case study of six primary school bilingual programmes located throughout the South Island. These six programmes comprised the total number of programmes officially designated by the (former) Department of Education as bilingual and which were administered from the Southern Regional Office of the Department. Each of these programmes employed the services of a kaiarahi reo and had been in operation for at least one school year at the beginning of Term I, 1989. The focus of the study is the interlocking sociocultural and pedagogical contexts which affect, and which, in turn, are affected by the recent inclusion of Maori as a language of instruction within the New Zealand public school system. The material presented in this report resulted from quantitative and qualitative study over an eighteen month period commencing in February, 1989. Data collection techniques included interviews, classroom observations and questionnaire surveys which were used to compile base-line data on the numbers and backgrounds of pupils enrolled in the programmes, classroom practices, perceptions of parents and school staff and outcomes of the programmes. The research also included a number of interviews with affiliated personnel such as Kohanga Reo parents and staff, local kaumatua, and officials from the Ministry and Department of Education. A number of issues are covered in the study; including the rationales for establishing programmes, staffing policies and procedures, resource allocation, bilingual teaching methodology, the range and depth of bilingual and bicultural innovation, community involvement and levels of satisfaction and concern with the programmes.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of primary school teachers' involvement in curriculum development in the South and South Central Education Regions of Southern Botswana. It also examined the teachers' contribution to curriculum development in Botswana. The introduction of the study provides the aim, problem statements, limitations, and defines critical concepts used in the study among other things. The methodology of the study employed IS survey research in its design. The population of the respondents in the two regions is five thousand five hundred and ninety (5590). The sample targeted was six hundred (600) teacher respondents. However, the actual number achieved was three hundred and fifty-three (353). Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire, which was piloted before the main study was undertaken. Twenty (20) teachers in one primary school were used in the pilot study, out of which fourteen (14) teachers responded. The research findings indicated that primary school teachers are not involved in curriculum development. With respect to this, the majority of the respondents indicated that they wanted teachers to participate fully in curriculum development. The study found out that primary school teachers are not involved in curriculum development because teachers are in shortage in the schools. One other reason is that curriculum development is centralised, a factor which inhabits teacher involvement. the research also found out that primary school teachers are not involve in curriculum development because they are not qualified to develop the curriculum. it was found that all primary school teachers cannot be involve in curriculum development. The study made some recommendations for policy refocus so that teachers should be involved fully in curriculum development. it is recommended that membership of primary school teachers in the national Curriculum panel should be rotational. Further, it is recommended that the number of the teachers in the Panel should be increased to two per subject area. it is recommended that more power should be devolved to regions. / (Ph.D) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2005

In Australia, non-Aboriginal people have been involved in Aboriginal education since the end of the 19th century. There has been ongoing criticism of non-Aboriginal involvement in Aboriginal education and a movement towards Aboriginalisation in education. This study addresses the issues faced by six non-Aboriginal teachers in remote Aboriginal communities in the 1990's. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences and perceptions of non-Aboriginal teachers living and working in remote Aboriginal communities in the 1990's. Through this research I found that the non-Aboriginal teachers faced difficulties living and working in remote Aboriginal communities. They talked about the distinctive lifestyle and living conditions. They reported a need for pre-service and ongoing professional development focusing on aspects influencing their lives. The discussion topics included: their living circumstances; Aboriginal world view; Aboriginal health issues; community issues; Aboriginal teaching and learning styles and school policies. The study is consistent with previous research about non-Aboriginal teachers living and working in remote Aboriginal communities. It argues that pre-service and ongoing professional development is vital for the success of non-Aboriginal teacher in remote communities. Community based educational programs for non-Aboriginal teachers are needed. These programs should include non-Aboriginal teachers learning about Aboriginal culture, Aboriginal learning and teaching styles and the development and implementation of educational policies. These programmes need to include discussion of aspects of living in isolated settings. Schools and governing bodies involved need to develop closer liaison with non-Aboriginal teachers to support their living in this setting. It is also important that policies in place address the problem of the high turnover of non-Aboriginal staff experienced by remote community schools. This study also poses the question what is the future for non-Aboriginal teachers in remote Aboriginal communities? Aboriginalisation in remote Aboriginal communities is highly recommended.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-139).