Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Also available in print.

Thesis (M.Ed. (Literacy and Language))--University of South Australia, 1995.

The thesis looks at the Government Bursary Scheme for Higher Education Students in Nigeria and examines two questions relating to the supply of graduate teachers in Nigeria. First, how effective has the Scheme been in augmenting the supply of graduate teachers. Secondly, what is the likelihood that, once trained, the new graduate teachers will leave the profession in favour of better paid alternative employment, thereby defeating the object of the Scheme. To answer these questions, we have used published time-series data and have also conducted a survey of our own among some 600 education undergraduate students in three representative Nigerian universities. Our findings are that, contrary to the prediction of human capital theory, which stresses the importance of prospective relative pay in the choice of courses at university, the Bursary Scheme, which, on the contrary, assumes that it is the relative cost of different courses which principally determines this choice, has been very effective, though not so much in persuading 18-year olds to take a B.Ed. instead of a B.A. or B.Sc., as in inducing experienced primary school teachers to upgrade their qualifications so as to augment the supply of (graduate) secondary school teachers. We also show why the fear that B.Ed. graduates will drift into other professions, which would defeat the object of the Scheme, may be unwarranted.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Toronto, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-06, Section: A, page: 2118. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-171).

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This study aims at creating an understanding of how teachers in Gambian primary schools, who have participated in Future in our hands in-service training, experience their motivation to teach. Three research question were defined to help us examining our purpose further; “Is motivation to teach a problem among Gambian teachers?”, “which factors are most important in order to create a motivational workplace?” and “which factors do the Gambian teachers experience to demotivate them in their work?“. A presentation on previous research in the field is given, which points out that motivation is a problem among many teachers in developing countries and that intrinsic as well extrinsic factors affects the motivation in both positive and negative ways. Twelve semi-structured interviews were conducted throughout The Gambia focusing on the respondents’ experiences about their motivation to teach. The collected material was analysed using Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theory. The results showed that salary, interpersonal relations, lack of materials and facilities, possibilities for growth and promotion as well as workload were factors frequently mentioned in terms of creating motivation as well as demotivation to teach.

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1971. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Reading Specialist). Includes bibliographical references (p. 36-37).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2002. / Typescript (photocopy). "June 2002." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 325-340).. Also available via the World Wide Web.

The purpose of this research study was to explore and describe the experience of primary school educators of inclusive education. Educators experience inclusive education with dissimilar attitudes and perceptions. Educators constantly have to cope with large numbers of learners in the classroom, an inflexible curriculum and a lot of administration work. All these things make implementation of inclusive education difficult. I perceive that there is a need to re-evaluate the existing curriculum and come up with new teaching methods to assist the educators to cope with their dilemma. The objectives of this study were to explore and describe the experience of educators in a primary school of inclusive education and to describe guidelines to assist educators to facilitate a positive experience of inclusive education. The study was qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual in approach and it therefore became necessary to use phenomenological semi-structured interviews with educators involved in inclusive education. Before the interviews, trust was build through a written request of permission to the principal of the school concerned to conduct the research study. The participating educators were also informed of what the research is all about before the main interview. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews focusing on the experience of primary school educators of inclusive education. Data were analysed utilising Tesch’s (Cresswell 2004:192) method of open coding. Trustworthiness was ensured throughout the study by applying Guba’s approach (Lincoln and Guba 1995:15) including the service of an independent coder. Results were recontextualised within the literature. Most educators view inclusive education as beneficial to the educators, the parents, the school and the learners as a whole; “a tool to make every learner a winner.” There are challenges that make inclusive education difficult to implement and are voiced by educators through a feeling of disempowerment. Support systems presently implemented by educators are met with varying opinions about the efficiency in inclusive education. There is an increased need for support systems for educators involved in inclusive education. Guidelines to assist educators to facilitate a positive experience of inclusive education were developed based on the above theme. / Prof. C.P.H. Myburgh Prof. M. Poggenpoel

Aims. Problem-solving approaches to teaching mathematics have been recommended in curriculum documents for some time but there is evidence to suggest that there has been limited classroom implementation both in Australia as well as overseas. This investigation explored the level of implementation of mathematical problem solving in primary classrooms in NSW. Teachers' beliefs about the role of problem solving in learning mathematics as well as their classroom practices were also investigated. To explore what teachers believe and what they do in relation to problem solving, this investigation examined primary school teachers' reported beliefs about the role of problem solving in learning mathematics and their reported practices in classrooms. It aimed to discover how beliefs about mathematical problem solving influenced decision making in teachers' classrooms and what factors promoted and hindered the implementation of problem-solving approaches. The results of this investigation could provide benefits to several different groups involved in mathematics education. Preservice teacher educators and presenters of inservice education courses could benefit from increased knowledge about the role of beliefs in determining practices as well as potential constraints on desirable practices. Associated with this may be the need to challenge teachers' beliefs that might not support the development of practices that promote problem-solving approaches. For practising teachers, professional development could focus on examining their beliefs and providing the necessary support for teachers to realise the aim of assisting their pupils to achieve problem-solving competence. Curriculum developers may benefit from an increased awareness of the difficulties associated with implementing recommended approaches. Finally, participating teachers may benefit from their involvement in the investigation through opportunities to reflect on their practice while completing the survey instrument as well as during interview discussions with the researcher. Scope. Data collection focused on teachers' beliefs about mathematics, teaching mathematics and learning mathematics, as well as on their reported practices since all of these factors impact on what occurs in teachers' classrooms. A combination of methods was used to collect data so that there was increased confidence in the research findings. In this way, the results of one method could be tested against another for consistency, thus enhancing trustworthiness and dependability. The data collection for this investigation was divided into two phases. The first phase involved the use of a questionnaire to seek data on teachers' reported problem solving beliefs and practices as little is known overall in this area, particularly within the context of Australian teachers. Responses were received from 162 primary school teachers currently teaching in NSW. The instrument was designed with reference to similar instruments that had been used by other researchers in the field and incorporated a combination of closed and open questions. The second phase of data collection incorporated interviews and observations that were conducted in the field. These methods were used to explore the problem-solving teaching approaches used by a small number of teachers in particular school settings. To collect data about teachers' planning for instruction, and opportunities that support or constrain innovative practices, it was more appropriate to explore particular contexts that would provide a rich set of data. Conclusions. Analyses of data confirmed the spread of teachers' beliefs, the diversity of their practice, and revealed issues that could hinder their problem-solving efforts in classrooms. A small group of surveyed teachers reported holding very traditional views that were quite distinct from another group who reported support for very contemporary views. These differences were also apparent in relation to reported classroom practices and appeared to be linked to the current teaching grade level of the respondents. This was confirmed during the interviews and observations as it seems easier for teachers of the lower primary grades to implement practices identified as supporting problem-solving approaches. For teachers of upper primary grades, parents' and school expectations impinge on teachers' practices and potentially constrain their problem-solving efforts. For the two teachers who participated in the classroom observations, considerable energy was required to resist constraints and implement problem-solving approaches. Recommendations for practice and future research include the need for an examination of constraints on practice, the role of reflective practice in implementing innovative practices, the viability of teaching through problem solving as a necessary and important teaching approach, and the use of a variety of problem types in preparing students to be successful problem solvers. In addition, teachers may need to be encouraged to continually reflect on practice and teacher educators may need to raise the awareness of preservice and inservice teachers to the issues involved in implementing problem-solving approaches in their classrooms.