This study investigates my experiences as a rural Mississippi secondary mathematics teacher. The culture surrounding accountability testing and rural education as well as student perceptions of my mathematics instruction and classroom management were investigated. With recent educational legislation such as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, teachers and students are experiencing education differently than teachers and students of the past. Through this basic interpretive case study, I sought to increase the limited research surrounding student perceptions of rural mathematics instruction and accountability testing and to provide a descriptive image of teaching in this rural school. The students, administrators, and test-based accountability were shown to have strong influences on mathematics instruction. The use of math manipulatives, competitive games, and reward systems were perceived as beneficial to many students. Some students? perceptions regarding cooperative learning and technological implementations were not as definitive or as positive as the engaging instruction. Disruptive behaviors, poor classroom management, administrative organization, and standardized test preparations caused instructional time to be lost. Inconsistencies in scheduling, instruction, and management were shown to influence the instructional climate. Teacher preparedness to teach students of differing cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds was shown to create various challenges in classroom instruction. The rural characteristics of this school minimized course offerings, increased individualized instruction, and presented monetary issues that were challenging and also beneficial to the students and teachers. As for accountability testing, teachers and administrators in this school tended to accept the testing culture with some disagreements, while students believed state assessments motivated them to perform better in class despite increasing certain levels of anxiety before and after the assessments. The implications of this study describe how teaching and learning in this school were filled with obstacles both teachers and students had to overcome in order to improve student achievement. Several recommendations for this school, future educators, and state and national departments of education are provided. Finally, this study provides an in depth look at the small details that make teaching in this rural school an everyday challenge.

No description available.

Hot och våld på arbetsplatser har länge diskuterats och studerats. Det finns vissa yrkesgrupper som är mer drabbade än andra och läraryrket beskrivs utgöra en av dessa riskgrupper. Under de senaste åren har det rapporterats om en förändring i svenska skolmiljöer där allt fler lärare utsätts för hot och våld. Forskningen om skolvåld har traditionellt fokuserats på elevernas utsatthet vilket utgjort en kunskapslucka kring lärares exponering för hot och våld. Tillgänglig forskning indikerar att utsattheten skiljer sig åt bland lärare, därmed finns ett erkänt behov av att bredda kunskapsbasen inom forskningsområdet.  Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur förekomsten av hot och våld bland lärare ser ut i Värmland. Vidare syftade studien till att belysa vilka faktorer som bidrar till lärares utsatthet samt hur skolorna hanterar hot och våld. För att besvara studiens syfte har ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt tillämpats. Datainsamlingen bestod av intervjuer med fem skyddsombud från olika skolor från tre kommuner i Värmland.  I studien framkom en samstämmig uppfattning om att lärare är en utsatt grupp när det kommer till hot och våld. Utsattheten skiljer sig åt mellan olika skolor och årskurser och faktorer som erfarenhet och kön har en viss påverkan på lärares utsatthet. Hur risken att drabbas av hot och våld värderas kan påverkas av attityder och acceptansnivå. Vidare belyser studien en medvetenhet om hot och våld bland lärare. / Threats and violence in workplaces have long been discussed and studied. There are certain professional groups that are more affected than others, and the teaching profession is described as one of these risk groups. In recent years, there have been reports of a change in Swedish school environments where more and more teachers are exposed to threats and violence. Research on school violence has traditionally focused on students' vulnerability, which has created a knowledge gap regarding teachers' exposure to threats and violence. Available research indicates that vulnerability differs among teachers. Thus, there is a recognized need for further research.  The objective of the study was to investigate how threats and violence occurring in school settings among teachers are perceived in Värmland. Furthermore, the study aimed to highlight which factors contribute to teachers' vulnerability and how schools deal with threats and violence. In order to answer the objective of the study, a qualitative approach was applied. The data collection was carried out using interviews with five protection officers from different schools in three municipalities in Värmland.  The study revealed a consensus that teachers are a vulnerable group when it comes to threats and violence. Vulnerability differs between different schools and grades, and factors such as experience and gender have a certain influence on teachers' vulnerability. How the risk of being affected by threats and violence is valued can be influenced by attitudes and level of acceptance. Furthermore, the study highlights an awareness of threats and violence among teachers.

The primary purpose of the study was to investigate the factors that cause most Lesotho secondary schools to perform poorly in the Cambridge Overseas School Certificate examinations. The findings of the study show that the problems that contribute to the ineffectiveness of most secondary schools are multiple and interrelated. These problems can be identified at the macro or policy-making level at the Ministry of Education, and at the micro or the individual school level. At macro level, there appears to be a lack of adequate capacity among the senior management staff to perform the management and governance functions effectively, so that substantive improvement could be realised in the day-to-day operations, and academic results of schools. An upshot of this is that the professional support that the Ministry of Education provides to secondary schools is inadequate. Furthermore, despite the deepening poverty in Lesotho, the state does not provide textbooks to learners in secondary schools. Consequently, many learners do not have all the textbooks, and this affects their learning negatively. At micro level, the problems that contribute to the ineffectiveness of most secondary schools include teacher tardiness, teacher absenteeism and a lack of learner determination. It is contended that these factors indicate that the management of the school principals is weak. Moreover, because of poverty, many parents fail to pay school fees for their children on time. As a result, many learners are frequently sent back home by the principals to fetch money, and this reduces their academic learning time. The study also revealed that prior academic achievement of learners in primary schools is, to a large extent, a major predictor of their achievement in secondary schools. In this regard, the highly effective schools, which have selective admission policies and accept mainly Form A applicants, tend to consistently outperform the average and less effective schools, which have open admission policies. In order to improve the academic performance of secondary schools, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education officials, principals, teachers and learners should work more diligently and refocus their efforts on the core business of schools, namely, teaching and learning. / Teacher Education / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The people in the organisation are the key to quality and effective change and improvement in schools. A new paradigm in school leadership, namely teacher leadership, grounded in distributed leadership theory and supported by enabling policies, provides a platform for school wide capacity building where more and more people recognise the potential of other team members, promote it and thus give stimulus for significant change. The purpose of the research was to determine the perspectives, perceptions and readiness of educators in the Eden and Central Karoo Education District for teacher leadership, as well as educators’ perceptions regarding the school culture required for teacher leadership to be nurtured and sustained. A total number of 283 educators participated in this study, including principals, members of school management teams, veteran, middle, novice educators and district officials. A series of instruments were used to determine educators’ perspectives, perceptions and readiness for teacher leadership, including the Teacher Leadership Readiness Instrument (TLRI) and the Teacher Leadership School Survey (TLSS). Data revealed that educators held positive assumptions about teacher leadership; that educators were collectively ready for teacher leadership; and that they perceived their school cultures as healthy for teacher leadership practices. Educators used language of leadership which can be associated with the organisational and transformational leadership theory; indicated that they experienced barriers to teacher leadership; and that there is a need for professional development in relation to teacher leadership. A significant difference was found between the preliminary leadership and barriers to teacher leadership perceptions held by district officials and other educators (principal, member of school management team, veteran, middle and novice). A significant difference was also found between members of school management teams and other educators (middle and novice) in relation to their readiness for teacher leadership. Significant relationships were found between educators’ preliminary leadership and readiness for teacher leadership perceptions, as well as between their readiness for teacher leadership and their perceptions about a healthy school culture for teacher leadership. These findings have significant implications for leadership practices, collaboration, capacity-building and improvement in schools, educators’ self-esteem, motivation and productivity, as well as student outcomes. / Educational Studies / Thesis (D. Ed. Education Management))

The aim of the study was to investigate the motivation and job satisfaction of teachers in the Ilembe District of KwaZulu-Natal. To this end, a literature study was undertaken on relevant theories and on the results of previous research on the issue. This was followed by an empirical investigation. The research design was a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design. During the quantitative phase, a structured questionnaire was completed by 100 respondents from five secondary schools. The qualitative phase involved a phenomenological study in which 16 teachers from the same schools were interviewed. This research found that the teachers generally exhibited high self-efficacies. Teachers with positive self-efficacies were more satisfied with their physical environments and their school’s cultures than the others. However, teachers of different age groups, post levels and personality types were in agreement that the physical working conditions at rural schools were not conducive to effective teaching and learning. Parental involvement in school matters was restricted due to poverty and illiteracy. These factors served to lower teacher motivation and job satisfaction. In addition, teachers believed that school policies related to remuneration, safety and security, school governance, and assessments and evaluations needed to be revised if teacher motivation and job satisfaction were to be raised. Teachers were unhappy with their workloads and the multiple roles they played at school. With respect to interpersonal relations, their relations with their school principals, School Management Teams and parents were unconstructive. Many learners were also ill-disciplined and underachievers. Some significant differences in perceptions were found. Male teachers were more satisfied with policies, interpersonal relationships and school organisation. African teachers were happier than Indian teachers with policies and the nature of the work. Teachers with 26 and more years of experience were less negative about their physical environments. Qualifications also made a difference: teachers with certificates only were the least satisfied with their physical environments, school organisation and structure. Most importantly, teachers who were given the opportunity to demonstrate their potential to be successful, was significantly more satisfied with work-related issues. The study made recommendations to improve the motivation and job satisfaction of teachers. / Education Leadership and Management / D.Ed.(Education Management)

The thesis is divided in two parts. The first theoretical part defines the term cooperation and deals with the question of cooperation and individualism in school environment. It also reflects the documents where cooperation is explicitly mentioned. It shows the influence of school culture and climate on the development of cooperation, and it studies the climate of teacher-staff, and the role of the leadership in teachers' cooperation. The thesis further tries to map the reasons for refusing cooperation and define the environment that would encourage and support cooperation among teachers. At the same time, it identifies obstacles that prevent cooperation. It is aimed at mapping the areas and forms of cooperation used in school systems and various levels in which the teachers are wiling to cooperate. The practical part contains an exploratory study aimed at discovering the actual situation in teachers' cooperation in Primary/Lower Secondary Schools in the capital city Prague and a good practice examples that present options of cooperation among teachers in a Primary and Lower Secondary School in Prague 2.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:33:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ISABEL CRISTINA CHACOROSKI.pdf: 336349 bytes, checksum: 56fa4f25d79068b1d12ea0a6360a0d1e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-02-23 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The central problematic of this research refers to the way in which 8th grade teachers in São Paulo state net with more than 10 years of classroom experience manifested themselves about the organization, in their daily activity, to attend what is foreseen to implement the cycle regime and the continued progression. My study searched and analyzed whatever there was any alteration in the educative process for pupils who have completed the fundamental scholarity in legality of the cycle regime, that is, those who got to the 8th grade or the end of cycle II. The semi-structured interviews where made with two state public school teachers in the peripherical zone of Osasco city, and with three state public school teachers in one school of the north zone of São Paulo city. The answers where grouped around some axis indicating the representative central points of possible alterations in the educative process: continued progression or automatic promotion; classroom work routine; school failure and success; evaluation; evaluation instruments; work routine in evaluation day; registers on pupils performances; analyses of pupil performances in collegiate meetings; planning of reinforcement and recuperation activities; following of reinforcement and recuperation pupils; recuperation pupils performances. The study had as its theoretical reference authors like Gimeno Sacristán, Perez Gómez, Antonio Viñao Frago e Pierre Bourdieu. With the obtained results it was possible to identify the inequalities of positions between the subjects who proposed the reforms and those who ought to execute them, distortions on the theme and concerning the cycles, we can affirm that there was not substantive changes in the way they refer to the teaching action. The teachers testimonials make evident that the seriation has not ended, there is fragmentation of teaching developed time, based on the academic year and on short classes, one fractioned and scaled organization, where teaching is understood under the logics of transmition and learning is subject to the existence of pre-requirements which the pupils do not bring on or bring only a few. About the continued progression, we identified that the term is recurrent, although in the description they make about their pedagogic action, the evaluation of the process is objectively connected to the automatic promotion. There were not verified outstanding impacts which take teachers to look for changes favorable to the students, but to alter points around the maintenance of Brazilian school culture selectivity s structural axis / A problemática central desta pesquisa refere-se ao modo pelo qual os professores de 8ª série da rede estadual paulista com mais de 10 anos de experiência na sala de aula se manifestam sobre a organização, em sua atividade cotidiana, para atender o que se prevê para implantação dos ciclos e a progressão continuada. Meu estudo buscou analisar se houve alterações no processo educativo para alunos que completam a escolaridade fundamental na vigência dos ciclos, ou seja, aqueles que chegam à 8ª série ou final do ciclo II. As entrevistas semi-estruturadas foram realizadas com dois professores de escolas públicas estaduais da periferia da cidade de Osasco e com três professores também da rede pública estadual, de uma escola da zona norte da cidade de São Paulo. As respostas foram agrupadas em torno de alguns eixos indicadores dos pontos centrais representativos de eventuais alterações no processo educativo: progressão continuada ou promoção automática; rotina de trabalho em sala de aula; fracasso e sucesso escolar; avaliação; instrumentos de avaliação; rotina de trabalho em dia de avaliação; registros sobre o desempenho dos alunos; análise do desempenho dos alunos nas reuniões colegiadas; planejamento das atividades de reforço e recuperação; acompanhamento dos alunos em reforço e recuperação; desempenho dos alunos em recuperação. O estudo teve como referencial teórico autores como Gimeno Sacristán, Perez Gómez, Antonio Viñao Frago e Pierre Bourdieu. Com os resultados obtidos foi possível identificar as desigualdades de posições entre os sujeitos que propuseram as reformas e os que deveriam executá-la, distorções sobre o tema e no concernente aos ciclos, podemos afirmar que não houve mudanças substantivas no modo de se referir à ação docente. Os depoimentos dos professores evidenciam que a seriação mantém-se, há fragmentação do tempo desenvolvido do ensino, fundamentado no ano letivo e aulas curtas, numa organização fracionada e escalonada, onde o ensino é entendido sob a lógica da transmissão e a aprendizagem fica sujeita à existência de pré-requisitos que os alunos não trazem ou trazem pouco. Sobre progressão continuada identificamos que o termo é recorrente, porém na descrição que realizam sobre sua ação pedagógica, a avaliação do processo está objetivamente ligada à promoção automática. Não se verificam impactos marcantes que levem os professores a procurar mudanças favoráveis aos estudantes, mas sim a alterarem pontos em torno da manutenção do eixo estrutural de seletividade da cultura escolar brasileira

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:33:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARCIA ELEANE BRAGHINI DEUS DEU.pdf: 944858 bytes, checksum: 1e64657a019d266c5ed1bb4b8a0670fe (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-02-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study answers the following question: What are the elements which characterize the relationships among the teachers of both cycles of the primary school (1st to 4th grades and 5th to 8th grades), in those teachers view, and how does this relationship interfere in the construction of their identities? The objective of the research consists of investigating the perceptions that teachers from both segments of the primary school have about themselves and about each other, about the role they perform at school, and the relationships they establish amongst themselves. The study has the hypothesis that the views/ perceptions that the primary school teachers from one cycle (1st to 4th grades) have about the teachers from the other cycle (5th to 8th grades) contribute to the remoteness or the approach among them, with consequences in their view on the educational work accomplished in both cycles. Some authors supply theoretical reference for the study, such as: J. Gimeno Sacristán, (concept of practice/ pedagogical action); A. Pérez Gómez and L. Brunet (culture, school culture and educational culture); M. Tardif, A. Hargreaves, M. Apple and others (professionalization, knowledges and educational work); C. Dubar (identity construction) and P. Berger and T. Luckmann (reality interiorization and identity formation). It is a research of qualitative nature, analytical descriptive of the teachers perception regarding the relationships amongst themselves and about their own work, by means of dynamics with characteristics of Focus Group, accomplished in meetings with 40 Primary School teachers (from both cycles) of two state public schools at a municipal district of the area of São Paulo, gathered in three groups. The meetings were recorded in audio and video and the data obtained were transcribed, organized in synthesis charts of depositions, whose analyses seek the elements capable to elucidate how the teachers see themselves; how they see each other and the work they accomplish; what they say about the relationships among them and which role they attribute to the school and the school system / Este estudo procura responder a seguinte pergunta: Que elementos caracterizam as relações entre os professores dos dois ciclos do ensino fundamental, na visão desses mesmos professores, e de que maneira tal relacionamento interfere na construção de suas identidades? O objetivo da pesquisa consiste em investigar as percepções que professores dos dois segmentos do ensino fundamental têm de si mesmos e uns dos outros, do papel que desempenham na escola, das relações que estabelecem entre si. Norteia este estudo a hipótese de que as visões/ percepções que os professores de um ciclo do ensino fundamental têm dos professores do outro ciclo deste nível de ensino contribuem para o afastamento ou para a aproximação entre eles, com conseqüências na visão que expressam sobre o trabalho educativo realizado nos dois ciclos. Fornecem referencial teórico para o estudo autores como: J. Gimeno Sacristán, (conceito de prática/ ação pedagógica); A. Pérez Gómez e L. Brunet (cultura, cultura escolar e cultura docente); M. Tardif, A. Hargreaves, M. Apple e outros (profissionalização, saberes e trabalho docente); C. Dubar (construção de identidade) e P. Berger e T. Luckmann (interiorização da realidade e formação da identidade). Trata-se de pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, do tipo analítico descritiva da percepção dos professores a respeito das relações que mantêm entre si e de seu próprio trabalho, por meio da utilização de dinâmicas com características de Grupo Focal, realizadas em encontros com 40 professores de Ensino Fundamental (Ciclos I e II) de duas escolas públicas estaduais de um município da região da Grande São Paulo, reunidos em três grupos. Os encontros foram gravados em áudio e vídeo e os dados obtidos foram transcritos e organizados em quadros síntese de depoimentos, cujas análises procuram os elementos capazes de elucidar como os professores vêem a si mesmos; como vêem uns aos outros e ao trabalho que realizam; o que dizem das relações que se estabelecem entre eles e que papel atribuem à escola e ao sistema escolar

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-27T16:33:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 EHPS - Leonete Luzia Schmidt.pdf: 2184245 bytes, checksum: 6734c8b6da345bf296f1791a30768839 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-11-28 / Some aspects of the educational cul ture in the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, in the 1850's are researched. The theme has been lit tle studied by researchers in the history of education. Off icial documentation was analyzed, such as reports of the president of the province, João José Coutinho, of the director of public inst ruction and of the Liceu Provincial, among others impor tant documents that appear with the reports, such as letters, draf ts, autobiographies, books and others that help understand the school dynamics that was in process at that moment. Besides these sources, also the periodical news about Coutinho and the public instruction was used to oppose to off icial documents. The catarinense education of that period has characteristic traces of the moderate liberalism of the first decades after Independence of Brazil. At the same time that it is proclaimed as necessary, the inst ruction also is synonymous of danger. Therefore, schools that differentiated rich and poor people were created. The organization of time and space, the def inition of what to teach and what material to use, the created regulation, the established forms of control, ever more defined, contributed to the discipline, the hygiene and the feeling of pat riotism. The norms and practices revolved around the formation of values such as obedience to the catholic religion and love to the establishment of the State / O objetivo da presente pesquisa é conhecer e apresentar aspectos da cultura escolar catarinense da década de 50 do século XIX, um tema ainda pouco estudado pelos pesquisadores em história da educação até o momento. Para isso, realizou-se análise de documentos of iciais, como relatórios do presidente da Província, do diretor geral de Inst rução Pública, do di retor do Liceu Provincial, entre outros documentos importantes que aparecem entremeando os relatórios, como cartas, ofícios, circulares, autobiograf ias, livro e outros fundamentais para o entendimento da dinâmica que se implantava na área da educação escolar em Santa Catarina naquele momento. Além dessas fontes, também as notícias de jornais sobre João José Coutinho e sobre a instrução pública foram constantemente utilizadas para se contrapor aos documentos of iciais. A cultura escolar catarinense desse período apresenta traços do liberalismo moderado, característico das primei ras décadas após a proclamação da independência. Ao mesmo tempo que a instrução é proclamada como necessária, também é sinônimo de perigo. Sendo assim, o ideário era criar escolas diferenciadas dependendo do grupo social a que se destinaria. A organização do tempo e do espaço, a definição do que ensinar e que materiais utilizar, a regulamentação criada, as formas de cont role estabelecidas, cada vez mais definidas, contribuíam para disciplinar, higienizar, patriotizar. As normas e práticas giravam em torno da formação de valores como obediência à religião católica e amor às instituições do Estado