The aim of this thesis is to investigate the experience of English teachers in secondary school who use fiction in their lessons. A quantitative method was used to take part of a large number of English teachers’ experiences. Online-surveys consisting of both closed and open questions were constructed and 80 teachers participated. The results are shown through tables as well as by quotes. The results show that the respondents mostly use elements where students all read the same fiction and most commonly assess the use of fiction by group discussions. The respondents’ had the opportunity to freely express their thoughts regarding their teaching and their opinions on what the advantages and disadvantages are in fiction-teaching. The teachers’ pedagogical aims are both of language purposes, culture purposes and of purposes concerning self-reflection and development. The advantages to using fiction are for these teachers the improvement of language and possibilities finding topics to discuss. The respondents perceive the disadvantages as accommodating students’ different language levels and difficulties in motivating students. The analysis opens up for further discussions and research concerning the subject. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka högstadielärare som undervisar i engelska och deras upplevelse kring att använda skönlitteratur i sin undervisning. En kvantitativ metod användes för att ta del av ett stort antal engelsklärares erfarenheter. Online-enkäter användes som insamlingsmetod och bestod av både slutna samt öppna frågor. 80 lärare deltog i den. Resultaten visas genom tabeller samt genom citat från respondenterna. Resultaten indikerar att lärare mest använder sig av moment där alla elever i en klass kan läsa samma bok. Resultaten visar även på att gruppdiskussioner är den vanligaste metoden att bedöma skönlitteratur bland respondenterna. Respondenterna hade möjlighet att fritt uttrycka sina tankar och åsikter om att använda skönlitterära böcker i sin undervisning och kring vad det finns för didaktiska fördelar samt svårigheter. Resultaten från deras tankar visar att respondenternas pedagogiska målsättningar har språkanknytning, kulturanknytning samt anknytningar till att ge sina elever självreflekterade egenskaper och utvecklas på ett personligt plan. Resultaten från enkäten visar även att respondenterna anser fördelarna med skönlitteratur i engelskundervisning vara av språkförbättringsskäl samt ökade möjligheter till ämnen att diskutera. Nackdelar respondenterna anser vara är att möta elevers olika språknivåer samt svårigheter att motivera eleverna. Analysen öppnar upp för ytterligare diskussioner och forskning kring ämnet.

This essay argued the importance of literary theory in the classroom. As a teacher, it is possible to achieve the empathetic goals of the English curriculum and Judith A. Langer’s ambition of literate thinking by using poetry and literary theory in school. The essay demonstrated this with a Lacanian reading of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poems “To a Skylark” and “Ode to the West Wind.” The analysis focused on readable and unreadable aspects of the poems. The readable aspects centred on the role of the Imaginary in “To a Skylark” and the representation of the fragmented body in “Ode to the West Wind.” Furthermore, the unreadable elements of the poetry demonstrated the discrepancy between the performative and declarative dimensions and the role of the pathetic fallacy in the signifying chain. Finally, this essay argued that, although all aspects of psychoanalytic literary theory should not be used in the classroom, elements of Lacanian thought can be used to combat the prevalence of individualism in Swedish upper secondary schools.

This study has sought to investigate the expressions of content and purpose of the swedish upper secondary school based on three distinct categories. These being Qualification, Socialisation and Subjectification. The questions asked are What expressions do these three categories take as well as What consequences do these expressions have for civics teachers? Critical discourse analysis was leveraged to study the curriculum of 2011 and commentary thereof, as well as the syllabi for the Civics subject and the relevant commentary material thereof. The results show that a great deal of the studied material centers around qualification as an aspect, although the other two are still very much present. In addition to this the presentation of students as individuals in the larger society, as part of these expressions belonging to the categories, overall took on a particularly passive tone, where students were urged to be flexible and adaptable to outside influences rather than become sources of influence themselves. These findings resulted in several questions being raised to civics teachers about how to approach teaching their subject in regards to these particular trends, if they ought to encourage students to the passive mentality, for example.

ABSTRACT Key words: Dropout, repetition, scholar exclusion, school quality, General Secondary School, Mozambique. This study is a school-based research into the reasons for dropout and repetition in Mozambique. The research methodology is of a qualitative nature, which enabled the exploration of relevant themes, processes and patterns that have characterized the educational process in Mozambique, especially reasons that led to repetition and dropout, during the period between 1999 and 2005. The main reasons could be found in the whole process of teaching and learning; outdated classroom pedagogy; insufficient student participation and shortage of textbooks or teachers materials; and low teachers salaries. In addition, poverty causes many students to drop out. The main conclusion is that higher levels of repetition and dropout have cost implications, inflating enrolments and adding to total costs without necessarily leading to an improvement in learners’ outcomes. Recommendations include a redefinition of the model of secondary education in accordance with the new demands of the labour market.

This essay examines the 1962 filmization of Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird through gender theory to identify its representation of gender, underlying gendered norms and how power is exercised through gender. The analysis concludes that the film’s portrayal of men and women follow a pattern of traditional gendered roles and norms in terms of their respective gender roles, accepted behavior, dress-code and men’s overarching influence in society in accordance with the film’s time and setting. Although the film’s main characters question and oppose certain gendered roles and norms, its problems are left unsolved and not reflected upon towards the end of the film. The film can be used in the Swedish EFL-classroom to identify and analyze gendered norms which can then act as the starting point of a discussion on how it stands in contrasts to the gendered norms and roles of modern-day United States and Sweden.

The purpose of this study is to examine how social science teachers regard the Swedish school's democracy assignments and opinions that conflict with those described in the school’s value system. The study aims to examine how teachers in social science view the school's democracy assignments and value system, how permissive social science teachers are during student discussions, and how social science teachers relate to pupils with xenophobic views. To achieve this goal, five semi-structured interviews have been conducted in which the respondents share their experiences of pupils who express xenophobic views and how they have chosen to act in these situations. The results shows that social science teachers believe that the democratic assignment in itself is clear. A problem with the democratic assignment however is that the value system needs to be interpreted, which brings a risk that different teachers choose to interpret the assignment in different ways. Furthermore, the results show that the respondents of the study have a varied experience of students who in some way expressed xenophobia. The respondents' actions in these situations can be linked to a number of the working methods or perspectives presented in the study's theory section. The conclusions that can be drawn from this study are thus that the respondents' experiences, actions and perceptions of the researched issues vary, yet all emphasize the importance of the social science topic in order to reinforce the future generations to become responsible and democratic citizens.

This thesis aims to understand the multi-layered experiences of children with English as an additional language (EAL) in changing contexts by focusing on academic and social experiences in their transition from primary to secondary school. Although EAL is often linked with knowledge and proficiency in the English language as a means to access learning, this study builds on the complexity underlying the term that incorporates background, culture, agency and power in the ways children navigate their schooling. This is achieved through in-depth longitudinal accounts of children’s experiences and engagement co-constructed with participants and triangulated through interactive qualitative methods. The main focus is the active role of children in finding and embracing opportunities for social and academic engagement as part of their educational trajectories, identifying their agency in processes of change in the contrast between formal academic contexts and informal research discussions. In order to learn more about young people’s academic and social experiences, the study is theoretically informed by two perspectives. The first perspective is Bourdieu’s field analysis and the concepts of habitus, dispositions and agency. The analysis emphasises how and where children use their agency to engage with and manage expectations and options highlighted by institutional discourses and teachers. Looking at children’s engagement explicitly, the research highlights overlooked agency of children too easily categorised as EAL or ‘vulnerable’. The second analytical perspective explores engagement and trajectories in a classroom context and draws on Bernstein’s constructs of classification and framing with the aim to explain how children engage and reflect on their experiences across differently structured classroom contexts. Drawing on theoretical constructs and research in the area of EAL and diversity more widely, I present six case studies of experiences and show that in the case of children with EAL invisible agency, misinterpreted engagement and negotiating positioning both socially and academically are more complex than the notion of learning English to access learning. I argue that in the light of gaps in teachers’ understandings of children’s experiences, practical adjustments to classroom processes and communication could provide better understanding of the wider scope of EAL and schooling experiences.

The research presented in this dissertation involves a quantitative study of mathematics teachers' knowledge of formative assessment. Formative assessment is understood as a process in which both teachers and students actively become the agents of the process, responsible for their own knowledge and practice. In this process, formally gathered evidence is used to formulate feedback and inform decisions; and informal evidence (e.g. observation, conversations) is used to generate teacher and peer-feedback to improve learning (Hargreaves, 2005; Wiliam & Leahy, 2015). The focus of the study is on mathematics teachers in state secondary schools in the Brazilian Federal District. The research design employs survey methodology with a structured e-questionnaire. The questionnaire was designed based on six domains of knowledge extracted from existing research literature. The several piloting phases, and a field test conducted with a larger sample, demonstrate the validity and reliability of the instrument and provide information about mathematics teachers' knowledge of formative assessment. The evidence shows that teachers in the Federal District did relatively better in terms of interpreting evidence of students' learning and helping students to use assessment information. On the other hand, they had a relatively lower performance in terms of choosing/developing assessment methods (e.g. classroom activities, discussions) to elicit evidence of students' learning. The overall performance of teachers in the Federal District was lower than that of teachers sampled from the other states of Brazil. The original contribution of this research is methodological in the development, piloting and application of a new instrument to assess mathematics teachers' knowledge of formative assessment; and to knowledge in providing information and a unique insight into Brazilian mathematics teachers' knowledge of formative assessment. There are important implications for policy and practice, focussing on teachers' professional development with regards to formative assessment and clarifying Brazilian teachers' roles as assessors.

The transition to secondary school is important for all students. For students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who have difficulty with changes in routine (WHO, 1992), it is especially important that the transition is carefully managed. This report aims to contribute to the understanding of this process. The first study involved a systematic investigation and critique of literature on this transition with a specific focus on students with ASD. The second study comprised the development, implementation and evaluation of a transition programme for nine students with ASD. All were in their final year at mainstream primary schools in a Scottish city. The final study followed up the progress of eight of these students during their first year at secondary school. The empirical studies utilised a range of process and outcomes measures, including questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and discussion activities. There was a paucity of scholarly literature on the transition of students with ASD indicating the need for further research. The programme received positive student and parent evaluations and there was some evidence of impact using outcome measures. Feelings of anxiety mixed with excitement were associated with the transition. Students reported higher than normal anxiety levels before and after transfer, although there was evidence of a slight reduction over this period. Students and parents provided a positive evaluation of the students’ social functioning in secondary school, in contrast to the mixed perspective of secondary school staff. Findings are discussed with reference to the literature. Limitations of the present research are considered. Finally, implications for practice and possible areas for future research are proposed.

Thesis (MBA.) --University of Limpopo, 2006 / This study focused on finding out whether or not the grade nine learners in the Zebediela area displayed an entrepreneurial potential. The main purpose was that those learners with entrepreneurial potential would be considered for appropriate training so that at the end they would contribute positively towards the economic development and growth of the community, province and country. The population consisted of 2 693 learners from 35 secondary schools in the Zebediela area. The sample of 45 respondents (learners) from a total of 658 grade nine learners was drawn from nine secondary schools. The respondents filled in the General Enterprising Tendencies (GET) questionnaire each (to assess five elements such as the need for achievement, the need for autonomy, a creative tendency, moderate risk-taking , as well as drive and determination) and also took part in a group and structured interview. This study discovered that the respondents indeed showed the entrepreneurial potential and therefore, the strategies were recommended in the last chapter in order to nurture this potential.