Thesis (M.Ed.)--Bowling Green State University, 2007. / Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 108 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Description based on contents viewed June 24, 2007; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-129).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2007. / Description based on contents viewed June 25, 2007; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-103).

This research study has emerged as a result of my concern regarding many of my colleagues’ apparent low morale in the teaching profession. Since the new dispensation in 1994 the South African education system has undergone numerous and intensive curriculum changes as varying policies aimed at transforming education in South Africa have been implemented (Asmal, 2009). I, therefore, decided to investigate the lived experiences of Intermediate Phase teachers regarding curriculum renewal processes in South Africa over a fifteen year period from 1998 to 2012. This period encompasses the four curriculum renewal processes which have been implemented since 1994. The research undertaken was an empirical study and qualitative methods were used for data gathering purposes. Data collection tools included unstructured, individual, in-depth interviews and reflective journal entries. The qualitative data generated suggest that many teachers in the Port Elizabeth Metropole appear to be demotivated by the uncertainty around curriculum renewal and the impact this has on curriculum implementation in their respective classrooms. According to Ornstein and Hunkins (2004), the implementation process of a new curriculum requires extensive actions by the designers and implementers of the new programme and Smith (2008) asserts that managing change in education, and improvement in classroom instruction, are very complex tasks which teachers and learners face worldwide. The study revealed that the main obstacles to successful curriculum change initiatives are insufficient training of teachers, lack of support for teachers and time constraints under which teachers work. An investigation into the lived experiences of teachers regarding the post- apartheid curriculum renewal processes should make a valuable contribution to the debate in terms of providing insights for curriculum implementers of possible alternative curriculum implementation strategies for more effective curriculum renewal processes in the future.

This study explores uses of educational technology as echoed in teachers' beliefs and classroom practices. The research is situated in Cyprus, where integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in schools remains in its infancy. The literature reveals that the 'impact' of ICT use on education has been limited; the overall scene is one of teachers unable to make advanced use of the range of possible applications and tools. This thesis is premised on the argument that these limited uses can be explained by the lack of incorporation of an effective pedagogy. On the basis that understanding teachers' pedagogical rationales and responses in depth is crucial for the successful implementation of an ICT initiative, especially when this is still at an early stage, as in Cyprus, I investigate teachers' philosophies and practices of ICT integration. In particular, my research is devoted to identifying the relationship between their beliefs and actual practices with technology in the classroom and the factors that influence this relationship. In view of the overabundance of survey studies measuring self-reported attitudes and practices, and taking into account that practice does not always reflect beliefs, direct evidence of practice beyond self-reports expecting to bridge research with school reality became an imperative. Moreover, the nature of my focus required in-depth understanding and exploration. Therefore a multi-case design was conducted, involving 11 primary school teachers serving in a unique, in terms of technological infrastructure, state school in Cyprus. A questionnaire, pre-lesson interviews, direct classroom observations, and post-lesson interviews cowprised the data collection methods. The Activity Theory model was employed as an analytical tool. Within- and cross-case thematic analyses indicated four main types of response which led to sample grouping; the responses and the groups which emerged were differentiated on the basis of teachers' beliefs about technology in education, their practice with ICT in the classroom, the level of (in)consistency between reported a; d observed practices, and the impact of the external factors on their practice. Following the analyses, an additional round of interviews with three Ministry officials, involved in the educational technology sector, was undertaken to shed more light on the main study findings. Moreover, most teachers encountered considerable difficulty in articulating and explaining the reasons behind their choices with ICT. This indicates that their reported acknowledgement of its benefits for teaching and learning might not have necessarily been informed by their personal experience but more by their inclination to respond 'properly'. The last point is also corroborated by the inconsistency identified in most of the cases between reported and observed practices, in terms of the frequency and sophistication of teacher and student interaction with technology. Several contextual factors, both school- and system-related, appear to have provoked this inconsistency; inadequate technical support and maintenance, lack of pedagogical support rn using ICT, time and curriculum constraints, and problematic communication between the involved agents, constitute the main ones. However, these external factors, which were the same for all participants, had varying impact on the four emerging groups, highlighting the influence of additional, teacher-related factors. These include teachers' limited ICT competence, lack of awareness of tools and support available to them, attachment to traditional teaching styles which enhanced existing (rather than resulting in a changed) pedagogy 'behind' ICT use, and perception of their role and professional responsibilities. The findings highlight the requirement for teachers to understand fully the affordances of a technology, which would encourage their engagement in pedagogical reason.ing with it, not necessarily aiming for higher, but, for more purposeful and 'integrational' technology uptake. The tensions, identified within the teachers' activity systems with the help of the Activity Theory model, have implications for change with ICT. These not only concern practitioners but also policy-makers who, having to inform and set the framework for classroom practice, need to justify a new national ICT initiative by clearly relating it to specific pedagogical aims and the curriculum. Implications also arise for the educational technology officials, who orchestrate the policy implementation, and who need to establish effective communication and cooperation between the agents involved. As for the ICT district coordinators, who are responsible for supporting teachers' classroom uses of technology, the findings suggest that they should tackle technical and maintenance issues promptly. Mo reover, 1�t 1� s i�m portant that they encourage teachers to make informed decisions by indicating the p~dagogical ~otential of the available tools to them. It would also be useful if, when possible, they situated the use of technology in specific lesson settings to encourage meaningful integration. Finally, the study offers recommendations to JCT t ram� m� g orgam�s ers and instructors to design and conduct training programmes in association with pedagogical approaches. Teachers need support not in advancing their isolated technology uses but in improving the quality of their teaching through integrating technology in their pedagogical practice.

<p style="text-align: justify;">Ova istraživanja posvećena načinima učenja harmonike svoju opravdanost nalaze u naučnoj sferi, praktičnoj potrebi i ličnom interesovanju istraživača. Naučna opravdanost proističe ne samo iz činjenice da harmonika nije bila dovoljno zastupljena u etnomuzikolo&scaron;kim i pedago&scaron;kim istraživanjima, nego je u ovom slučaju bitan aspekt posmatranja harmonike kao fenomena i načina učenja sviranja ovog instrumenta.<br />Cilj ovog istraživanja je utvrditi pedago&scaron;ko-muzičke karakteristike dva osnovna najče&scaron;će zastuplja modela praktično primenjivih u učenju sviranja harmonike: slobodni-neinstitucionalni, ili izvan&scaron;kolski model i institucionalni, ili &scaron;kolski. Op&scaron;ta hipoteza: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički bitnih razlika u organizacionim, metodičkim i drugim aspektima učenja sviranja harmonike između van&scaron;kolskog i &scaron;kolskog modela učenja. U skladu sa op&scaron;tom, formirane su posebne hipoteze:&nbsp;</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h1: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u pogledu osnovnog cilja podučavanja između van&scaron;kolskog i &scaron;kolskog učenja sviranja harmonike.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h2: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u pogledu vremenskog trajanja časa i socijalnog oblika nastave u &scaron;kolskom i van&scaron;kolskom učenju sviranja harmonike.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h3: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u pogledu odabira vrste učenja (iz nota, na sluh) u van&scaron;kolskom i &scaron;kolskom učenju sviranja harmonike.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h4: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u pogledu primene pojedinih nastavnih, tehničkih i drugih sredstava, koja se koriste u podučavanju u van&scaron;kolskom i &scaron;kolskom učenju sviranja harmonike.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h5: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u pogledu faktora koji utiču na organizaciju časa u van&scaron;kolskom i &scaron;kolskom učenju sviranja harmonike.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h6: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u pogledu primene pojedinih postupaka motivacije učenika na času u van&scaron;kolskom i &scaron;kolskom učenju harmonike.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h7: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u postignućima, u pogledu odabira vrste instrumenta i vrste muzike na početku učenja sviranja u van&scaron;kolskim i &scaron;kolskim uslovima.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h8: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u pogledu značaja pojedinih faktora koji utiču na uspeh ili postignuće učenika u sviranju harmonike u van&scaron;kolskom i &scaron;kolskom učenju.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h9: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u pogledu prednosti i nedostataka učenja harmonike u van&scaron;kolskim i &scaron;kolskim uslovima.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h10: Pretpostavlja se da nema statistički značajnih razlika u vrednovanju statusa instrumenta, dru&scaron;tvenog položaja izvođača i učitelja u van&scaron;kolskom i &scaron;kolskom učenju sviranja harmonike.<br />U gradskim i seoskim sredinama na području Srbije sprovedena su terenska istraživanja u periodu od 2014-2016. godine. Tehnikom intervjua, specijalno pripremljenog za potrebe ovih istraživanja, dobijeni su podaci o međusobnom odnosu učitelja harmonike, učenika i roditelja, o časovima harmonike, načinu rada i efektima učenja sviranja harmonike. Uzorak je činilo 30 ispitanika, od kojih se jedan deo ispitanika bavi podučavanjem učenika u sferi narodne muzike neinstitucionalno (privatno) i izvođa&scaron;tvom, a drugi deo ispitanika čine nastavnici i profesori harmonike koji se podučavanjem bave institucionalno, na različitim nivoima muzičkog &scaron;kolovanja.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Za potrebe prikupljanja podataka upotrebljena je i tehnika skaliranja i njoj pripadajući instrument skala procene. Uzorak je takođe mali, činilo ga je 30 ispitanika, od kojih se jedan deo bavi podučavanjem sviranja harmonike u &scaron;koli, a drugi deo ispitanika se bavi podučavanjem van &scaron;kole. Ispitanici su birani na osnovu sledećih kriterijuma: da su muzičko &scaron;kolovanje ili radno iskustvo kao nastavnici i profesori harmonike stekli u Muzičkoj &scaron;koli &bdquo;Isidor Bajić― u Novom Sadu, odnosno da kao učitelji / nastavnici harmonike žive i deluju u Novom Sadu.<br />U van&scaron;kolskom i &scaron;kolskom učenju sviranja harmonike cilj podučavanja je isti. U pogledu pojedinih socijalnih oblika rada primećuje se da su rad u grupi učenika i kombinovanje vi&scaron;e oblika rada zastupljeni u &scaron;kolskom okruženju. Ispitanici koji podučavaju u &scaron;kolskom okruženju smatraju da je bitnije da se učenici tokom učenja oslanjanju na note, nego da uče po sluhu. Učenju po sluhu veću prednost daju ispitanici koji podučavaju van &scaron;kole. Svi spitanici procenjuju da isti faktori imaju podjednak uticaj na organizaciju časa u van&scaron;kolskom i &scaron;kolskom učenu sviranja harmonike. Sredstva motivacije učenika, kao &scaron;to su korektno ocenjivanje postignuća učenika, javni nastupi učenika i primereno kori&scaron;ćenje kazne zastupljenija su u &scaron;kolskom tipu učenja. Svi ispitanici su se složili u mi&scaron;ljenju da je za učenika prednost paralelno učenje narodne i klasične muzike, da je za učenika najbolje da prva znanja dobije u &scaron;koli. U van&scaron;kolskom okruženju se kao prednosti ističu učenje vrste muzike po želji i odabir učitelja koji će podučavati, a u &scaron;kolskom učenju se kao prednosti izdvajaju kompetencija nastavnika, obaveza vođenja dnevnika rada, sticanje svedočanstva o pohađanju &scaron;kole, dostupnost &scaron;tampanih muzikalija / udžbenika, učenje predmeta (muzička teorija, solfeđo) / disciplina, koje pomažu ukupni muzički razvoj pojedinca, nadzor podučavanja od strane stručnih organa, nabavka harmonike sa bariton sistemom, kao i prisutnost udžbenika za metodiku nastave harmonike. Ispitanici koji podučavaju van &scaron;kole procenjuju da instrument harmonika zauzima vi&scaron;i status u dru&scaron;tvu, a time i finansiranje izvođačke delatnosti i medijska promocija izvođača, za razliku od mi&scaron;ljenja koje zastupaju ispitanici koji podučavaju u &scaron;koli.<br />Za ovu doktorsku disertaciju je značajno to &scaron;to se na interdisciplinaran način, sa aspekta etnomuzikologije i muzičke pedagogije, objedinjuje problematika učenja sviranja harmonike. Rezultati i podaci dobijeni ovim istraživanjem, između ostalog, donose nova saznanja u oblasti metodike nastave harmonike. Oni mogu biti značajan dokument u strategiji dinamičnijeg i, na teritoriji Srbije, ravnomernog uvođenja harmonike na sve nivoe &scaron;kolovanja, imajući pritom u vidu zastupljenost ovog instrumenta u vi&scaron;e muzičkih žanrova.</p> / <p style="text-align: justify;">The present study, which is focusing on the ways accordion is learned, is justified by its scientific contribution, practical need and the personal interest of the researcher. The scientific justification stems not only from the fact that there is an insufficient body of research on the accordion in the field of ethnomusicology, but, more importantly, this study focuses on the aspect of the accordion as a phenomenon and the way the playing on this instrument is learned. The present study is aimed at determining pedagogical-musical features of the two predominant models that are practiced in learning the accordion playing: free- non-institutional or outside-of-school model and institutional or school model. The general hypothesis: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in organisational, methodological and other aspects of learning the accordion playing between the outside-of-school and school models of learning. Stemming from the general hypothesis, the following specific hypothesis have been formulated:</p><p style="text-align: justify;">h1: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the primary teaching objectives between the outside-of-school and the school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h2: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the lesson duration and the social form of teaching between the outside-of-school and school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h3: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of choice of learning types (from musical scores, by ear) between the outside-of-school and school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h4: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of educational, technical and other resources used in teaching in the outside-of-school and school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h5: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of the factors that affect the organisation of lesson in the outside-of-school and school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h6: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of the use of student motivation procedures between the out-of-school and school learning the accordion.<br />h7: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the achievements, as well as the selection of the instrument and music types at the beginning of learning in the outside-of-school and school conditions.<br />h8: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the importance of certain factors that affect the student success and/or achievement in playing the accordion in the outside-of-school and school learning.<br />h9: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of the accordion learning in the outside-of-school and school conditions.<br />h10: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the evaluation of the status of the instrument, social status of artists and teachers in the out-of-school and learning of the accordion playing.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">A field research was carried out in urban and rural communities in the territory of Serbia in the period 2014 &ndash; 2016. A technique of interview, which was designed for the needs of the present study, was used to obtain the data on the interpersonal relationship of the accordion teachers, students and their parents, on accordion lessons, method of work and learning of the accordion playing outcomes. The sample comprised 30 interviewees. One segment of the sample consisted of musicians who are engaged in teaching traditional music to students outside of school (private tutors) and performing music, while the other group consisted of accordion teachers and professors engaged in institutional teaching on different levels of music education.<br />For the purposes of data collection, the technique of scaling with an appropriate evaluation scale was used. The sample was small, consisting of 30 respondents, some of whom teach the accordion at school while others teach it outside of school. The respondents were selected on the basis of the following criteria: that they have received their music education or gained their work experience as accordion teachers and professors at Music School &bdquo;Isidor Bajic‖ in Novi Sad, and/or that as the accordion teachers/professors they live and work in Novi Sad.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The teaching aims in the out-of-school and school accordion playing are the same. In regard to certain social forms of work it is noticeable that group work and combination of several forms of work are present in the school environment. The respondents who teach at school put emphasis on the importance of students&lsquo; relying on musical scores in comparison to playing by ear during the learning process. Learning to play by ear is given preference by the respondents who teach outside of school. The methods of motivating students, such as fair evaluation of their achievement, students&lsquo; public performances and an appropriate use of punishment, are preferred in the school type of teaching. All the respondents agree that it is beneficial for students to learn traditional and classical music in parallel have an advantage.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What is emphasised as an advantage of the out-of-school environment is learning the desired music with a chosen teacher, while in the school learning among the identified advantages are teachers&lsquo; competences, the mandatory records of lessons, obtaining a certificate of school attendance, availability of printed musical scores/textbooks, learning different subjects (music theory, solfeggio) /disciplines which facilitate the overall music development of students, supervision of teaching by professional bodies, obtaining an accordion with a baritone system, as well as the existence of textbooks for the accordion teaching methodology. The respondents who teach outside of school consider that the accordion as an instrument has a higher social status, thus contributing to the financing of performances and media promotion of performers, on the contrary to the predominant opinion of the respondents who teach at school.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The significance of this doctoral thesis lies in the fact that the learning of the accordion playing is observed from the point of view of ethnomusicology and music pedagogy in an interdisciplinary way providing a complete overview of the subject. The results and data obtained from this research, among other things, bring new insights into the accordion teaching methodology. These insights can serve as a significant document in the strategy of a more dynamic and, in the territory of Serbia, more even introduction of the accordion on all educational levels, bearing in mind the fact that this instrument is present in several music genres.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br />&nbsp;</p> / <p>The present study, which is focusing on the ways accordion is learned, is justified by its scientific contribution, practical need and the personal interest of the researcher. The scientific justification stems not only from the fact that there is an insufficient body of research on the accordion in the field of ethnomusicology, but, more importantly, this study focuses on the aspect of the accordion as a phenomenon and the way the playing on this instrument is learned. The present study is aimed at determining pedagogical-musical features of the two predominant models that are practiced in learning the accordion playing: free- non-institutional or outside-of-school model and institutional or school model. The general hypothesis: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in organisational, methodological and other aspects of learning the accordion playing between the outside-of-school and school models of learning. Stemming from the general hypothesis, the following specific hypothesis have been formulated:</p><p>h1: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the primary teaching objectives between the outside-of-school and the school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h2: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the lesson duration and the social form of teaching between the outside-of-school and school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h3: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of choice of learning types (from musical scores, by ear) between the outside-of-school and school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h4: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of educational, technical and other resources used in teaching in the outside-of-school and school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h5: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of the factors that affect the organisation of lesson in the outside-of-school and school learning of the accordion playing.<br />h6: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of the use of student motivation procedures between the out-of-school and school learning the accordion.<br />h7: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the achievements, as well as the selection of the instrument and music types at the beginning of learning in the outside-of-school and school conditions.<br />h8: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the importance of certain factors that affect the student success and/or achievement in playing the accordion in the outside-of-school and school learning.<br />h9: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of the accordion learning in the outside-of-school and school conditions.<br />h10: It is assumed that there are no statistically significant differences in the evaluation of the status of the instrument, social status of artists and teachers in the out-of-school and learning of the accordion playing.</p><p>A field research was carried out in urban and rural communities in the territory of Serbia in the period 2014 &ndash; 2016. A technique of interview, which was designed for the needs of the present study, was used to obtain the data on the interpersonal relationship of the accordion teachers, students and their parents, on accordion lessons, method of work and learning of the accordion playing outcomes. The sample comprised 30 interviewees. One segment of the sample consisted of musicians who are engaged in teaching traditional music to students outside of school (private tutors) and performing music, while the other group consisted of accordion teachers and professors engaged in institutional teaching on different levels of music education.<br />For the purposes of data collection, the technique of scaling with an appropriate evaluation scale was used. The sample was small, consisting of 30 respondents, some of whom teach the accordion at school while others teach it outside of school. The respondents were selected on the basis of the following criteria: that they have received their music education or gained their work experience as accordion teachers and professors at Music School &bdquo;Isidor Bajic‖ in Novi Sad, and/or that as the accordion teachers/professors they live and work in Novi Sad.</p><p>The teaching aims in the out-of-school and school accordion playing are the same. In regard to certain social forms of work it is noticeable that group work and combination of several forms of work are present in the school environment. The respondents who teach at school put emphasis on the importance of students&lsquo; relying on musical scores in comparison to playing by ear during the learning process. Learning to play by ear is given preference by the respondents who teach outside of school. The methods of motivating students, such as fair evaluation of their achievement, students&lsquo; public performances and an appropriate use of punishment, are preferred in the school type of teaching. All the respondents agree that it is beneficial for students to learn traditional and classical music in parallel have an advantage.</p><p>What is emphasised as an advantage of the out-of-school environment is learning the desired music with a chosen teacher, while in the school learning among the identified advantages are teachers&lsquo; competences, the mandatory records of lessons, obtaining a certificate of school attendance, availability of printed musical scores/textbooks, learning different subjects (music theory, solfeggio) /disciplines which facilitate the overall music development of students, supervision of teaching by professional bodies, obtaining an accordion with a baritone system, as well as the existence of textbooks for the accordion teaching methodology. The respondents who teach outside of school consider that the accordion as an instrument has a higher social status, thus contributing to the financing of performances and media promotion of performers, on the contrary to the predominant opinion of the respondents who teach at school.</p><p>The significance of this doctoral thesis lies in the fact that the learning of the accordion playing is observed from the point of view of ethnomusicology and music pedagogy in an interdisciplinary way providing a complete overview of the subject. The results and data obtained from this research, among other things, bring new insights into the accordion teaching methodology. These insights can serve as a significant document in the strategy of a more dynamic and, in the territory of Serbia, more even introduction of the accordion on all educational levels, bearing in mind the fact that this instrument is present in several music genres.</p>

Recent efforts to help teachers improve have centered on teacher evaluation. This qualitative dissertation explored how eight teachers from one middle school described and understood improving their practice Additionally, this study used purposeful developmental sampling to explore how, if at all, participants’ way of knowing (meaning their internal cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, and intrapersonal capacities), as assessed by an expert developmental psychologist who employed the Subject-Object Interview (a reliable developmental assessment tool), might help with understanding how they teachers themselves describe and make sense of improving their practice. The participant’s way of knowing influenced their conceptions of improvement, as well as the supports and challenges they encountered. This study has implications for teachers themselves, as well as school districts and district leaders, as they work to improve teacher practice. This study is unique in that it focuses on the experiences and understandings of teachers, all of whom work within one middle school, as they strive to improve their practice. The research was set in a district with a unique teacher evaluation system through which teachers participate in setting evaluation goals and evaluations were not at all tied to standardized test scores. I recruited an expert developmental psychologist to conduct Subject-Object Interviews in order to develop a purposeful sample of eight participants with a developmental range from socializing to self-authoring way of knowing. Eight Subject-Object interviews and 24 in-depth, qualitative interviews (approximately 36 hours, transcribed verbatim) were the primary data source. Data analysis involved several iterative steps, including writing analytic notes and memos; reviewing, coding, categorizing data to identify key themes within and across cases; and crafting narrative summaries. For each of the connected dimensions of understanding improvement conceiving, recognizing, and supporting improvement participants’ way of knowing was intimately tied to how they described how they improved their practice. The key difference between the dominant socializing knowers and the dominant self-authoring knowers emerged that the socializing knowers were subject to external authorities and factors, while the dominant self-authoring knowers relied on their internal values and judgment. In describing their understanding of what it meant to improve, all of the participants described how they sought to improve their practice by deepening their PCK and improving rapport with students (8 of 8), with the dominant socializing knowers relying on external authorities and providing their descriptions from within their own experiences. The dominant self-authoring knowers had strong internal systems from which they evaluated external information to evaluate its relevance to their improvement. Participants also discussed their uncertainty recognizing improvement (8 of 8). For the fully socializing knowers, they were uncertain about their own improvement because of changeable external forces. Those participants who were dominant socializing knowers with full capacity for self-authoring ways of knowing, they expressed uncertainty in themselves, so the source was internal. The dominant self-authoring knowers had their own theories of the inherent uncertainties of measuring improving their practice, yet also described ways that they could gauge improvement. Almost all participants named both observing others (7 of 8) and time to meet with colleagues (7 of 8) as practices that supported improvement. The dominant socializing knowers valued time to observe others and to meet with colleagues as opportunities to take in ideas from external sources to help them improve their practice. In contrast, the dominant self-authoring knowers appreciated time to meet with and to observe colleagues so that they could problem-solve, evaluate ideas, and build community. In sharing their understanding of district initiatives and teacher evaluation plan, how participants described supports and obstacles for their improvement were qualitatively different based on their way of knowing. Some participants described district initiatives as helpful (3 of 8) for their improvement, but that all participants (8 of 8) said that the high volume and short life span of the initiatives created obstacles to their improvement. For the dominant socializing knowers, they described feeling judged and that they had to “keep up” with new initiatives. The dominant self-authoring knowers discussed initiatives as distractions from their self-determined improvement path. Importantly, the dominant socializing knowers in leadership roles expressed increased anxiety in having to represent new initiatives to colleagues. All participants (8 of 8) identified features of the teacher evaluation plan that were helpful for their improvement. For the dominant socializing knowers, they valued the external authority of guiding documents, whereas the dominant self-authoring knowers valued the time to discuss and evaluate their work with their evaluator. Most participants (7 of 8) also described ways in which the teacher evaluation plan created obstacles in their efforts to improve. For the dominant socializing knowers, they were concerned about feeling inadequate in their improvement, while most of the dominant self-authoring knowers expressed that the evaluation plan took away time and focus from how they thought they could best improve their practice. According to my research, teachers benefit from time to meet with and to observe their colleagues as well as transparency as to how to reconcile past and present initiatives. Additionally, to support teachers who are dominantly socializing in their way of knowing, my research shows that they profit from clearly delineated written guidance and affirmative discussion with evaluators.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the more recent types of instruction. In this investigation, emphasis has been placed on instruction which has grown out of children's interests and needs, and which recognizes the capacities, abilities and potentialities of children.

This study's purpose was to investigate the factors related to the use of technology by intermediate elementary public school teachers and determine how significantly these factors correlated with the amount of technology used by teachers. Five variables (teachers' beliefs about behaviorism, teachers' beliefs about behaviorism, teaching practices, teachers' beliefs about the advantages of technology, and teachers' beliefs about the disadvantages of technology) were identified in the literature as influential factors in technology use by teachers. Responses to the survey instrument completed by 219 regular intermediate public school teachers at randomly selected schools in 21 school districts in Florida during the Fall, 2000 were the basis for the data analyses of this study. The research sought to address the problem of the variance in teachers' use of technology. Specifically, "What relationship, if any, existed among the following constructs: (a) educational beliefs, (b) teaching practices, (c) beliefs about technology and, (d) technology use in the classroom?" The findings showed there was a statistically significant weak correlation between teachers' beliefs about constructivism and teaching practices, and a statistically significant moderate correlation between teachers' beliefs about behaviorism and teaching practices. It was also determined that there was a statistically significant moderate correlation between the variables of teaching practice and technology use. A statistically significant positive relationship was also demonstrated between the variables of teachers' beliefs about the advantages of technology and technology use, while a statistically significant negative relationship was demonstrated between teachers' beliefs about the disadvantages of technology and technology use. Using all five predictor variables the results of the regression procedures revealed Multiple R was .558, with an R Square of 0311 indication approximately 31% of the variance in technology use was explained by the five predictor variables. Increases in the R and R Square values were shown to be statistically significant as each new variable was added to the equation. Teaching practice was the independent variable that accounted for the largest portion of the variance in technology use which underscored the importance of specific teaching practices and the differences between these practices in terms of the ease with which technology integration was possible. Although significant relationships were identified, only 31% of the variance in technology use was explained indicating that are other factors that account for the variance in technology. Recommendations for future research included investigation into other factors that influence teachers to use technology including teacher training, teacher background on educational theories, beliefs about how students learn, and how technology supports a standard-based accountability system.