Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1980. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106). Also available in print.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1979 T53 / Master of Science

Education / D.Ed. (Didactics)

The research is based within higher education, focusing on four undergraduate modules in a university in the north of England, United Kingdom. The research explores the relationships between authentic learning activities and the development of different 'types' of learner autonomy. Assessment for Learning provides a pedagogic framework for the research and positions and defines authenticity and autonomy within this perspective on learning and assessment. The research aimed to explore the (potential) relationships between authentic (formative and summative) assessment practices and the types of autonomy, learner behaviour or development which emerged from this type of approach. The research examined authentic learning activities developed within academic modules which were non-vocational in nature (curriculum which was not linked to any professional awarding body). The 'authentic' learning activities were placed within a situated paradigm of learning and a constructivist view of knowledge. An interpretive, qualitative research design was employed, with twenty student and four tutor respondents. The research identified tutor and student constructions of authenticity and outlined the different types of learning autonomy which emerged from these constructions. Factors which inhibited and promoted development are discussed. When authentic learning activities were seen as relevant and meaningful by learners' and were framed and conceptualised within a pedagogic structure which supported student learning, a range of autonomous learning behaviours were observed. These behaviours were seen to develop in a complex 'layering' process, dependent for development on the presence of other 'types' of autonomy, to enable the 'building' of an overall autonomous learning capacity. The thesis presents two theoretical models which offer a contribution to the understanding of the ways in which authentic learning activities may contribute to the development of learner autonomy.

<p>The emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web in particular, impact increasingly on the activities of commerce and industry and in the process also change the manner in which courses are delivered in higher education. The aim of this study ws to investigate the relationship between certain antecedent factors and the adoption of a specific technology called WebCT among lecturers within a business faculty at a higher education institution.</p>

This narrative study into music and initial teacher education explored seven primary student teachers' stories of 'musical self'. They identified themselves as `not musical' at the start of their journey. The complexities of their personal and professional stories were explored examining culturally and socially rooted assumptions within their narratives. Research into student teachers' `musical self' is limited. The lenses of symbolic and interpretive interactionism and social constructionism supported analyses of students' co-construction of a teaching 'musical self'. Using Kuhn's (1962) paradigm theory, literature on music education's philosophies, principles and practices throughout the twentieth century were examined. This research built chronological biographies of students' contextually constructed teaching 'musical selves'. The students' subject and pedagogic knowledge development was tracked informing the in-depth interviews. The analyses of their stories were through thematic induction. Their own music making and successes with children did not appear to change their self labelling. The transactional self was underpinned by situated self referencing during interactions that created resilience in the students' ability to maintain 'not musical' labels. Strategies of self handicapping (Rhodewalt and Tragakis 2002) and self protection (Higgins 1999, Forgas and Williams 2002c) were regularly employed by the students. My initial assumptions of students' lack of musical expertise and experience proved inadequate as their musical backgrounds were more complex. The hegemony of Western High Art Music upon music education practices and perceptions proved influential through socially and culturally constructed norms for judging musical value and musicianship. The three key themes were durability of self labelling as 'not musical', WHAM effect upon individual conceptions of musical self and impact of various contexts upon the musical self. Emotional experiences and approving/disapproving atmospheres of authoritative people created durable labelling of the self as 'not musical'. Contextually based comparisons and expectations impacted negatively on their perceptions. Students separated their teaching and personal musical selves creating a false consciousness about 'musical self'. Students concluded they were 'not musical enough' to teach rather than 'not musical at all'.

The thesis presents an investigation into the professional development processes engaged in by lecturers who have taught English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Thailand's Rajabhat universities. The aim of the study was to explore the Rajabhat EFL lecturers' learning processes, and examine how they related to their classroom practice. In particular, the study looked at: 1. how these lecturers acquired and developed their professional knowledge during their careers; 2. how they integrated their professional knowledge into classroom practice; and 3. the impact of professional development on their classroom practice. Historically, the professional development of the Rajabhat EFL lecturers has been predominantly formal, neglecting the informal mode of learning. Furthermore, teachers' professional learning from the classroom has been disregarded. This study attempts to clarify the roles of the two modes of teachers' learning and of classroom practice. The aim of the study was to explore the Rajabhat EFL lecturers' learning processes, and examine how they related to their classroom practice. The study employed a case study design with a qualitative, ethnographic style approach. Three selected experienced EFL lecturers were the research participants. Data collection methods consisted of life history interviews, classroom observations, semi-structured and student group interviews. Data analysis was based on the emic approach. The findings revealed a significant and continual interplay of three elements: the institutional context, the individual teacher, and the teacher's classroom in generating professional development, and thereby, the professional knowledge of the EFL lecturers. Knowledge is acquired and reinforced from both formal and informal professional development but less so from their practice. This was because their meaning perspectives have been focussed less on the students' context, thus addressing insufficiently the impact of their teaching on students' learning. This study provides a significant contribution to academic development in the area of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in the Thai higher education context. Formal and informal learning, the teachers' personal context, and the role of the classroom as a resource for professional learning all contribute to the development of professional knowledge for these lecturers.

The Malaysian Ministry of Education is planning to implement inclusive education in mainstream primary schools by the year 2010. This ambitious project may lead to significant change but may also encounter a variety of barriers including provision of resources, established forms of teacher training and established teacher attitudes. Malaysian primary school teachers may find themselves in the unfortunate position of having to implement an innovation for which they are unprepared, both in terms of emotional acceptance and technical skills. This study has been undertaken in response to a directive received from the Ministry of Education with the express aim of providing the Ministry with relevant material concerning an examination of the attitudes (understanding/beliefs, feelings/values and behaviours) of primary school teachers in relation to the present and planned educational provision in Malaysia regarding inclusive education. It also takes account of these teachers' perspectives of their own needs and of resource requirements to support this move towards inclusive practice. The study population consisted of a sample of primary school teachers in Melaka, one of the states of federal Malaysia, which I view as representative of the nation's teachers. In the study attitudes were investigated in terms of a three-components model of attitude formation to identify cognitive, affective, and conative aspects. For this purpose two data collecting approaches were used i.e. quantitative (by questionnaire method) and qualitative (by interview), in order to define the nature of teacher attitudes towards inclusive education. To this end two Malay-language instruments were developed for the study, namely a standard questionnaire technique and a semi- structured interview schedule used in individual, face-to-face interviewing. The findings of the study indicate that Malaysian primary teachers at present have a concept of inclusive education as merely placing all children identified by the Ministry of Education with learning difficulties into mainstream classes, either part-time or Rill-time. The teachers were of the view that the structure of primary schools will need to change in order to support the Ministry's plan, or else the plan itself should be modified. Methods are discussed as to how Malaysia's present primary educational provision might begin to move towards an effective policy and practice of inclusive education.

This thesis presents an exploration of the "purpose and process" of doctoral education and has twin, equally valuable, purposes: to make an original theoretical contribution and to improve professional practice in this area. This work addresses the lack of pedagogical research into doctoral education at a time when changing perspectives are reshaping the doctoral education landscape. A number of alternatives to the traditional research PhD now exist and this has generated debate as to the specific differences between the various programmes. This research explores the purpose and process of doctoral education from the perspective of the traditional PhD and the professional doctorate and uses Northumbria University as the case study institution. This research is timely since at Northumbria new doctoral programmes are being established and existing professional doctorate programmes are undergoing significant revisions to try and provide distinctive alternatives to the PhD. The current debates regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the PhD and professional doctorates are presented and three key processes of doctoral study are critically reviewed; knowledge generation, supervision and assessment. A distinguishing feature of this research is my own position within the research setting: I am both a DBA student and a member of staff involved with the delivery of doctoral programmes. Furthermore, the product of the research itself is enmeshed with the research topic and I introduce the concept of "compounded insiderness" to describe this situation. Methodologically, this has lead to the adoption of a constructivist ontological stance coupled with an interpretivist theoretical perspective for analysis. The subjectivity of this research and my influence on the research process has been acknowledged as a central feature, demonstrated through reflexive behaviour. The research strategy is inductive in nature with data generated through twenty-two ethically conducted interviews with purposively selected participants in the doctoral research community at Northumbria University. Software has been used to store, organise and manipulate the data that were then analysed using a combination of concept driven and data driven coding structured using Nigel King's template analysis method. Student perceptions were analysed separately within PhD and professional doctorate subgroups and then compared across the two programmes whereas the staff interview data were analysed as a whole. I argue that this research is highly transparent and has the potential to be transferable to other higher education intuitions. This research makes an original theoretical contribution by concluding that, at a broad level of comparison, the taught stage of the professional doctorate separates the routes initially but once the research phase is underway, the PhD and professional doctorate at Northumbria University overlap considerably. Where differences exist, these are subtle and more likely to be related to the purpose of the programmes rather than any tangible differences that would be experienced by students in terms of process. Staff may see the programmes as "notionally different", but the interpretation of the purpose of a professional doctorate is subject to debate, particularly with regard to "making an original contribution to knowledge" and the role of theory. As a consequence, this raises serious questions regarding assessment. Professional doctorates are caught in a difficult position, since they desire to be different to a PhD and to attract different candidates, but must maintain a level of academic parity in order to be attractive. This research aims to improve professional practice at Northumbria University by raising awareness of similarities and differences between the programmes and it has already made an impact in this respect.

This Study examines the grades of students using study skill methods and those who do not. The experiment consists of giving the treatment group the opportunity to use well- known study techniques. The Control group could only read the material. Both groups were given ten minutes to read a pre-selected text. The text consisted of an 1,807 word lesson on the, "Technical Training Management System." Each group was given five minutes to take a twenty item quiz. Fifty-five students in the control group were limited to only reading the material. Fifty-six students in the treatment group could choose between highlighting, note-taking, and underlining. The results of the test scores were compared using a t - test for dependent samples. One week later, the same students in each group were re-tested, using the same quiz they had taken earlier. Students had five minutes to review study material. Study material for the treatment group included the same material they had annotated earlier. The Results from each group wascompared. Efforts were made to avoid potential flaws in previous studies, thereby producing more viable results. Results of this study indicate there is no significant difference between the grades of students who use the aforementioned forms of text annotation and those who do not.