A atividade pedagógica da Educação Física lida com as atividades da cultura corporal, tal qual o jogo, a luta, a dança, a mímica e a ginástica, que podem ser consideradas os objetos de ensino dessa disciplina. A tese defendida neste trabalho é que os objetos de ensino da Educação Física devem ser elaborados a partir da explicação e sistematização das dimensões genéricas que constituem as atividades da cultura corporal. O objetivo da pesquisa foi elaborar uma proposição sobre os objetos de ensino da Educação Física como uma expressão do processo histórico de desenvolvimento das atividades corporais. O trabalho fundamentou-se nos princípios teórico-metodológicos da Teoria Histórico-Cultural e do Materialismo Histórico e Dialético, notadamente no princípio referente à análise lógico-histórica dos fenômenos. Essa fundamentação nos permitiu investigar as condições necessárias para o surgimento das atividades da cultura corporal (sua gênese), bem como as relações essenciais que as constituem (sua estrutura). Destaca-se dessa investigação duas sínteses principais. A primeira delas refere-se às dimensões simultaneamente humanizadora e alienadora das atividades da cultura corporal, dimensões essas que se encontram sintetizadas no fenômeno Esporte como a mediação central que permitiu o desenvolvimento dessas atividades em nossa sociedade. A segunda síntese refere-se às proposições das relações essenciais da cultura corporal às quais denominamos de: criação de uma imagem artística com as ações corporais, controle da ação corporal do outro e domínio da própria ação corporal. Essas relações, sistematizadas em seus aspectos gerais, constituem-se nos objetos de ensino da Educação Física, passando a ser o principal critério pedagógico para a determinação dos conteúdos e modos de organização do ensino dessa disciplina em uma perspectiva histórica e cultural da formação humana. A elaboração da tese nos permite afirmar que a Educação Física deve ensinar essas relações gerais e essenciais, que se manifestam nas muitas e diferentes formas das atividades da cultura corporal e que expressam modos de ação e capacidades humano-genéricas desenvolvidas pela prática social. Essa conceituação da Educação Física permite que ela contribua para concretizar o objetivo geral do trabalho educativo escolar a partir da especificidade de suas atividades: a formação do pensamento teórico dos estudantes e professores. / Physical Educations pedagogical activity deals with bodily culture activities, such as game, combat game, dance, mimicry and gymnastic, that may be considered as the teaching objects of this discipline. The thesis defended in this work is that the teaching objects of Physical Education must be elaborated through the explanation and systematization of the generic dimensions that constitute bodily culture activities. The objective of this research was to elaborate a proposition of the teaching objects of Physical Education as an expression of the historical development of bodily culture activities. The work was based on the theoretical and methodological principles of the Cultural Historical Theory and of the Historical and Dialectical materialism, notably, the historical and logical principle to analyze a phenomenon. This framework allows us to investigate the necessary conditions for the development of bodily culture activities (its genesis), as well as its essential relations (its structure). We highlight in this investigation two main syntheses. The first one refers both to the humanizing dimension of bodily culture activities and to its alienating dimension, that can be found synthesized in the phenomenon Sport which is the central mediation for the development of those activities in our society. The second synthesis refers to the propositions of the essential relations of bodily culture, named by us as: the creation of an artistic image with bodily actions, the controlling of others bodily action and the mastery of ones own bodily action. These relations systematized in their general aspects are the teaching objects of Physical Education and, as such, the main pedagogical criterion for determining the contents and the teaching organization in a cultural and a historical perspective of human education. The thesis elaboration allows us to affirm that Physical Education must teach these general and essential relations, manifested in different forms of bodily culture activities and expressing generic-human modes of action and capacities developed through social practice. This conceptualization of Physical Education enables it to contribute to materialize the general goal of school practice through the specificity of its activities: the development of the theoretical thinking of students and teachers.

A partir dos referencias teóricos da perspectiva histórico-cultural, em particular, da Teoria da Atividade proposta por Leontiev, esta pesquisa investigou o processo de formação de professores em atividade de ensino, ao elaborarem coletivamente situações desencadeadoras de aprendizagem. Ao focar a formação contínua de professores de Matemática que atuam no Ensino Médio parte-se de uma revisão do conceito de competência, referência do discurso oficial para a prática docente, e propõe-se sua superação por meio dos conceitos de trabalho e atividade. Ao se entender o conceito de atividade, com um caráter específico que não se identifica apenas com a idéia de ação, esta pesquisa apoiou-se particularmente no conceito de atividade orientadora de ensino ao trabalhar com professores de escolas públicas. A esses foram propostas situações desencadeadoras por meio das quais se propiciaram condições para que, movidos pela necessidade de organização do ensino, agissem coletivamente de modo a objetivar essa necessidade em propostas de ensino que foram trabalhadas com seus alunos e, posteriormente, reelaboradas pelo grupo de professores. Na análise dos dados provenientes de elaborações coletivas e de socializações das propostas de ensino, assim como de materiais de alunos, buscou-se evidências que revelassem mudanças no movimento de organização das ações dos professores e como as mediações feitas em situação coletiva foram apropriadas por eles em seus discursos e planos de ação. Os resultados da pesquisa evidenciam que, na (re)organização coletiva de suas ações, os professores atribuíram novos sentidos às próprias ações, à mediação e à escolha de instrumentos, apropriando-se das formas de realização colaborativa da atividade de ensino. Dessa forma, o novo fazer dos professores constitui-se, de forma mediada, na práxis pedagógica ao apropriarem-se de conhecimentos sobre a realidade que lhes permitam compreendê-la e superá-la, o que corrobora o coletivo como espaço de produção de conhecimento e, portanto, contribui para a superação da primazia da competência individual dos sujeitos como referência para a aprendizagem e, conseqüentemente, para a formação docente. / Based on theoretical references to cultural-historical perspective, in particular the Theory of Activity proposed by Leontiev, this research investigates the process followed for the formation of teachers within a teaching activity, while collectively elaborating on triggerlearning situations. In focusing the continuous formation of mathematics teachers working in High School, the starting point was a review of the concept of competence, a reference for official discourse in the practice of a teacher, and the proposal to go beyond this based on the concepts of work and activity. In understanding the concept of activity, and its specific character that goes beyond the mere identification with the idea of action, this research was specially based on the concept of teaching guiding activity working with public school teachers. Trigger-situations were proposed to these teachers which propitiated conditions so that, moved by the need to organize the teachings, they acted collectively in a way to make this need objective in the teaching proposals to be work on with their students and, later, to be re-elaborated by the group of teachers. In the analysis of the data that resulted from the collective elaboration of the teaching proposals, of the socialization of these proposals, and the materials of the students, an attempt was made to look for the evidences that would reveal the changes in the movement of the organization of the actions taken by the teachers and how the mediations in a collective situation were appropriated by them in their discourses and plans of action. The results of the research indicate that, in a collective (re)organization of their actions, the teachers attributed new meanings to their own actions, to the mediation and to the choice of tools, appropriating themselves of the forms of collaborative realization of the teaching activity. In this way, the teachers\' new [way of] doing constituted, in a mediated form, in the pedagogical praxis when they appropriated themselves of the knowledge on the reality that enabled them to understand it and overcome it, what corroborates the collective as a knowledge production space and, therefore, it contributes to overcome the supremacy of individual competence of subjects as a reference to learning and, consequently, to the formation of the teacher.

A pesquisa, mobilizada pelo desejo de contribuir com a criação de condições de ensino que potencializassem ações educativas com o jogo (ações de ensino por parte dos educadores e ações de aprendizagem por parte dos estudantes), baseou-se na convicção de que o jogo é um valioso instrumento de ensino ao possibilitar o desenvolvimento cultural dos educandos. Os principais referenciais teóricos utilizados foram: Vygotsky, no que se refere ao papel do brinquedo e do brincar para o desenvolvimento; Elkonin, ao tratar sobre a psicologia do jogo; e Leontiev, com a Teoria da Atividade. Além desses autores e dos conceitos desenvolvidos por eles, utilizamos nessa pesquisa o conceito de Atividade Orientadora de Ensino, cujos pressupostos, foram fundamentais para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho. Destacamos como elementos centrais da Atividade Orientadora de Ensino a importância das situações-problema, típicas do fazer pedagógico, a definição dos conceitos nos conteúdos a serem ensinados, a criação de situações desencadeadoras de aprendizagem, o planejamento de ações e a avaliação contínua das ações didáticas. Assim, à luz dos referenciais teóricos da psicologia histórico-cultural, buscamos entender como se dá o desenvolvimento da compreensão do jogo na Atividade de Ensino, para professores em formação inicial. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram seis estudantes, procedentes do Curso de Pedagogia (do 3º e 4º anos) da Faculdade de Educação e do Curso de Matemática do Instituto de Matemática e Estatística (ambos pertencentes à Universidade de São Paulo), que realizavam estágio no Clube da Matemática, projeto de extensão e campo de estágio da FEUSP. A realização coletiva das Atividades de Ensino no Clube, questionários e observações dos estagiários em suas ações educativas foram as fontes de análise do nosso objeto de estudo. Foi possível inferir, por meio da análise dos dados, que na medida em que os estagiários foram se apropriando da Atividade de Ensino, buscando organizar suas ações didáticas, definindo os conceitos que queriam ensinar, trabalhando coletivamente e avaliando o modo de realização da Atividade, a compreensão do papel do jogo nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem, foi sendo ressignificada. / The research, triggered by the wish of contributing to the creation of teaching conditions to surge educational initiatives around gaming (teaching initiatives on the educators side and learning initiatives on the students side), is based on the belief that gaming is an invaluable teaching tool to reinforce the students cultural growth. The main theoretical referentials were Vygotsky, on the role of toys and playing in the development, Elkonin, on the gaming psychology, and Leontiev, on the theory of activity. Besides these authors and the concepts they developed, we used the concept of Teaching Orienting Activity, with pivotal presuppositions for the development of this research. We highlight the importance of trouble situations, recurrent in the pedagogical make, as core elements of the Teaching Orienting Activity, along with the definition of concepts in the contents to be taught, the creation of learning chain situations, the planning of actions, and the sustained evaluation of didactic initiatives. Thus, in the light of the theoretical referentials from the cultural-historical psychology, we aimed to understand how gaming assimilation development takes place in the Teaching Orienting Activity, for teachers at initial teacher training. The subjects of the research were six students, coming from the Pedagogy Course (3rd and 4th years) at the Education School and from the Mathematics Course at the Mathematics and Statistics Institute (both belonging to the University of Sao Paulo), who took part in the Math Club, a project of extension and field internship at FEUSP. Collective performance in the teaching activities at the club, questionnaires, and observation of the trainees carrying out their educational initiatives were the source for analysis of our study object. It was possible to infer, by data analysis, that as trainees took charge of the Teaching Activity, seeking the organization of their didactic initiatives, defining the concepts that they wanted to teach, collectively working and evaluating the conduction of the activity, the understanding of the gaming role in the teaching and learning processes, kept being resignified.

Compreender o processo de organização do ensino para o desenvolvimento do pensamento teórico constituiu-se no objetivo central desta pesquisa. Com base nos estudos da teoria histórico-cultural entendemos ser possível e necessário organizar o ensino de modo que o mesmo seja maximamente favorável ao desenvolvimento do pensamento teórico dos educandos. Considerando que o pensamento teórico em geral forma-se a partir de um objeto concreto, procuramos investigar o processo de organização do ensino para a formação do pensamento teórico a partir de uma manifestação particular desse tipo de pensamento: o pensamento teórico no campo da arte ou o pensamento estético-artístico. Procuramos demonstrar ao longo do trabalho a possibilidade de vincular esse tipo de pensamento ao ensino da educação física, disciplina que tem como objetivo organizar a apropriação dos significados das atividades da cultura corporal, dentre eles o estético-artístico. Organizamos a presente pesquisa como uma investigação bibliográfico-conceitual (em que analisamos o papel da arte no processo de formação humana; a atividade de estudo e a formação do pensamento teórico; o processo de organização do ensino e alguns princípios didáticos presentes na teoria histórico-cultural) e uma investigação didático-experimental (em que criamos as condições para a análise do processo de organização do ensino para a formação do pensamento teórico). Nosso experimento didático, instrumento investigativo para a análise do trabalho pedagógico, foi constituído pela elaboração, e posterior realização com estudantes do 4º ano do ensino fundamental I, de uma unidade didática sobre o circo. A partir da explicitação da unidade fundamental do circo (a composição de cenas) e das suas abstrações conceituais (os elementos de criação das cenas), organizamos o ensino buscando garantir que os estudantes tivessem momentos diretos de trabalho com os conceitos, isto é, que agissem mediados pelos conceitos. Assim, a exposição das sínteses conceituais para os estudantes, o planejamento orientado da criação das cenas e a análise das cenas criadas mediadas pelos conceitos teóricos permitiram que os educandos trabalhassem com o modo geral de ação do artista circense, ou seja, o modo como o artista abstrai os elementos da realidade e os sintetiza em uma nova realidade ou no seu objeto artístico. Avaliamos que esse percurso de aprendizagem e essa forma de organização do ensino possibilitam ao sujeito a apropriação de instrumentos para abstrair os elementos essenciais de uma dada realidade artística, bem como para criar conscientemente seu próprio objeto artístico, o que lhe permite uma maior aproximação da arte, um maior conhecimento desse tipo de atividade humano-genérica. Por fim, a pesquisa nos indica para uma real possibilidade de construção de um modo geral de ação docente ou uma base teórico-metodológica para a organização do ensino referenciada na teoria histórico-cultural. / Understanding the organization of teaching for the development of theoretical thinking constitutes the main goal of this research. Based on the cultural-historical theory we assume that it is possible and even necessary to organize teaching in order to contribute to students theoretical thinking development. Considering that theoretical thinking always develops from a concrete object, in our research we sought to investigate the teaching organization process for the formation of theoretical thinking from a particular point of view: the aesthetic-artistic thinking, which is the theoretical thinking present in art. Throughout this work we have tried to demonstrate the possibility of linking this type of thinking to physical education a school subject that aims to organize the appropriation of the meanings of body culture activities, and among those meanings is the aesthetic-artistic. We organized this present research as a conceptual-bibliographical investigation (in which we analyzed the role of art in human development; the studying activity and the formation of theoretical thinking; the process of organizing teaching and some didactic principles present in cultural-historical theory) and as a didactic-experimental investigation (in which we created the conditions to analyze the process of organizing teaching for the development of theoretical thinking). Our teaching experiment, which is an investigative instrument to analyze pedagogical work, was formed by the preparation and subsequent implementation, with students in 4th year of elementary school, of a didactic unit about the circus. From the explicitness of the fundamental unity of circus (to compose the scenes) and its conceptual abstractions (the elements that create the scenes), we organized teaching seeking to ensure that students had moments of direct work with the concepts, that is, that they could act mediated by them. Thus, exposure of students to conceptual overviews, the guided planning of the scenes making and the analysis of the created scenes mediated by theoretical concepts allowed the students to work with the general way of action of the circus artist, which is how the artist abstracts the elements of reality and summarizes them in a new reality or in his artistic object. We assess that this learning course and this form of organizing teaching enable the subject to appropriate instruments, both to abstract the essential elements of a given artistic reality, as to consciously create its own artistic object, which allows a closer approximation of art, a greater knowledge of this type of human-generic activity. Finally, the research points us to a real possibility of constructing a general mode of teaching action or a theoretical and methodological basis for the organization of teaching, referenced in the cultural- historical theory.

An increasingly large body of literature sees disconnection from nature as central to the convergent social-ecological crisis, rooted in anthropocentric ontologies. This study explored the potential for embodied, sociomaterial nature-based activities to engender shifts in children’s perceptions of, and sense of connectedness with, nature. Equally it explored how children’s socio-cultural-historical value positionings (SCHVP) mediated their perceptions of, and connectedness with, nature. The nature-based activities, spread over five-day camps, were located at Hobbiton-on-Hogsback, a centre that has existed for decades to provide experiential learning and graded exposure to natural spaces, aiming to increase environmental knowledge and nature-connection. The experiences of two groups of children from wide-ranging socioeconomic and socio-cultural backgrounds in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were explored using interpretive case study methodology. Through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with selected children (aged 10-14) and the Hobbiton staff members who worked with them, as well as participant observation, data were collected and analysed thematically. This study was guided by a layered theoretical framework that included Deep Ecology as an under-labourer, and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a substantive, analytical framework. Interactions between participants’ SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature- based activities were analysed in relation to the children’s nature-perceptions and sense of Connectedness-With-Nature. The findings highlight both the importance of the children’s SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature-based activities in mediating their prior perceptions of, and connectedness with nature. The nature-based activities acted as a primary stimulus for developing environmental empathy, awareness and pro-environmental intentions. In essence, Hobbiton acted as a primary ‘seed planter’ towards greater feelings of Connectedness-With-Nature. However, recommendations are put forward for more decolonised, ethics-oriented and sociomaterial design of Hobbiton’s nature-based activities, with an emphasis on integrating children’s SCHVP into the pedagogical-design process in relation to the sociomaterial elements of the nature-based activities. Emically integrating the children’s multiplicities of knowing, doing, valuing and being into the pedagogical-design process could contribute to the decolonisation of nature-based experiences in such contexts cultural, socio and political diversity.

O presente estudo, de natureza qualitativa, tematiza a política pública e tem como problema de pesquisa: como a política pública de formação de professores vigente é concretizada no trabalho docente do professor iniciante de Educação Física da Educação Básica de Lajeado? Trata-se de uma etnografia realizada em três escolas do município de Lajeado/RS com três professores iniciantes de Educação Física. Visando compreender os efeitos da política pública de formação de professores no trabalho docente e nas práticas pedagógicas dos colaboradores da pesquisa, foi descrito o cotidiano de trabalho desses professores e analisado suas concepções acerca da formação inicial, da docência e do trabalho na escola, bem como os aprendizados construídos nesses primeiros anos de suas vidas profissionais. O trabalho de campo teve duração de seis meses e possibilitou a construção de quatro categorias de análise, que emergiram, principalmente, dos registros das observações, diálogos e entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com os colaboradores e da revisão de literatura acerca dos aspectos que constituem o problema de pesquisa. As discussões e interpretações suscitadas pela análise permitiram compreender que a política pública de formação de professores influencia o contexto social mais amplo e a singularidade dos processos formativos. Desse modo, suas influencia atingem os entornos da profissão docente, a formação inicial e as expectativas profissionais desses professores iniciantes. No entanto, partindo do entendimento sobre problema público e que um dos propósitos da política pública de formação de professores é melhorar a qualidade da Educação Básica, foi possível identificar que essa meta não é concretizada no trabalho docente dos professores colaboradores. Isso porque a identidade docente construída na formação inicial e almejada pela política pública de formação de professores contrasta com a singularidade da cultura escolar das escolas pesquisadas, ou seja, as relações estabelecidas na escola, com outros professores e com as equipes diretivas, tornam-se mais significativas. Tal contraste, mobiliza o isolamento e individualismo dos professores colaboradores, bem como a falta de acompanhamento e retro informação. Os efeitos desse quadro são práticas educativas desconectado da propostas da escola, sem planejamento coletivo nem colegialidade e a forma como as aulas de Educação Física vão, aos poucos, perdendo sua eficácia pedagógica. Ao observar a ineficiência dos atuais programas políticos que constituem a política pública de formação de professores, em vistas ao aumento da qualidade da Educação Básica, ao final do estudo são indicadas três proposições com o intuito de reverter esse quadro. Tais proposições, devem ser compreendidas como possibilidades de fomentar pequenas comunidades de aprendizagem na escola, auxiliar o professor iniciante e contribuir na construção de identidades docentes marcadas pela resiliência e rigorosidade metódica; bem como concretizar a melhoria da qualidade da Educação Básica e, como isso, resgatar o caráter identitário da política pública: promover transformações sociais para o bem social. / The current qualitative study focuses on public policy and the research problem which is how current public policy of teacher formation is carried out during teaching activity performed by Physical Education initial teachers in Elementary Schools of Lajeado. The ethnographic study was carried out with three Physical Education initial teachers. In order to understand the effects of public policy for teacher’s training in teaching and pedagogical activities of those teachers, their daily activities were described and their conceptions about initial training, teaching, school work as well as learning constructed in the first years of professional life were analyzed. The six months field study allowed the presentation of four categories of analysis which mainly emerged from the records of observations, dialogs, and semi-structured interviews carried out with teachers and theory review on aspects that make up the research problem. Through discussions and interpretations raised by analysis it was possible to understand that the public policy of teacher’s formation influences a broader social context and the uniqueness of formation processes. Such influence thus affects the environment of teaching activity, the initial training and professional expectations of initial teachers. From the assumption that public problems to be faced by public policy of teacher training is to improve the quality of Elementary Education, it was found out that such goal is not achieved by the study group teachers. It results from teacher’s identity built on initial training and desired by public policy for teacher formation which contrasts with the uniqueness of school culture of surveyed schools, i.e. relations established in schools with other teachers and with the policy teams become more meaningful. Such contrast leads to isolation and individualism of teachers as well as the lack of monitoring and retro information. The effects of such panorama are educational practices disconnected from school proposal, no collective planning or discussion by teacher’s board, and Physical Education classes gradually losing pedagogical effectiveness. While observing the inefficiency of current political programs that constitute the public policy of teacher’s formation regarding to public problem previously identified, three propositions to reverse such scenery are presented at the end of study. Such propositions must be understood as possibilities of promoting small school learning communities, assisting initial teachers and contributing for the construction of teacher’s identity marked by precise and enforced methodology as well as contribute for the improvement of Elementary Education quality besides converting to identity intensification of public policy which is to promote social changes for the social welfare.

Teknik framställs som ett viktigt ämne i förskolans läroplan. Samtidigt utrycker många förskolelärare en brist på kunskap om att undervisa i tek-nikämnet. I studien ska jag ge ett exempel på en undervisningsaktivitet. Då studien genomförs inom ramen för designbaserad forskning bygger den på en aktivitet som jag har planerat och genomfört med några barn i förskolan. Syftet med studien var att ta reda på hur de yngre barnen kunde interagera med en dammsugare som ett tekniskt system. För att få reda på det användes en kvalitativ metod. Barnen videoinspelades och därefter observerade jag videoinspelningen och transkriberade den. Resultatet presenteras i olika teman med olika underrubriker i form av situationer som uppstod. Situation-erna analyserades och kopplades till tidigare forskning och teorier. I resultaten framkom att barnen visade förståelse för hur dammsugaren fungerade men att det var skillnad på om barnet var ett år eller tre år. En treåring kunde visa vad som krävdes för att dammsugaren skulle starta, förståelse för dess funktion och uppbyggnad. En ettåring visade mest förståelse för hur dammsugaren är uppbyggd och ser ut. Resultatet visade också att barnen utforskade genom sina kroppar och olika sinnen. Barnen visade att de upplevde med sin hörsel genom att hålla för sina öron, de fysiskt hoppade över dammsugaren, de provade även att dammsuga olika föremål. Barnen utforskade och prova nya sätt att använda dammsugaren på. / Technology is presented as an important subject in the preschool curriculum. Many preschool teachers lack knowledge of technology. In the study I give an example of a teaching activity. The study is an example of a design-based study, and it is based on an activity that I have planned and conducted with preschool children. The purpose of the study was to find out how the younger children interact with a vacuum cleaner as a technical system. To find it out I use a qualitative method. The children were video recorded as they engaged with the activity, and then I observed the videotape and transcribed it. The result was presented in different categories with subheadings of those situa-tions that happened. The situations were analysed and connected to earlier science and theories. The result showed that the children showed a lot of understanding for the vacuum cleaner, their understanding was different depending on if the child was one or three years old. A three year old showed how to start the vacuum cleaner, and an understanding for the function and the construction. A one year old showed most understanding for how the vacuum cleaner looks like and the construction. The result also showed that the children explored through their bodies and different senses. The children showed that they experienced through hearing by cover their ears. They jumped over the vacuum cleaner and tried to vacuum different objects. The children explore and try new ways to use the vacuum cleaner.

Literature, while perceived as beneficial, is not widely used in the ESL arena. This study set out to investigate proven benefits of using literature in ESL through a review of the current research, at the same time establishing a link between literature and narrative based on `story grammar' which biological determinism claims the human brain is hardwired to use as a language learning tool. Hypothesizing that there would be no correlation between theory regarding the presence and application of literature in ESL as presented in the current research and the practice as found in the prominent ESL course, New Headway, the study set out to identify narrative input in New Headway's Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced Levels and analyzing the way in which narrative is used to teach language skills and communicative competence. Contrary to expectations a surprisingly high level of narrative was found and the narrative was exploited in full accordance with suggestions made in the current research. The findings indicate that the incorporation of narrative in New Headway is a pedagogically informed decision by the authors to exploit the benefits of literature while at the same time catering to a very heterogeneous audience of international ESL learners. Key terms: literature, narrative, story, biological determinism, ESL course books, New Headway / English Studies / M.Ed.

Thesis (MEd (Curriculum sStudies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The TRAC PAC is a micro computer-based laboratory that allows learners to collect real-time data about a particular event and then displays the information graphically. It was brought to South Africa from the United States of America in an attempt to increase the low number of learners from previously disadvantaged communities entering the Science, Engineering and Technology fields. Anecdotal evidence has shown that the TRAC PAC has not been optimally utilised in classrooms. Subsequently a TRAC laboratory was established at Stellenbosch University and hence this study, which focused on identifying factors that would contribute towards the optimal use of the TRAC PAC. A qualitative case study research method was used, which relied on different techniques to gather data on how the TRAC PAC is used in classrooms and at the TRAC laboratory. The analysis of this data was largely an intuitive process; it relied on the development of categories which provided insights on the advantages and disadvantages of using the TRAC PAC. The thesis concludes with a number of recommendations that can lead to the optimal use of the TRAC PAC. One of the findings of this study was that even grade 12 Physical Science learners lacked certain basic skills such as the ability to take accurate measurements. Addressing this lack amongst South African learners is also a priority of the National Education Department, following its adoption of an outcomes-based education approach. The design of a detailed, well structured series of activities that addresses the required educational outcomes should result in the optimal use of the TRAC PAC.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Within the context of development, skills development is one of the central components in the drive to bring about the reconstruction, development and transformation of the South African society. Investment in people is a key strategy in our economic renewal. With estimations of a third of the South African population not having effective basic skills, education is not merely limited to reading and writing, but developing human capacity to playa more active role individually, within communities and within the larger South Africa. Literacy and numeracy are seen as fundamental skills, and without these skills, other skills may not be learned or acquired. Illiteracy rates within rural areas in South Africa are unacceptably high and people deemed "illiterate" within these areas are at risk in that provision of literacy programmes is not readily available. Within this context, a literacy programme was implemented at a farm school outside Durbanville (situated in the Western Cape). The Fundani literacy programme was implemented over a period of 16 months. The participants comprised of farm workers (most of whom were parents of children attending the Attie van Wyk Primary School). Literacy is also said to empower people. Programme evaluation was chosen as research design. The findings of the research are discussed to place it within the context of the research questions, namely whether the intervention (the Fundani literacy programme) would change/influence the literacy ability and empowerment status of the participants. The participants' empowerment status was measured with a standardised questionnaire using a pre-test, post-test and post-past-test design. The participants were also evaluated at the end of the literacy programme as to their literacy and numeracy gains. The research took place in three phases. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used during the research. The first phase consisted of a pre-test on empowerment (this was done by means of a standardised questionnaire during semi-structured interviews). The second phase involved exposure to the Fundani literacy programme, followed by a formal test to measure literacy and numeracy gains as well as a post-test measuring changes in empowerment status. Finally a post-post-test was applied to measure changes in empowerment status three months after the programme had been completed. Although only four participants out of 13 completed the Fundani literacy programme, statistical analysis showed statistically significant improvements in empowerment from pre-test to post-test of the total group. The four participants that completed the programme also showed literacy and numeracy gains. The findings of the study suggest that although there is a high drop-out rate in adult literacy programmes, the longer participants participate in a literacy programme, the greater the improvement in their empowerment status will be. It also became evident throughout the research that women find it difficult to attend literacy programmes as common constraints (such as domestic duties and male resistance) are not easily overcome. As this research used a very small sample size, future studies need to be conducted over longer periods of time, using a much bigger sample. Such programmes/interventions also need to be more functional, which could lead to a greater sense of motivation and empowerment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Binne die konteks van ontwikkeling is vaardigheidsontwikkeling 'n kritieke dryfveer in die transformasie van Suid-Afrika. Die ontwikkeling van menslike hulpbronne is een van die strategieë om die ekonomie te versterk. Met sowat 'n derde van die Suid-Afrikaanse bevolking wat nie oor basiese vaardighede beskik nie, is opvoeding nie beperk tot lees en skryf nie, maar omvat die ontwikkeling van die mens in sy geheel om 'n meer aktiewe rol binne homself, die gemeenskap, en Suid-Afrika te speel. Lees-, skryf- en rekenvaardighede is fundamentele vaardighede waarsonder ander tegniese vaardighede nie maklik aangeleer kan word nie. Ongeletterdheidsvlakke in Suid-Afrika, en veral in die landelike gedeeltes van Suid-Afrika, is baie hoog. 'n Verdere punt van kommer is die onbeskikbaarheid en aanbieding van geletterdheidsprogramme binne die landelike gebiede van Suid-Afrika. Dit is binne hierdie konteks dat 'n geletterdheidsprogram vir plaaswerkers by 'n plaasskool buite Durbanville (in die Wes-Kaap) aangebied is. Die Fundani geletterdheidsprogram is by die Attie van Wyk primêre skool geïmplementeer. Die Fundani program is oor 'n periode van 16 maande gevolg. Die teikengroep was ouers van leerders (van wie die meeste plaaswerkers is) van die Attie van Wyk primêre skool. Die doel van die geletterdheidsprogram was nie net om lees- en skryfvaardighede aan te leer nie, maar om die deelnemers te bemagtig om meer beheer oor hul lewens toe te pas. Programevaluering is gebruik as navorsingsontwerp. Die twee navorsingsvrae verwys na die aard van intervensie en is daarop gemik om te bepaal of die Fundani geletterdheidsprogram wel 'n effek op die geletterdheid sowel as bemagtigingsvlakke van die deelnemers gehad het. Die deelnemers se bemagtigingstatus is gemeet met 'n gestandardiseerde vraelys terwyl 'n voor-en-na toets en 'n verdere toets (post-past-toets) ontwerp gevolg is. Die deelnemers is ook aan die einde geëvalueer ten opsigte van verbetering in hul lees-, skryf- en rekenvaardighede. Die navorsing is in drie fases geïmplementeer. Kwalitatiewe asook kwantitatiewe metodes is gebruik om data in te win. Die eerste fase het uit 'n voor-toets bestaan wat die deelnemers se bemagtigingstatus gemeet het. Dit is met 'n gestandardiseerde vraelys tydens semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude gemeet. Gedurende die tweede fase is deelnemers aan die Fundani geletterdheidsprogram blootgestel. Aan die einde van die program is die deelnemers se bemagtigingstatus weer gemeet deur 'n na-toets om verandering in bemagtiging te meet. 'n Formele geletterdheidstoets is ook gedurende fase twee geskryf om verandering in lees-, skryf- en rekenvaardighede waar te neem. Fase drie het uit 'n verdere toets bestaan om die deelnemers se bemagtigingstatus drie maande ná die Fundani geletterdheidsprogram te meet. Alhoewel slegs vier uit die 13 deelnemers die Fundani geletterdheidsprogram voltooi het, was daar wel statisties betekenisvolle verbeteringe van die voor-toets na die na-toets. Die vier deelnemers wat wel die Fundani geletterheidsprogram voltooi het, het aan die einde van die program getoon dat hulle baat gevind het by die program ten opsigte van hullees-, skryf- en rekenvaardige verwerkings. Die navorsing se bevindinge dui daarop dat hoe langer deelnemers aan sulke geletterdheidsprogramme blootgestel word, hoe groter sal die verbetering in hulle bemagtigingstatus wees. Vroue vind dit moeilik om sulke programme te voltooi as gevolg van familie- en gesinsverpligtinge asook vanweë teenkanting van mans binne die gemeenskap. Alhoewel die navorsing van 'n baie klein steekproef gebruik gemaak het, word daar voorgestel dat soortgelyke studies van dieselfde aard oor langer tye met 'n groter steekproef geëvalueer word. Die aard van sulke tipe programme/intervensies behoort meer funksioneel te wees om deelnemers verder te motiveer en te bemagtig.