This thesis examines the extent to which the private Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Sector in South Africa is responsive to national development. National development is understood as associated with a range of socio-economic imperatives which include challenges of poverty, unemployment, inequality, the ravages of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its associated impacts. In addition to these, the educational component of national development is to ensure access, redress and equity, which are necessary to undo the impacts of an apartheid-related skills regime. Skills development is considered a crucial means to respond to these challenges. Without skills for formal and informal labour markets, as well as productive self-employment, South Africa’s capacity to respond to the new globalised era is likely to be considerably stunted and will negatively affect its developmental trajectory. The methodology used in this study included a mix of quantitative and qualitative strategies to obtain the size, shape and nature of provision. The quantitative component, undertaken in the course of 2002, was supplemented by randomly chosen qualitative case studies. Together, they provided the basis for unravelling a sector distinct in nature, form and content. Developing a comprehensive typology provides important insight into responsiveness of a sector characterised by wide-ranging provision forms. The typology of provider type based on profitability and form, i.e. ‘for-profit’, ‘non-profit’ and ‘in-house’ providers, was replaced with a multi-dimensional model. Learner type, as a primary typological category, includes the ‘pre-employed’, ‘unemployed’, the employed ‘self-funded employee’ and the ‘corporate client’. Provider types responding to these learner types are distinguished on the basis of location, delivery patterns and programming. The various provider forms include ‘multi-providers’, ‘specialist providers’, ‘consultants’, ‘in-house’ and ‘non-profit’ providers. Provider purposes include those responding to employment, either formal labour market or self-employment, and self-development, including leisure-related skilling and lifelong learning. Learner types and training purpose determine the manner, form and characteristics of provision. This understanding of a widely divergent and heterogeneous sector provides the context for assessing its contribution to national development in South Africa. The notions of responsiveness and receptiveness are used as conceptual devices to assess the role of the sector. Responsiveness describes specific labour market purpose, while receptiveness refers to the social development and educational imperatives of access, redress and equity. The sheer size of the sector suggests an important demand-led element of provision and represents an important measure of receptiveness to national development prerogatives. The conservative estimate of 706 884 learners, located at 4178 sites for 864 providers that pre-registered with the Department of Education in 2001, provide the basis for serious consideration of the sector. The sector adequately responds to the immediate short-term needs of employers. Programmes offered for corporate providers respond more deliberately to their immediate short-term skill requirements and which has made it possible for them to outsource a considerable proportion of their training. In addition, there is no other education and training form flexible enough to provide for the training needs of employees, and sometimes the customers of corporate concerns, as in product upgrading and support, at times and locations suitable to their requirements. Private providers did not necessarily have more linkages with the formal labour market than do public providers and are not necessarily able to secure more effectively employment opportunities for their pre- and unemployed learners With respect to receptiveness, the sector comprises learner patterns consistent with national demographics. The sector is associated with an older, employed learner type, typically enrolled in shorter-term courses. This demonstrates the sector’s accessibility. In comparison with their public counterparts, costs were not prohibitive and programme structure allowed adequate flexibility to enable learners to weave in and out of the system. Variable admission requirements also allowed learners to slot into appropriate levels. The absence of data makes comparative judgements of throughput, and quality, with public institutions difficult to make. The current need to regulate all providers equally may not be the most efficient way of dealing with the sector. In light of the national development prerogative to protect those most vulnerable from the risk of market failure, there is need to grant support to those providers most responsive to this group - in this instance, those ‘full time’ providers responding to the pre- and unemployed learner set. The market adequately regulates providers responding to the employed and corporate client groups.

Em uma sociedade fortemente marcada pelos meios de comunicação e pelas transformações impostas pelo fenômeno da globalização, o setor educacional também passa por desafios e mudanças profundas. No Brasil, especialmente nos últimos 15 anos, o ensino superior viveu um período de enorme expansão, com a abertura de instituições de ensino, oferta de cursos em diferentes modalidades e o ingresso de um contingente da população que até então estava excluído das universidades. A maior parte das matrículas está concentrada em cursos noturnos oferecidos por instituições de ensino particulares, muitas delas configuradas como grandes grupos educacionais, com caráter marcadamente mercantil. Este trabalho se propõe a investigar o perfil sócio-econômico e cultural dos alunos de uma dessas instituições, seu universo de representações simbólicas, bem como o consumo e uso que fazem das mídias. Tem como objetivo, ainda, avaliar a correlação entre as mudanças nos padrões sociais dos estudantes e transformações em relação ao consumo de mídia e às formas de acesso à informação e ao conhecimento. O recorte escolhido para fixar essas questões se realiza dentro dos limites da perspectiva comunicação-cultura-educação. O estudo de caso foi realizado no Centro Universitário Radial, pertencente ao grupo Estácio Participações. Além de utilizar números do IBGE, MEC e outros centros de pesquisa, aplicamos uma pesquisa de campo com dois procedimentos: um formulário com questões de múltipla escolha foi respondido por 2.263 alunos e realizamos entrevistas em profundidade, individuais, com dez estudantes. Os resultados apontam que o aluno da UniRadial-Estácio é claramente oriundo das classes populares, reside em áreas periféricas da região metropolitana de São Paulo e reconfigura parte de sua identidade a partir de seu ingresso no ensino superior e do valor simbólico que tal fato tem para ele e sua família, especialmente por pertencer à primeira geração, em seu âmbito familiar, que teve acesso a um curso superior. Ele mantém uma relação paradoxal com a instituição de ensino em questão, que envolve valor de troca e utilitário, mas não se esgota na dimensão do consumo. É também um estudante imerso na sociedade contemporânea, marcada pela forte presença da mídia. Sendo assim, ele consome veículos de comunicação impressa, lê livros, assiste televisão, mas principalmente e, sobretudo, utiliza a internet como meio de comunicação, socialização e veículo de acesso à informação e ao conhecimento. No que tange à instituição de ensino, verificamos que ela incorporou, de algumas formas, o uso da tecnologia e dos meios de comunicação em suas práticas pedagógicas. No entanto, essa incorporação se deu dentro de um contexto meramente operatório, instrumental ou então especificamente quando tratamos das aulas a distância via web dentro de uma lógica mercantil. Tal uso provoca forte rejeição nos estudantes o que demonstra que as relações do uso da tecnologia e/ou meios de comunicação dentro e fora do ambiente escolar não são nada mecânicas ou automáticas. Isto é, não é porque o estudante utiliza com frequência determinada mídia, que sua mera inclusão no contexto educacional se fará eficaz do ponto de vista do ensino-aprendizagem. / In a society strongly marked by the media and the changes wrought by globalization, the education sector is also undergoing profound changes and challenges. In Brazil, especially in the last 15 years, higher education experienced a period of huge expansion with the opening of educational institutions, offering courses in different modalities and the entry of a contingent of people who previously were excluded from universities. Most enrollment is concentrated in evening courses offered by private educational institutions, many of them set to large educational groups, with markedly mercantile character. This work aims to investigate the socio-economic and cultural profile of students of a higher education institution, their universe of symbolic representations, and the consumption and use they make of the media. The research wants also to evaluate the correlation between changes in social patterns of students and changes in relation to consumption of media and forms of access to information and knowledge. The questions are analyzed within the limits of a perspective which involves education-culture-communication. The case study was conducted in the Centro Universitário Radial, belonging to the group Estácio Participações. Besides using figures from the IBGE, MEC and other research centers, we apply a field survey with two procedures: a form with multiple choice questions was answered by 2263 students and we also conducted interviews, individually, with ten students. The results indicate that the students UniRadial-Estácio are clearly coming from the lower classes, living in peripheral areas of metropolitan São Paulo and reconfigure part of their identity from their entry to higher education and the symbolic value that this fact has to them and their families, especially for belonging to the first generation in their family relations, which had access to a university. They maintain a paradoxical relationship with the institution in question, which involves exchange value and utility, but is not limited in the realm of consumption. It is also a student immersed in contemporary society, marked by a strong media presence. Thus, they consume the media printed, read books, watch television, but primarily and above all use the internet as a means of communication, socialization and vehicle access to information and knowledge. Regarding the educational institution, we found that it incorporated in some ways, the use of technology and media in their teaching practice. However, this incorporation took place within a context merely operative, instrumental or so - especially when we deal with distance education via web - in a market logic. Such use leads to strong rejection among students which demonstrates that the relationship of technology or media use inside and outside of school is nothing mechanical or automatic. That is, not because the student often uses certain media, that its mere inclusion in the educational context will make it effective from the point of view of teaching and learning.

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-06-15T19:08:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Osvino Toillier.pdf: 795541 bytes, checksum: b2a465b6210ae1208548195ba6f4339b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-15T19:08:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Osvino Toillier.pdf: 795541 bytes, checksum: b2a465b6210ae1208548195ba6f4339b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-01-15 / Nenhuma / O presente trabalho tem como foco o processo da negociação coletiva na área do ensino privado gaúcho, mais precisamente entre o Sindicato dos Estabelecimentos do Ensino Privado no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (SINEPE/RS) e o Sindicato dos Professores do Rio Grande do Sul (SINPRORS), no período de 2004 a 2013. Como material empírico, utiliza documentos e demais registros arquivados no SINEPE, além das memórias do autor, tendo em vista seu protagonismo ao longo do recorte temporal aqui analisado. A partir do contexto social e político mais amplo e, considerando o cenário e as demandas específicas de cada período de negociação, são verificados os processos de negociação, com seus tensionamentos e acordos, em outras palavras, os modos de gestão efetivados. No processo analítico foram selecionadas algumas unidades de análise: Tempo de Duração da Negociação; Respeito às Diferenças e Processo Democrático. Valendo-se de referenciais teóricos que tratam do tema, com especial destaque para as ideias de Clea Macagnan, desdobram-se considerações acerca do preparo e papel dos negociadores, da competência e da liderança bem como dos necessários cuidados frente às demandas políticas e às relações de poder. Entre as considerações finais, salienta-se a complexidade do processo de negociação, bem como, a importância de uma liderança que atue na perspectiva democrática, sendo a questão nuclear a credibilidade da liderança na condução do processo. / The present paper focus on the process of collective negotiation in the ‘gaucho’ private education area, more precisely between the Union of Private Schools in the State of Rio Grande do Sul - SINEPE/RS and the Teacher’s Union of the State of Rio Grande do Sul - SINPRO/RS in the period 1992 – 2013. As empirical data, it uses documents and other records filed at SINEPE, besides the memories of the writer taking into consideration his role along the time frame analyzed here. From the broader social and political context and, considering the scenario and the specific demands of each period of negotiation, with its tensions and agreements, the negotiation processes are verified, in other words, the management methods effected. In the analytical process some units of analyses were selected: The Negotiation period Time, Respect for Differences and Democratic Process. Making use of theoretical framework that deal with the subject, with special emphasis on the ideas of Clea Macagnan, we unfold considerations about the preparation and the role of negotiators, of the competence and leadership as well as the necessary care in face of political demands and power relations. Among the final considerations, we highlight the complexity of the negotiation process, as well as the importance of a leadership which acts in the democratic perspective, being the leadership credibility the nuclear question in conducting the process.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:33:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eloisa Tavares Ferreira.pdf: 542765 bytes, checksum: 5ca6f2686e1a907b93c9e0e369f2478b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-03-24 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This dissertation is the result of research done in 2007, which aimed to analyze the origin and conditions of the school and social trajectories of students from families belonging to a certain fraction of popular classes who take specific strategies, common in middle classes, targeting the continuity of studies of their children at the top level or better placement in the job market. The interest in the subject is related to personal experience as a high school teacher at a private school located on the outskirts of the city of Fortaleza, concerned about the paths followed by these students. The universe of work was made of former high school students from a private educational institution, located in peripheral district of the city of Fortaleza. We selected 06 students who completed this level of education in 2004, which were conducted semi-structured interviews, which were ultimately to collect data about the origin of family settings, social relationships built, as well as their school trajectories, trying to raise the most significant factors that led each of these students to take similar trajectories. To proceed to the analysis of data we looked for support in the concept of cultural capital and social capital of Bourdieu, as well as the methodological contributions of Lahire (1997), in that we have proposed to understand the singular trajectory followed by every individual who were instrumental or not for the continuation of studies at college or for insertion in the labor market / A presente dissertação é resultado de pesquisa realizada em 2007, que visou analisar as condições de origem e as trajetórias escolares e sociais de alunos de famílias pertencentes a uma determinada fração da classe popular que adotam estratégias específicas, comuns nas classes médias, visando à continuidade dos estudos de seus filhos em nível superior ou uma melhor colocação no mercado de trabalho. O interesse pelo tema está relacionado à experiência pessoal como Professora do Ensino Médio de uma escola privada situada na periferia da cidade de Fortaleza, preocupada com os caminhos seguidos por estes alunos. O universo trabalhado foram alunos egressos do Ensino Médio de uma Instituição privada de ensino, localizada em bairro periférico do município de Fortaleza. Foram selecionados 06 alunos que concluíram este nível de ensino no ano de 2004, com os quais foram realizadas entrevistas semi-estruturadas, que tiveram por fim a coleta de dados a respeito das configurações familiares de origem, as relações sociais construídas, bem como as trajetórias escolares, procurando levantar os fatores mais significativos que levaram cada um desses alunos a percorrerem trajetórias semelhantes. Para proceder à análise dos dados, nos apoiamos no conceito de capital cultural e capital social de Bourdieu, como também nas contribuições metodológicas de Lahire (1997), na medida em que nos propusemos a compreender as trajetórias singulares seguidas por cada indivíduo que foram determinantes ou não para a continuidade dos estudos em nível superior ou para a inserção no mercado de trabalho

Since the late nineteenth century, Switzerland, a self-professed “playground” and “classroom” of the world, has successfully promoted itself as a desirable destination for international study and tourism. The historically entangled private schooling and tourism industries have steadily communicated idealised images of educational tourism in Switzerland via advertising. Concentrating on the period 1890 -1945 – when promotional ties between tourism organisations and private schools solidified – this thesis investigates the social construction of educational tourist place in two different types of promotion aimed at English-speaking markets: private international school prospectuses and education-focused tourism brochures. An analysis of early prospectuses from three long-standing private international schools and of education-focused tourism guides written by municipal organisations, travel agencies, school boards and the Swiss government revealed highly visual, ideologically-charged textual representations of locations and markets simultaneously defined, idealised and commodified international education in Switzerland. Chapters provide close interpretation of documents and aim, through thick description, to understand specific place-making examples within a wider socio-historical context. Chapter One examines the earliest prospectuses of Le Rosey and Brillantmont, two of the world’s must exclusive Swiss schools (1890-1916). An examination of photo-essay style prospectuses reveals highly selective portrayals of “Château” architecture communicated capacity to deliver a “high-class” and gender appropriate Swiss finishing. Visual cues hallmarking literary and sporting preferences indicated texts catered to the gaze of social-climbing, Anglo-centric markets desirous a continental cosmopolitan education that was not overly “foreign.” Chapter Two analyses the social construction of towns in French-speaking Switzerland as attractive educational centres (1890-1914). It explores how guides promoting Geneva, Neuchâtel and Lausanne constructed an idealised study-abroad landscape through thematic testaments to the educative capacities of local human and natural landscapes. The remaining chapters explore interwar texts. Chapter Three examines a high-altitude institute’s use of the idealising skills of high-end tourism poster artists to manufacture a pleasant, school-like image for the mountain sanatoria-like campus of Beau Soleil. Chapter Four investigates two series of education-focused tourism guidebooks which promoted education in Switzerland. An examination of a Swiss National Tourist Office series reveals discourses of nationhood racialised the Swiss as natural-born pedagogues and constructed Switzerland as a safe, moral destination populated by cooperative, multi-lingual and foreign student-friendly folk. An analysis of R. Perrin Travel Agency’s series explores guidebooks which openly classified education as a tourism commodity. The final chapter examines Le Rosey and Brillantmont’s interwar prospectuses within the context of complex, transnational schooling and school advertising practices. An analysis of images of school sports at winter holiday resorts suggests prospectuses expressed the sense of freedom which accompanies upper-class identity more so than any sense of gender-driven restriction.

Since the late nineteenth century, Switzerland, a self-professed “playground” and “classroom” of the world, has successfully promoted itself as a desirable destination for international study and tourism. The historically entangled private schooling and tourism industries have steadily communicated idealised images of educational tourism in Switzerland via advertising. Concentrating on the period 1890 -1945 – when promotional ties between tourism organisations and private schools solidified – this thesis investigates the social construction of educational tourist place in two different types of promotion aimed at English-speaking markets: private international school prospectuses and education-focused tourism brochures. An analysis of early prospectuses from three long-standing private international schools and of education-focused tourism guides written by municipal organisations, travel agencies, school boards and the Swiss government revealed highly visual, ideologically-charged textual representations of locations and markets simultaneously defined, idealised and commodified international education in Switzerland. Chapters provide close interpretation of documents and aim, through thick description, to understand specific place-making examples within a wider socio-historical context. Chapter One examines the earliest prospectuses of Le Rosey and Brillantmont, two of the world’s must exclusive Swiss schools (1890-1916). An examination of photo-essay style prospectuses reveals highly selective portrayals of “Château” architecture communicated capacity to deliver a “high-class” and gender appropriate Swiss finishing. Visual cues hallmarking literary and sporting preferences indicated texts catered to the gaze of social-climbing, Anglo-centric markets desirous a continental cosmopolitan education that was not overly “foreign.” Chapter Two analyses the social construction of towns in French-speaking Switzerland as attractive educational centres (1890-1914). It explores how guides promoting Geneva, Neuchâtel and Lausanne constructed an idealised study-abroad landscape through thematic testaments to the educative capacities of local human and natural landscapes. The remaining chapters explore interwar texts. Chapter Three examines a high-altitude institute’s use of the idealising skills of high-end tourism poster artists to manufacture a pleasant, school-like image for the mountain sanatoria-like campus of Beau Soleil. Chapter Four investigates two series of education-focused tourism guidebooks which promoted education in Switzerland. An examination of a Swiss National Tourist Office series reveals discourses of nationhood racialised the Swiss as natural-born pedagogues and constructed Switzerland as a safe, moral destination populated by cooperative, multi-lingual and foreign student-friendly folk. An analysis of R. Perrin Travel Agency’s series explores guidebooks which openly classified education as a tourism commodity. The final chapter examines Le Rosey and Brillantmont’s interwar prospectuses within the context of complex, transnational schooling and school advertising practices. An analysis of images of school sports at winter holiday resorts suggests prospectuses expressed the sense of freedom which accompanies upper-class identity more so than any sense of gender-driven restriction.

With the internationalization of English there is a growing demand for high quality English language education around the globe, particularly in non-English speaking countries. Consequently, there is an increasing demand worldwide for competent English teachers and more effective approaches to teaching and teacher professional development. In Egypt, in a context of educational reform where communicative language teaching approaches have been adopted as a way to improve teaching, this study explores how teachers perceive and respond to this call for change in instructional practices. It examines the professional development experiences of a group of English as a foreign language (EFL) and English-medium subject (EMS) teachers working in the private and public basic educational sectors in Cairo, Egypt. The research questions focus on teachers’ perceptions of change and improvement occurring in their teaching practices, their beliefs on the sources of change available to them, and the perspectives of school principals and professional development providers on teachers’ change prospects. In this study, a multi-method approach was applied, with a teacher survey administered to 174 teachers; in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 36 teachers, 15 principals, and 8 professional development (PD) providers; field observation; and examination of relevant documents and artifacts. The analysis of data is informed by sociocultural theory perspectives (Vygotsky, 1978). The findings indicate that (1) teachers perceive great change in their practices, though their conceptions and implementation of communicative approaches are context-bound, (2) teaching is influenced by various professional learning opportunities, and (3) change or lack thereof results from teachers’ adaptability to their local contextual demands through a process of resistance, resilience, or maintaining the status quo. The findings highlight the centrality of teachers in change processes.They suggest that change results from a process of interaction between teachers and other individuals within their community, and that the nature of change as experienced by the participants is shaped by a multitude of contextual factors. The implications of the study include the need to replace the technical conception of professional development with a more ecological orientation, to establish professional learning communities among teachers and within schools, and to establish a coherent framework for change initiatives.

With the internationalization of English there is a growing demand for high quality English language education around the globe, particularly in non-English speaking countries. Consequently, there is an increasing demand worldwide for competent English teachers and more effective approaches to teaching and teacher professional development. In Egypt, in a context of educational reform where communicative language teaching approaches have been adopted as a way to improve teaching, this study explores how teachers perceive and respond to this call for change in instructional practices. It examines the professional development experiences of a group of English as a foreign language (EFL) and English-medium subject (EMS) teachers working in the private and public basic educational sectors in Cairo, Egypt. The research questions focus on teachers’ perceptions of change and improvement occurring in their teaching practices, their beliefs on the sources of change available to them, and the perspectives of school principals and professional development providers on teachers’ change prospects. In this study, a multi-method approach was applied, with a teacher survey administered to 174 teachers; in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 36 teachers, 15 principals, and 8 professional development (PD) providers; field observation; and examination of relevant documents and artifacts. The analysis of data is informed by sociocultural theory perspectives (Vygotsky, 1978). The findings indicate that (1) teachers perceive great change in their practices, though their conceptions and implementation of communicative approaches are context-bound, (2) teaching is influenced by various professional learning opportunities, and (3) change or lack thereof results from teachers’ adaptability to their local contextual demands through a process of resistance, resilience, or maintaining the status quo. The findings highlight the centrality of teachers in change processes.They suggest that change results from a process of interaction between teachers and other individuals within their community, and that the nature of change as experienced by the participants is shaped by a multitude of contextual factors. The implications of the study include the need to replace the technical conception of professional development with a more ecological orientation, to establish professional learning communities among teachers and within schools, and to establish a coherent framework for change initiatives.

På grund av den kraftiga tillväxt som skett i servicesektorn, vilken idag står för ungefär 70 procent av den totala ekonomiska aktiviteten i världen, har anpassning till nya krav blivit en förutsättning för att säkra en stark position på en snabbt föränderlig och konkurrensutsatt marknad. Oron för kvalitet har därmed vuxit och begreppet är idag, mer än någonsin, en viktig del av en organisations verklighet och vardag. Tidigare modeller för utvärdering av servicekvalitet betonar att kvalitetsbegreppet är mångfacetterat. Trots detta föreslås dessa modeller vara ganska begränsade utifrån en helhetssyn. Vidare är de heller inte tillräckligt anpassade till den specifika service som är föremål för utvärdering. Syftet med detta examensarbete var att utveckla en heltäckande modell och metod för utvärdering och förbättring av servicekvalitet, vilken medför att ett privat utbildningsföretag kan säkra en stark position på en konkurrensutsatt och snabbt föränderlig marknad. En fältstudie bestående av ett antal semistrukturerade intervjuer och en datorbaserad enkät genomfördes i samarbete med ett privat utbildningsföretag. Med hjälp av Voice of the Customer och ett systembaserat synsätt kunde kvalitetskonceptet definieras och de följande kvalitetsdimensionerna kunde identifieras: - Resultatkvalitet - Kvalitet hos lärarnas interaktionsförmåga - Struktur- och innehållskvalitet - Kvalitet hos den fysiska miljön - Kvalitet hos den administrativa Personalens interaktionsförmåga Kvalitetsansvariga inom sektorn för privat utbildning kan använda den föreslagna modellen som ett verktyg för utvärdering av nuvarande arbete och därigenom genomföra viktiga kvalitetsförbättringar. Vidare kan den föreslagna modellen och metoden också användas som grund för studier inom andra serviceområden för utveckling av liknande och för dessa områden anpassade modeller. / Due to the considerable growth of the service sector, which today accounts for roughly 70 percent of the total economic activity worldwide, adapting to new demands is a prerequisite for securing a strong position on a rapidly changing and competitive market. The concern for quality grows and the concept has become a more than ever important part of organizational reality. Existing models for evaluation of service quality share the common trait of emphasizing the concept of quality as a multifaceted one; still these models are proposed to be rather limited from a comprehensive view. Furthermore, they are not adapted specifically to the service being subject to evaluation. The purpose of this thesis was to develop a comprehensive model and approach for evaluation and improvements of service quality in order for a private education company to secure a strong position in a competitive and rapidly changing market climate. A case study consisting of a number of semi-structured interviews and a computer-based survey was performed in cooperation with a private education company. By using Voice of the Customer and a systems approach the concept of quality could be defined and the following dimensions of quality could be identified: - Outcome Quality - Teacher Interaction Quality - Structure and Contents Quality - Physical Environment Quality - Administration Interaction Quality Service Quality Managers in the sector of private education can use the proposed model as a tool for evaluation of current work and thereby enforce important quality improvements. Furthermore, the proposed model and approach can also be used as a foundation for studies within other service settings for development of similar and for those areas adapted models.

Dès 1975, les premières formes de préscolarisation sont présentes en Inde autour de deux fonctions principales : offrir un mode de garde gratuit pour tous, en zone rurale comme en zone urbaine, et lutter efficacement contre la malnutrition et le manque d’accès aux soins des jeunes enfants. Parallèlement à un important système de redistribution publique, ces centres apparaissent comme une des vitrines des actions sociales de l’Etat du Tamil Nadu et du territoire de Pondichéry. Depuis les années 2000, l’offre éducative est modifiée par l’émergence de nouvelles revendications par une partie de la société indienne ainsi que par l’implication dans le secteur d’acteurs privés, d’ONG ou de communautés religieuses. Les acteurs privés sont aujourd’hui incontournables et les familles sont nombreuses à solliciter leurs structures. Mes recherches montrent que la demande en faveur de la préscolarisation est conditionnée par les représentations et les nouvelles attentes des familles qui aspirent à appartenir aux classes moyennes. Cette thèse s’intéresse tout d’abord à la manière dont cette demande est prise en compte ou non par les institutions, quels sont les ressorts éventuels du changement et comment l’État négocie les relations entre public et privé et multiplie les partenariats, en s’engageant dans un processus de redéploiement de ses fonctions. Ensuite, le rôle des enseignantes est mis au premier plan pour comprendre les évolutions de la préscolarisation. La compréhension de leurs gestes pratiques montre de quelle manière elles développent des attitudes professionnelles qui mettent en valeur leur réflexivité, à la fois en tant que pourvoyeuses de care et enseignantes. L’analyse articule ainsi les échelles du territoire de la cour, de l’école, de l’Etat, du pays et des organisations internationales. Les intentions et les attentes des différents acteurs de la préscolarisation sont saisis par le biais d’observations et d’entretiens dans les structures et chez les familles, et à travers une double posture de chercheuse et d’enseignante. / The first types of preschool appeared in India as early as 1975 with two clear purposes: offering free day care for all both in rural and urban areas, and fighting against infant malnutrition and the lack of access to health care for young children. Together with an important system of public redistribution, these centers showcase the social measures implemented by the State of Tamil Nadu and the Territory of Pondicherry. Since 2000, educational opportunities have been modified by the emergence in Indian society of new demands and by the involvement of the private sector, NGOs and religious communities. The private sector is today a major actor and many families take advantage of their facilities. My research demonstrates that the demand in favour of preschool is conditioned by the representations and the new expectations of families who aspire to upward social mobility into the middle class. This thesis first describes how this demand is taken into account, or not, by institutions, then how these changes have taken place, and how the State negotiates relations between the public and private sectors and develops partnerships by committing itself to a reassessment of its tasks. Then the focus is put on the role of teachers in order to understand the evolution of preschool. The understanding of their everyday practice shows they have developed professional attitudes which highlight their reflexivity both as purveyors of care and as educators. The analysis articulates the different territorial levels of school ground, school, State, country and international organizations. The designs and expectations of the different actors of preschool are analysed through the prism of observations and interviews within the structures and within the households, acting both as a researcher and an educator.