M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. (Media Studies) / The twentieth century is characterised by technological development, and even more by electronic development. It is therefore logical that the computer is increasingly used in the labour market and at home. This puts greater pressure on schools to educate and train pupils to attain computer literacy. As it appears that teachers are insufficiently trained to convey these skills, there is a definite need for in-service training regarding computer literacy. The function and task of the media centre teacher are such that he is the most suitable person to present this in-service training. In-service training is non-formal and andragogically grounded. The presentation of in-service training must .therefore be based on specific principles. To be of any value it must be directed at the teacher's professional needs. These needs determine that in-service training may be presented from the macro-, meso- and microlevels. The direct involvement of the media centre teacher in computer literacy occurs at microlevel and it is indicated that In-service training and guidance are related matters. The computer, as an aid and a medium, has qualities which make it useful in education. Although the computer has many advantages as an educational medium, many didactitions object to its being regarded as a super medium. At present there are many limitations which curtail the maximal usage of the computer as an educational medium. The concept of computer literacy is non-static and differs from culture to culture and person to person; consequently a variety of knowledge and skills is needed for computer literacy. An effort has, however, been made to identify the generally valid knowledge and skills. A model of the guidance activity, as a teaching skill, has been applied to computer usage. The given reference framework and guidance activity are followed by guidelines for the media center teacher's androgenic guidance task regarding computer literacy.

D.Ed. (Education Science) / In this study the realisation of practical evaluation in Distance Education Institutions was researched. The goal of this study is to set guidelines for a unique teaching model, or an in-service training model for teachers by means of distance education. The research is relevant to Vista University's Campus for Further Training ...

M.Ed. / Education is South Africa is characterized by ineffective teaching practices that prevent the pupils from learning in a meaningful and reasonably satisfying way.. Ostensive methods of teaching that prevent pupil participation are emphasized while heuristic methods are disregarded, and in the process, concept teaching is neglected. To solve this problem, the following aims have been generated: 1.3.1 Training senior primary school teachers in the teaching of concepts to increase pupil learning This could be a more effective and relevant strategy which could be applied to curb the ostensive methods of teaching used by most teachers as indicated already in par. 1.2 above, as well as poor classroom organization. As Bruner (1967) avers, concept teaching offers the following benefits: "The pupils are equiped with thinking skills which are helpful in the process of discriminating, classifying and categorizing. The ability to categorize data helps the learner in problem-solving and reduces the necessity to re-learn what was previously learned. This refers to all the situations, events and symbols which have the same set of general characteristics." 1.3.2 Provision of in-service training opportunities to limit incompetent teaching This would help to remedy the ills and frustrations brought about the fact that poorly qualified teachers have been given the opportunity to provide tuition to the pupils who defintely need only the best teachers to guide them towards what they ought to be. Because it is not possible to get rid of all the poorly qualified teachers, what could be done is what Bester (1988:5) suggests: "... hef die bestaande onderwysers se vlakke van vaardigheid en bevoegdheid op." An intensive in-service training programme is therefore, suggested as a collaborative effort to improve educational effectiveness. The most urgent of needs identified is the training of teachers in the concept approach to teaching, as indicated in par. 1.3.1. In the process of upgrading the teachers' classroom skills, the pupils' potential to learn effectively have a chance of increasing. Teaching is a multi-faceted process that also involves the pupil. For the pupil to be able to learn effectively, he must be actively involved in the teaching-learning process. As Astin, Green and Korn (1987:15) maintain: "The student has a role to play in the process, too: There must be a commitment and involvement on his or her part for effective learning to happen." The aim of this investigation is not only to provide the teachers with demonstrations and lectures that emphasize theories of how to teach but to focus on the teacher as a unique individual with needs that have to be addressed, someone with strengths as well as weaknesses (Main, 1985;15). In the process of developing classroom teaching techniques and promoting personal development, the ideal would be to encourage peer coaching so as to overcome teacher isolation. Peer coaching, according to Munro and Elliott (1987:25-28), is a method of improving teacher effectiveness, in which teachers work with one or more colleagues to achieve specific instructional goals and key skills, through a process of regular observation and feedback and by using specific materials to support them. Teachers would, therefore, be brought together as fellow participants in a context in which each of them needs to learn about teaching. They meet as teachers and at the same time as 'teachers-as-learners'. 1.3.3 The use of micro-teaching for training purposes In using "... specific materials to support them..." as indicated by Munro and Elliott (1987) the specific material applicable in this investigation is the micro-teaching technique used as a training modality in training the teachers in concept teaching. In so doing, an attempt is being made to come to terms with the root problem linked to teacher inadequacy.

Using a qualitative case study approach, the purpose of the study was to explore the nature of the practical knowledge about teaching constructed by physical education preservice teachers during their practicum experience, that is, to gain insights into the 'sense making' process in which preservice teachers engage as they learn to teach during this experience. In addition, the study examined the factors which enhance or constrain this constructive process. The data analysis was guided by two research questions: What is the nature of the practical knowledge about teaching constructed by physical education preservice teachers during their practicum experience?; and what factors influence (enhance or constrain) the development of this knowledge during the practicum experience? The study was situated within the everyday experiences of four physical education preservice teachers as they completed an extended (thirteen week) practicum in secondary school settings. The methods used to collect data were those associated with qualitative case studies. They included lesson observations, in-depth interviewing, video and stimulated recall sessions of lessons taught by the participants, and journal writing. Separate cases have been written for each of the four participants, while the final chapter discusses the substantive issues that have arisen from the study. There were a number of conclusions that emerged from the study. With regards to the nature of practical knowledge constructed by preservice teachers the findings include its thematic development, the dynamic transformation of 'knowing that' into 'knowing how', how practical knowledge was evident but rarely heard in the practice of preservice teachers, and the role of each participant's image of himself or herself as a physical educator. A number of factors were identified that enhanced or constrained this process. These factors include prior coaching experiences, the role of sponsor teachers, the impact of university faculty advisors, video and stimulated recall sessions, and the teaching of a second subject by each participant. The study concludes by outlining a number of implications for teacher education. First, it suggests that during their teacher education program preservice teachers need to be taught how to learn from experience and that sponsor teachers have a key role to play in this process. Second, that biography has a significant impact in directing what and how preservice teachers learn about teaching during a practicum and that preservice teachers must be encouraged to examine and look beyond their own experiences when learning how to teach. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

As educators search for ways of improving student achievement, it is imperative that focus be placed on teacher learning and development. Currently, the trend in public schools throughout the country is to look directly at students and the deficits they bring to the learning environment when responding to those who find fault with the educational system. The current study directed attention to teachers' beliefs about their ability to affect change in student learning. The study centered on seven research questions that sought to determine: (1) the effect of job-embedded staff development on teachers' sense of efficacy; (2) the effect of job-embedded staff development on teachers' stages of concern; (3) the relationship between teacher efficacy and stages of concern; (4) the status of teachers' level of use of an innovation; and (5) the dominance of teacher concerns prior to and after involvement in job-embedded professional development. Through a mixed methodology approach, quantitative and qualitative analyses provided perspectives from 30 teachers in a suburban North Texas school district on the impact of job-embedded professional development on teacher efficacy, stages of concern, and resulting levels of use of an educational innovation. Quantitative results of two surveys: the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) and the Stages of Concern Questionnaire (Hall, George, & Rutherford, 1979) revealed a strong focus on stage 0, awareness, concerns and no statistically significant gain in teacher efficacy as teachers engaged in job-embedded professional learning. Qualitative data were gathered through Levels of Use Focused Interviews (Loucks, Newlove, & Hall, 1975) and revealed more teacher involvement with the innovation than quantitative data suggested. Further investigation into the inconsistencies between dominance of teacher concerns and perceptions of levels of use is warranted.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe and explain teachers' perceptions about effective professional development as well as to identify the environmental factors that affect the teacher participants' ability to engage in and implement various behaviors and beliefs transferred from the professional development experience. Four teachers were studied in depth for one school year, and data collected included in-depth interviews and classroom observations. Findings indicate three main themes related to the research questions, which sought to understand how teachers perceive and describe their experiences of participating in professional development and the factors that support or constrain their instructional decision-making as it relates to new knowledge and skills acquired through professional development. These themes are that: (a) Effective professional development must have a supportive context and meaningful purpose which: meets the physical and cognitive needs of participants; focuses on improving practice, content knowledge, and pedagogy; provides participants with choice, adequate time and ownership of learning experiences; and includes opportunities for sustained learning and accountability; (b) Learning experiences are greatly affected by interpersonal relationships and opportunities for social learning and should be built upon the principles of: taking risks in the learning environment; sharing beliefs in a community of practice with effective support structures; involving all members, including the leaders, in the community of practice; and including opportunities for dialogue and the sharing of best practices as tools for learning, and (c) Implementation efforts are influenced by multiple sources, including: collegial and administrator support; curriculum and standardized testing; and time. Effective professional development must include attention to assisting teachers in dealing with these influences when they become barriers to implementation efforts.

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The purpose of this study is to describe the perceptions of faculty development programs by two groups of full-time community college faculty members—arts and sciences instructors and vocational-technical instructors. To guide the development of this study, the following research questions were formulated. 1. Do organized faculty development programs have the same impression on the arts and sciences faculty members as on the vocational-technical members? 2. What specific effects do these faculty members believe that faculty development programs have had on instructional strategies, related faculty activities and professional attitudes? 3. To what extent do these faculty members perceive that the faculty development program is related to the reward system? 4. To what degree do faculty members perceive that institutional or departmental innovations have resulted from faculty development programs. What types of innovations have occurred, and what types should occur?

As instructional coaches are being implemented across the country, their purpose is reviewed, as well as which types of instructional coaching tend to have the most impact on teachers' instructional growth. In this study, I explored instructional coaching and coaches' perceived effectiveness as they work with teachers. A look at the effect of non-evaluative feedback with an instructional coach, and how that helps sustain teachers' pedagogical practice, is taken into consideration as coaches' work towards developing teacher efficacy. I examined instructional coaching through the conceptual framework of professional development and change. This qualitative study included a focus group, personal narratives, and individual interviews to analyze the components of successful instructional coaching models, and how well instructional coaches feel supported as they work with teachers. Findings demonstrated that instructional coaches perceive their work with teachers to be effective and provided information on the practices and conditions that surround their work. The information gained from the study provides a resource for district leaders to evaluate a current coaching model program, or implement a new coaching model program, within their district.