published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

Genetically modified (GM) crops gained attention in southern Africa as countries are struggling with food insecurity and poverty to achieve sustainable development. The controversy around GM crops have provoked heated debates. GM crops are often perceived as a global risk to human health and the environment. The research question is what are the perceptions of environmental educators regarding the use of GM crops toward sustainable development. In the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development environmental educators will need to be key role players in addressing crucial issues such as GM crops. Their perceptions hold many implications for educational programmes. Environmental educators interviewed perceive GM crops as a serious issue. As mediators in a multidisciplinary setting between science and society, environmental educators can play a functional role. Open processes that require greater participation, criticality and reflexivity need to be facilitated in a complex biophysical and social context in southern Africa. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Environmental Education)

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factors affecting job satisfaction at the Coastal Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN) Further Education and Training (FET) COLLEGE - SWINTON CAMPUS in order to determine the factors that lead to job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction, to measure these factors and to present findings and make recommendations to management and the Department of Education in order to promote and improve job satisfaction at the college. The data was collected and administered by means of a structured questionnaire based on the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ). It was discovered that most of the academic staff draw their job satisfaction from having a positive working relationship with management, their relationships with their peers, their training needs and the training provided from the college, and the condition of their staff room. It was found that educators mostly derive their job dissatisfaction from the absence of recognition for work done, remuneration and the benefits that they receive, company policies and practices, achievement and advancement, feedback and communication, the ability to work independently and creatively and the general working conditions of the college. It was found that staff was generally dissatisfied with their jobs. / Management Sciences / M.Tech. (Business Administration)

Educational Studies / D. Ed.(Psychology of Education)Educational Studies

This study investigated teachers' attitudes towards a career in rural schools. The aims of this study were broken into two, namely, the primary and secondary aims. The primary aim was to find out whether rural secondary school teachers hold a positive or a negative attitude towards a career in rural schools. The secondary aim was also broken into two. The first secondary aim was to find out whether rural secondary school teachers' personal characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, rank, qualification and teaching experience in rural school(s), as well as the school in which the teacher teaches, have a significant influence on their attitudes towards a career in rural schools. The second secondary aim was to determine the nature of attitudes with regard to A-B-C components of attitudes. To this end, a questionnaire was compiled and used as an attitude rating scale. The questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of one hundred and thirty four rural secondary school teachers from six schools, under Mehlwesizwe circuit in KwaZulu-Natal. Statistical analyses were conducted to fulfil the aims of the study and to test the research hypotheses stated. This study revealed that rural secondary school teachers hold a negative attitude towards a career in rural schools. It also revealed that, irrespective of teachers' personal characteristics, their attitude towards a career in rural school is the same, that is, it is negative. Therefore it was concluded that teachers' personal variables have no significant influence on their attitudes. This study also revealed that, statistically, there were significant differences in the affective and cognitive components of attitude but differences in the behavioural component were not significant. This indicated that the affective and cognitive components are more closely related to each other than they are with the behavioural component. On the basis of teachers' responses to attitude statements, the researcher offered two lines of direction as recommendation, namely, "Rethink resource allocation" and "Direction of restructuring". The former will assist in improving the conditions under which rural teachers work and the circumstances surrounding their workplace. The latter will assist in collaborating the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) structures at national, regional and local level with the Department of Education and Culture, as well as with the private sector, for improving the conditions under which rural teachers work. In that case teachers' attitudes towards a career in rural schools might be changed from negative to positive. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Acompanha produto: Formação docente através da investigação-ação: a abordagem da questão sociocientífica "Epidemia de zica - das saídas milagrosas aos gargalos sociais" / Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de identificar aspectos críticos e emancipatórios presentes na prática educativa orientada por um processo coletivo e colaborativo de formação continuada de professores realizado por meio de investigação-ação e de abordagem de questões sociocientíficas. O referencial teórico é fundamentado na literatura crítica, tanto na compreensão da práxis social como da práxis educativa em especial. A investigação-ação é a perspectiva teóricometodológica adotada nesta pesquisa, considerando suas possibilidades formativas de construções teórico-práticas coletivas e colaborativas entre professores para reflexão e transformação da prática educativa, conforme Wilfred Carr e Stephen Kemmis (1986). Dentre as práticas educacionais situadas conforme uma perspectiva crítica, foi proposto o desenvolvimento pedagógico de questões sociocientíficas por meio de estratégias didático-metodológicas pautadas em controvérsias que afetam o meio ambiente e que possuem base na produção científica e tecnológica, de acordo com Ratcliffe e Grace (2003). Nesse percurso, privilegiou-se a constituição de um coletivo docente denominado Grupo de Trabalhos e Estudos na Escola para Ações Formativas, composto por três professoras de Ciências e uma professora de Geografia da rede pública de ensino do Paraná. O processo formativo ocorreu no período entre fevereiro a junho de 2016, contemplando a realização de encontros presenciais, produção de materiais, implementação de ações em sala de aula, reflexão e problematização da prática educativa, seus obstáculos e desafios. Para a constituição dos dados, empregaram-se os recursos de: (1) diário de bordo, com o registro das ações e impressões, elaborado pela pesquisadora; (2) gravações do áudio das reuniões do grupo de investigação-ação, com posterior transcrição dos diálogos realizados; (3) transcrição das conversas feitas por meio de grupo constituído em aplicativo próprio para compartilhamento de mensagens escritas, áudios, links indicados etc.; (4) materiais didáticos produzidos pelo grupo no decorrer das ações. A análise dos dados empíricos percorreu a sistematização, classificação e elaboração de categorias de análise baseada na teoria educacional crítica e na pedagogia libertadora, com fundamentação nas obras de Freire (1979; 1987; 1996; 1999), Carr e Kemmis (1986), Giroux (1997; 1998) e Contreras (2012). Foram identificados obstáculos estruturais e pedagógicos para a efetivação da prática docente em perspectiva crítica e coletiva. A necessidade de resistência à perda de autonomia docente por meio de ações coletivas entre professores no interior da escola foram problematizadas e assumiram centralidade no curso da investigação-ação. O produto educacional desta investigação consistiu em um caderno docente elaborado a partir das ações e reflexões desenvolvidas pelo grupo, levando em conta os aspectos: da experiência desenvolvida na implementação da pesquisa, das reflexões advindas da investigação, de um processo de autocrítica e reflexão da investigadora. / The aim of this research is to identify critical and emancipatory aspects in educational practice oriented by a collective and collaborative process of teacher continued education conducted through action research and socio-scientific issues. The theoretical framework is based on the critical literature, both in understanding the social praxis and the educational praxis in particular. Action research is the theoreticalmethodological approach adopted in this research, considering its formative possibilities of collective and collaborative theoretical-practical constructions among teachers for reflection and transformation of the educational practice, according to Wilfred Carr and Stephen Kemmis (1986). From those located educational practices in a critical perspective, this study proposed the pedagogical development of socioscientific issues through didactic-methodological strategies guided by controversies that affect the environment and have the basis of scientific and technological production, according to Ratcliffe and Grace (2003). Therefore, it focused on the establishment of a teaching collective called Work and Studies Group at School for Formative Actions, composed of three teachers of Sciences and a teacher of Geography of a public school of Paraná. The educational process took place in the period between February and June 2016, contemplating face-to-face meetings, production of materials, implementation of actions in classroom, reflection and problematization of educational practice, as its obstacles and challenges. For the constitution of data, the following resources were used: (1) logbook, with the record of actions and impressions, prepared by the researcher; (2) audio recordings of the meetings of the action research group, with later transcription of the dialogues carried out; (3) transcription of the dialogues made through the group in an app for the sharing of written messages, audios, links, etc .; (4) didactic materials produced by the group in the course of actions. The analysis of the empirical data covered the systematization, classification and elaboration of categories based on critical educational theory and liberation pedagogy, based on Freire (1979, 1987, 1996, 1999), Carr and Kemmis (1986), Giroux (1997), and Contreras (2012). Structural and pedagogical obstacles were identified for the effectiveness of teaching practice in a critical and collective perspective. The need for for resistance to loss of teacher autonomy through collective actions among teachers within the school were problematized and assumed centrality in the course of action research. The educational product of this research consisted of a teaching book elaborated from the actions and reflections developed by the group, taking into account the aspects of: the experience developed in the implementation of the research, the reflections from the investigation, the process of self-criticism and reflection by the researcher.

Acompanha produto: Formação docente através da investigação-ação: a abordagem da questão sociocientífica "Epidemia de zica - das saídas milagrosas aos gargalos sociais" / Este estudo foi realizado com o objetivo de identificar aspectos críticos e emancipatórios presentes na prática educativa orientada por um processo coletivo e colaborativo de formação continuada de professores realizado por meio de investigação-ação e de abordagem de questões sociocientíficas. O referencial teórico é fundamentado na literatura crítica, tanto na compreensão da práxis social como da práxis educativa em especial. A investigação-ação é a perspectiva teóricometodológica adotada nesta pesquisa, considerando suas possibilidades formativas de construções teórico-práticas coletivas e colaborativas entre professores para reflexão e transformação da prática educativa, conforme Wilfred Carr e Stephen Kemmis (1986). Dentre as práticas educacionais situadas conforme uma perspectiva crítica, foi proposto o desenvolvimento pedagógico de questões sociocientíficas por meio de estratégias didático-metodológicas pautadas em controvérsias que afetam o meio ambiente e que possuem base na produção científica e tecnológica, de acordo com Ratcliffe e Grace (2003). Nesse percurso, privilegiou-se a constituição de um coletivo docente denominado Grupo de Trabalhos e Estudos na Escola para Ações Formativas, composto por três professoras de Ciências e uma professora de Geografia da rede pública de ensino do Paraná. O processo formativo ocorreu no período entre fevereiro a junho de 2016, contemplando a realização de encontros presenciais, produção de materiais, implementação de ações em sala de aula, reflexão e problematização da prática educativa, seus obstáculos e desafios. Para a constituição dos dados, empregaram-se os recursos de: (1) diário de bordo, com o registro das ações e impressões, elaborado pela pesquisadora; (2) gravações do áudio das reuniões do grupo de investigação-ação, com posterior transcrição dos diálogos realizados; (3) transcrição das conversas feitas por meio de grupo constituído em aplicativo próprio para compartilhamento de mensagens escritas, áudios, links indicados etc.; (4) materiais didáticos produzidos pelo grupo no decorrer das ações. A análise dos dados empíricos percorreu a sistematização, classificação e elaboração de categorias de análise baseada na teoria educacional crítica e na pedagogia libertadora, com fundamentação nas obras de Freire (1979; 1987; 1996; 1999), Carr e Kemmis (1986), Giroux (1997; 1998) e Contreras (2012). Foram identificados obstáculos estruturais e pedagógicos para a efetivação da prática docente em perspectiva crítica e coletiva. A necessidade de resistência à perda de autonomia docente por meio de ações coletivas entre professores no interior da escola foram problematizadas e assumiram centralidade no curso da investigação-ação. O produto educacional desta investigação consistiu em um caderno docente elaborado a partir das ações e reflexões desenvolvidas pelo grupo, levando em conta os aspectos: da experiência desenvolvida na implementação da pesquisa, das reflexões advindas da investigação, de um processo de autocrítica e reflexão da investigadora. / The aim of this research is to identify critical and emancipatory aspects in educational practice oriented by a collective and collaborative process of teacher continued education conducted through action research and socio-scientific issues. The theoretical framework is based on the critical literature, both in understanding the social praxis and the educational praxis in particular. Action research is the theoreticalmethodological approach adopted in this research, considering its formative possibilities of collective and collaborative theoretical-practical constructions among teachers for reflection and transformation of the educational practice, according to Wilfred Carr and Stephen Kemmis (1986). From those located educational practices in a critical perspective, this study proposed the pedagogical development of socioscientific issues through didactic-methodological strategies guided by controversies that affect the environment and have the basis of scientific and technological production, according to Ratcliffe and Grace (2003). Therefore, it focused on the establishment of a teaching collective called Work and Studies Group at School for Formative Actions, composed of three teachers of Sciences and a teacher of Geography of a public school of Paraná. The educational process took place in the period between February and June 2016, contemplating face-to-face meetings, production of materials, implementation of actions in classroom, reflection and problematization of educational practice, as its obstacles and challenges. For the constitution of data, the following resources were used: (1) logbook, with the record of actions and impressions, prepared by the researcher; (2) audio recordings of the meetings of the action research group, with later transcription of the dialogues carried out; (3) transcription of the dialogues made through the group in an app for the sharing of written messages, audios, links, etc .; (4) didactic materials produced by the group in the course of actions. The analysis of the empirical data covered the systematization, classification and elaboration of categories based on critical educational theory and liberation pedagogy, based on Freire (1979, 1987, 1996, 1999), Carr and Kemmis (1986), Giroux (1997), and Contreras (2012). Structural and pedagogical obstacles were identified for the effectiveness of teaching practice in a critical and collective perspective. The need for for resistance to loss of teacher autonomy through collective actions among teachers within the school were problematized and assumed centrality in the course of action research. The educational product of this research consisted of a teaching book elaborated from the actions and reflections developed by the group, taking into account the aspects of: the experience developed in the implementation of the research, the reflections from the investigation, the process of self-criticism and reflection by the researcher.

Doctorat en Sciences Psychologiques et de l'éducation / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Parental involvement plays an essential role in the United States (U.S.) educational system. However, parental involvement poses many challenges for Hmong parents in American schools. Many assumptions are made on the parts of teachers, staff, and Hmong parents about parents' roles pertaining to their involvement in their children's education. Hmong parents struggle to reconcile beliefs, attitudes, and values that they bring with them from Laos with the expectations found in the U.S. due to their unfamiliarity with the U.S. educational system. This study employed the used a qualitative, descriptive case study approach to examine the perceptions of Hmong parents involvement at a K-6 Hmong American charter school in Northern California. The primary data collection method used in this study was interviews with four school-community stakeholder groups. The purposeful-selected interview participants included two administrators, four teachers, six parents, and four students. The interviews were dialogically coded and nine themes were developed related to parental involvement. These nine themes were: communication with parents, committee involvement, flexibility of staff, enrichment programs non-traditional school schedule, importance of field trips, cultural events and presence of other cultures, recommend school to others, and positive behavioral reinforcement. The study concludes with a presentation of the implications of the nine themes on the design of parent involvement models and recommendations are offered related to policies and connected strategies for how to design culturally relevant supports for parent involvement in education.

The aim of this study is to investigate Swedish upper secondary school teachers’ statements regarding reading and teaching choices in the English courses. The methods used were a survey in the form of a qualitative questionnaire, and a qualitative content analysis which was then applied to the survey data gathered. Reception theory and literary socialization theory were applied to the results. The four main research questions were: 1. What English literature do teachers in Swedish college preparatory programs choose for their students? 2. What English literature do teachers in Swedish vocational programs choose for their students? 3. What aspects of reception theory and literary socialization theory correspond to the teachers’ questionnaire answers regarding what skills they wish their students to acquire from reading English literature? 4. What are teachers’ attitudes towards students reading books of cultural, historical, and literary significance? The results concluded that there was no significant difference in the types of books chosen for the two programs. The college preparatory programs read a little more classical fiction, but the vocational courses did not lag far behind. When it came to the theories, a majority of teachers mentioned aspects brought up within literary socialization theory, while reception theory was barely touched upon. Books of literary, cultural, and historical significance were expected to be read in both the college preparatory and vocational programs. However, students in the college preparatory programs were expected to read these books slightly more than students in the vocational programs. One suggestion for future research is to examine the number of books teachers read within or outside of their preferred genre and how choice of genre may affect their literacy teaching in the classroom. / Syftet med den här studien är att undersöka svenska gymnasielärares läs- och undervisningsval i engelskundervisningen. Metoderna som användes var en enkätundersökning i form av ett kvalitativt frågeformulär och en kvalitativ innehållsanalys som sedan tillämpades på den insamlade enkätdatan. Receptionsteori och litterär socialisationsteori tillämpades på resultatet. De fyra huvudsakliga forskningsfrågorna var: 1. Vilken engelsk litteratur väljer lärare för elever på svenska högskoleförberedande program? 2. Vilken engelsk litteratur väljer lärare för elever på svenska yrkesprogram? 3. Vilka aspekter av receptionsteorin och litterär socialisationsteori stämmer överens med lärarnas enkätsvar om vilka färdigheter de önskar att deras elever ska förvärva genom att läsa engelsk litteratur? 4. Vilka är lärarnas attityder till att eleverna läser böcker av kulturell, historisk och litterär betydelse? Genom resultaten drogs slutsatsen att det inte fanns någon större skillnad i de typer av böcker som valdes för högskoleförberedande gentemot yrkesprogram. De högskoleförberedande programmen läste i ringa mängd mer klassisk skönlitteratur, men yrkesprogrammen hamnade inte långt efter. När det gällde teorierna nämnde majoriteten av lärarna aspekter som togs upp inom den litterära socialisationsteorin, medan aspekter inom receptionsteorin knappt berördes.Böcker av litterär, kulturell och historisk betydelse förväntades bli lästa i både de högskoleförberedande programmen och yrkesprogrammen. De högskoleförberedande programmen förväntades dock läsa dessa böcker i något större utsträckning än yrkesprogrammen. Ett förslag till framtida forskning är att undersöka hur många böcker lärare läser inom eller utanför den genre de föredrar och hur vald genreläsning kan påverka deras läs- och skrivundervisning (litteracitet) i klassrummet.