This study is a qualitative interpretative study of conflict management in a multicultural Namibian institution. The focus of the study is to understand how individual people in a particular organization perceive conflict, the possible sources of conflict as well as to explore the possible strategies of managing conflict. This is followed by an analysis of the general educational cultural and social characteristics of Namibia, which relate to the sources of conflict. I also make an attempt to have a deeper understanding of people from different cultural and educational backgrounds in viewing conflict and how these differences might be seen as major sources of conflict and how they deal with it - by using a case study approach. I interviewed 5 participants from different cultural backgrounds. The major research methodology I used in this study is in-depth interviews that allowed me to explore people's understanding of, attitudes to and views on conflict. I supplemented the interviews with participant observation, which allowed me to get first-hand information on how people interact socially and in meetings in order to explore possible sources and existence of conflict in meetings and how the staff dealt with it. Furthermore, I tried as much as possible to observe daily activities as an observer. People interviewed have different perceptions about conflict. Some use conflict to their advantage to arouse discussion and stimulate creative thinking. Some people find conflict to be a burden, something to be minimized. This avoidance leads to poor decisions and poor use of teams as a way to improve both decision making and acceptance of the decisions that are made. Cultural differences among staff and the process of reform emerge as the major sources of conflict. Whether a conflict will result in negative or positive consequences, or both, will depend to a large part on the strategy taken to resolve the conflict.

This study focuses on parental choice for student placement in Two-Way Immersion classes as optional bilingual education. Parents who have their children enrolled in a TWI program in Banning, California responded to a questionnaire and were interviewed about their decision. The analysis of the data indicates that parents value cultural diversity and second language acquisition.

With the new goal of K-12 education being to prepare students to be college and career ready at the end of high school, education needs to start changing at the elementary school level. The literature suggests that teachers need reflective professional development (PD) to effectively teach to the new standards and to demonstrate change to their current instructional practices. This mixed-method multiple-case study investigated the impacts of a reflective professional development (PD) in changing elementary school teachers' instructional practices. Teachers Instructional Portfolios (TIPs) were scored with a TIP rubric based on best practices in teaching mathematics problem-solving and science inquiry. The TIPs were also analyzed with a qualitative coding scheme. Case descriptions were written and all the collected data were used to explain the impacts of the reflective PD on changes in teachers' instructional practices. While we found no predictive patterns in relation to teachers changing their classroom practices based on the reflective PD, we claim that teachers' desire to change might contribute to improvements in instruction. We also observed that teachers' self-assessment scores tend to be higher than the actual TIP scores corroborating with the literature on the usage of self-assessment to evaluate teachers' instructional practices.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Teve como objetivo analisar, através da percepção de alunos ingressantes e concluintes, as motivações e razões que justificam ou explicam as suas escolhas por cursos de educação profissional técnica de nível médio na forma subsequente, buscando entender o papel do ensino profissionalizante em suas vidas. Através da identificação do perfil dos discentes manifesto pelas suas vivências escolares e experiências profissionais, contextualizou a sua trajetória familiar e escolar e seus projetos de vida face às exigências do mundo do trabalho e a necessidade de atualização e formação continuada. Sustentando-se teoricamente na relação entre a escola, a educação, o trabalho e seus impactos junto à classe trabalhadora, assim como nas transformações ocorridas no mundo do trabalho, tomou como referência autores como Antunes, Ciavatta, Cunha, Enguita, Frigotto, Ferretti, Friedmann, Naville, Kuenzer, Ramos, Hirata e Saviani. A pesquisa de campo desenvolveu-se através de uma investigação de caráter qualitativo da qual participaram, respondendo questionários e concedendo entrevistas, alunos ingressantes e concluintes dos cursos técnicos de nível médio de Administração e de Eventos do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Paraná, campus Curitiba. Os resultados foram norteados pelo estabelecimento de categorias que privilegiaram a compreensão da realidade vivenciada pelos participantes ao longo de suas trajetórias escolares e profissionais, das motivações e expectativas em relação ao futuro educacional e profissional principalmente de alunos que, teoricamente, já poderiam pleitear uma vaga em cursos de graduação mas optaram por esta modalidade de ensino. / The study aimed to analyze, through the perception of entering and graduating students, the motivations and reasons that justify or explain their choices for subsequent mid-level technical professional education courses, seeking to understand the role of vocational education in their lives. Through the identification of students’ profile, which is manifested by their academic experiences and professional experiences, the study contextualized their family and school life and their life projects in view of the demands of the working world and the need for updating and continuing education. The research is theoretically based on the relationship between school, education, work and their impact in the working class, as well as on changes in the working world, it took as reference authors as Antunes, Ciavatta, Cunha, Enguita, Frigotto, Ferretti, Friedmann, Naville, Kuenzer, Ramos, Hirata and Saviani. The field research was developed through a qualitative survey, entering and graduating students from middle-level technical courses in Management and Events of Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia in Paraná, Curitiba campus, had participated answering questionnaires and giving interviews. The results were guided by the establishment of categories that favored the understanding of the reality experienced by the participants throughout their academic and professional careers, motivations and expectations of the educational and professional future mainly of students who theoretically could have applied for a job in graduate courses but opted for this type of education.

The focus of this study was to explore and expand capabilities, sustainability and gender justice in Science, Mathematics and Technical subjects (SMTs) in teacher education curriculum practices as a process of Education for Sustainable Development in two case studies in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The study begins by discussing gender and science education discourse, locating it within Education for Sustainable Development discourse. Through this nexus, the study was able to explore gender and sustainability responsiveness of the curriculum practices of teacher educators in Science, Mathematics and Technical subjects; scrutinise underlying mechanisms that affect (promote or constrain) gender and sustainability responsive curriculum practices; and understand if and how teacher education curriculum practices consider the functionings and capabilities of females in relation to increased socio-ecological risk in a Southern African context. Influenced by a curriculum transformation commitment, an expansive learning phase was conducted to promote gender and sustainability responsive pedagogies in teacher education curriculum practices. As shown in the study, the expansive learning processes resulted in (re)conceptualising the curriculum practices (object), analysis of contradictions and developing new ways of doing work. Drawing from the sensitising concepts of dialectics, reflexivity and agency, the study worked with the three theoretical approaches of Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), feminist theory and capabilities theory. The capability and feminist lenses were used in the exploration of gender and sustainability responsiveness in science teacher education curriculum practices. CHAT, through its associated methodology of Developmental Work Research, offered the opportunity for researcher and participants in this study to come together to question and analyse curriculum practices and model new ways of doing work. Case study research was used in two case studies of teacher education curriculum practices in Science, Mathematics and Technical subjects, one in Zimbabwe and one in South Africa. Each case study is constituted with a networked activity system. The study used in-depth and focus group interviews and document analysis to explore gender and sustainability responsiveness in curriculum practices and to generate mirror data. Inductive and abductive modes of inference, and Critical Discourse Analysis were used to analyse data. This data was then used in Change Laboratory Workshops, where double stimulation and focus group discussions contributed to the expansive learning process. Findings from the exploration phase of the study revealed that most teacher educators in the two case studies had some basic levels of gender sensitivity, meaning that they had ability to perceive existing gender inequalities as it applies only to gender disaggregated data especially when it comes to enrolment and retention. However, there was no institutionalised pedagogic device in place in both case studies aimed at equipping future teachers with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to promote aspects of capabilities (well-being achievement, wellbeing freedom, agency achievement and agency freedom) for girls in Science, Mathematics and Technical subjects. Science, Mathematics and Technical subjects teacher educators' curriculum practices were gender neutral, but in a gendered environment. This was a pedagogical tension that was visible in both case studies. On the other hand, socio-ecological issues, in cases where they were incorporated into the curriculum, were incorporated in a gender blind or gender neutral manner. Social ecological concerns such as climate change were treated as if they were not gendered both in their impact and in their mitigation and adaptation. It emerged that causal mechanisms shaping this situation were of a socio-political nature: there exist cultural differences between students and teacher educators; patriarchal ideology and hegemony; as well as other interfering binaries such as race and class. Other curriculum related constraints, though embedded in the socio-cultural-political nexus, include: rigid and content heavy curriculum, coupled with students who come into the system with inadequate content knowledge; and philosophy informing pedagogy namely scientism, with associated instrumentalist and functionalist tenets. All these led to contradictions between pedagogical practices with those expected by the Education for Sustainable Development framework. The study contributes in-depth insight into science teacher education curriculum development. By locating the study at the nexus of gender and Science, Mathematics and Technical subjects within the Education for Sustainable Development discourse, using the ontological lenses of feminist and capabilities, it was possible to interrogate aspects of quality and relevance of the science teacher education curriculum. The study also provides insight into participatory research and learning processes especially within the context of policy and curriculum development. It provides empirical evidence of mobilising reflexivity amongst both policy makers and policy implementers towards building human agency in policy translation for a curriculum transformation that is critical for responding to contemporary socio-ecological risks. / Microsoft� Word 2010 / Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in

Teve como objetivo analisar, através da percepção de alunos ingressantes e concluintes, as motivações e razões que justificam ou explicam as suas escolhas por cursos de educação profissional técnica de nível médio na forma subsequente, buscando entender o papel do ensino profissionalizante em suas vidas. Através da identificação do perfil dos discentes manifesto pelas suas vivências escolares e experiências profissionais, contextualizou a sua trajetória familiar e escolar e seus projetos de vida face às exigências do mundo do trabalho e a necessidade de atualização e formação continuada. Sustentando-se teoricamente na relação entre a escola, a educação, o trabalho e seus impactos junto à classe trabalhadora, assim como nas transformações ocorridas no mundo do trabalho, tomou como referência autores como Antunes, Ciavatta, Cunha, Enguita, Frigotto, Ferretti, Friedmann, Naville, Kuenzer, Ramos, Hirata e Saviani. A pesquisa de campo desenvolveu-se através de uma investigação de caráter qualitativo da qual participaram, respondendo questionários e concedendo entrevistas, alunos ingressantes e concluintes dos cursos técnicos de nível médio de Administração e de Eventos do Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Paraná, campus Curitiba. Os resultados foram norteados pelo estabelecimento de categorias que privilegiaram a compreensão da realidade vivenciada pelos participantes ao longo de suas trajetórias escolares e profissionais, das motivações e expectativas em relação ao futuro educacional e profissional principalmente de alunos que, teoricamente, já poderiam pleitear uma vaga em cursos de graduação mas optaram por esta modalidade de ensino. / The study aimed to analyze, through the perception of entering and graduating students, the motivations and reasons that justify or explain their choices for subsequent mid-level technical professional education courses, seeking to understand the role of vocational education in their lives. Through the identification of students’ profile, which is manifested by their academic experiences and professional experiences, the study contextualized their family and school life and their life projects in view of the demands of the working world and the need for updating and continuing education. The research is theoretically based on the relationship between school, education, work and their impact in the working class, as well as on changes in the working world, it took as reference authors as Antunes, Ciavatta, Cunha, Enguita, Frigotto, Ferretti, Friedmann, Naville, Kuenzer, Ramos, Hirata and Saviani. The field research was developed through a qualitative survey, entering and graduating students from middle-level technical courses in Management and Events of Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia in Paraná, Curitiba campus, had participated answering questionnaires and giving interviews. The results were guided by the establishment of categories that favored the understanding of the reality experienced by the participants throughout their academic and professional careers, motivations and expectations of the educational and professional future mainly of students who theoretically could have applied for a job in graduate courses but opted for this type of education.

Esta pesquisa teve por objetivo identificar quais são os motivadores para procura, permanência e conclusão de dois cursos técnicos subsequentes do IFPR Campus Curitiba com maior e menor índice de estudantes formados. Por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas, direcionadas por um roteiro previamente elaborado, buscou-se traçar um perfil do estudante dos cursos técnicos subsequentes, identificar quais foram os motivos que os levaram a escolha de um curso técnico subsequente e quais são suas expectativas com relação a ele, compreender quais são seus principais obstáculos e de quais estratégias se utilizam para conseguir ultrapassá-los e, sobretudo, conhecer e compreender os motivadores para que permaneçam e concluam os cursos apesar das dificuldades. Os sujeitos pesquisados foram 20 alunos no último semestre dos cursos de Saúde Bucal e Eletromecânica do IFPR, Campus Curitiba. As análises foram realizadas considerando-se o contexto histórico, social e político em que os sujeitos estão inseridos e a partir do conhecimento e compreensão das transformações ocorridas na legislação educacional e as razões que levaram a estas transformações. Compreende-se a dualidade estrutural da educação brasileira como característica de uma sociedade cindida em classes pautada no modo de produção capitalista e que encontra na educação, particularmente na formação para o trabalho, os meios necessários para se perpetuar. Entretanto observamos que independente do momento histórico, há lutas na tentativa de atribuir à educação um caráter de formação humana e integral e sem o propósito exclusivo de formar mão de obra. Dessa forma observa-se o campo da educação profissional enquanto território de disputas e construção de novas possibilidades. Na análise dos dados coletados, podemos compreender que os motivos que levam os estudantes a procurarem curso técnicos subsequentes são a possibilidade de recolocação no mercado de trabalho, prestígio profissional em carreiras que necessitam de formação específica, impossibilidade de entrar no curso superior ou ainda a significação que dão á escola no processo de formação humana. As principais barreiras giram principalmente em torno da dificuldade de aprendizagem e da dificuldade em compatibilizar trabalho e estudo, além de aspectos familiares. Em geral, os estudantes vencem as barreiras e concluem os cursos, por encontrarem incentivos institucionais e familiares, além da necessidade de melhor colocação no mercado de trabalho. Quando questionados sobre os motivos que acreditam fazerem seus colegas desistirem, os estudantes entrevistados apontam para as mesmas dificuldades que enfrentam, e atribuem fortemente a escolha de evadir a aspectos individuais, não citando aspectos sociais. / This research had as objective to identify which are the drivers for search, continuity and conclusion of two subsequent technical courses of IFPR Campus Curitiba with the highest and smaller index of graduates. Through semi-structured interviews addressed by an itinerary previously elaborated, it was looked for to draw a profile of the students of subsequent technical courses, to identify which were the reasons that lead them to the choice of a subsequent technical course and which are their expectations regarding the course, to understand which are their main obstacles and which strategies are used to get to cross them and, above all, to know and to understand the drivers so they stay and conclude the courses in spite of the difficulties. The researched subjects were 20 students in the last semester of the courses of Buccal Health and Electro Mechanics of IFPR Campus Curitiba. The analyses were accomplished considering the historical, social and political context in which the subjects are inserted and starting from the knowledge and understanding of the transformations happened in the education legislation and the reasons that lead to these transformations. The structural duality of the Brazilian education is understood as characteristic of a society divided in classes and ruled by the capitalist methods of production, which finds in the education, particularly in the professional training, the necessary ways to perpetuate. However we observed that, independently of the historical moment, there are fights in the attempt of attributing to the education a character of human and integral education, without the exclusive purpose of training workforce. So the professional education field is observed as a territory of disputes and construction of new possibilities. In the data analysis, we can understand that the reasons that lead the students to seek subsequent technical courses are the relocation possibility in the job market, the professional prestige in careers that need specific formation, the impossibility of being admitted at the university or still the significance that they give to the school in the process of human development. The main obstacles are mainly the learning difficulty and the difficulty in matching work and study, besides family aspects. Overall, the students win the obstacles and conclude the courses, because they find institutional and family incentives, besides the need of an improved job placement. When asked about the reasons that lead their friends to give up, the interviewed students pointed the same difficulties that they face and strongly attributed the choice of evasion to individual aspects, not mentioning social ones.