One of the major problems faced by speakers of English as a second language (ESL) or non-native speakers of English (NNS) is that when they go to college or university, they find themselves without sufficient academic literacy skills to enable them to navigate their learning successfully, such as the ability to summarize textual material. This thesis examines the summarizing strategies used by ESL first year science students at the University of Botswana. Using multiple data collection methods, otherwise known as triangulation or pluralistic research, which is a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, one hundred and twenty randomly sampled students completed questionnaires and summarized a scientific text. In order to observe the students more closely, nine students (3 high-, 3 average- and 3 low-proficiency) were purposively selected from the sample and wrote a further summary. The nine students were later interviewed in order to find out from them the kinds of strategies they had used in summarizing the texts. To obtain systematic data, the summaries and the taped interview were coded and analyzed using a hybrid scoring classification previously used by other researchers. The results from the Likert type of questionnaire suggest that the ESL first year science students are 'aware' of the appropriate reading, production and self-assessment strategies to use when summarizing. However, when the data from the questionnaire were cross-checked against the strategies they had used in the actual summarization of the text, most of their claims, especially those of the low-proficiency students, were not sustained. As a whole, the results show that high-proficiency students produce more accurate idea units and are more capable of generalizing ideas than low-proficiency students who prefer to "cut and paste" ideas. There are also significant differences between high- and low proficiency students in the manner in which they decode the text: low-proficiency students produce more distortions in their summaries than high-proficiency students who generally give accurate information. Similarly, high-proficiency students are able to sort out global ideas from a labyrinth of localized ideas, unlike average- and low-proficiency students who include trivial information. The same trend is observed with paraphrasing and sentence combinations: high-proficiency students are generally able to recast and coordinate their ideas, unlike low-proficiency students who produce run-on ideas. In terms of the discrete cognitive and meta-cognitive skills preferred by students, low proficiency students are noticeably unable to exploit pre-summarizing cognitive strategies such as discriminating, selecting, note-making, grouping, inferring meanings of new words and using synonyms to convey the intended meanings. There are also greater differences between high- and low-proficiency students when it comes to the use of meta-cognitive strategies. Unlike high-proficiency students who use their reservoir of meta-cognitive skills such as self-judgment, low-proficiency students ostensibly find it difficult to direct their summaries to the demands of the task and are unable to check the accuracy of their summaries. The findings also show that some of the high-proficiency students and many average- and low-proficiency students distort idea units, find it difficult to use their own words and cannot distinguish between main and supporting details. This resulted in the production of circuitous summaries that often failed to capture the gist of the argument. The way the students processed the main ideas also reveals an inherent weakness: most students of different proficiency levels were unable to combine ideas from different paragraphs to produce a coherent text. Not surprising, then, there were too many long summaries produced by both high- and low-proficiency students. To tackle some of the problems related to summarization, pre-reading strategies can be taught, which activate relevant prior knowledge, so that the learning of new knowledge can be facilitated. During the reading process students can become more meta-cognitively aware by monitoring their level of understanding of the text by using, for example, the strategy suggested by Schraw (1998) of "stop, read and think". Text analysis can also be used to help the students identify the main themes or macro-propositions in a text, and hence gain a more global perspective of the content, which is important for selecting the main ideas in a text. A particularly useful approach to fostering a deeper understanding of content is to use a form of reciprocal or peer-mediated teaching, in which students in pairs can articulate to each other their understanding of the main ideas expressed in the text. As part of the solution to the problems faced by students when processing information, we need to take Sewlall's (2000: 170) advice that there should be "a paradigm shift in the learning philosophy from content-based to an emphasis on the acquisition of skills". In this regard, both content and ESL teachers need to train their students in the explicit use of summarizing strategies, and to plan interwoven lessons and learning activities that develop the learners' intellectual ways of dealing with different learning problems so that they can make learning quicker, easier, more effective and exciting.

The fewer numbers of girls that take part in Mathematics and Science programmes than those of boys in Namibia prompted this study. Few Namibian students pass Grade 12 Mathematics and Science with symbols required by the University of Namibia and other higher educational institutions in Africa and abroad. When the numbers of male students and female students who graduate both at secondary school and university levels are compared, it becomes clear that very few female students graduate. The study investigated how socio-cultural factors influence girls’ participation in Mathematics and Science. Information used in this study was collected from 1442 girls from 14 schools in Hardap and Khomas regions. Literature has demonstrated the importance of self-concept, motivation and influence from parents and teachers as imperative factors for a change in girls’ perceptions of Mathematics and Science. The analysis showed that both beliefs and attitudes of girls are negatively influenced by some cultural and traditional norms. Additional barriers include lack of support from parents, teachers and peers as well as the masculine face that is given to Mathematics and Science. The investigation also revealed the need to motivate girls from an early age. This can be done by empowering and preparing them socially, physically and mentally in these fields. Motivating female students can also be achieved with the help and support from parents, teachers and the entire education sector. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Science and technology are constantly transforming our day-to-day living. Science education has become of vital importance to prepare learners for this everchanging world. Unfortunately, science education in South Africa is hampered by under-qualified and inexperienced teachers. Textbooks of good quality can assist teachers and learners and facilitate the development of science teachers. For this reason thorough assessment of textbooks is needed to inform the selection of good textbooks. An investigation revealed that the available textbook evaluation instruments are not suitable for the evaluation of the physical science textbooks in the South African context. An instrument is needed that focusses on science education textbooks and which prescribes the criteria, weights, evaluation procedure and rating scheme that can ensure justifiable, transparent, reliable and valid evaluation results. This study utilised elements from the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to develop such an instrument and verified the reliability and validity of the instrument’s evaluation results. Development of the Instrument for the Evaluation of Science Education Textbooks started with the formulation of criteria. Characteristics that influence the quality of textbooks were identified from literature, existing evaluation instruments and stakeholders’ concerns. In accordance with the AHP, these characteristics or criteria were divided into categories or branches to give a hierarchical structure. Subject experts verified the content validity of the hierarchy. Expert science teachers compared the importance of different criteria. The data were used to derive weights for the different criteria with the Expert Choice computer application. A rubric was formulated to act as rating-scheme and score sheet. During the textbook evaluation process the ratings were transferred to a spreadsheet that computed the scores for the quality of a textbook as a whole as well as for the different categories. The instrument was tested on small scale, adjusted and then applied on a larger scale. The results of different analysts were compared to verify the reliability of the instrument. Triangulation with the opinions of teachers who have used the textbooks confirmed the validity of the evaluation results obtained with the instrument. Future investigations on the evaluation instrument can include the use of different rating scales and limiting of criteria. / Thesis (M. Ed. (Didactics))

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of curriculum change in teaching and learning of science subjects at schools in Vhembe District. The research also meant to answer the following research objectives on the impact of new changes in curriculum. The first research objective was based on the effects of curriculum changes in the teaching and learning of science. The second research objective was based on the constraints or factors that might be affecting the effectiveness of new changes in teaching and learning of science. The third research objective was based on the monitoring and support on the new changes in science curriculum. Research objective four was addressed as a recommendation. It was about the suggestion for future planning of changes in curriculum. In this era of on-going new developments in curriculum, it was imperative to find out how new changes are affecting teaching and learning of science curriculum even in the most remote parts of the country. The continuous changes that are taking place in science curriculum demand the need for this research. Questionnaires, interviews and observation were used as data collection methods using the qualitative method. Schools which participated in the study were selected using purposive sampling. It is revealed in the findings that teachers feel that it is not necessary for them to change the way they teach, especially those who did not receive training on the new curriculum changes during their tertiary education. The findings also indicate that lack of resources impact negatively on the implementation of curriculum reform in teaching and learning of science in many under-resourced schools in rural areas. The findings also reveal that, it is not easy for subject advisors to give relevant support because of inadequate resources and lack of human capacity. According to the research findings, inadequate resources, skills and knowledge and lack of pre-planning on new curriculum development adversely affect the teaching and learning of science in schools. It is therefore recommended that the proposed curriculum development and reform be piloted before it is implemented as proposed in the model for the preparation of effective curriculum changes and development in science. Also, it is important to have functional curriculum support forums at school, circuit and district levels. The provisioning of science centres with well-equipped laboratories in each and every circuit will play a greater role in effective teaching and learning of science in schools. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-10-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:42:39Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 perrelli_mas_dr_bauru.pdf: 2742430 bytes, checksum: c2a9f63e0ff2ea0661fe074de1c0f4bf (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Um dos desafios enfrentados pela escola indígena na atualidade é o da formação de professores para o ensino em uma escola específica, diferenciada, intercultural e bilíngüe. Parte dessa questão refere-se à importância de formar formadores desses professores. Este trabalho teve por objetivo compreender como ocorreu o meu processo de formação para o ensino de ciências naturais no Projeto Ara Verá – curso de formação de professores indígenas kaiowá/guarani de Mato Grosso do Sul. Para tanto, optei por fazer uma narrativa da minha experiência nesse contexto. Essa opção se ancora no movimento que adota a abordagem biográfica como perspectiva epistemológica, pois admite que a formação do professor também se dá na experiência e que esse processo deve ser investigado. A narrativa foi concebida como uma viagem aberta a reflexões e a diferentes teorizações, cada uma recrutada a seu tempo, em função dos desafios apresentados. Para conduzir-me nas reflexões, utilizei como ponto de partida os registros que fiz da minha atuação no Projeto e, por meio deles, transitei por entre três movimentos confluentes e interpenetrantes: o re-conhecimento de mim mesma, dos Kaiowá/Guarani e dos nossos modos de conhecer e interpretar o mundo. Nesse percurso formativo, fui aprendendo a nos conhecer como sujeitos históricos, com visões de mundo distintas e com vontade de tornar as aulas de ciências naturais em contextos de encontro entre culturas, de troca de saberes e de influências recíprocas. / One of the challenges faced by the indigenous school in the present time is the teacher’s education for teaching in a specific, differentiated, intercultural and bilingual school. Part of this problem concerns the importance to build teachers for these teachers This research aimed to understand how occurred my process of education for teaching natural sciences in the Projeto Ara Verá – education program for indigenous students kaiowa/guarani of Mato Grosso do Sul - Brasil. For in such away I decided to make a narrative of my proper experience in this context. This choose has anchors in the movement that adopts the biographical boarding as epistemologic perspective, because accepts that the teacher’s education also is given by experience and that this process must be investigated. This narrative was conceived as an open trip to the reflections and the different theorization each one enlisted opportunely, as the challenge were presented during the journey. To lead me in the reflections, I used as starting point the registers that I made from my performance in the Projeto Ara Vera and I transited among three confluent and interpenetrating movements: the re-cognition of myself, of Kaiowá/Guarani and our ways to know and to interpret the world. In this educative process, I was learning how to know us a historical citizens, with different world perspective, and with desire to become the natural science classes on intercultural context, within knowledge exchange and reciprocal influences.

Much current research and practice in teaching and learning in higher education tends to overfocus on social aspects of education; on how rather than what students are learning. Much of this research and practice is influenced by constructivism, which has a relativist stance on knowledge, generally arguing, contra positivism, that knowledge is constructed in socio-historical contexts and largely inseparable from those who construct it and from issues of power. This leads to a confusion of knowledge with knowing, and knowledge is thus obscured as an object of study because it is only seen or understood as knowing or as a subject of learning and teaching. This ‘knowledge-blindness’ (Maton 2013a: 4) is problematic in higher education because knowledge and knowing are two separate parts of educational fields, and while they need to be brought together to provide a whole account of these fields, they also need to be analysed and understood separately to avoid blurring necessary boundaries and to avoid confusing knowledge itself with how it can be known. Being able to see and analyse knowledge as an object with its own properties and powers is crucial for both epistemological access and social inclusion and justice, because knowledge and knowledge practices are at the heart of academic disciplines in universities. Social realism offers an alternative to the dilemma brought about by constructivism’s tendency towards knowledge-blindness. Social realism argues that it is possible to see and analyse both actors within social fields of practice as well as knowledge as something that is produced by these actors but also about more than just these actors and their practices; thus knowledge can be understood as emergent from these practices and fields but not reducible to them (Maton & Moore 2010). Social realism, drawing from Roy Bhaskar’s critical realist philosophy (1975, 2008), is intent on looking at the real structures and mechanisms that lie beneath appearances and practices in order to understand the ways in which these practices are shaped, and change over time. Legitimation Code Theory is a realist conceptual framework that has, as its central aim, the uncovering and analysis of organising principles that shape and change intellectual and education fields of production and reproduction of knowledge. In other words, the conceptual tools Legitimation Code Theory offers can enable an analysis of both knowledge and knowers within relational social fields of practice by enabling the analysis of the ways in which these fields, such as academic disciplines, are organised and how knowledge and knowing are understood in educational practice. This study draws on social realism more broadly and Legitimation Code Theory specifically to develop a relatively novel conceptual and explanatory framework within which to analyse and answer its central question regarding how to enable cumulative knowledge building through pedagogic practice. Using qualitative data from two academic disciplines, Law and Political Science, which was analysed using a set of conceptual and analytical tools drawn from Legitimation Code Theory, this study shows that the more nuanced and layered accounts of pedagogy that have been generated are able to provide valuable insights into what lecturers are doing as they teach in terms of helping students to acquire, use and produce disciplinary and ‘powerful’ knowledge (Young 2008b). Further, the study demonstrates that the organising principles underlying academic disciplines have a profound effect on how the role of the knower and the place or purpose of knowledge is understood in pedagogy and this affects how the pedagogy is designed and enacted. This study has argued that if we can research pedagogy rigorously using tools that allow us to see the real mechanisms and principles influencing and shaping it, and if we can reclaim the role of disciplinary knowledge as a central part of the pedagogic relationship between lecturer and students, then we can begin to see how teaching both enables and constrains cumulative learning. Further, we can change pedagogy to better enable cumulative learning and greater epistemological access to disciplinary knowledge and related practices for greater numbers of students. The study concludes by suggesting that the conceptual tools offered by Legitimation Code Theory can provide academic lecturers with a set of tools that can begin to enable them to 'see' and understand their own teaching more clearly, as well as the possible gaps between what they are teaching and what their students are learning. This study argues that a social realist approach to the study of pedagogy such as the one used here can begin not only to enable changes in pedagogy aimed at filling these gaps but also begin to provide a more rigorous theoretical and practical approach to analysing, understanding and enacting pedagogic practice. This, in turn, can lead to more socially just and inclusive student learning and epistemic and social access to the powerful knowledge and ways of knowing in their disciplines.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-04-07Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:32:15Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 chirinea_g_me_bauru.pdf: 517463 bytes, checksum: df83153ec432854159e0aa3bd3ea803d (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O modelo de mudança conceitual,de reconhecida difusão na área do Ensino de Ciências,foi alvo de diversas críticas e revisões ao longo dos mais de vinte anos desde sua proposição inicial. oder-se-ia afirmar,no entanto,que tanto os proponentes do modelo quanto seus críticos apresentam um enfoque restritivo no tratamento das medidas comportamentais correspondentes à ocorrência ou não de mudança conceitual. Admite-se,como hipótese deste trabalho,que o Behaviorismo Radical propicia ferramentas capazes de uma avaliação da pertinência das críticas dirigidas ao modelo e da própria proposta de avaliação dos resultados obtidos através de sua utilização,tal como apresentada por seus proponentes . Para tanto, o presente trabalho concentrou ênfase na tentativa de,considerando estudos que ilustram a difusão posterior do modelo em trabalhos empíricos,descrever as medidas comportamentais que parecem fundamentar inferências sobre a ocorrência ou não da mudança conceitual,analisando se e como o tratamento de tais medidas foi considerado em alguns dos artigos que expressam uma revisão crítica do modelo Argumenta-se que tais artigos falham em descrever semelhanças e diferenças dos instrumentos e das interações que definem a obtenção das medidas comportamentais de conhecimentos prévios e posteriores à intervenção,bem como as intervenções intencionalmente planejadas e as condições de avaliação que sucedem a tais intervenções. / The conceptual change model, well-known spread in Science Teaching, has been reviewed and criticized, since its initial proposal, for over twenty years. It could be argued, however, that either authors or critics present a restrictive view concerning the behavioral measures related to the absence or occurrence of conceptual change. The hypothesis within this paper is that Radical Behaviorism provides tools that can assess the pertinence of criticisms toward the model as well as the result evaluation proposal obtained from their application, as referred to by their proponents. Thus, the emphasis of this paper, taking into account studies that illustrate the posterior spreading of the model in empirical applications, is the attempt to describe the behavioral measures that seem to support inferences about the occurrence or absence of conceptual change, analyzing whereas and how the treatment of such measures were considered in some articles expressing a critical revision of the model. We understand that such articles have failed to describe similarities and differences concerning the instruments and interactions that define the achievement of behavioral measures from the knowledge (and not about responses) before and after the intervention, as well as intentionally planned interventions and the assessment conditions subsequent to the interventions.

Information security (InfoSec) policies are widely used by institutions as a form of InfoSec control measure to protect their information assets. InfoSec policies are commonly documented in natural language, which is prone to ambiguity and misinterpretation, thereby making it hard, if not impossible, for users to comply with. These misinterpretations may lead the students or staff members to wrongfully execute the required actions, thereby making institutions vulnerable to InfoSec attacks. According to the literature review conducted in this work, InfoSec policy documents are often not followed or complied with; and the key issues facing InfoSec policy compliance include the lack of management support for InfoSec, organisational cultures of non-compliance, intentional and unintentional policy violation by employees (the insider threat), lack of policy awareness and training as well as the policy being unclear or ambiguous. This study is set in the higher education context and explores the extent to which the non-compliance problem is embedded within the policy documents themselves being affected by ambiguity. A qualitative method with a case study research strategy was followed in the research, in the form of an inductive approach with a cross-sectional time horizon, whereby a selection case of relevant institutional InfoSec policies were analysed. The data was collected in the form of academic literature and InfoSec policies of higher education institutions to derive themes for data analysis. A qualitative content analysis was performed on the policies, which identified ambiguity problems in the data. The findings indicated the presence of ambiguity within the policy documents, making it possible to misinterpret some of the policy statements. Formal methods were explored as a possible solution to the policy ambiguity. A framework was then proposed to address ambiguity and improve on the clarity of the semantics of policy statements. The framework can be used by policy writers in paying attention to the presence of ambiguity in their policies and address these when drafting or revising their policy documents. / School of Computing

Thesis (MTech(Education)--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2001 / This study presents a theoretical evaluative framework for information literacy initiatives. The evaluative framework is based on a holistic behavioural taxonomic approach incorporating affective, cognitive, and physical domains. In this study the behavioural taxonomic approach was applied to the evaluation of a historical information literacy initiative, the IFYE (Integrated First Year Experience), developed by the Cape T echnikon in 1997, South Africa. The motivating factor behind the evaluation was to determine whether it would be suitable as an implementable initiative at other institutions in the Western Cape. This coincided with the aims of Infolit, who had invited institutions of Higher Education to submit pilot projects on information literacy in a drive to promote information literacy throughout the Western Cape. Although the IFYE initiative may not have realised its full potential, information literacy has drawn continued interest and other initiatives have since been developed. Application of two eXlsttng taxonomles, demonstrated distinct limitations in their application and a new taxonomy was developed within the South African educational context. The new taxonomy was applied to the theoretical evaluation of an innovative elearning information literacy initiative developed by the Cape Technikon in 2000, which has been accepted by Infolit for wider implementation throughout the Western Cape. The final section of the study presents recommendations based on the evaluation of the elearning initiative, information literacy initiatives in general, and structural changes to the developed taxonomy. Areas for further research are also discussed.

Die tesis is voorgelê ter verwerwing van die graad: Magister in Opvoedkunde aan die: Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012. Afrikaanse abstrak: Hierdie navorsing het die gebruik van probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke deur onderwysers in die Rekenaartoepassingstegnologie (RTT) –klaskamer ondersoek. Kriteria ten opsigte van probleemoplossingsvaardighede soos uiteengesit in die Nasionale Kurrikulumverklaring (NKV ) en die Nasionale Kurrikulum- en Assesserings- Beleidsverklaring (NKABV) vir RTT was toegepas in hierdie studie. RTT word slegs vanaf graad 10 in die verdere onderwys- en opleidingfase (VOO) as „n keusevak aangebied. Dus was die navorser se fokus op die omliggende sekondêre skole wat RTT aanbied. Die navorsing konsentreer op die onderwyser en sy toepassing van probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke. Die navorser het gebruik gemaak van gevallestudie as navorsingsontwerp en konstruktivisme as raamwerk toegepas. Klaskamer-observasies, onderhoude en beide formele en onderwyser - geskepte dokumente het gedien as bronne vir data. Die data was tematies ontleed om die betekenis daarvan te ontgin. Die analise van die data dui aan dat respondente nie aan die vereistes gestel deur die NKABV en NKV, ten opsigte van die aanbieding en assessering van probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke, voldoen nie. Die navorser beveel aan dat „n moontlike oplossing vir die onderwyser-respondente se gebrek aan kennis en onderrigvaardighede met betrekking tot probleemoplossings-onderrigtegnieke kan wees dat daar spesifieke kursusse oor hierdie onderwerp aangebied word. Die navorsing skep ook ʼn geleentheid vir tersiêre instellings om hulle kurrikula en opleidingsprogramme sodanig aan te pas ten einde die leemtes, soos uitgewys deur die navorsing, aan te spreek. / This research explored the utilization of problem solving techniques by Computer Applications Technology (CAT) teachers in grade 11. The requirements and criteria as set out in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) and the National Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), were applied in this study. CAT is only introduced in grade 10 in the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. The researcher thus focussed on the surrounding schools that offer CAT as a subject. The research focussed on the teacher and the teaching of problem solving techniques in CAT. The researcher used a case study design and employed a constructivism as the theoretical framework. Classroom observations, interviews and both teacher generated and formal documents served as data sources. A thematic analysis approach was adopted to make sense of the data. The analysis of the different data sources indicated that the respondents did not fully comply with the requirements set by the NCS and CAPA with reference to the teaching of problem solving techniques in CAT. The researcher recommends that courses are presented to address the gaps in the knowledge and skills of teachers in CAT referring to problem solving techniques. This creates both the opportunity and challenge to tertiary institutions to align their curricula and training programmes to address the gaps identified by this research.