<p>Biochemistry is part of life science: a fast developing multidisciplinary area. The overall aims of this thesis and the work underlying it were to find ways in which to develop competence in biochemistry at university level and to assess complex learning. A particular interest was the development of experimental work as a means to promote learning.</p><p>The study focuses on changes made in two educational settings. The aim of the changes was to develop competence, amongst both students and teachers. Therefore, the research in the three first papers has in some aspects, and to different extent, the characteristics of action research. Broadly, the changes can be described as making experiments more open, with multiple formative and authentic assessment methods involving both students and teachers. The empirical studies included questionnaires, interviews, questions asked during experimental work, written material as formulated objectives, examination questions and answers, reports, other products; and grades/judgements made by teachers and students. Collected data were analyzed in several different ways. Statistical methods included the use of mean values, paired T-tests, Spearman rank correlation coefficients and Principal Component Analysis. Interview data as well as some questionnaire data were analyzed using analytical induction techniques. Some categories were based on thematic content analysis, while others were based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Students’ attitude positions were categorized according to Perry’s framework. </p><p>The main results can be summarized as follows; </p><p>The students’ learning was improved by open ended versions of experimental work, according to both their and the researchers’ opinions. Planning, approaching problems from different perspectives and evaluating the results of their own experimental work promote the students’ capacity for higher order cognitive thinking. However, the synthesis level constitutes a threshold and particular support is needed for students with a more dualistic view of teaching, learning and experimental work. </p><p>Introducing formative and authentic assessment is a way to help students to make progress, and to develop competence. The importance was clearly demonstrated of involving both teachers and students in discussions of aims and criteria and of making them explicit. Feedback from teachers’ and students’ own reflective activities about subject content, and their learning as well as affective factors were shown to be central for complex learning. Based on our studies, areas were identified for the critical development of competence and for promoting learning in biochemistry at university level. These areas are; multidisciplinary and complex learning, communication skills of different types, metacognitive perspectives, attitude development, and affective factors. </p><p>The students see experimental work as crucial for their learning and therefore important in terms of assessment. Therefore, experimental work can and ought to be assessed. However, similarities and discrepancies were observed between students’ and teachers’ perspectives for both the aims and assessment of experimental work. Our conclusion is that a combination of assessment methods is needed in order to be able to make a high qualitative assessment.</p>

Biochemistry is part of life science: a fast developing multidisciplinary area. The overall aims of this thesis and the work underlying it were to find ways in which to develop competence in biochemistry at university level and to assess complex learning. A particular interest was the development of experimental work as a means to promote learning. The study focuses on changes made in two educational settings. The aim of the changes was to develop competence, amongst both students and teachers. Therefore, the research in the three first papers has in some aspects, and to different extent, the characteristics of action research. Broadly, the changes can be described as making experiments more open, with multiple formative and authentic assessment methods involving both students and teachers. The empirical studies included questionnaires, interviews, questions asked during experimental work, written material as formulated objectives, examination questions and answers, reports, other products; and grades/judgements made by teachers and students. Collected data were analyzed in several different ways. Statistical methods included the use of mean values, paired T-tests, Spearman rank correlation coefficients and Principal Component Analysis. Interview data as well as some questionnaire data were analyzed using analytical induction techniques. Some categories were based on thematic content analysis, while others were based on Bloom’s taxonomy. Students’ attitude positions were categorized according to Perry’s framework. The main results can be summarized as follows; The students’ learning was improved by open ended versions of experimental work, according to both their and the researchers’ opinions. Planning, approaching problems from different perspectives and evaluating the results of their own experimental work promote the students’ capacity for higher order cognitive thinking. However, the synthesis level constitutes a threshold and particular support is needed for students with a more dualistic view of teaching, learning and experimental work. Introducing formative and authentic assessment is a way to help students to make progress, and to develop competence. The importance was clearly demonstrated of involving both teachers and students in discussions of aims and criteria and of making them explicit. Feedback from teachers’ and students’ own reflective activities about subject content, and their learning as well as affective factors were shown to be central for complex learning. Based on our studies, areas were identified for the critical development of competence and for promoting learning in biochemistry at university level. These areas are; multidisciplinary and complex learning, communication skills of different types, metacognitive perspectives, attitude development, and affective factors. The students see experimental work as crucial for their learning and therefore important in terms of assessment. Therefore, experimental work can and ought to be assessed. However, similarities and discrepancies were observed between students’ and teachers’ perspectives for both the aims and assessment of experimental work. Our conclusion is that a combination of assessment methods is needed in order to be able to make a high qualitative assessment.

The thesis evaluates the work and the meaning of the Czech-German Future Fund as one of the key players in the role of deepening and hardening the Czech-German relations. The institution is characterized by the concepts of the soft power and of the reconciliation. The sources of the soft power are directly connected with the concept of the reconciliation. Namely it works with the sources of the foreign policy, the culture and the political values. These are connected with the prolongation of the Fund, Czech-German Journalist Prices and the announcement of the Topic of the Year. The Czech-German Fund was established on the basis of the Czech-German Declaration and its time of existence was initially restricted to 10 years. However, since its establishment in the year 1997 its existence has been extended twice already. The main aim of the work is to characterize the Czech- German Future Fund as a unique organisation of its kind on the background of the evolution of the Czech-German relationship. Besides the main concept of the soft power the work uses the concept of the reconciliation. Especially the four phases of the institution evaluation after the model of Lily Gardner Feldman: circumscription, growth, consolidation, revaluation. In the work, the both concepts are connected and examined closely...

Världen över sker ständiga budgetöverskridanden. Offentliga verksamheter har inte varit något undantag för dessa kostnadsöverskridanden, vilket skapar incitament till att förstå varför de uppstår. I de offentliga projekten drabbas fler än bara de projektansvariga vid budgetöverskridelser. Det är samhället i stort som får betala för arbetet eftersom det är skattefinansierade projekt. Examensarbetet utgör en fallstudie som genomfördes med syftet att skapa förståelse för varför budgetöverskridanden sker i en liten kommun. För att uppnå syftet har både sekundär- och primärdata använts i form av en djupgående dokumentanalys vilken kompletterats av intervjuer. Som fallstudieobjekt har en liten kommun använts för att samla in material. Arbetets dokumentanalys syftar till att sammanställa och jämföra tidigare utförda projekt. Intervjuer med respondenter har kompletterat och förklarat de budgetavvikelser som uppmärksammats från dokumentanalysen. En litteraturstudie av tidigare forskningens resultat möjliggjorde även för jämförelse och ökad förståelse av resultatet. Resultatet av studien är en förklaring till varför budgetöverskridanden förekommer i en liten kommun. De huvudsakliga anledningarna är ändrings-, tilläggs- och avgående arbeten (ÄTA-arbeten) i projekten vilket orsakas av olika faktorer. Dessa olika faktorer kan vara exempelvis felaktiga handlingar eller dåliga markförhållanden. ÄTA-arbeten är väldigt kostnads- och tidsdrivande vilket orsakar budgetöverskridanden. Studien visar också att kostnadsöverskridanden är mer vanligt förekommande än tidsöverskridanden / All over the world budget overruns occur. Public organisations have been no exception for these overruns, which incentivizes creating an understanding to why they occur in the first place. In the public projects there are more people than just the project managers who are affected by these overruns. This is due to the fact that the public projects are financed by tax funds which is paid by the society as a whole. The purpose of this study is to create an understanding of why budget overruns occur where a small municipality has been chosen as the case object to gather data. To achieve this purpose both primary and secondary data has been used to create a document analysis which has been complemented with interviews. The document analysis of the study aims to compile and compare previous projects in the municipality. The interviews are supposed to complement and explain different budget deviations found in the document analysis. Finally, a literature review was carried out in order to enable the comparison of the gathered data and increase the understanding of the findings. The result of the study is an explanation of why budget overruns occur in a small municipality. The primary reasons are change orders in the project plan which is caused by different factors. These different factors are faulty or vaguely formed project plans or even bad conditions of the land. Change orders are very cost and time consuming which causes budget overruns. The study also found that cost overruns are more common than time overruns.

Practical work forms an integral part of physical science. Most schools in Venda have no laboratories for practical work. Teachers use the telling method. Students learn by rote. They learn without understanding science concepts. They cannot apply their knowledge to real life situations. This research investigates the use of equipment from inexpensive material in teaching physical science. Teachers trained to improvise equipment use them in classroom teaching. These help teachers to understand many science concepts and use the process approach in their teaching. The research found that when science is taught through experiments with improvised apparatus, student learning occurs at various domains of science education. The bad effects of lack of facilities for practical work are mostly eliminated. Meaningful learning leads to the understanding of science concepts. Students construct their own knowledge, apply it to any situation and enjoy learning the subject. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

Practical work forms an integral part of physical science. Most schools in Venda have no laboratories for practical work. Teachers use the telling method. Students learn by rote. They learn without understanding science concepts. They cannot apply their knowledge to real life situations. This research investigates the use of equipment from inexpensive material in teaching physical science. Teachers trained to improvise equipment use them in classroom teaching. These help teachers to understand many science concepts and use the process approach in their teaching. The research found that when science is taught through experiments with improvised apparatus, student learning occurs at various domains of science education. The bad effects of lack of facilities for practical work are mostly eliminated. Meaningful learning leads to the understanding of science concepts. Students construct their own knowledge, apply it to any situation and enjoy learning the subject. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

LEITÃO, Fátima Maria Araújo Saboia. O trabalho com projetos e o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores de educação infantil. 2011. 260f. Tese (Doutorado em Educação) – Universidade Federal do Ceará, Faculdade de Educação, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação Brasileira, Fortaleza-CE, 2011. / Submitted by Maria Josineide Góis (josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-07-11T12:56:48Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2011_Tese_ FMASLEITAO.pdf: 1580635 bytes, checksum: 37ae2cd1c8e295001577c09ec1087c1c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Josineide Góis(josineide@ufc.br) on 2012-07-11T14:48:03Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2011_Tese_ FMASLEITAO.pdf: 1580635 bytes, checksum: 37ae2cd1c8e295001577c09ec1087c1c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-07-11T14:48:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2011_Tese_ FMASLEITAO.pdf: 1580635 bytes, checksum: 37ae2cd1c8e295001577c09ec1087c1c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / This thesis investigates the possibilities of working with projects in order to provide training strategy and contribute to the continuous professional development for teachers of Early Childhood Education. It soughts to identify how the project work can contribute for making the teachers become more sensitive in their educational practice as to better serve children, stimulate their learning more effectively and allow them greater autonomy, but also for making them become more sensitive to their own needs, develop their autonomy and expand their knowledge. The purpose of this study was also to investigate what factors influence to the completion of project work to contribute to the professional development of kindergarten teachers. The analysis of professional development and teacher training are based on studies of Oliveira-Formosinho (1998, 2001, 2003, 2009), Dewey (1976, 1978), Nóvoa (1995), Imbernon (2009) and Gomes (2009) and of working with projects is based on Dewey (1978), Kilpatrick (2005), Barbosa & Horn (2008), Hernandèz (1998) and Oliveira-Formosinho (2002, 2007).This is a qualitative research, like action research, also called intervention (ANDRE 1995), with teachers from public schools in Fortaleza. Through intervention, these teachers experienced a project and later developed their own projects with their pupils. Data collection was done through techniques such as interviews and observations and instruments such as the Adult Engagement Scale and questionnaires. Data were recorded in the diary, video footage and pictures. Our findings indicate that training opportunities are more likely to happen when the project work is a formative process. The teachers, at different levels of involvement, developed, regarding the children, attitudes concerning the sensitivity of commitment, strove to “pay attention to” and listen to the children, to stimulate their learning by the proposition of challenging activities and their independence, in the opportunities for experimentation offered. They also developed, to themselves, attitudes related to the sensitivity of commitment, by paying attention to their needs and desires to learn about projects; as well as attitudes related to stimulation, by intending to engage in readings, in search of information and ideas for activities; and to autonomy, on the occasions of choosing and deciding how to accomplish these activities. These teachers revised positions about the learning expectations of younger children and public schools in order to develop projects and rethought the family participation in projects. The teachers were surprised at the protagonist attitude required in the planning and implementation of actions for the project. Factors related to the workplace and organizational conditions, such as training in the institution, the participation of the coordinator in group training; guidance of a trainer and availability of material resources contributed to the development efforts of the teachers. It was evident that the little time for training, the breach of agreements with respect to time and space allocated to training and the gap between management and the teachers have discouraged such efforts. / Esta tese buscou analisar as possibilidades de o trabalho com projetos constituir estratégia de formação continuada e contribuir para o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores da Educação Infantil. Procurou-se identificar de que forma o trabalho com projetos tanto pode contribuir para que em sua prática educativa, o professor se torne mais sensível para atender melhor as crianças estimule mais adequadamente as suas aprendizagens e lhes propicie maior autonomia como também para que ele se torne mais sensível às suas próprias demandas desenvolva a sua autonomia e amplie os seus conhecimentos. Também foi propósito deste trabalho investigar que fatores influenciam para que a realização do trabalho com projetos contribua para o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores de Educação Infantil. As análises sobre o desenvolvimento profissional e formação de professores fundamentam-se nos estudos de Oliveira-Formosinho (1998, 2001, 2003, 2009); Dewey (1976, 1978) Nóvoa (1995) Imbernón (2009) e Gomes (2009) e sobre o trabalho com projetos baseiam-se em Dewey (1978) Kilpatrick (2005) Barbosa e Horn (2008) Hernandèz (1998) e Oliveira-Formosinho (2002, 2007). Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa do tipo pesquisa-ação também denominada intervenção (ANDRÉ, 1995) com professoras da rede pública de Fortaleza que mediante intervenção realizada vivenciaram elas próprias um projeto e posteriormente desenvolveram projetos junto às suas crianças. A coleta dos dados se deu por meio de técnicas como observações e entrevistas e de instrumentos como a Escala de Empenhamento do Adulto e questionários. Os dados foram registrados no diário de campo vídeo filmagens e fotos. Os achados desse estudo apontam que as oportunidades de formação têm mais chance de acontecer quando o trabalho com projetos constitui um processo formativo. As professoras em diferentes níveis de envolvimento desenvolveram com relação às crianças atitudes de empenho referentes à sensibilidade no sentido de se esforçarem para “prestar atenção” e ouvir as crianças à estimulação da aprendizagem das crianças na proposição de atividades desafiadoras e à sua autonomia nas oportunidades de experimentação oferecidas. Também desenvolveram, com relação a elas próprias atitudes de empenho relacionadas à sensibilidade, na atenção dada às suas necessidades e desejos de aprender sobre projetos à estimulação na intenção de se envolverem nas leituras na busca de informações e ideias para as atividades e à autonomia nas ocasiões de escolher e decidir como realizar essas atividades. Reviram posições acerca das expectativas de aprendizagem das crianças menores e as de escolas públicas ao desenvolver projetos e repensaram sobre a participação da família nos projetos. As professoras estranharam a postura protagonista exigida no planejamento e realização das ações referentes ao projeto. Fatores relacionados ao contexto de trabalho e às condições organizacionais como formação na própria instituição participação da coordenadora no grupo de formação orientação de uma formadora e disponibilidade de recursos materiais contribuíram com os esforços de desenvolvimento das professoras. Ficou evidenciado que o pouco tempo destinado à formação o descumprimento de acordos com relação ao tempo e espaço destinados às formações e o distanciamento entre a gestão e as professoras desencorajaram esses esforços.

I dagens värld har samhället blivit beroende av teknik och de flesta yrken använder teknik iolika konstellationer. Med alltmer teknisk utveckling har kompetenskraven och arbetsmetoderna förändrats. Det som tidigare upplevdes som ett ingenjörsmässigt sätt att arbeta har nu blivit ett allmänt sätt att arbeta. Det vill säga - att arbeta i grupper och projekt är sättet att arbeta för de flesta yrken. I en teambaserad miljö behövs förutom utvecklad teknisk kompetens även icke-tekniska (mjuka) färdigheter, såsom interaktion och samarbete med andra människor. Teknik 1, som är en introduktionskurs till teknik i gymnasiet, kan ses som det allra första steget mot en ingenjörsutbildning som är organiserad enligt CDIO (Conceive, Design,Implement, Operate). CDIO är en modell som används i stor utsträckning inom ingenjörsutbildningen för att förbättra sättet att undervisa i teknik och för att förbättra de blivande ingenjörernas kunskaper. Ur detta perspektiv är det intressant att se om teknikundervisningsmetoderna på gymnasienivån - särskilt arbetet i grupper och projekt -utvecklar vissa förmågor och färdigheter som är gemensamma med de som beskrivs i CDIO-modellen. Denna studie kommer att hjälpa oss att bättre förstå om Skolverkets val att basera teknikundervisning med inspiration från CDIO introducerar eleverna till ett ingenjörsmässigt sätt att arbeta och de färdigheter som behövs inom ingenjörsutbildning, som bygger på CDIO-modellen. I denna studie intervjuades tre tekniklärare och sex elever på olika gymnasieskolor i Sverige för att ta reda på deras perspektiv på förmågor och färdigheter enligt ämnets syfte och examensmål som de uppfattar att de uppnår / utvecklar genom grupp- och projektarbete. Vidare studerades om det finns enighet mellan elevernas och lärarnas svar och de lärandemål som anges i CDIO-kursplanen. Resultaten av denna studie visar att det finns många likheter mellan lärandemål skrivna i CDIO-kursplanen i förhållande till de förmågor som lärare och elever nämnde att de utvecklade genom att arbeta i projekt- och grupparbete. Mestadels utvecklades färdigheter relaterade till individuell och yrkesmässig utveckling, såsom ansvarstagande, kreativ problemlösning och analytiska färdigheter, men även kommunikation, systemtänkande och samarbete, samt arbete i grupper av olika konstellationer. / In today's world, society has become dependent on technology and most professions use technology in various constellations. With increasing technical development, the competence requirements and working methods have changed. What was previously perceived as an engineer’s way of working has now become a general way of working. That is - working in groups and projects is the way to work in most professions. In a team-based environment, in addition to developed technical competence, a range of non-technical (soft) skills - such as interaction and collaboration with other people, are also required. Technology 1, which is an introductory course to technology in upper secondary schools in Sweden, can be seen as the very first step towards engineering studies - which are at the university level organized and driven according to the CDIO (Conceive, Design, Implement,Operate). CDIO is a model that is widely used in engineering education to improve the way technology is taught and to improve the quality of the workforce. From this perspective, it is interesting to see if the teaching methods of technology 1 at the upper secondary schools - especially group and project work - develop certain abilities and skills that are common to those described in the CDIO-Syllabus. This study will help us better understand whether the National Agency for Education's choice to base technology education with the inspiration from CDIO, introduces students to an engineering way of working and the skills needed for engineering studies that is based on the CDIO-concept. In this study, three technology teachers and six Technology 1 students from different upper secondary schools in Sweden were interviewed, in order to find out their perspectives on abilities and skills - according to the subject's purpose and degree goals - that they perceive that they achieve / develop through group and project work. Furthermore, it was studied whether there is agreement between the students' and the teachers' answers and the learning objectives stated in the CDIO-syllabus. The results of this study show that there are many similarities between learning objectives written in the CDIO-syllabus in relation to the abilities that teachers and students mentioned that they developed by working in project and group work. Mostly, skills related to individual and professional development were developed that include taking responsibility, creative problem solving and analytical skills, communication, systems thinking and collaboration and work in groups of different constellations are a few of them.

Am Beispiel von Projektarbeit in der IT-Branche werden die Auswirkungen neuer Managementkonzepte auf die Zeitsouveränität von Projektbeschäftigten anhand qualitativer Interviews untersucht. Flexible Formen der Arbeitsorganisation zielen auf eine Veränderung des Arbeitskraftvermögens hin zu größerer Autonomie und Übernahme betrieblicher Verantwortung durch die Beschäftigten. Mit den veränderten Kontrollformen des Managements modifizieren sich die betrieblichen Machtverhältnisse. Im Konzept des Zeithandelns werden die aktiven Gestaltungsleistungen der Beschäftigten bei der Arbeitszeitgestaltung hervorgehoben, gleichzeitig können verschiedene zeitsoziologische Theorien integriert werden. Wesentliches Ergebnis der empirischen Untersuchung verschiedener Arbeitszeitkulturen in IT-Betrieben ist eine Machtverschiebung zugunsten des Managements. Auf Seiten der abhängig Beschäftigten ist positiv zu verbuchen: eine größere Autonomie in der Arbeit, die Ausdifferenzierung eigenständiger Zeitstile sowie eine hohe Wertschätzung und Anerkennung durch Vorgesetzte. Dagegen stehen restriktive Rahmenbedingungen wie Zeitdruck, ungünstige Bedingungen für die Work-Life-Balance und starke zeitliche und gedankliche Vereinnahmung der Beschäftigten durch den Betrieb. Durch das Fehlen kollektiver Formen der Interessenvertretung und einen defensiven Konfliktumgangsstil sind die betrieblichen Beziehungen durch individuelle Aushandlungsprozesse geprägt.

Am Beispiel von Projektarbeit in der IT-Branche werden die Auswirkungen neuer Managementkonzepte auf die Zeitsouveränität von Projektbeschäftigten anhand qualitativer Interviews untersucht. Flexible Formen der Arbeitsorganisation zielen auf eine Veränderung des Arbeitskraftvermögens hin zu größerer Autonomie und Übernahme betrieblicher Verantwortung durch die Beschäftigten. Mit den veränderten Kontrollformen des Managements modifizieren sich die betrieblichen Machtverhältnisse. Im Konzept des Zeithandelns werden die aktiven Gestaltungsleistungen der Beschäftigten bei der Arbeitszeitgestaltung hervorgehoben, gleichzeitig können verschiedene zeitsoziologische Theorien integriert werden. Wesentliches Ergebnis der empirischen Untersuchung verschiedener Arbeitszeitkulturen in IT-Betrieben ist eine Machtverschiebung zugunsten des Managements. Auf Seiten der abhängig Beschäftigten ist positiv zu verbuchen: eine größere Autonomie in der Arbeit, die Ausdifferenzierung eigenständiger Zeitstile sowie eine hohe Wertschätzung und Anerkennung durch Vorgesetzte. Dagegen stehen restriktive Rahmenbedingungen wie Zeitdruck, ungünstige Bedingungen für die Work-Life-Balance und starke zeitliche und gedankliche Vereinnahmung der Beschäftigten durch den Betrieb. Durch das Fehlen kollektiver Formen der Interessenvertretung und einen defensiven Konfliktumgangsstil sind die betrieblichen Beziehungen durch individuelle Aushandlungsprozesse geprägt.