Thesis (MEdPsych) -- Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study was undertaken with the view to explore the ecosystemic variables that may impact on learners' acquisition and generalisation of the study and thinking skills that they have been introduced to. In addition, my own journey of growth as a reflective practitioner has been recorded. A literature review was undertaken in order to obtain a perspective of research conducted in this field. I fulfilled the dual role of researcher and reflective practitioner which enabled me to use both the 'objective knowledge' gained from the literature review and my 'personal knowledge' which resulted from teaching experience. I selected the ecosystemic framework as the preferred educational psychological framework with which to approach this study. The nature of this research study is post-modernist, phenomenological and emancipatory. I have taken a qualitative stance in an attempt to explore, firstly, the learners' impressions of the usefulness of the programme and secondly, the variables that may be impacting on the learners' ability to acquire and generalise new strategies. The information has been gathered from my observations and questionnaires. The research report describes my observations of the ecosystemic variables that affected the implementation of a study and thinking skills programme, and the learners' impressions of the programme. In addition, I reflected on my journey through this research process. Suggestions were made as to how a study and thinking skills programme could best be implemented in a school; and as to the usefulness of emancipatory action research in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie navorsingsprojek is onderneem met die oog daarop om die ekosistemiese veranderlikes te ondersoek wat 'n invloed het op die opname en veralgemening van studie-en denkvaardighede waaraan leerders blootgestel is. Tesame hiermee is my persoonlike groeiervaringe as reflektiewe praktisyn ook aangeteken. 'n Literatuuroorsig is onderneem ten einde 'n perspektief te verkry van navorsing wat reeds in hierdie gebied onderneem is. In hierdie proses het ek die gesamentlike rol van navorser en reflektiewe praktisyn aangeneem. Dit het my in staat gestelom die 'objektiewe kennis' verkry uit die literatuuroorsig met die 'persoonlike kennis' opgedoen tydens my onderwyservaringe, te kombineer. Ek het die ekosistemiese raamwerk as 'n geskikte opvoedkundige sielkundige vertekpunt vir hierdie studie gekies. Die aard van hierdie navorsingsprojek IS postmodernisties, fenomenologies en emansipatories. Ten einde die leerders se indrukke van die program en die verandelikes wat hulle vermoë om die nuwe vaardighede op te neem en te veralgemeen te bepaal, is 'n kwalitatiewe benadering gevolg. Hierdie inligting is ingesamel deur middel van my eie observasies sowel as vraelyste. Hierdie navorsingsverslag beskryf my observasies van die ekosistemiese veranderlikes wat die implementering van 'n studie- en denkvaardigheidsprogram, sowel as die leerders indrukke daarvan, geaffekteer het. In toevoeging hiernee, het ek ook oor my persoonlike ervaringe gedurende die navorsingsprojek gereflekteer. Voorstelle is gemaak oor die mees geskikte wyse waarop so 'n program in 'n skool geïmplementeer kan word, asook ten opsigte van die bruikbaarheid van die emansipatoriese aksienavorsings-benadering in Suid Afrika.

This report will illustrate the positive and negative aspects of the social nature of learning through a review of sociocultural related research. In consideration of the billion dollar issues associated with the current state of students’ mental health, and the poor educational experiences of low income students, it seems the current focus on academic achievement in isolation, isn’t working. Socioemotional elements underlie the cognitive processes involved in all higher levels of thinking and problems solving. From a sociocultural perspective, for optimal learning to occur, teachers and students must establish positive affective relationships. Through greater understanding of effective teaching practices that consider the socioemotional elements involved learning, and universal interventions promoting positive child and youth development, schools can promote children’s social and emotional wellbeing while simultaneously improving academic achievement. / text

In many ways, higher educational systems in the United States are the most extraordinary in the world. Students come from all over to study in our institutes of higher learning. As our search for an explanation of how to facilitate student learning continues, the goal of this dissertation was to examine the heavily under-researched area of teacherstudent relationships as they relate to student understanding. Using the existing body of instructional communication research, the Student Understanding Model (SUM) is proposed and tested. Data collected from 302 undergraduate students was used to test the SUM. Results provide empirical support that relational messages account for approximately 26% of the variance in student understanding. Conclusions and implications from the current study were discussed.

Research suggests that the promotion of a student’s social development and connectedness can help reduce problematic behavior in schools. Connectedness, in this context, refers to an individual’s feeling of ‘belonging’ in a school as a valued and effective member. Connectedness can also apply to feelings on one’s self-image, family, and friends. The purpose of this study was to examine connectedness among Hong Kong primary school students in Years 5 and 6. The relationships among connectedness and time spent in leisure activities by students are also explored. Demographic data was collected from 421 students who responded to questionnaires concerning their time spent in leisure activities. The students also completed a Chinese version of the Hemingway Measure of Adolescent Connectedness. The subscales demonstrated satisfactory reliability and convergent validity. Findings from the study showed that in general girls are more emotionally connected to school than boys, especially to their teachers, whereas boys showed more connectedness to neighborhood. Data on boys revealed a positive correlation between connectedness to major social groups (parents, teachers and friends) and time spent on sports; but a negative correlation between connectedness to parents and teachers and time spent on computer games. Girls tended to show a more positive attitude about ‘present self’ when more time was spent on sports, but a negative connection with parents and teachers if more time was spent on computer games or extra-curricular activities. Implications for future research and implementation of guidance programmes in primary schools are discussed. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This investigation was designed to aid in the development of a teacher preparation program for alternative teachers. A "Theory of Intersubjective Personal Relationships" was established and utilized throughout the study. The theoretical framework was formulated from a series of concepts derived from the literature of social psychology to guide in collecting and reporting the data, as well as constructing a teacher preparation program for alternative schools. The framework consisted of four key words: (1) choicing, (2) awareness, (3) acceptance, and (4) sharing. The focus of the investigation was concerned with the intersubjective relationships as related to alternative students and their teacher. The case study approach grounded in ethnography and existentialism, was employed in gathering and reporting the data. It permitted the investigator to observe, interact, and record the multiple phenomenon. The investigation focused on the "in school lives" of five alternative students and their teacher. Each of the five students in her/his personal school relationship became the subject of a case study. The investigator, as participant observer, was the instructor of each of the five students. The teacher maintained records of the various interactions with the students. Moreover, she had available documents such as diaries, term papers, journals, and other student-produced artifacts. The case studies were presented using the theory of intersubjective personal relationships. The presentation of each case was organized using the four terms of the theory. Each case was presented to demonstrate at least one of the theoretical behavioral concepts. The resulting data were recorded and analyzed according to the four behavioral concepts. A proposal for a teacher preparation program for alternative teachers was developed from the case studies. The program featured the following provisions: (1) alternative high school student consultants, (2) the study and discussion of the theory, (3) the opportunity to operationalize the theory, (4) the opportunity to develop and understand "support networks," (5) the opportunity to meet, consult, and work with community representatives, (6) the opportunity to maintain diaries and develop other records of experiences, and (7) the opportunity for daily meetings to interact and operationalize the "Theory of Intersubjective Personal Relationships."

The present study is an investigation into the interrelatedness of student teachers' temperament traits, their attitudes toward youth, as measured by appropriate testing instruments, and the interpersonal teacher-pupil problems encountered by the respondents during their student teaching experience.

The problem with which this investigation is concerned is that of determining the influence of instructors' written comments on the test performances of students in selected college subjects. The students were from one university and one junior college. The written comments were designed to be positive in nature and to encourage better future test performances by students. The comments were made in regard to the letter grades received by the students and were placed only on major (as defined by each instructor) objective tests.

The problem of the present study was to determine the relationship between role-preferences of experienced elementary school teachers and their attitudes toward certain behavior problems of children.

This study was designed to determine the relationships between three variables in fifth- and sixth-grade classroom verbal interactions. These variables include sex of teacher, sex of pupil, and approval/disapproval interactions between teacher and pupil.

This study investigated the effect familiarity with a teacher had on student interpretations of teacher verbal praise in seventh and eighth grade choral ensembles. A stimulus tape was constructed of 16, 30-second videotaped clips containing verbal praise of four teachers. Teachers identified their intent in the use of praise in each example. Students (n = 80) from the four choirs responded to the tape by labeling the praise in each clip as deserved or as one of three types of instructional praise (i.e., praise to encourage, to send a message to other students, or to seek student cooperation). Comparisons were made between choirs in labeling the praise. Comparisons were made also between each teacher's stated purpose in praising and the interpretations of choirs familiar and unfamiliar with the teacher. Choirs who were unfamiliar with the teacher differed from the teachers' own students in interpreting the praise: Students who knew a teacher labeled the praise as deserved in five clips, but unfamiliar choirs thought the praise served an instructional purpose. In four clips, choirs differed in their interpretations of the type of instructional praise. Students familiar with a teacher recognized their teacher's intent in praising in 12 of 16 clips. In some situations, familiarity with a teacher and context made a difference in detecting the teacher's purpose for praising. In five clips where teachers identified the praise as deserved, students unfamiliar with the teacher and context thought the praise was intended to encourage students. Students across choirs were particularly sensitive to a teacher's use of praise to send a message to other students. Students are keen observers of teacher praise. Findings suggest students discriminate between praise directed at the performance and praise used for instructional purposes, suggesting that observation instruments that rely on a single label for praise might miss important information. Findings support the importance of determining how teachers intend praise to serve and how students interpret the behavior.