To ensure the professionalism of the teaching force, it is vital that the growing gap between the knowledge educators acquired during their years of training and emerging knowledge about teaching and education during their teaching careers be closed. The continuous professional development (CPD) of educators is a much-debated issue, the general consensus being that it is imperative that educators themselves become directly involved in their own CPD. School leadership should therefore establish what educators find meaningful and invest in CPD programmes that respond to their needs. Educator development is considered as productive when the educators are involved in planning, decision-making, implementation and evaluation around the CPD programmes offered to them. As an office-based educator responsible for educator development and training, educators‟ perceived lack of interest in their own CPD prompted me to investigate how their professional confidence could be boosted through improved involvement in their own CPD. The research question that underpinned this study was: What are the perceptions of educators in the Uitenhage area of their involvements in their own CPD and how to find a strategy to enhance their professional confidence through such involvement? This study adopted the interpretive research paradigm, as the aim was to understand how educators understood their involvement in their own CPD. The qualitative research methods employed, allowed me to share the experiences of my participants. The research sample consisted of Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) coordinators, as members of the school development team (SDT) responsible for educator development, from twelve primary schools in the Uitenhage District. In Phase 1 of the study, data were collected through questionnaires as well as individual and group interviews. Phase 2 consisted of a workshop for the participants, focusing on the key issues identified from the completed questionnaires and interviews. From the data analysis, five themes emerged, namely the contribution by the school, school management team (SMT), Department of Education (DoE) in the educators‟ CPD; the role of the individual educator in his/her own CPD; the factors influencing the effective implementation of educators‟ CPD; the skills and competencies that educators need to acquire through CPD; and the role of the IQMS process in the CPD of educators. Based on the research findings, a strategy was designed to guide educators to increase their professional confidence through improved involvement in their own CPD. Specific recommendations were formulated, such as that adequate time should be allocated for the CPD of educators; school leadership should make a concerted effort to motivate educators to become involved in CPD programmes; and educators should be encouraged to learn collaboratively through their involvement in communities of learning. The conclusions from this research are that educators should be life-long learners, actively involved in their own CPD and that schools, SMTs and the DoE should assist them by providing the necessary support, resources and guidance through enabling conditions conducive to a culture of learning.

This study focuses on the perception of teachers who have depressed adolescent learners in their classrooms as well as explores how teachers cope with teaching depressed adolescent learners in their classrooms. For the purpose of this study, a qualitative research method was employed. Data was collected in the form of twelve semi-structured interviews with teachers in order to ascertain their perceptions on including and accommodating depressed adolescent learners in their classrooms. The data was analysed for emerging themes and sub-themes according to Tesch‟s eightstep data analysis process. This study highlights the characteristics, symptoms and causes of depression in adolescents and the effect it has on learners within our educational system. The results of the study indicate that the inclusion of depressed adolescents in the classroom can be problematic for teachers since they feel that they are not suitably trained to deal with these learners in a teaching and learning environment. The participating teachers indicated that they are not able to identify and support depressed adolescent learners in their classrooms effectively. The participating teachers feel that they require further training on how to refer these depressed adolescent learners and their parents for further intervention and support. Based on the findings of this study, the researcher constructed guiding principles in order to address the issues raised by the participating teachers. In the light of the guiding principles, recommendations were made towards teachers, parents, schools, health professionals, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and further research in order to accommodate depressed adolescent learners in South African schools effectively.

The purpose of this study was to examine the available material on the organization and management of the standard system of training of adult educators in Czechoslovakia and to report on the form and content of this system. Czechoslovakia has a rich heritage in adult education which dates back into the nineteenth century. At the beginning of the study this historical development since the middle of the nineteenth century and up to the Second World War is sketched as a background while developments since 1945 are treated in greater details. Throughout the historical development of adult education in Czechoslovakia the role of the adult educator has changed with the changing political system. Undoubtedly the most striking change in role vas brought about by the Communist take-over in 1948. The role of the adult educator in a communist state, the expectation of the Communist Party, of the society at large and his self-image are examined as a background to the training required as a preparation for this role. Czechoslovakia is unique in that since 1962 it has a national standard system of training of full-time and volunteer adult educators. The full-time adult educators, who in Czechoslovakia are thought of as professionals, are trained both at the university and at the secondary technical level. Three universities have full departments of adult education while the three secondary librarianship schools also have such departments. Full-time as well as extramural programs are offered by these institutions. The program of studies includes both general education and specialized courses in adult education and related fields. Qualifications for full-time adult education positions are prescribed by the central planning authorities, but several surveys have shown that the actual qualifications of the adult educators employed in the field are well below the required standard and very few adult educators who are underqualified are studying to complete their qualifications. A general evaluation of the training of full-time adult educators under the Standard System seems to indicate that the university programs are well established, and functioning according to plan. The programs in secondary librarianship schools, on the other hand, were found wanting. Volunteers are trained under the Standard System in the Basic Adult Education Course which has been established in all districts by 1964. The Course is designed to equip the volunteers with a basic minimum of political as well as specialized knowledge and skills. Advanced courses for volunteers were established on an experimental basis. The preparation of young intellectuals to serve as volunteers also vas emphasized by the Standard System. Unlike the professional training, the training of volunteers has not yet developed in depth and will require further development and evaluation to fulfill its task. Research and theory are necessary foundation of proper training. The development of research in and theory of adult education in Czechoslovakia suffered a serious setback during the period 1950-1956 when research, and especially sociology, were regarded as dangerous. Since approximately 1958 interest in theory returned to the field and in the early 1960's sociological and psychological research were rehabilitated. Recent developments indicate increasing professionalization of the field. Czechoslovakia is unique in that it has the first national standard system of training of adult educators. It is also unique in that it has long-range planning at all levels for the staffing and the training facilities required to prepare sufficient numbers of adult educators to fill the need. The rigidity of the system and of the plans is the main drawback. Western adult educators should study carefully the Czechoslovak experience to consider these aspects which might be applicable. Their colleagues In Czechoslovakia, on the other hand, would do veil to draw on the extensive experience and skill of American adult educators in social research. On the whole, adult educators in all countries should be aware of the work of their colleagues elsewhere and thereby advance adult education on a world-wide scale. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

M.Ed. (Subject Didactics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

This project describes a four-year teacher education program conducted at the Living Desert, a botanical and wildlife park located in Palm Desert, California. The program brought 12 classroom teachers and 3 zoological educators together to expand their understanding and practice of environmental education. This project concentrates on how the program affected my educational philosophy, strategy and practice as an educator at The Living Desert, and how it shifted the focus of our department's docent (volunteer guide) education in general.

Although self-regulated learning has been identified as important for students in academic settings, the construct of teacher self-regulation is less well understood. The literature on teacher self-regulation is reviewed in this dissertation, identifying the weaknesses of studies to date and gaps in the literature. The largest gap is the existence of a valid measure of teacher self-regulation that can be used in the U.S. K-12 teacher population. Without such a measure, the possible relationships between teacher self-regulation and important outcomes like teacher learning, student self-regulation, and student achievement cannot be examined. By collecting evidence from various sources (i.e., expert review, teacher review, teacher responses, factor structure, etc.), this dissertation evaluated the reliability and validity of the English-version of the Teacher Self-regulation Scale (TSRS), which was originally developed and validated in Turkey and has since been validated in the Iranian English-as-Foreign-Language (EFL) teacher population. The TSRS, consisting of 40 items, is based on a theoretical model of self-regulation proposed by Zimmerman (2000) and captures nine factors. A series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were conducted to test the factor structure using responses collected via an anonymous online survey from 923 U.S. K-12 teachers recruited from teacher professional organizations. In addition, the internal consistency of the nine subscales were assessed. In this sample, the nine-factor model did not fit the data well suggesting possible cross-cultural differences. Furthermore, unidimensionality was confirmed for only eight of the nine subscales: emotional control, goal setting, help seeking, intrinsic interest, mastery goal orientation, performance goal orientation, self-evaluation, and self-instruction. Theoretical relationships between teacher self-regulation subscales and another measure of teacher self-regulation, teacher sense of responsibility and teacher self-efficacy were also tested using a series of path analyses. A series of multiple regression analyses identified a number of demographic variables as significant predictors of teacher self-regulation subscales. Across the eight subscales, being a teacher of English/Language Arts and a female were significant predictors of higher TSRS responses, whereas being a native English speaker significantly predicted lower TSRS responses. There was also a significant positive relationship between years of teaching experience and TSRS responses for a number of subscales. Further research is needed to better represent the construct of teacher self-regulation. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2015. / June 19, 2015. / Includes bibliographical references. / Alysia D. Roehrig, Professor Directing Dissertation; Elizabeth Jakubowski, University Representative; Jeannine E. Turner, Committee Member; Insu Paek, Committee Member.

Bibliography: pages 315-322. / This study explored the use of the experiential learning methodology and the concept of learner responsibility within a course for the professional preparation of adult educators at university level. The research methodology was illuminative evaluation using case study research and participant observation. The study described the problems and issues that arose when the students, on the 1982 Diploma Course for Educators of Adults at the University of Cape Town, were faced with the responsibility for the designing, managing and teaching of their own curriculum. The analysis of this showed an ability and willingness on the part of most students to engage in this responsibility. For some students the required role as "curriculum constructor" contradicted with their expected and preferred stance of a learner receiving mediated knowledge from a teacher. The role of assessment diminished the freedom to engage in responsibility, and the difficulties of decision making and management led ultimately to the formation of a management committee. The study went on to examine learner responsibility and experiential learning in more depth. The students' preference for other methodologies and their own perceived ability and confidence to engage with both learner responsibility and experiential learning were major hindrances for the course. The conflict of roles experienced by both the staff and students at a variety of points required a way of clarifying and resolving this conflict, otherwise it continued to block involvement for the students or staff. For learner responsibility the access to learning resources was a further problem. The introduction of experiential learning and the apparent non-openness of it to other methodologies were also problems experienced in practice. The research concluded with an attempt to address these problems. It was proposed that experiential learning and learner responsibility needed to be reconceptualised. Developments such as "learning contracts", "a learning community", new forms of assessment, "learning conversations" and increasing the reflective capacity of experiential learning were proposed. The research ended with a series of implications for practice for those adult education programmes which were committed to a learning process which maximised learner responsibility and autonomy and took seriously the life experience of the students.

The value of conducting research around STEAM education (the amalgamation of the arts with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) rests in better understanding current practices and the challenges teachers face when creating, implementing, evaluating, and revising a STEAM curriculum. This ethnographic case study examines how teachers, across different disciplinary content areas, make, utilize, implement, and evaluate STEAM curricula for students to become critical thinkers and create authentic work products. The data consisted of semi-structured interviews, two focus groups, and several observations of four teachers in their planning and implementing STEAM curricula. In the first phase of the study, the researcher mostly observed the process of the participants. At the end of this phase all the participants came together in a focus group to discuss and share their process. In the second phase, the researcher examined how the participants would modify their processes based on their discussions with their colleagues. In addition, the researcher helped guide the teachers in applying these modifications to the STEAM process. The result of these sessions showed how the changes in teachers’ processes in creating, implementing, evaluating, and revising STEAM curricula created more opportunities for students to be critical and creative scholars. The findings from this study may help to inform researchers and educators on best practices to devise, execute, and evaluate STEAM lessons that have the potential to significantly impact students in their academic studies, careers, and futures.

Since the mid-1980s several forces have brought about changes in the delivery of special education services to students with disabilities: the Regular Education Initiative and inclusive education movements; increase in parent advocacy for including students with disabilities in general education classes; increases in student diversity in terms ofrace, language, income, exceptionality, and culture; and a trend toward heterogeneous grouping in special education classes. As a consequence, the new California Standards for teacher credentials in special education require competencies and skills to implement inclusive service delivery models. Current holders of Learning Handicapped (LH) and Severely Handicapped (SH) credentials, trained under previous standards, may not have all of these skills. The purpose of this study was to determine training needs of veteran special education teachers in California, as perceived by those teachers and their school site administrators. Specifically, this study sought to determine the extent to which these teachers and administrators perceive that (a) the teachers possess 31 skills in eight new Level I standards and (b) the teachers need additional training in these skills. Responses to 167 questionnaires completed by LH teachers, SH teachers, and school site administrators, and two follow-up interview sessions with a selected subsarnple of each group were analyzed. Overall, the teachers perceived themselves to be competent in the examined skills and indicated little need for further training. Responses to follow-up interview questions showed that they have a balanced awareness of their competencies and need for training. Administrators rated the teachers lower in skills and in greater need of training than the teachers rated themselves, but the administrators expressed (a) a high level of regard for the abilities of the teachers and (b) a high level of expectation for the teachers as they take on new roles in the inclusive system. Based on the findings, it was recommended that (a) districts implement pragmatic inservice training, rather than university coursework; (b) administrators formally state their expectations for these teachers in the general education setting and provide system-level support and training to facilitate the teachers' assumption of their new role; and (c) administrators form a closer alliance with these teachers to better understand their performance and their needs.

Teacher educators generally agree that prior experiences with teachers and teaching are highly influential to understandings of teaching. Adopting a sociological model inherited by contemporary teacher education, they have frequently found this influence to be a hindrance to teacher learning; years spent observing schoolteachers’ teaching are thought to result in limited, simplistic, and personal views of teaching, views that are highly resistant to change despite teacher educators’ efforts to engage them. Thus, prospective teachers’ views of teaching have been framed as deficits in teacher learning, and, while these deficit views are not universally held among teacher educators, they appear more common than views of prospective teachers’ understandings of teaching as assets in learning to teach. Through this study, I used the framework of conceptions of teaching to investigate the influence of prior experiences with teachers and teaching, and the assets and/or deficits prospective teachers might carry into teacher preparation. Employing a phenomenographic design, including interviews and participant created artifacts, I analyzed the descriptions of teachers and teaching of five high school students who were considering teaching as a career. Drawing on notions of consummatory experience related to learning to teach, I investigated individual descriptions of experiences with teaching––including links between these students’ prior experiences with teaching and teaching they were observing and/or doing––as well as variations of experiences across the cohort of participants. My study revealed complex views of teaching amongst participants, characterized by an array of commitments and uncertainties. For the cohort, teaching was, at its heart, a convergence of various actors and events; approaches, routines, and patterns of teaching; relations; priorities held by teachers and/or students; and/or dependencies brought on by community and/or contextual factors. The study helped to illustrate potentially powerful assets young people may carry to teacher preparation, including their experiences teaching others and an awareness and understanding of their own learning as teachers. This study proposes that teacher educators (re)conceptualize their work, at least in part, as the cultivation of these, and other, assets, and that the influences of prior experiences be examined during transitions between pre-collegiate, teacher preparation, and professional teaching experiences.