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The South African Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS), curriculum guides, and instructional materials on the Outcomes Based Education (OBE), emphasize the development and use of science process skills. Learners using these materials are expected to acquire these skills. The traditional assessment of process skills through practical work only, has practical constraints, particularly in large under resourced classes. A reliable, convenient and cost effective complementary paper and pencil test for assessing these skills may provide a solution. In South Africa, little research has been undertaken in the area of development and validation of science process skills tests. This study was an attempt to develop and validate a test of integrated science process skills, referenced to a specific set of objectives, for use in the further education and training band (grades 10 – 12). The science process skills tested for were: identifying and controlling variables, stating hypotheses, experimental design, graphing and interpreting data, and operational definitions. Thirty multiple-choice items, designed to be content independent; and gender, race, school type, and location neutral, were developed and administered to a total of 1043 grade 9, 10, and 11 learners from ten schools, in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Results from data analysis show that the test is valid, and that its test characteristics fall within the acceptable range of values for discrimination index, index of difficulty, reliability, and readability levels. Comparison of the performance of different groups of learners who wrote the test showed that the test is gender and race neutral. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MSc / Unrestricted

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This study is a first of its kind for New Zealand journalism education, following 20 students at two different schools throughout a year-long training programme. It used two methods to gain a deeper understanding: a discourse analysis of their news stories written at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the year, and retrospective protocol analysis, to provide insight into their thinking processes, through their taped reflections. The research found that journalism education controlled by the New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation still resembles that of 20 years ago, despite increasing numbers of students learning journalism as part of degree programmes. Students are trained for the media industry through learning by doing. They receive basic instruction and then are expected to perfect their skills by practising their writing and to learn the conventions and routines of the media industry through socialisation and work experience. In the first half of the year, the students developed some skills in writing the traditional inverted-pyramid news stories. However, by the end of the year, their news writing showed technical signs of regression. Firstly, they were not writing in a succinct, clear fashion, emphasising news values. Secondly, they had been inadequately trained to write outside of the inverted-pyramid news story or to use popular “soft” lead sentences, so that their writing tended towards being promotional. Thirdly, journalism institutions strongly favour subediting by tutors and this detracted from the students gaining understanding of their own writing and being able to self-monitor and evaluate it. Lastly, they failed to show the critical thinking skills and independence necessary for a professional journalist so that they could research thoroughly, reflect deeply and write entertaining, informative and important news stories with flair. Their reflections confirmed these findings, suggesting some stress and disillusionment. The students could “declare” what they knew about writing a news story but could not put it into practice. They blamed their failure to write high quality news stories on the pressures of the course, the deadlines and high volumes of stories. The gaps in their journalism education were also revealed through what was not mentioned in their taped reflections: in particular, they failed to mention the importance of news values in making their stories more appealing. The major influence at first was the students’ tutors, followed by work experience and the “real world” of the media industry. The concentration on job skills and gaining a job coupled with a lack of knowledge and discussion provided the students with an incomplete understanding of the pressures of the media industry they were entering. The study recommends more debate about journalism education and more research, as well as a change away from “learning by doing” to a more critical, reflective approach.

This study is a first of its kind for New Zealand journalism education, following 20 students at two different schools throughout a year-long training programme. It used two methods to gain a deeper understanding: a discourse analysis of their news stories written at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the year, and retrospective protocol analysis, to provide insight into their thinking processes, through their taped reflections. The research found that journalism education controlled by the New Zealand Journalists Training Organisation still resembles that of 20 years ago, despite increasing numbers of students learning journalism as part of degree programmes. Students are trained for the media industry through learning by doing. They receive basic instruction and then are expected to perfect their skills by practising their writing and to learn the conventions and routines of the media industry through socialisation and work experience. In the first half of the year, the students developed some skills in writing the traditional inverted-pyramid news stories. However, by the end of the year, their news writing showed technical signs of regression. Firstly, they were not writing in a succinct, clear fashion, emphasising news values. Secondly, they had been inadequately trained to write outside of the inverted-pyramid news story or to use popular “soft” lead sentences, so that their writing tended towards being promotional. Thirdly, journalism institutions strongly favour subediting by tutors and this detracted from the students gaining understanding of their own writing and being able to self-monitor and evaluate it. Lastly, they failed to show the critical thinking skills and independence necessary for a professional journalist so that they could research thoroughly, reflect deeply and write entertaining, informative and important news stories with flair. Their reflections confirmed these findings, suggesting some stress and disillusionment. The students could “declare” what they knew about writing a news story but could not put it into practice. They blamed their failure to write high quality news stories on the pressures of the course, the deadlines and high volumes of stories. The gaps in their journalism education were also revealed through what was not mentioned in their taped reflections: in particular, they failed to mention the importance of news values in making their stories more appealing. The major influence at first was the students’ tutors, followed by work experience and the “real world” of the media industry. The concentration on job skills and gaining a job coupled with a lack of knowledge and discussion provided the students with an incomplete understanding of the pressures of the media industry they were entering. The study recommends more debate about journalism education and more research, as well as a change away from “learning by doing” to a more critical, reflective approach.

In recent decades numerous nonprofit organizations (NPOs) are undergoing the process of professionalization characterized by increased attention to efficiency, accountability, and the adoption of “business-like” tools and practices. At the same time, the majority of NPOs rely on volunteer labor. Most nonprofit scholars focus on traditional volunteering in which one volunteers doing something other than their professional work. These studies see volunteerism and professionalism as two completely separate systems. Meanwhile, the subset of skills-based volunteers, i.e., volunteers who provide professionally-related skills or services in nonprofit settings is understudied and their views of NPOs' professionalization are generally unknown. The present thesis aims to help fill this gap by exploring how skills-based volunteers perceive their roles and increasing the professionalization of nonprofit organizations. The study is guided by two research questions: (1) how do skills-based volunteers react to the rise of NPOs' professionalization? and (2) how do they navigate possible tensions between professionalism and volunteerism? The study is an ethnographic case study of skills-based volunteers at Engineers WithoutBorders Sweden. The data is collected through 14 semi-structured interviews with working and retired volunteers complemented by my participatory observations as a part-time employee at the organization. To analyze and interpret the study findings, the thesis employs a boundary work framework. The empirical findings indicate that, contrary to traditional volunteers, skills-based volunteers react to NPOs’ professionalization positively. The professionalization helps them to integrate their roles as volunteers and professionals, thus, facilitating boundary blurring. At the same time, working and retired skills-based volunteers perceive student volunteers as a barrier to professionalization, consequently, emphasizing differences in competencies and reliability between themself and students and performing demarcation work.

Les systèmes éducatifs dans les pays en développement ont subi de véritables transformations depuis les années 1990. Différentes réformes ont été entreprises dans le but d’améliorer leur efficacité face aux divers changements provoqués par les effets de la mondialisation. Suite aux deux grands rassemblements internationaux, à Jomtien en 1990 et à Dakar en 2000 sur l'état de l'éducation dans le monde, ce secteur est placé au centre des préoccupations mondiales. Ainsi, sous l'impulsion des grands défis lancés par les organismes de financement international lors de ces grands rassemblements, les pays en développement se sont-ils engagés à entreprendre des réformes globales dans leur système éducatif.Cependant, en raison de leur philosophie, des contraintes liées aux particularités des contextes d’appropriation ainsi qu’à la pression exercée par des organismes de financement international qui exigent des résultats rapides, ces réformes doivent faire face à des difficultés d’applicabilité considérables.Cette thèse analyse le début de la réforme par les compétences entreprise en Haïti et au Burkina Faso en 2007. Elle renforce l’idée de la nécessité d’une stratégie nationale, dans la redéfinition des objectifs en fonction des réalités et des aspirations des populations, dans la gestion des ressources humaines et matérielles nécessaires pour réformer réellement et efficacement au risque d'affaiblir davantage ces systèmes éducatifs déjà trop précaires. / Education systems in developing countries have undergone real transformations since the 1990s. Different reforms have been undertaken to improve their effectiveness in the face of the various changes brought about by the effects of globalization. Following the two major international meetings in Jomtien in 1990 and in Dakar in 2000 devoted to the state of education in the world, this sector is at the center of global concerns. Thus, under the impetus of the major challenges launched by international funding agencies at large gatherings, developing countries are committed to undertake comprehensive reforms in their education systems.However, due to their philosophy, constraints linked to the particularities of the contexts of appropriation and the pressure exerted by donors who demand rapid results, these reforms face enormous difficulties of applicability.This dissertation analyzes the beginning of the skills reform undertaken in Haiti and Burkina Faso in 2007. It reinforces the idea of the need for a national strategy, in redefining objectives according to the realities and aspirations of the populations, in managing the human and material resources needed to effectively reform against the risk of further weakening these already precarious educational systems.