In Sweden today women are greatly under-represented within university physics and the discipline of physics is also symbolically associated with men and masculinity. This motivates in-depth investigations of issues of physics, learning and gender. This thesis explores how physics students' simultaneously constitute the practice of physics as enacted in student and research laboratories and their physicist identities in relation to this practice. In particular, it focuses on how these constitutions can be understood as gendered. Previously, physics education research has often limited 'gender perspective' to focusing on comparisons between man and woman students, whereas this study conceptualises gender as an aspect of social identity constitution. A point of departure for the thesis is the theoretical framework which combines situated learning theory and post-structural gender theory. This framework allows for a simultaneous analysis of how students 'do physics' and 'do gender', thereby making a theoretical contribution to physics education research. In the empirical study twenty-two undergraduate and graduate physics students were interviewed about their physics studies, with a particular focus on laboratory work. The analytical outcomes of the study illustrate a wide variety of possible identity constitutions and possible ways of constituting the physicist community of practice. For example, the students expressed conflicting interpretations of what are suitable practices in the student laboratory in terms of the value of practical versus analytical skills. The boundaries of the physicist community of practice are constituted in relation to, for example, other disciplines, interdisciplinary practices and a traditional femininity practice. Thus, the thesis demonstrates the complexity in physics students gendered negotiations of what it can mean to be a physicist. The ambition of the thesis is further to promote discussions about gender and physics, by engaging readers in critical reflections about the practice of physics, and, thus, to inform the teaching practice of physics.

We shall examine the Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) of Computer Science (CS) teachers concerning students’ Computational Thinking (CT) problem solving skills within the context of a CS course in Dutch secondary education and thus obtain an operational definition of CT and ascertain appropriate teaching methodology. Next we shall develop an instrument to assess students’ CT and design a curriculum intervention geared toward teaching and improving students’ CT problem solving skills and competences. As a result, this research will yield an operational definition of CT, knowledge about CT PCK, a CT assessment instrument and teaching materials and accompanying teacher instructions. It shall contribute to CS teacher education, development of CT education and to education in other (STEM) subjects where CT plays a supporting role, both nationally and internationally.

Situated cognition argues that learning takes place in an embedded social and physical environment, and through a social process, reality takes on meaning. This dissertation investigated if a link exists between learners’ participation and advancement within a sociocultural community of practice as specifically evidenced by higher rates of tracheal intubations on live patients and scores on the national certifying examination by paramedics. During 2006, paramedic students taking the national certifying examination were asked to answer a post-examination questionnaire quantifying the number of intubations performed during training. For intubation experience, significant odds ratios (relative to none performed) were observed for 4 to 9 performed [OR = 1.66, 95% c.i. = (1.24, 2.23)] and 16 or more performed [OR = 1.76, 95% c.i. = (1.21, 2.56)]. The male to female odds ratio [OR = 1.25, 95% c.i. = (1.04, 1.52)] was significant. For age category, significant odds ratios (relative to 40 and over) were observed for 20 to 24 [OR = 1.70, 95% c.i. = (1.27, 2.28)] and 25 to 29 [OR = 1.32, 95% c.i. = (1.00, 1.73)]. For education, the bachelor’s degree to high school odds ratio [OR = 2.56. 95% c.i. = (1.95, 3.35)] was significant. For ethnicity, significant odds ratios (relative to African-Americans) were observed for whites [OR = 1.69, 95% c.i. = (1.04, 2.74)] and others [OR = 2.33, 95% c.i. = (1.15, 4.72)].The multivariable logistic regression model results suggest that the number of tracheal intubations, sex, ethnicity and education level are all associated with greater odds of passing the certifying examination. In addition to traditional classroom lectures and activities, paramedic students also learn in clinical situations with varying levels of supervision culminating in near independent practice. Theories of situated cognition provide insight into these clinical learning situations that break from traditional models. When context, content, and community merge, knowledge is generated in new and meaningful ways. By participating in communities of practice, knowledge is transferred, created, and altered along with the learner through active engagement with all the illstructured, dynamic, and unpredicted opportunities the ‘real world’ offers. The students’ exposure to live tracheal intubations during training serve as an example of situated learning environments and its influence can be observed through the national certifying examination. The findings provide guidance for paramedic educators in creating situative learning affordances and specifically, determining the number of tracheal intubations performed during paramedic training.

This study explores the challenge faced when an organization utilizes innovative knowledge management system to transfer internal best practice. The objective of this study is to explore what model should be employed by an organization to promote continual emergence of practical knowledge for knowledge workers as this kind of knowledge is deeply affected by situated factors when high tech engineers have high level of personalized knowledge and are embedded in practice. By qualitative case study methodology, this study adopts theoretical views of the nature of knowledge embeddedness and situated learning to explore the process of two semiconductor companies implementing management models to help engineers transfer their knowledge and experiences. Of these two companies, the ChipMaker is a supplier of semiconductor equipment. It inputs a set of system based knowledge model to transfer best maintenance practices of engineers by this system. While the other ChipTest company operates community oriented knowledge management model. After strict instructions, engineers regularly gather to share their experience and problems they faced. After theoretical and qualitative data analysis, this thesis study has three major study findings. First, the nature of situated knowledge is shown from the maintenance jobs of engineers. This kind of knowledge is personalized cognition and is embedded in work situation. Diversified deciphering situations are developed via irritation of work situations. The situated knowledge can only be emerged from social network based on situation development and impromptu dialog and action accompanying problem exploration. Second, many existing literatures and practical applications do not clarify the nature of knowledge embeddedness, but adopt "system based knowledge management model", which assumes that an organization can directly manage "knowledge" and acts of "knowledge workers". However, this study finds that the system can only manage "knowledge object" and is only applicable to problems of steady and simple situations. Furthermore, the system inclines to misleading engineers exchange superficial knowledge documents. In other words, "situated knowledge" most needed by engineers is the process of continual reproduction and potential transfer through social interaction, not a linear manner of direct transfer. Therefore, only situated learning can effectively share knowledge of embedded nature. Third, this study finds that an organization is not likely to manage "situated knowledge" that is emerged only from specific situation, but manages "social structure" to nourish knowing in practice . This dialog structures must have the following four features: 1. situated stimuli, 2. multidimensional situation link, 3. group identities, 4. collectively implied memories. Only with these features, members can be attracted to continually input activity energy to keep vitality of community interaction. Finally, from two cases of knowledge managements this study develops two kinds of knowledge management models ¡V "object style", i.e. big K and small m [Km], and "jigsaw style", i.e. small k and big M (kM) ¡V and suggests their theoretical and practical implications

The purpose of this meta-analysis was to examine the effect of situated learning on the academic performance of students with and without disabilities in inclusive general education classrooms. While previous research has reported the overall effectiveness of situated learning, relatively few studies have been conducted to investigate how situated learning influences students' academic performances in inclusive settings where students with and without disabilities work together. Moreover, although the main interest of situated learning is about how to apply basic knowledge and skills to an authentic context and, beyond this, how to transfer them into a similar but novel situation in everyday life, little has been known about its effectiveness on students' achievement in terms of knowledge transfer. In this study, a meta-analytical statistical method was employed to investigate the effect of situated learning, and its effectiveness was examined according to the three levels of knowledge transfer (knowledge acquisition, application, and transfer). A total of 19 situated-learning studies, both published and unpublished, were analyzed. Each primary study's effect sizes were calculated using Hedges' g with the bias correction and then combined into the three weighted average effect sizes regarding the levels of knowledge transfer. This meta-analytic study found that, on all of the levels of knowledge transfer, the situated learning is effective for the learning of students with and without disabilities in inclusive general education classrooms. In the random effects model, the situated instruction produced a weighted mean effect size estimate of 2.049 for knowledge acquisition, 1.836 for knowledge application, 1.185 for knowledge transfer. In addition, the percentage of students with special needs in general education classrooms had a negative influence on the effectiveness of situated learning. However, the pattern of results also showed that the proportion of students with special needs in general education classrooms does not influence as greatly the learning of knowledge transfer as it does knowledge acquisition or application. / text

This case study investigates how a situated learning model can contribute to positive youth development as seen through a youth focused, community-based arts program, Creative Teen. Creative Teen is a seven-month collaborative mentorship program, which pairs twelve professional artists with twelve high school students. The partnerships work together one-on-one over the course of the program to become more knowledgeable on a given art medium and to ultimately collaborate on an artwork for the culminating Creative Teen exhibition. I sought to determine how this mentorship model would not only foster artistic development amongst youth, but how participation in the Creative Teen program would contribute to the overall development of the young adults involved. I accomplished this by limiting observational research and supplemental interviews to the interactions of one mentor partnership, Jessica and Carly. Over the course of the program, I attended their weekly meetings and watched them as they worked together to develop a large-scale installation, Lydia the Tattooed Ladies, for the culminating exhibition. Initially it was unclear to me the extent to which involvement in the Creative Teen program would have on the development of youth participants. However, through conducting this case study, I was able to identify various developmental characteristics that were cultivated through participation, which include artistic, social, and professional development. In addition to personal developmental characteristics, many practical skills were developed and exercised during the course of the Creative Teen program, which include time management, communication, financial management, public speaking, commitment to a long term project, and working with others. / text

This longitudinal case study followed a beginning teacher from the first semester of her teacher education program into her fifth year of teaching. Using situated learning theory, this dissertation reports the influences on her journey in becoming a literacy teacher before, during, and after her teacher education program. Data sources included interviews, classroom observations, and documents that were collected over six and a half years and across multiple contexts (e.g., tutoring, student teaching, community-based learning, coursework, two elementary schools). Using constant comparative (Glaser & Strauss, 2009) and longitudinal coding methods (Saldaña, 2009), the analysis suggests that the participant developed the following understandings over time and across contexts: she intends to be a lifelong learner; she values and validates students’ interests, histories, and contributions; she is committed to teaching for social justice; and she believes a safe, trusting, and flexible community is essential to learning. Findings indicated that her ability to enact these understandings in practice, even in difficult school contexts, was made possible by her reflective stance and her commitment to surrounding herself with communities of like-minded people to support her in similar ways as had been the case in her teacher education program. The results of this study provide evidence that over time the understandings developed in a teacher education program have the potential to fully emerge in practice inside teachers’ classrooms. This study has implications for how we prepare teachers, how teacher education programs can continue to support their graduates, the types of school communities that seem to support beginning teachers, and how policy makers might direct future funding towards responsible teacher education. / text

<p><font face="Times New Roman"> <p align="left"><font face="Arial">The study analyses the relationship between experience, participation and learning and seeks to establish how the experience of adult learners can be mobilised through active participation and how situational conditions can either facilitate or inhibit participation and learning amongst the learners. Another dimension of the study seeks to establish what caregivers learn and the processes through which they learn and how such learning contributes to changes in behaviour and relationships. In this study, the nature and dynamics of learning amongst adult learners in the NCTP programme at community level is explored as an example of socio-cultural theory and situated learning which hold that learning results from participation in various socio-cultural situations &ndash / the act of participation is seen as crucial in the learning. The study focused on a group of 10 learners in the National Certificate Training Programme for community health workers who are also caregivers in the Nokuthembeka Home-based Care Programme in New Crossroads in the Cape Town metropole and used a qualitative research design and interpretive approach to understand the situations in which they learn. An interpretive approach allowed for deeper insight into the socio-cultural contexts that influence the social interactions of caregivers with peers as well as their learning. In the study I argue that the experience of caregivers forms a critical resource and the foundational basis for learning.</font></p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </font></p>

This thesis tells a story of a single year in the life of a primary care teaching practice from the multiple perspectives of clinical learners and those supporting learning. This story involves many people from junior medical students to nurses and doctors with twenty years of experience. It explores how they learn as clinicians. The research takes the form of a single descriptive case study based within a purposefully chosen GP teaching practice in West Yorkshire, England. The case study comprises interview, observational and documentary data collected over a single academic year in 2008/9. Interview data from 33 subjects were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis within a modified grounded theory approach. The evidence from interview data was strengthened through direct and indirect observation and from documents relating to learning and teaching. I present a theory of how clinical learning occurs within the chosen practice, and on the nature of being a teaching practice. The findings are presented in the context of the existing literature of learning in this setting and within a theoretical framework of literature on social learning and communities of practice. Clinical learning appears to occur through engagement and opportunity. Engagement in learning is made up of four elements; recognition, respect, relevance and emotion. The elements are remarkably consistent across learner groups. Opportunity includes the availability, authenticity and immediacy of patient encounters; and the opportunity to learn with and from peers and professional colleagues. The research findings are consistent with existing work on social learning from other settings, but add to the literature. Engagement appears possible through recognition, relevance and respect and in the absence of meaningful participation, belonging or a clear trajectory of learning. Meaningful opportunities for clinical learning include those where patient encounters are made powerful through the authenticity that arises from the social and personal context of illness, and from the immediacy of hearing patient narratives de novo. The teaching practice studied in the case study is not dissimilar to others described in the literature of primary care learning, but this case study offers a far more detailed exploration of the elements which contribute to learning in the practice. These elements include strong whole practice support for learning, a skilled and committed clinical and educational workforce and a more indefinable additional element which is best summarised as a passion for education.

Η εργασία αυτή προτείνει το συνδυασμό δυο θεωριών μάθησης, της μετασχηματίζουσας και της τοποθετημένης μάθησης στην κοινότητα πρακτικής των ιατρών. Οι νεοεισερχόμενοι ιατροί μεταβαίνουν από την περιφερειακή συμμετοχή στη πλήρη ένταξη ανάλογα με τον τρόπο που είναι σχεδιασμένη η εκπαίδευσή τους και το βαθμό στον οποίο συνειδητοποιούν και ελέγχουν τα επιμέρους έργα και τις δραστηριότητες που εκτελούν. Οι ειδικευόμενοι, αλλά και οι πιο έμπειροι ιατροί πρέπει να είναι σε θέση να συνειδητοποιούν το βαθμό και τις διαδικασίες σταδιακής ένταξής τους σε μια κοινότητα πρακτικής και αφετέρου με τον κριτικό στοχασμό να είναι σε θέση να αναλύσουν τις εμπειρίες από τη συμμετοχή τους στην κοινότητα πρακτικής, να είναι δηλαδή σε θέση να υιοθετήσουν πρακτικές με κριτική οπτική και όχι με απλή αφομοίωση. / This work proposes the combination of two theories of learning, transformative and situated learning in the community of practice of doctors. The newcomer doctors transfer from peripheral membership in full membership depending on their education and the degree to which they realise and check the individual work and the activities they execute. The specializer and the most experienced doctors should be able to realise the degree and the procedure of their progressive integration in community of practice. Through critical reflection they should also be able to analyze their experiences from attending the community of practice, that is to say to be able to adopt practices critically, not only through mere assimilation.