Research has it that students in institutions of higher learning the world over evidence stifled critical thinking dispositions in their studies. Some researchers in countries like the United States of America have come up with findings about critical thinking dispositions peculiar to their contexts and hence not universally applicable. Factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions of students in Zimbabwean institutions of higher learning had not been studied per se. This research focuses on factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions of third year students at Morgenster Teachers’ College in Zimbabwe. Both the qualitative and the quantitative research approaches were employed in this research. Focus group interviews and questionnaires were used to generate data. Third year students at Morgenster Teachers’ College were studied. The research findings reveal that the factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions in the students are individualistic, structuralistic, socio-cultural and political. In this study, it is recommended that the lecturers can alleviate the effects of the factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions by exposing students to critical thinking situations. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Philosophy of Education)

The quality of education in South Africa has come increasingly under scrutiny for various reasons and learners ‘performance in mathematics is one of the main areas of concern. Learners in secondary schools in Nzhelele East Circuit in Limpopo Province, South Africa, are not performing well in mathematics. Learners who want to pursue careers such as civil engineering, medicine and other qualifications where mathematics is a prerequisite find it difficult to follow these careers. The study used focus group discussions with 20 Grade 12 learners, face-to-face semi-structured interviews with six teachers and four SMT to investigate factors affecting grade 12 learners performance in mathematics in two secondary schools. The study highlighted socio-cultural and psychological factors that are seen to be barriers in mathematics performance. The purpose of this study was to explore factors that affect Grade 12 learners’ performance in mathematics. As there are many factors, this study's main emphasis was on the influence of the home environment, teachers’ competence and attitudes in teaching mathematics, learners’ attitudes towards mathematics and strategies that can be used to improve learners’ performance in mathematics. The afore-said were named themes each of which related to questions contained in the semi-structured interview schedule. The study included literature review from Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. Qualitative research method was used. Interviews were conducted with SMT, teachers and learners. The researcher set out to answer the following question What are the dominant and most profound socio-cultural and psychological factors of the Grade 12 mathematics learners affecting performance in the Nzhelele East Circuit, Vhembe District of Limpopo Province? The following points will also be taken into consideration during this research. How do learner performance trends in mathematics education look like among Grade 12 mathematics learners in the Nzhelele East Circuit, Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, and South Africa? What are the teacher-based factors established to have been contributory to the state of learner performance in mathematics in the selected participant schools? What are the School Management Team (SMTs) factors established to have been contributory to the state of learner performance in mathematics in the selected participant schools? THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Aim This study investigates the dominant and most profound socio-cultural and psychological factors affecting learner performance in mathematics among Grade 12 learners in the Nzhelele East Circuit, Vhembe District of Limpopo Province, and South Africa. Objectives The objective of this study was to explore the socio-cultural and psychological factors in the home and school environment that affect Grade 12 learners performance in mathematics at Nzhelele East Circuit, Vhembe District of Limpopo Province. Based on the above question the following were findings of the research. • Mathematics is believed to be a critical school subject in most regions of the world in general, and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular. • A plethora of governments – especially those in developing economies where governments are targeting industrialization and technological development believe mathematics is crucial for facilitating development and advancement of the general populace of their regions. • Mathematics is a compulsory subject in most education systems around the world. • There are a variety of complexities and constraints affecting the teaching and learning of mathematics in most regions of the world. • There is poor learner performance in mathematics. This is indicated by high failure rate in mathematics during end-of-year learner assessments. • The reasons for the poor performance of learners in mathematics in the selected schools were vast and intertwined. • Efforts have been made at international level to intervene with regard finding solutions to complexities and constraints affecting teaching-learning environment in mathematics. • The complexities and constraints affecting the teaching-learning environment of mathematics in South Africa stem from South Africa's past era of apartheid education. • Mathematics has been a major target of improvement and transformation by the post-apartheid government in South Africa. • Regardless of the efforts made by the post-apartheid government in South Africa to improve and transform teaching-learning environment in mathematics, there are perpetual complexities and constraints still hindering progress, and this affects learner output in mathematics. • Mathematics is one of the poorly performing subjects in the post-apartheid education system in South African schools – especially those schools which are based in formerly disadvantaged areas such as homelands and townships. • There is a growing body of literature investigating the complexities and constraints affecting the teaching-learning of mathematics in South Africa. Apart from the conclusions based on general observations, the study furthermore concluded that critical learner-based factors, teacher-based factors and SMT-base factors contributed to the state of affairs in the selected participant schools. This study therefore concluded thus: • Learner-based factors Mathematics learners were poorly prepared in the lower grades for senior grades. In other words, learners lacked proper foundation and background in mathematics. Learners were not well taught the basics of mathematics in previous grades. Furthermore, mathematics learners lacked assistance with homework for example because the majority of parents were illiterate and therefore not involved in supervision of learners beyond school environment. Learners showed negative attitude towards their teachers and the subject. Learners were not self-motivated in mathematics. • Teacher-based factors Teachers did not have enough workshops on how to teach mathematics, and also on content knowledge improvement. Less creative teachers were teaching mathematics. Teachers lacked support from their principals. The majority of teachers lacked passion in mathematics. • School Management Teams (SMTs) factors This study concludes that mathematics teachers were not receiving adequate support from the School management Teams (SMTs). Lack of teacher support by SMTs stems from poor organisation of supervisory roles expected from SMTs. Teachers' work is not being properly monitored and supervised. RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the conclusions drawn from the study, the following recommendations are crucial, and they have to be implemented: • Recommendations to the Department of Education This study recommends that the Department of Education should monitor or revisit the methods of teaching and learning of mathematics. Assessment should also be revisited to ensure that the mathematics paper is not too long for the learners during examinations. Enlisted service providers who facilitate teacher workshops for mathematics must be conversant with content requirements of mathematics. Considerations should be made to simplify the mathematics question paper. The Department of Education should also provide necessary resources such as textbooks timeously. Knowledgeable mathematics specialists and advisers could be enlisted to visit regular visits to schools to assist teachers and learners throughout the year. • Recommendations to the School Management Teams (SMTs) The SMT should ensure that their educators are adequately qualified to teach mathematics. as a subject as well as being able to teach their learners in a way that they understand the subject. In addition, teachers who are knowledgeable in teaching mathematics should be appointed to teach mathematics. The SMTs should also ensure that compulsory workshops are provided for mathematics teachers at school level. Furthermore, the SMTs should ensure that educators are able to identify learners that are under-performing, monitor the utilisation of study time and assist in resolving problems regarding the poor performance of such individual learners. School Management Teams shall facilitate additional after-hours lessons and sessions to assist learners identified as lacking in home environment assistance for example. Moreover, SMTs should also encourage all Grade 12 mathematics learners to participate in supervised extra mathematics lessons and extra-mural activities in order to develop and build their self-confidence and positive self-esteem. In addition, the SMT members should be more supportive to their mathematics teachers. Continuous moderation of teachers' work should be encouraged. School Management Teams (SMTs) should also develop motivational programmes and instruments to encourage and motivate learners in their respective schools. For example, performing learners could be awarded with prizes in public – especially during school organised functions which might include learners, teachers and parents. • Recommendations to the teachers The teachers should make it a point that they attended mathematics workshops as organised by various stakeholders. Teachers' interest in mathematics could be improved by improving their knowledge of subject content in mathematics, and personal recognition by authorities. Performing teachers could also be recognised and awarded with prizes publicly at school gatherings and meetings. Teachers should also be encouraged to obtain further qualifications and skills in mathematics. • Recommendations to the learners Efforts should be made to improve learners’ attitudes towards mathematics, and in addition to their mathematics teachers. Learners should be made aware of national target for mathematics education and the implications thereof. This could be achieved by utilizing educators – especially those who teach Guidance as a subject to learners to provide more convincing evidence of the spin-offs of obtaining good passes in mathematics in South Africa. SUGGESTION FOR AREAS NEEDING FURTHER STUDY There is a need to conduct follow-up research on: • applied strategies and instrument to improve learner attitude towards mathematics. • Establishing whether the complexities and constraints affecting learner performance in mathematics affect both girl and boy learners the same considering that their circumstances and conditions might materially differ. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Notre travail s’inscrit dans le champ de la didactique de la Biologie en général et celui de la reproduction humaine en particulier. Nous nous intéressons spécialement à une « tentative » d’autonomisation des apprenants - plus exactement des élèves - tunisiens en classe de terminale scientifique par le biais de l’autocorrection/auto-évaluation dans l’apprentissage de la reproduction humaine et l’éducation à la sexualité. Le choix de notre sujet de recherche plonge ses racines dans les méthodes et procédés utilisés dans les apprentissages scolaires en rapport avec l’appartenance des apprenants, tout comme les enseignants, à une société arabo-musulmane, où, parler de reproduction reviendrait à parler de sexualité qui est un terme « sale », « vulgaire », « honteux » et l’évoquer pourrait bien être contre la morale, donc une attaque à la pudeur. Mais, cette conception qui empêcherait les élèves, jeunes adolescents, de parler ouvertement de sexualité et de reproduction, est-elle d’ordre religieux ? Ou qu’elle n’est qu’une construction sociale ? La pratique religieuse fait-elle obstacle à l’évocation des questions se rapportant à la sexualité dans la mesure où celle-ci n’est aucunement abordée au sein des familles où les parents sont musulmans pratiquants ? L’Islam comme religion incitant à la pudeur et la chasteté, fait-il de la sexualité un tabou ? Grace à des questionnaires nous avons tenté d’apporter de l’éclairage à tous ces questionnements. De par notre ancienne expérience professionnelle d’enseignante de Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, nous avons remarqué chez les apprenants une réticence manifeste, qui s’exprime par un manque, voire une absence de participation lors de la construction des savoirs allant jusqu’à s’abstenir de poser des questions. Rien qu’un silence assourdissant qui règne dans la salle de classe lors de l’apprentissage de la reproduction humaine. Nous entendions une voix muette mais opprimée me disant : « Allez, faites vite ! Et pourvu de ça finisse ! ». Cette passivité jouait, éventuellement en faveur d’un paradigme éducatif purement transmissif. Notre idée première était de contraindre, d’une manière ou d’une autre, les apprenants à communiquer entre eux autour de ce thème « problématique » qu’est la reproduction humaine. Cette initiative était aussi bien dans le but de tenter de briser des obstacles éventuels qui pourraient s’interposer d’une part entre les apprenants des deux sexes et l’enseignant et, d’autre part, entre les apprenants et le savoir, que de laisser aux apprenants l’occasion de corriger eux-mêmes leurs propres erreurs, peut-être ne les reprennent-ils plus. Tant de questionnements nous sont venus à l’esprit : bien que non habitués aux pratiques autocorrectives/auto-évaluatives, les élèves tunisiens sont-ils en mesure de porter des jugements corrects à leurs propres travaux ? Si, travaillant en petits groupes dans l’élaboration d’un cours en vue de co-construire un savoir, seront-ils plus performants dans leurs auto-évaluations quant à ce même savoir ? Autocorrection et auto-évaluation, seraient-elles synonymes de remédiation efficace d’erreurs ? Notre expérimentation a porté sur 71 élèves de trois classes de terminale scientifique que nous avons mixées et répartis en trois groupes présentant la même répartition des moyennes en SVT en classe de troisième (niveau précédent). Ces trois groupes étaient : - « A.Auto » et noté « AA » formés des élèves ayant participé à la construction du cours et se sont auto-corrigés et auto-évalués suite à un test préliminaire; - « B.Auto » et noté « BA » composés des élèves ayant reçu un cours magistral, mais se sont auto-corrigés et auto-évalués par suite du même test préliminaire; - « Trad » et noté « T » cet échantillon correspond aux élèves qui ont reçu un cours et une correction traditionnels, comme habituellement. ... / This work falls within the field of Biology didactics in general and that of human reproduction more particularly. We are more specifically interested in a learners’ empowerment attempt that is more precisely related to Tunisian final year science students through self-correction/self-evaluation in the learning of human reproduction and sex education. The choice of our research topic is rooted in the methods and processes used in school learning in connection with learners’ as well as teachers’ belonging to a Muslim Arab society, where, speaking about reproduction would be to talk about sexuality which is a “dirty”, “vulgar”, “shameful” word. If just mentioned, it might be against morality, so an attack against decency. But is this design -that prevents students, young teenagers, to talk openly about sexuality and reproduction- religious? Or is it just a social construct? Is religious practice an obstacle when it comes to issues related to sexuality that there is no way to raise them in families where parents are practicing Muslims? Does Islam as a religion inciting to modesty and chastity, consider sex a taboo? Thanks to some questionnaires we tried to highlight all of these questions.From our old professional experience as a teacher of Life and Earth Sciences, we noticed in learners an obvious reluctance, expressed by a lack of participation in the construction of knowledge and even beyond that to refrain from asking questions. Nothing heard in the classroom but a deafening silence when it comes to learning human reproduction. We heard a silent but oppressed voice saying “Come on, hurry up! And provided it to end!”. This passivity was playing, possibly for a purely transmissive educational paradigm. Our main focus was to force learners, one way or another, to communicate with each other around the "problematic" theme; human reproduction. This initiative was rather designed to try to break any obstacles that might interpose, in the one hand, between students of both sexes and teachers and in the other, between learners and knowledge, than to give learners the opportunity to self-correct their own mistakes, which, perhaps, they would never make again. So many questions came to our mind: although not accustomed to self-correcting/ self-evaluative practice, are Tunisian students able to provide correct judgments of their own work? If they work in small groups in the development of a course to co-construct knowledge, will they perform better in their self-assessments related to that particular knowledge? Would self-correction and self-assessment be synonyms to effective remediation of errors?Our testing focused on 71 students from three final year science classes we have mixed and divided into three groups with the same distribution of averages SVT third class (the previous level). These three groups were:- "A.Auto" and rated "AA" trained students who participated in the construction of the course and have self-corrected and self-assessed following a preliminary test;- "B.Auto" and noted "BA" composed of students who received a lecture, but have self-corrected and self-assessed following the same preliminary test;- "Trad" and rated "T" This sample corresponds to students who received a traditional course and a correction, as usual....

Background Physical and mental health is important for coping with the high requirements of medical studies that are associated with a higher risk for severe stress, insomnia, smoking, harmful alcohol consumption and easier access to drugs. Health behaviors of medical students influence not just their own health but also the health of their future patients. We examined whether socio-cultural factors can explain differences in students’ health status and health-promoting behaviors. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional survey in Germany (Dresden, Munich) and Hungary (Budapest, Pécs) enclosed international medical students in their 1st, 3rd and 5th academic years. The students were invited to voluntarily and anonymously complete a questionnaire on different aspects of health behavior during obligatory seminars and lectures in 2014. The response rate of the total sample was 56.2 % (n = 2935); the subgroup analysis enclosed data of German (n = 1289), Hungarian (n = 1057) and Norwegian (n = 148) students. Results A high number of Norwegian students (84.5 %) assessed their health status as very good/excellent. In comparison, only 60.3 % of the Hungarian and 70.7 % of the German participants reported a very good/excellent health status. The distributions were comparable between the study sites. Although gender, financial situation and nationality were significant health status predictors, they could explain only 8.2 % of the total variance of health status in the multivariable model. A comparably high number of Hungarian students (95.3 % vs. 67.4 % German and 56.7 % Norwegian) reported that they can currently do a lot/very much for their health. In contrast, a significant number of Norwegians (73.0 % vs. 63.7 % Hungarian and 51.5 % German) reported that they currently do a lot/very much for their health (chi2-test, p ≤ 0.001). Financial situation, study site and study year were the strongest predictors for health promotion activities (Nagelkerkes R2 = 0.06). Conclusions Based on our study, gender and study year played only a minor role in the health status and health promotion beliefs and activities of medical students. Structural (study site) and somewhat socio-cultural factors (nationality, financial situation) mainly explained the differences regarding health promoting behaviors. Obligatory, free-of-charge courses for health promotion (activity and relaxation) should be included in study curriculums.

Background Physical and mental health is important for coping with the high requirements of medical studies that are associated with a higher risk for severe stress, insomnia, smoking, harmful alcohol consumption and easier access to drugs. Health behaviors of medical students influence not just their own health but also the health of their future patients. We examined whether socio-cultural factors can explain differences in students’ health status and health-promoting behaviors. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional survey in Germany (Dresden, Munich) and Hungary (Budapest, Pécs) enclosed international medical students in their 1st, 3rd and 5th academic years. The students were invited to voluntarily and anonymously complete a questionnaire on different aspects of health behavior during obligatory seminars and lectures in 2014. The response rate of the total sample was 56.2 % (n = 2935); the subgroup analysis enclosed data of German (n = 1289), Hungarian (n = 1057) and Norwegian (n = 148) students. Results A high number of Norwegian students (84.5 %) assessed their health status as very good/excellent. In comparison, only 60.3 % of the Hungarian and 70.7 % of the German participants reported a very good/excellent health status. The distributions were comparable between the study sites. Although gender, financial situation and nationality were significant health status predictors, they could explain only 8.2 % of the total variance of health status in the multivariable model. A comparably high number of Hungarian students (95.3 % vs. 67.4 % German and 56.7 % Norwegian) reported that they can currently do a lot/very much for their health. In contrast, a significant number of Norwegians (73.0 % vs. 63.7 % Hungarian and 51.5 % German) reported that they currently do a lot/very much for their health (chi2-test, p ≤ 0.001). Financial situation, study site and study year were the strongest predictors for health promotion activities (Nagelkerkes R2 = 0.06). Conclusions Based on our study, gender and study year played only a minor role in the health status and health promotion beliefs and activities of medical students. Structural (study site) and somewhat socio-cultural factors (nationality, financial situation) mainly explained the differences regarding health promoting behaviors. Obligatory, free-of-charge courses for health promotion (activity and relaxation) should be included in study curriculums.

The study aimed at assessing the factors influencing the low involvement of men in prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV programmes in the Mambwe district, Zambia. The factors studied were grouped as knowledge and awareness, socio-cultural, programmatic and demographic characteristics. A quantitative, exploratory study was used and 127 men were interviewed. The major findings were: Knowledge of PMTCT was the strongest factor which was positively associated with the level of men's involvement in PMTCT. Socio-cultural and programmatic factors were found to negatively influence men's involvement (although weakly); and among the demographic characteristics, age and level of education were positively associated with an increase in the level of involvement, while the duration of the relationship with the female partner was negatively associated with the level of men involvement. / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

The objective of this research is to explore the perceptions of rural Samburu women in Kenya with regard to HIV/AIDS in terms of their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and opinions; to examine several HIV/AIDS awareness channels that have been used to communicate HIV/AIDS messages to the Samburu women to determine how effective they have been in effecting behaviour change.This study is an example of how a communication audit can be carried out on a certain sub-group of a community in order to suggest a tailor-made communication strategy in an effort to stop the spread of HIV among the Samburu women. This study is also a confirmation that the prevention strategies that have been in use to communicate to Samburu women have been inadequate and need to be revised to address the knowledge gaps that exist. The study is located within a relatively new field of health communication where health messages are evaluated to determine whether target audiences are receiving these messages and changing their behaviour in order to live healthier lives. This area of study is also supported by behaviour change models such as the Health Belief Model (HBM), the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), Diffusion of Innovations Theory, Cultural Models, and Strategic Communication. A qualitative study was undertaken in 2008 by way of ten focus group discussions with Samburu women and eleven in-depth interviews with professionals who ran HIV/AIDS programmes in the Samburu district. The focus groups were constituted by means of convenience sampling whereas the snowball strategy was utilised for the selection of participants for in-depth interviews. The questioning route for the focus group discussions for the Samburu women was guided by five themes namely: knowledge levels of the women; cultural aspects that made the women vulnerable to HIV/AIDS; beliefs about HIV/AIDS; attitudes towards HIV/AIDS; and the different channels of communication used to convey HIV/AIDS messages. The interview schedule for the professionals consisted of open-ended questions and face-to-face interviews were carried out using this schedule. / Communication Sciences / D. Litt. et Phil. (Communication)

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

The thesis provide an analysis of environment that might influence processes of socialization of youth people. Next to this description of socially and/or pedagogically working organizations and institutions that focus on youth and their parents in the area of risk behaviour with an aim to prevent dependence on mind-altering substances is provided. Theoretical part of the thesis discusses socio-cultural factors. Therefore roles especially of family as primary institution responsible for socialization as well as of socio-pedagogically working organizations in drug prevention targeting youth and their parents is described. Empirical part of the thesis addresses ways that parents of young users of drugs used to prevent risky behaviour of their children, what sources and types of informations about drugs they used, and to what extend they have been prepared to solve potential problems that might result in drug dependence. Also with the use of a narrative analysis it is discussed where parents sought professional help and what was their opinion about quality of socio- pedagogical intervention delivered by individual organizations.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal