Politically mandated development projects get attention in reports, assessments, plans and policies. Less attention is given to the small scale, local development-work made by teachers in schools everywhere, every day (Hultman, 2001). The aim of this study is to make, the small-scale changes that teachers make in their daily practice, visible. Also, this study aims to contribute to an increased understanding of teachers’ changed actions and factors that enable or constrain changed actions. Finally, this study aims to try the analytical concept of agency in relation to the changes teachers make in their daily professional practices. The following research questions have been developed: (1), How do teachers describe the changes they make and have made in their professional practice? (2), What possibilities and limitations do teachers experience when changing their professional-practice? (3), What do teachers wish to change and why? (4), What do teachers think are precipitating factors of change in their own professional practice? (5), How can teacher agency be understood in relation to the described changes in professional practice? Eight teachers from different schools have participated in semi-structured interviews, describing their experience of changes they’ve made in their professional practice. The interviews have been analysed in relation to theories of the three elements of agency developed by Emirbayer and Mische (1998) and further developed in connection to teacher practice by Priestley, Biesta and Robinsson (2015). The study found that teachers change their practice to adjust to new or changing contexts. New experiences, knowledge, ideas or policies can also cause changes in teacher practice. Teachers change their practice when they encounter problems or challenges, assess the consequences of different actions and choose an appropriate way to act. They use their knowledge and experience to identify problems and activate agency to solve them. The study indicates that there is a connection between security and change. Furthermore, it seems to be of importance for teachers and school leaders not only to have common goals but also share the interpretation of problems and the analysis of possible action to solve the problems. The study also found that teachers change their practice to be in alignment with their own goals and aspirations. Even though all teachers abide by common laws and regulations, teachers choose to focus on different parts of the regulations when shaping their goals. The teachers´ goals and aspirations, shape their images of the future they want and play a pivotal role in shaping their actions in the present and in activating agency. The teachers in the study constantly changed their practice in relation to the needs they identify in the local context but also from a genuine interest to learn more, change and improve their professional practice.

One obstacle that challenges the implementation of effective curriculum integration practices is the confusion caused by the existence of numerous definitions of this construct in the literature. This concern is further compounded by the potential disconnect between the varied definitions proposed by scholars and classroom teachers' acceptance and use of curriculum integration. The purpose of this study was to analyze K-3 grade teachers' self-reported definitions of curriculum integration. Teachers responded to an Internet survey in which they provided their personal definition of curriculum integration, described integrated teaching examples from their own classroom, and rated six teaching scenarios for quality of integration. Results suggest that teachers may not share the wide variety of definitions of integration described in the literature. Teachers in this study seemed to generally share one definition of integration, as measured by their explanation of the term integration and by the teaching examples they provided. In addition, the majority of the teachers' definitions aligned with their teaching examples, suggesting that the teachers both define and practice integration in similar ways. Finally, when teachers ranked teaching scenarios written to illustrate different levels of quality of curriculum integration, the majority of the teachers again appeared to agree on a shared definition. There were no statistical differences based on grade level, years of experience and education level. In addition to presentation of results, implications for future research and practice are discussed.

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The syllabus for English in Swedish upper secondary education states that teachers should help students become confident in expressing themselves through writing. Writing ability is an indication of knowing how to communicate and show knowledge effectively. An important part of the teaching profession is to help develop students’ abilities, which emphasizes teachers’ formative assessment practices. Research states the importance of formative assessment for writing development; however, previous studies showed several issues with teachers’ assessment practices. There was a discrepancy between teachers’ perceptions of formative assessment and their practices where teachers were positive toward using formative assessment, but their practices became summative. Furthermore, time constraints and a lack of institutional support caused problems with implementing formative assessment practices. Additionally, there was a lack of research on teachers’ formative assessment practices of writing and a lack of research conducted in a Swedish upper secondary EFL context. Therefore, this study investigated the topic of upper secondary English teachers’ formative writing assessment practices and their perceptions regarding the effectiveness of formative assessment for writing assignments and the associated challenges for implementation and level of institutional support. The study used a qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with three upper secondary English teachers in Sweden. The results showed that the practice could become summative even though teachers had a formative mindset. Furthermore, all teachers were positive about using formative assessment to develop students’ writing abilities. However, they expressed a partially shared belief that formative assessment was time-consuming, that there was a lack of time and institutional support to implement it, and that students were grade-focused. The findings imply that there is a risk that students do not develop the required communication skills stated in the syllabus.

This qualitative study was designed to examine the influences of language, culture, and power on teacher instructional decision-making with high-achieving African American students in advanced secondary English classrooms. The research questions were crafted to address how language, culture, and power influenced: (1) teachers' instructional planning when working with high-achieving African American students in the secondary English classrooms as they use literary and informational texts to support literacy development; (2) teachers' understanding of how language, culture, and power impact instructional decision-making when planning for literacy development with high-achieving African American students in advanced secondary English classrooms, and (3) teachers' understanding of how language, culture, and power influence learning and achievement for high-achieving African American students in advanced secondary English classrooms. The framework for this study was grounded in several intersectional theories related to; (a) schools as communities of practice (Wenger, 1998); (b) language as identity shaper and inseparable from culture (Delpit, 2002;Gee, 2005; Labov, 1972; Lee, 2007; Nieto, 2010; Smitherman, 1977; and Thornborrow, 1999); (c) culture as emergent due to human interaction (Carrithers, 1992); (d) power is a force in all relationships and interactions, which creates imbalances and determine the degree to which the language variations and cultures interact freely and equitably (Burbules, 1986; Freire, 1921/1970; Giroux, 1992; Nyberg, 1981; Shrigley, 1986); (e) race is a social construct and racism is normal infiltrating every aspect of US society including the education of marginalized groups (Delgado and Stefancic, 2012; Ford, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 1995); (f) secondary students acquire, develop, and engage with literacy differently from their elementary counterparts and require teachers to deepen their knowledge about the ways adolescents engage with texts (Alexander, 2003; Chall, 1983; Goldman and Snow, 2015; Idrisano and Chall, 1995; McConachie and Petrosky, 2009; Moje, 1996/2002; Piercy and Piercy, 2010; Schoenbach, Greenleaf, and Murphy, 2012; Shanahan and Shanahan, 2008). Participant interviews, lesson plans, and field notes generated data to address the research questions. Findings demonstrated language, culture, and power are intersectional and influence every aspect of the instructional decision-making process. This study provides insight into teacher's thinking about their planning and how the inquiry constructs influence that planning. / Ph. D.

La présente recherche de type qualitatif veut décrire, analyser et comprendre la pratique de différenciation pédagogique chez des enseignants québécois du premier cycle du secondaire. Cette pratique s’insère au cœur des programmes de formation dont la principale visée est la réussite pour tous. Cependant, elle est constituée d’un flou théorique qui la rend parfois difficile à définir et à mettre en application, particulièrement chez les enseignants du secondaire. Ce travail dresse donc le portrait de trois enseignantes du premier cycle du secondaire qui choisissent tout de même de la comprendre et de la mettre en œuvre. À ce titre, l’étude des pratiques sous l’angle du travail tel que décrit par Tardif et Lessard (1999) permet de cerner la nature complexe et composite de leur travail et de tenir compte des facteurs personnels, internes et externes qui régissent leur travail d’adaptation des programmes, appelé travail curriculaire. Ainsi, une grille d’analyse inédite, construite au regard de ces facteurs et à partir des concepts inhérents à la différenciation pédagogique, permet d’étudier trois cas de manière complète et approfondie. De manière générale, l’analyse des facteurs personnels, internes et externes à la pratique de différenciation pédagogique des enseignantes donnent des informations pertinentes sur leurs façons de différencier, sur leur motivation à différencier et sur l’influence de leur milieu de travail dans l’exercice de cette pratique. Ces résultats permettent non seulement de mieux comprendre cette pratique effectuée par des enseignants du secondaire, mais permet aussi l’élaboration des principaux facteurs pouvant faciliter sa mise en œuvre ou au contraire la limiter. Au final, les propos recueillis chez les enseignantes interrogées signalent qu’au-delà de la réussite éducative, d’autres éléments entrent en jeu dans l’exercice de cette pratique. En fait, malgré plusieurs contraintes liées aux ressources matérielles, organisationnelles et humaines, la pratique de différenciation pédagogique génère entre autres une grande source de motivation scolaire pour les élèves et contribue à augmenter la satisfaction professionnelle de ces enseignantes dans leur travail au quotidien. / This qualitative research will describe, analyze and understand the practice of differentiated instruction for teachers of the Quebec junior high. This practice fits in the heart of the training programs whose main sight is the success for all. However, it consists of a conceptual confusion makes it difficult to define and implement, particularly among secondary school teachers. This work gives us a picture of three teachers from junior high who still choose to understand and implement. As such, the study of practices in terms of work, as described by Tardif and Lessard (1999) identifies the complex and composite character of their work and to consider personal factors, both internal and external governing their adaptation work program, called travail curriculaire. Thus, an entirely new framework, built with respect to these factors and applying the concepts inherent in differentiated instruction, used to study three cases of complete and thorough. Overall, the analysis of personal factors, both internal and external to the practice of differentiated instruction teachers provide relevant information on their ways to differentiate, their motivation and to differentiate the influence of their workplace in this practice. These results provide not only better understand the practice carried out by secondary school teachers, but also allows the development of the key factors that facilitate its implementation or otherwise limiting. Finally, the comments collected by the teachers surveyed reported that beyond educational success, other factors come into play in carrying out this practice. In fact, despite several constraints related to material resources, organizational and human resources, the practice of differentiated instruction generates among other great source of motivation for school students and helps increase job satisfaction of teachers in their daily work.

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2018-05-08T21:01:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Paula de Macedo Santos.pdf: 2064225 bytes, checksum: afd19778f868b1a5c2c25b2f4d147a56 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-08T21:01:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015 - Paula de Macedo Santos.pdf: 2064225 bytes, checksum: afd19778f868b1a5c2c25b2f4d147a56 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-23 / This paper assumes that unemployment of youth is one of the challenges of the globalized societies with its scarce and specialized jobs. In Brazil, as in other countries, youth becomes the group most affected by unemployment and pushed to the margins of society. In the past, authorities adopted policies to control and repress young people through premature integration into the labor market. Since 1990, international organizations supported vocational training activities in several countries. In an attempt to remedy this situation, compensatory social and educational policies were created in Brazil, functioning as mechanisms for the perpetuation of social and educational inequalities, and favoring the maintenance of the capitalist interests of the hegemonic classes. Critical thinkers suggest that improving the skills of young people is no guarantee of employment, because there is insufficient jobs creation for the general population. Based on this reality, the object of this study are the educational policies of vocational training for yoth initiated in the Lula government (2003-10), followed by Dilma?s first government (2011-14). We aimed at the policies to qualify young people for the labor market through programs such as Projovem, whose goal is the qualification of youth living in areas devoid of basic social services. According to the government discourse, the job opportunities exist but lack qualified professionals to take them, attracting young people to participate in programs such as ProJovem. However, due to its precarious nature, these do not guarantee a reduction in youth unemployment. In view of such reality, we propose a review of public policy goals regarding professional qualification and care given to youth issues by Brazilian government authorities, using the experience of ProJovem in Mesquita, RJ. Our main sources were bibliographical material and analysis of primary and secondary sources relating to youth, public policies and vocational education programs. We conclude that the main objective of these programs is not to prepare youth for the labor market, but to contain a possible threat that poor and idle youth may become to society, because such programs are developed in peripheral and poor regions. During our survey in search for the actual situation of the program, we interviewed ProJovem students and teachers about their hopes and difficulties. In doing so we sought to raise the main problems related to the Program in the voice of its members, and they confirmed our initial suspicions. We hope this work will contribute to the construction of new public policies that truly meet the needs of young people of the lower classes. / Parte-se do pressuposto de que o desemprego da popula??o jovem ? um dos desafios das sociedades globalizadas, com postos de trabalho escassos e especializados. O grupo de jovens comp?e o segmento mais atingido pelo desemprego tamb?m no Brasil. Cria-se uma popula??o ? margem da sociedade. No passado as autoridades adotaram pol?ticas para o controle e a repress?o dos jovens via integra??o precoce ao mundo do trabalho. A partir de 1990, organismos internacionais apoiaram a??es de qualifica??o profissional em diversos pa?ses, inclusive no Brasil. Na tentativa de remediar essa situa??o, foram criadas pol?ticas sociais e educacionais compensat?rias, assistenciais e de controle, as quais atuam como mecanismos de perpetua??o das desigualdades sociais e educacionais, agindo na manuten??o dos interesses da classe hegem?nica e do capital. Pensadores cr?ticos sugerem que melhorar as habilidades dos jovens n?o ? garantia de emprego, pois h? gera??o insuficiente de postos de trabalho. Baseado nessa realidade, o objeto deste estudo s?o as pol?ticas p?blicas educacionais de qualifica??o profissional de jovens iniciadas no governo Lula (2003-10), com continuidade no primeiro governo Dilma (2011-14). Pol?ticas destinadas a qualificar os jovens para o ingresso no mercado de trabalho por meio de programas como o ProJovem, cuja a meta ? a qualifica??o profissional dos jovens que vivem em territ?rios destitu?dos dos servi?os sociais b?sicos. De acordo com o discurso oficial, h? oportunidades de trabalho, mas faltam profissionais qualificados para assumi-las, atraindo os jovens para participarem de programas como o ProJovem. Entretanto, devido ? sua ligeireza e precariedade, estes n?o garantem uma redu??o do desemprego juvenil. Diante dessa realidade, propomos uma avalia??o dos objetivos das pol?ticas p?blicas de qualifica??o profissional e a discuss?o do atendimento dado ?s quest?es juvenis em nosso pa?s, tomando como modelo a experi?ncia do ProJovem no Munic?pio de Mesquita na Baixada Fluminense. Utilizamos a an?lise de material bibliogr?fico de fontes prim?rias e secund?rias referentes ? juventude, pol?ticas p?blicas e programas de educa??o profissional. Partimos da hip?tese que o objetivo principal desses programas n?o ? qualificar o jovem para o mercado de trabalho, mas conter a poss?vel amea?a que o jovem pobre e desocupado pode se tornar para a sociedade, visto que s?o desenvolvidos em regi?es perif?ricas. Na busca para conhecer a realidade dos atores do ProJovem em Mesquita, ouvimos alunos e professores, sobre os seus anseios e dificuldades. Buscamos assim levantar os principais problemas relacionados ao Programa na voz de seus usu?rios, o que confirmou nossas suspeitas iniciais. Esperamos que este trabalho contribua para a constru??o de novas pol?ticas p?blicas que realmente atendam as necessidades dos jovens das camadas populares.