Care is an essential need for human beings, especially students who spend extensive time at school. The goal of this study is to qualitatively explore Saudi university students’ perceptions of teacher care in the US. Fourteen male and female Saudi students at a large Midwestern US university were interviewed. This study offers a literature review about Saudi students’ cultural backgrounds, which make studying their educational experiences more understandable. Several themes emerged from the research data including cultural differences, learning a new language, help and support, making connections, and caring teachers as role models. Recommendations for US American teachers, Saudi Ministry of Education, and future research are offered.

Förskolans uppdrag formas och förändras av samhället och det är upp till verksamma förskollärare att hålla sig uppdaterade och agera utifrån rådande styrdokument och uppdrag. Studien syfte är att lyfta hur förskollärare och förskollärarstudenters identifierar och relaterar sig själva till forskning i egen praktik, framför allt syftat till systematiskt kvalitetsarbete. Studien är gjord med digitala enkäter för att få en vid geografisk spridning och resulterade i 38 svar. Det framkommer att det finns ett glapp mellan kunskap och användande av kunskapen. Där utbildning och praktik inte når hela vägen fram till de intentioner som finns i styrdokumenten. Vetenskaplig grund och vikten av aktuell forskning ges mer plats i relationerna till vetenskap än det faktiska användandet av vetenskapliga strategier och även om dessa används så relaterar inte praktiken varför eller i vilket syfte. / The preschool's mission is shaped and changed by society, and it is up to preschool teachers to stay up to date and act on the basis of prevailing governing documents and missions. The purpose of the study is to highlight how preschool teachers and preschool teacher students identify and relate themselves to research in their own practice, above all aimed at systematic quality work. The study was done with digital surveys to get a wide geographical spread and resulted in 38 responses. It appears that there is a gap between knowledge and the use of knowledge. Where education and practice do not reach all the way to the intentions contained in the governing documents. Scientific basis and the importance of current research are given more space in the relations to science than the actual use of scientific strategies and even if these are used, practice does not relate why or for what purpose.

This study aims to increase the understanding of the complexity regarding how teachers handle and promote students’ right in relation to their professional roles within the school. This qualitative study is based on semistructured interviews with eight student teachers who are studying to become middle and highschool teachers. The reaserachquestions used to reinforce the studies purpose are the following: ”What experiences have teacher education students had regarding challenges in the classroom concerning students' freedom of expression, and what strategies did they use to adress theese?” and ”How do the student teacher think these challenges will shape their roles as future teachers?”. The results show that there is a wide variety in student teachers' experiences of challenges and solutions regarding freedom of expression and other similar democratic values in the classroom. These experiences turn out to have a great impact on the student teachers' attitudes toward their future profession. This study underscores the importance of supporting and guiding student teachers through challenges related to democratic values in the classroom.

Low achievement in Mathematics is a problem that faces schools, colleges and universities, not only in South Africa, but worldwide. Many efforts have been made to explore different ways in which teaching and learning can be more effective. ICT provides endless possibili–ties to enhance the teaching and learning of Mathematics. The purpose of this study is to determine teacher–students’ attitude towards ICTs in order to plan for effective, efficient and appropriate methods of Mathematics education. It further aims to determine to what extent these students will be willing to use ICTs in their own studies as well as in the teaching pro–cess in their classrooms, and aims to compare the students’ attitudes across three countries i.e. South Africa, Tanzania and Finland. The population consisted of Mathematics education teacher–students enrolled at the following institutions: School for Continuing Teacher Educa–tion (SCTE) at the North–West University in South Africa (317 students), the Iringa University College, University of Tumaini in Tanzania (111 students), and the University of Joensuu in Finland (56 students). This study followed a quantitative cross–sectional survey design com–prising a single mode research questionnaire to three groups of students in three countries. The instrument that was used was based on the Loyd and Gressard Computer Attitude Sur–vey (1984) (CAS), with a few additional questions to add to the relevance of this study. Questionnaires were completed by each group of students. The questionnaires were posted to each Mathematics teacher–student at the SCTE with a return envelope included. The re–searcher visited Tanzania and administered the questionnaire to the students at their univer–sity and some students in Finland completed the survey online while others completed a pa–per–based copy, which was returned to the researcher. Descriptive statistical techniques, reliability and validity of the instrument scale, inferential statistics (ANOVA), and cross–tabulations were used, and where appropriate, effect sizes were calculated. Findings indi–cated that the teacher–students have a positive attitude to computers and that they are willing to use ICTs in their own studies and in their teaching at school. The comparison of their atti–tudes revealed that the South African and Tanzanian teacher–students have a more positive attitude towards ICTs than the Finnish students. The teacher–students in the two African countries were also more willing to use ICTs than the students in Finland, despite their in–creased exposure and access to technology. To create an environment of effective Mathe–matics education, a number of factors play an important role. Mathematics education sup–ported by good pedagogical content knowledge can be transformed into effective Mathemat–ics education with the aid of a positive computer attitude and willingness to use technology. Together these aspects are supported by the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) framework. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Low achievement in Mathematics is a problem that faces schools, colleges and universities, not only in South Africa, but worldwide. Many efforts have been made to explore different ways in which teaching and learning can be more effective. ICT provides endless possibili–ties to enhance the teaching and learning of Mathematics. The purpose of this study is to determine teacher–students’ attitude towards ICTs in order to plan for effective, efficient and appropriate methods of Mathematics education. It further aims to determine to what extent these students will be willing to use ICTs in their own studies as well as in the teaching pro–cess in their classrooms, and aims to compare the students’ attitudes across three countries i.e. South Africa, Tanzania and Finland. The population consisted of Mathematics education teacher–students enrolled at the following institutions: School for Continuing Teacher Educa–tion (SCTE) at the North–West University in South Africa (317 students), the Iringa University College, University of Tumaini in Tanzania (111 students), and the University of Joensuu in Finland (56 students). This study followed a quantitative cross–sectional survey design com–prising a single mode research questionnaire to three groups of students in three countries. The instrument that was used was based on the Loyd and Gressard Computer Attitude Sur–vey (1984) (CAS), with a few additional questions to add to the relevance of this study. Questionnaires were completed by each group of students. The questionnaires were posted to each Mathematics teacher–student at the SCTE with a return envelope included. The re–searcher visited Tanzania and administered the questionnaire to the students at their univer–sity and some students in Finland completed the survey online while others completed a pa–per–based copy, which was returned to the researcher. Descriptive statistical techniques, reliability and validity of the instrument scale, inferential statistics (ANOVA), and cross–tabulations were used, and where appropriate, effect sizes were calculated. Findings indi–cated that the teacher–students have a positive attitude to computers and that they are willing to use ICTs in their own studies and in their teaching at school. The comparison of their atti–tudes revealed that the South African and Tanzanian teacher–students have a more positive attitude towards ICTs than the Finnish students. The teacher–students in the two African countries were also more willing to use ICTs than the students in Finland, despite their in–creased exposure and access to technology. To create an environment of effective Mathe–matics education, a number of factors play an important role. Mathematics education sup–ported by good pedagogical content knowledge can be transformed into effective Mathemat–ics education with the aid of a positive computer attitude and willingness to use technology. Together these aspects are supported by the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK) framework. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.