The current study aimed to investigate the changes of the school readiness and transition to elementary school course on pre-service early childhood teachers&rsquo / views about young children&rsquo / s school readiness. Teacher view of children&rsquo / s school readiness scale and interview protocols were administered as pre-post test and pre-post interviews to pre-service early childhood education teachers who were in the process of completing final year in their education in the four university&rsquo / s department of early childhood teacher education in Ankara, Turkey. The teacher views of children&rsquo / s school readiness scale was administrated to 169 pre-service early childhood teachers and a subsample of 26 pre-service early childhood teachers were interviewed before and after they completed School Readiness and Transition to Elementary School course. Qualitative and quantitative findings in mixed methods research demonstrated that school readiness and transition to elementary school course in early childhood teacher education programs elaborated participants&rsquo / views about children&rsquo / s school readiness. According to the participants, program courses should provide more sufficient practice and content knowledge. In this way pre-service teachers can have opportunities to use their experiences gained during school readiness and transition to elementary school course to support young children&rsquo / s school readiness. The results of the current study also indicated that pre-service teachers needed to develop an understanding of children&rsquo / s school readiness in terms of definition, skills, factors, assessment, transition activities, and elementary school program so that they can be better prepared to teach with emphasis on the connections between preschool education and elementary school.

The purposes of this study were (1) to identify the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), Technology Integration Self Efficacy (TISE) and Instructional Technology Outcome Expectations (ITOE) of pre-service physical education teachers, (2) to examine the relationships among &ldquo / TPACK&rdquo / , &ldquo / TISE&rdquo / and &ldquo / ITOE&rdquo / , and (3) to examine the differences between pre-service physical education teachers who perceived and who did not perceive technology integration by their university instructors on &ldquo / TPACK&rdquo / , &ldquo / TISE&rdquo / , and &ldquo / ITOE&rdquo / scores. Seven hundred sixty pre-service physical education teachers from 14 randomly selected universities representing seven geographical regions in Turkey participated in the study. Data were collected by validated versions of &ldquo / TPACK&rdquo / , &ldquo / TISE&rdquo / , and &ldquo / ITOE&rdquo / surveys. Descriptive Analysis, Canonical Correlation Analysis, MANOVA, Independent t Test, and Qualitative Content Analysis were used for data analysis. Findings indicated that TPACK, TISE and ITOE perceptions of pre-service physical education teachers were at good level. University instructors were not good role models in technology integration for the pre-service teachers in general. According to the pre-service teachers&rsquo / report, integration of physical education and sport related emerging technologies were almost did not exist in the teaching practices of university setting.TPACK, TISE, and ITOE were moderately related with each other (p&lt / 0.05). Preservice teachers&rsquo / self perceptions on TPACK, TISE, and ITOE were positively influenced by their perception of university instructors&rsquo / technology integration into teaching in university courses (p&lt / 0.05). Based on the findings, it is recommended to provide professional development programs for the teacher education program instructors in technology integration, in teaching and in emerging physical education and sport related technologies. In addition, using technology integrated teaching models by both university instructors and pre-service teachers should be encouraged.

In the study, it was aimed at determining the discourse patterns of text-based CMC in Second Life in terms of social presence, negotiation of meaning and turn distribution of the students. During the data collection procedure, 54 freshman students participated in the study. Some reading and writing tasks were carried out in Second Life. During the data analysis, the taxonomy adapted by Akayoglu &amp / Altun (2008) was used for negotiation of meaning and the taxonomy prepared by Rourke, Anderson, Garrison and Archer (2001) was used for social presence. Finally, the words uttered by each student were counted and the equality of turn distribution of the students was measured using Gini Coefficient. At the end of the study, it was found that the most frequently used social presence function was &ldquo / expression of emotions&rdquo / and the least frequently used function was &ldquo / quoting from others&rsquo / messages&rdquo / . In terms of negotiation of meaning functions, the most frequently used function was &ldquo / confirmation&rdquo / and the least frequently used function was &ldquo / reply vocabulary&rdquo / . As for the third research question, the numbers of the words uttered by the students were counted and Gini Coefficient was calculated. At the end of this analysis, it was seen that there was equality in all sessions in terms of turn distribution of the students as it was hypothesized in literature. The findings of this study might be helpful for students, educators and researchers who are willing to attend to and design language courses in Second Life. They might better understand the context.

<p>Syftet med undersökningen var att ge en bild av hur studenter i en högskoleutbildning på distans upplever sitt lärande. Fokus har lagts på den eventuella kopplingen mellan studenternas yrkeserfarenhet/yrkespraktik och deras lärande i en utbildning. Undersökningen utgår ifrån ett kvalitativt forskningsperspektiv och ett fenomenologiskt synsätt. Den empiriska undersökningen genomfördes i form av intervjuer med fem studenter som utbildar sig till lärare inom förskola och förskoleklass. Intervjuerna bearbetades och analyserades utifrån undersökningens syfte och frågeställningar och utmynnande i ett antal övergripande områden och teman. Resultatet visar att studenterna upplever att yrkeserfarenheten påverkar deras lärande bland annat genom ett praxisnära förhållningssätt och att de ”tänker i arbetet” när de studerar. Studenterna ser många fördelar med att arbeta parallellt med studierna och anser att deras erfarenhet i stor utsträckning tas tillvara i utbildningen. De effekter som studierna upplevs ha fått i yrkespraktiken är framför allt att studenterna kan sätta ord på sitt handlande och reflektera över sitt eget förhållningssätt och den egna verksamheten i större utsträckning än tidigare.</p> / <p>The aim of this study was to describe how distance students in higher education experience learning. The focus of the study is the connection between the students’ professional experience/occupational practice and their learning. The survey is founded on a qualitative research perspective and has a phenomenological approach. The empirical survey was carried out through interviews with five students who train to become teachers for pre-school and pre-school class. The interviews were processed and analyzed on the basis of the research questions, and resulted in a number of general areas and themes. The results indicate that the students experience that their work affect their learning. They have a practical attitude towards their studies and relate to their work practice when studying. The students can see many advantages in working alongside their studies and consider that their experience, to a great extent, is made the most of in their education. The students experience that the effect the studies have had in their occupational practice is, above all, that the they can put<em> </em>their actions into words and reflect upon their own work to a greater extent than before.</p>

This report documents the experiences and applications to practice of a secondary science teacher, instructional coach, and educational consultant performing academic research on surface tension in thin films and self-diffusion in nanocomposites in a chemical engineering lab setting. Throughout this experience, the author developed knowledge for and of engineering teaching through authentic learning experiences. These learning experiences will be used as a model to assist mentee teachers in developing authentic learning experiences for students that create an awareness of engineering while fostering engineering habits of mind and an understanding of the engineering design process. / text

The purpose of this study was to describe the experiences and perceptions of two female obstetrician-gynecologists in their world of academic and clinical medicine. Significant to this dissertation is the complex issue of gender. The theoretical and research perspectives were (1) gender discrimination in the education of girls; (2) feminism in the medical school and the medical workplace; and (3) the literature of caring and connectiveness as it is related to the field of medicine. My prior pilot study and research for my gender issues course I taught in medical school were the deciding factors that initiated this richer dissertation study. The case study approach was used in this ethnographic research, and with my role as participant and a non-participant observer, I conducted multiple observations of participants, wrote field notes and conducted three semi-structured interviews with each participant. I analyzed the data inductively, and then made a cross-case analysis of the variables I found for my study. The findings from this study reveal the importance of family, husbands, and significant others in their continued support of their professional careers. Both participants had positive experiences in their early schooling and supportive mentors in their medical careers. They also agreed that relationships and interactions with patients are the most important aspects of their specialty, and that women doctors "listen more"; however, they believe that the environment plays a role in these differences related to gender. The biggest challenge perceived by the academic physician is the hostility of a system that does not recognize diversity or values of the female doctors who work in the system. She diagnoses this system as unhealthy and inflexible to both male and female physicians. The biggest challenge perceived by the married woman physician revolved around her juggling of family and professional concerns. The significant findings from the theoretical and historical perspectives relative to this study, braided with the insights voiced by the two physicians, strongly suggest a need for curricula and pedagogical restructuring related to feminist knowledge in both our medical institutions and our educational institutions.

This study examined the impact of Child Development Associate (CDA) training on the beliefs and self-reported practices of early childhood teachers (N = 126) using a pre-post mixed-methods research design. Preschool teachers who were enrolled in CDA classes (n=76) and a comparison group of teachers (n = 50) completed two surveys of beliefs and self-reported practices: the Teacher Beliefs and Practices Survey: 3- to 5-Year-Olds (TBPS) (Burts, Buchanan, & Benedict, 2001) and the Early Childhood Survey of Beliefs and Practices (ECSBP) (Marcon, 1988, 1999). Repeated measures Multiple Analyses of Variance indicated teachers who had completed CDA training became significantly more developmentally appropriate on measures of beliefs and self-reported practices than a comparison group who did not attend CDA training. The CDA teachers held significantly fewer inappropriate beliefs and reported fewer inappropriate practices after training than the comparison group. Results suggest that the TBPS was a more sensitive measure than the ECSBP of beliefs and self-reported practices for these early childhood teachers, most of whom had no formal education. The decrease in developmentally inappropriate beliefs and self-reported practices on the TBPS subscales illustrates the importance of measuring not only increases in appropriate beliefs and self-reported practices but also decreases in inappropriate beliefs and self-reported practices. The Constant Comparative Method was used to organize and analyze the observation and interview data of the four case study participants. Three themes emerged which describe the effect of CDA training on the beliefs and self-reported practices of these teachers: Reflection on current practices describes the teacher who seemed to be actively considering how the material presented in the CDA training fit with her implicitly held beliefs and current practices. Confirmation of developmentally appropriate practices describes the teacher whose existing developmentally appropriate beliefs were reinforced by the training. Superficial changes describes two teachers who gained ideas for activities in the training but revealed no change in beliefs. This study suggests that CDA training decreases the developmentally inappropriateness of beliefs and self-reported practices of early childhood teachers. A change that past research suggests will ultimately impact classroom quality. Influences such as concurrent training, program requirements, and implicitly held beliefs may moderate the extent to which new concepts are accepted and existing practices are changed.

Parce qu’elle est intimement liée à l’action professionnelle (Schön, 1983), la pratique réflexive est souvent associée aux stages d’enseignement qui ponctuent la formation initiale des maîtres. Parmi les dispositifs de soutien à la pratique réflexive en stage d’enseignement, l’interaction en ligne semble particulièrement pertinente dans la mesure où : (1) elle permet de répondre à la dispersion géographique des enseignants-stagiaires (Karsenti, Lepage et Gervais, 2002) ; (2) elle couvre un potentiel sociocognitif (Depover, Karsenti et Komis, 2007) susceptible d’être mis au profit du développement de la pratique réflexive. Pourtant le rapport entre l’interaction en ligne et la pratique réflexive, bien qu’il semble positivement perçu lorsqu’il est évoqué (Barnett, 2002 ; Zhao et Rop, 2001), reste toutefois peu abordé dans la littérature scientifique et peu problématisé au niveau théorique. Or ce rapport pose question dans la mesure où la pratique réflexive réfère à un processus intra-personnel alors que l’interaction en ligne est inter-personnelle par définition. Ce paradoxe apparent est à l’origine de la présente recherche, dont l’objectif général consiste à mieux comprendre le rapport entre la pratique réflexive et l’interaction en ligne en stage d’enseignement. En vue de répondre à cet objectif, nous présentons le cadre conceptuel de la pratique réflexive interactionnelle, lequel a été élaboré par un arrimage de la théorique de la médiation sémiotique (Vygotsky, 1962) à la pratique réflexive (Schön, 1983). La méthodologie mixte à dominante qualitative pour laquelle nous avons opté a inclus la participation de trois groupes d’enseignants-stagiaires de quatrième année en enseignement secondaire (N=34) et leurs superviseurs respectifs (N=3). Puisqu’il s’agit d’une thèse par articles, les résultats obtenus auprès des trois groupes d’enseignants-stagiaires sont présentés dans trois articles distincts. Le premier d’entre eux s’attache à examiner comment la pratique réflexive se construit dans l’interaction en ligne des enseignants-stagiaires. Les résultats empiriques auxquels il donne lieu indiquent que deux types d’interaction (interaction inter-personnelle et interaction intra-personnelle) semblent intervenir conjointement dans le processus réflexif des enseignants-stagiaires. Dès lors, nous sommes amené à proposer une bonification du cadre conceptuel de la pratique réflexive interactionnelle en passant d’un mouvement circulaire du processus réflexif à un mouvement binaire. Ayant ainsi précisé le processus réflexif propre à la pratique réflexive interactionnelle, l’article 2 vise à établir les limites de cette dernière et à en déduire les conditions d’efficacité, dans la perspective de son opérationnalisation en contexte de stage d’enseignement. Quatre types de limites sont identifiés (limites académiques, sociales, développementales et interactionnelles). Ils donnent lieu à certaines conditions d’efficacité, ce qui permet de compléter le cadre conceptuel de la pratique réflexive interactionnelle par des considérations liées à son opérationnalisation en stage d’enseignement. Enfin, l’article 3 a pour but de déterminer le rôle de l’interaction en ligne pour la pratique réflexive des enseignants-stagiaires. Il s’agit donc de « confronter » l’interaction en ligne à d’autres soutiens à la pratique réflexive des enseignants-stagiaires, en vue de déterminer sa place. Il en ressort que l’interaction en ligne semble jouer un rôle secondaire mais néanmoins positif, tant pour la pratique réflexive des enseignants-stagiaires que pour d’autres dimensions du stage d’enseignement tels que la dimension sociale ou la dimension psychologique et émotionnelle. Finalement, des recommandations à l’intention du milieu de formation et des pistes de recherches futures sont offertes en conclusion. / Since it is tightly linked to professional action (Schön, 1983), reflective practice is commonly associated with teaching internships that generally punctuate initial teacher training programs in North America. Among the devices supporting reflective practice during teaching internships, online interactions seem particularly relevant since: (1) they help overcome the geographic scattering of student teachers (Karsenti, Lepage and Gervais, 2002); (2) they have a sociocognitive potential (Depover, Karsenti and Komis, 2007), likely to contribute to reflective practice development. However, the relationship between online interaction and reflective practice, even though it looks positive when mentioned, remains hardly addressed in the scientific literature and little problematized at the theoretical level. Yet, this relationship raises questions since reflective practice refers to an intrapersonal process whereas online interaction is, by definition, interpersonal. This apparent paradox instigated this research. The general objective is to better understand the relationship between reflective practice and online interactions during teaching internships of student teachers. To achieve this objective, we present the conceptual framework of interactional reflective practice developed through the association of semiotic mediation (Vygotsky, 1962) with reflective practice (Schön, 1983). The mixed-methodology that we have chosen, though qualitatively prevalent, included the participation of three student teachers groups in the forth year of secondary teaching (N=34) and their academic, university supervisors. We decided that the results obtained from the three student teachers groups ought to be presented in three separate research articles (chapters 6, 7 and 8). The first one aims at examining how reflective practice is built through student teachers’ online interaction. The empirical results indicate that two types of interactions (interpersonal interaction and intrapersonal interaction) seem to intervene jointly in student teachers’ reflective process. Consequently, we improved the conceptual framework of interactional reflective practice by moving from a circular movement of the reflective process to a more binary-like movement. After having refined the conceptual framework of interactional reflective practice in the article 1, the second article aims at establishing its limits and success factors. In doing so, we aimed at informing its implementation in teaching internships. Four types of limits were identified (academic, social, developmental and interactional limits). They lead to four success factors, which leads us up to complete the conceptual framework of interactional reflective practice. Finally, the third article aims at determining the role of online interaction for student teachers’ reflective practice. In other words, this meant “confronting” online interaction with other devices supporting student teachers’ reflective practice in order to better understand its role. It appears that online interactions seem to have a secondary but nevertheless positive role for student teachers’ reflective practice but also for other aspects of teaching practicum, such as social, psychological and emotional aspects. We finish by suggesting some recommendations aimed at initial teacher training stakeholders, as well as future research perspectives.

Compared to other subjects, Learning Area Technology teaching is a relatively new knowledge area world-wide, especially in the South African school curriculum, and it consequently presents new challenges. One of these challenges is the fact that no previous tertiary training programmes exist for the Learning Area Technology; thus new ones have to be developed. Since limited research has been done regarding Learning Area Technology teaching, teachers of Technology are forced to base their professional teaching and learning practices on approaches from other fields of knowledge and adapt these. This is not necessarily ideal for Learning Area Technology teaching in the South African context. The following question can thus be posed: To which extent do existing pre-service training programmes develop the essential competences and skills required for the effective teaching of the Learning Area Technology? Against the background of this overarching aim of the study, this research attempted to find answers to the following research questions: • What are the competences a qualified Learning Area Technology teacher should possess? • What is the nature of Learning Area Technology teacher training in South Africa? • What is lacking in training programmes for pre-service Learning Area Technology teachers in South Africa? To provide answers to these questions, a literature study as well as an empirical study was conducted. To achieve the aim of the empirical study a phenomenological approach was applied in executing an exploratory qualitative study. A random sample was drawn from available tertiary institutions training pre-service Technology teachers in the Learning Area Technology. Individual, semi-structured interviews were conducted with lecturers to enable the researcher to comprehend and interpret experiences and realities in terms of the research question. Findings from the literature study on the competences a qualified technology Teacher should possess indicate that a Technology teacher, upon completion of studies, should posses the following competences to present the Learning Area Technology as a subject specialist: indepth subject knowledge of the various knowledge areas for the Learning Area Technology; suitable pedagogical content knowledge to be able to transform technological knowledge to teachable matter; technological skills in technological processes and techniques; and positive values and attitudes which can be integrated successfully during various learning opportunities. It is also imperative that pre-service Learning Area Technology teachers possess knowledge of appropriate teaching strategies to accomplish critical, creative and problem-solving skills among learners. The empirical research was aimed at establishing the nature of pre-service training programmes in South Africa, as well as identifying shortcomings in the training of pre-service Technology teachers. Data analyses regarding the nature of pre-service training of Learning Area Technology teachers-.enabled the researcher to identify particular shortcomings in preservice training programmes in South Africa. The following shortcomings were identified: insufficient subject knowledge and technological subject skills; limited subject specific pedagogical knowledge; lack of real life situations in learning opportunities; and a lack of modelling of teaching strategies during facilitation of the Learning Area Technology. Based on the findings of the research which was also related to the literature, specific recommendations were made in order to improve the quality of pre-service training for the Learning Area Technology. Recommendations on the identified shortcomings include the following: the training of Learning Area Technology teachers as subject specialists by establishing standards appropriate for tertiary training in order to enhance the development of subject knowledge; the development of subject specific pedagogical content knowledge by implementing micro lessons; revision of time planning and facilities for the practising of technological skills; and sufficient opportunities to practise, analyse and reflect on teaching processes to develop proper and appropriate teaching strategies. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010

With the introduction of outcomes-based education (OBE) in South Africa the role of teachers and learners in the teaching and learning process had to change. Teachers had to adopt a facilitation role and learners had to focus on active learning and the mastering of outcomes. With the focus of OBE on outcomes, teachers in the teachinglearning process are continuously pressurised not only to focus on the teaching of theoretical subject matter, but also the development of higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS). Since 2006 the development of learners' HOCS in South African Schools have been emphasized in the Further Education and Training Phase (grades 10-12) through the National Curriculum Statements. Teachers in Business Studies (the new subject that replaced Business Economics as secondary school subject in 2006) have doubts in their ability to develop learners' HOCS because they doubt their own ability to demonstrate HOCS. This study indicates that the teacher training of Business Studies students should focus on the development of their HOCS, because they won't be able to develop their learners' HOCS if they can't demonstrate it themselves. The purpose of this study was to develop a teaching model for the development of education students in Business Studies' HOCS. Lecturers can use the teaching model during teacher training, to develop education students' knowledge of HOeS in Business studies, their ability to demonstrate HOCS and their critical and creative thinking skills. This study was approached from a pragmatic research paradigm. A literature study was conducted to motivate the rationale for the development of education students' HOCS, to investigate the meaning of HOCS and to determine the way in which HOCS can be learned, taught and assessed. The proposed teaching model that was developed, is based on the literature study. From the literature study a workable definition of HOCS was developed for the aim of this study. The literature study also showed that HOCS can best be learned and taught in a social constructivist learning environment, where lecturers enable students to construct their own knowledge and skills, with a combination of inductive teaching, cooperative learning and problem/activity based learning. During the empirical component of this study the teaching model for development of HOCS was applied to education students in Business Studies. Data was gathered over a period of four months by means of a mixed methods research design. This research design acted as a purposeful research framework wherein quantitative and qualitative methods were used to solve the research problem. Findings from the results of the empirical study indicated the extent to which the teaching model led to the development of the education students' HOCS, the experience of the education students and the way in which the model was executed. The contribution of this research is viewed as a clarification of the concept HOCS, the rationale for the development of HOCS and the proposed teaching model. / Thesis (PhD (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010