This study aimed to investigate how English language curriculum of the sixth, seventh and eighth grades of public primary schools was implemented by teachers and how it was experienced by students. The major areas of investigation were the teachers&rsquo / and students&rsquo / perceptions of the curriculum goals and content, instructional strategies, evaluation and assessment procedures, learner attitudes and the problems encountered during the curriculum implementation. Through a questionnaire for teachers and students, the data collected were from 368 teachers and 1235 students randomly selected from the 21 cities and 42 towns of the seven regions of Turkey. The results revealed that the implementation process of the English language curriculum showed differences in relation to the facilities of schools and classrooms, teacher and student characteristics and perceptions. Majority of the curriculum goals were attained at a moderate level and there were some problems with the selection and ordering of curriculum content. Various types of teacher-centered and learner-centered instructional strategies were implemented depending on the language skill to be taught and learned, and the students had positive attitudes towards most of these instructional strategies. The main problems encountered in the implementation process resulted from the lack of materials and resources, the course-book, the learners, the classroom environment and the curriculum. These problems influenced the attainment of goals, classroom practices and the assessment procedures. v Teachers&rsquo / perceptions of curriculum goals and content differed in relation to school location, age, teaching experience and educational background. Students&rsquo / perceptions of the curriculum differed in relation to their grade levels, gender, parents&rsquo / educational and English level and previous English grade. English language curriculum, English language teaching, curriculum implementation, teacher perceptions, student perceptions, primary school

Doctors in a Northern California community reported that medical assisting students did not use medical terminology in context, could not think critically, and faltered in decision making and problem solving during their internships in medical offices. The intent of this instrumental case study was to investigate the gap between current methods of lecturing and active-learning projects designed to engage medical assisting students in learning medical terminology, forming critical thinking skills, and developing decision-making techniques. Informed by a constructivist theoretical framework, data were collected regarding the teaching methods of 4 medical instructors through interviews and classroom observations. Documentation from the doctors and nurses whom graduates served upon matriculation was also reviewed. Open coding of data resulted in emerging themes. Findings showed that instructors were unsure how to implement activities to promote critical thinking, active learning in the classroom, and decision-making skills for students. As a result of this research, a 3-day professional development workshop for college instructors was developed, focusing on critical thinking and problem-based learning activities. This study may contribute to positive social change when medical assisting students graduate with the ability to use medical terminology in context, think critically, and provide satisfactory patient care, thus bringing valued expertise to patient care and offsetting the national shortage of labor in this sphere.

The problem that compelled this study is one faced by districts across the nation, which is the alignment of district curriculum with state standards and assessments. The Jacobs model of curriculum mapping was developed to address these alignment issues. The Jacobs model represents a large scale change initiative, and large scale reforms may be unsustainable if leaders misunderstand the magnitude of change and its impact on leadership. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore administrator and teacher perceptions of administrative responsibilities for implementing the Jacobs model of curriculum mapping in a rural Midwestern school and how administrative leadership impacted teacher perceptions of sustainability. The conceptual framework for this study was based on change theories in relation to the work of Fullan and Senge. Data were collected from multiple sources, including interviews with 25 teachers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels and 5 administrators at all instructional levels. Archival documents and artifacts from 5 school years were also collected. Single case data was inductively analyzed and coded into 3 frames of analysis, and a cross case analysis of patterns, relationships, and themes was conducted. The findings of this study identified leadership challenges that impeded sustainability. Results suggest that for large scale reform to be successful, leaders need to identify and address potential change barriers and assume non-traditional leadership roles and responsibilities. Implications for positive social change include raised teacher awareness about the need for curricular alignment with state standards and the importance of horizontal, vertical, and lateral collaboration to address curricular gaps and redundancies in order to improve student learning.

Submitted by admin tede (tede@pucgoias.edu.br) on 2017-10-04T13:43:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 BALTAZAR DONIZETE DE SOUZA.pdf: 1530918 bytes, checksum: b6db561ee5e0bbacc57c98806558c942 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-04T13:43:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 BALTAZAR DONIZETE DE SOUZA.pdf: 1530918 bytes, checksum: b6db561ee5e0bbacc57c98806558c942 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-08-01 / This dissertation is a study of the formation course taken by police officers at the Goiás Military Police Academy. It aims at suggesting changes in the military police 20 curriculum, in particular in the military language of the curriculum and pedagogical practice of the instructors – and in the pedagogical terminology of the teachers. So it is hoped to find ways to develop a proposal for a more humane and better-qualified police force, in response to the demands of today’s world. The academic and scientific importance of this study, in accompanying the curricular and pedagogical changes in military police formation, aimed at forming professionals with the profile of officers who can more humanely guarantee the safety of the population, without using the physical and symbolic repression of the Ideological State Apparatus, shows its relevance. This study is theoretically based on research covering the organization of the State and its re-adaptation from the point of view of Faoro (2001), with criticism of the adoption of Minimal State Involvement. The ideological apparatus of the state is examined according to the theories of Althusser (1970), the history of the military institution and its teaching according to Lara (1986), Skidmore (1988), Ludwig (1998), Germano (2000) and Gaspari (2002). The historical review and evaluation of police and police education at the Academy was carried out by means of analysis of documents and of the curricular proposals of Academies from other States, as well as from Goiás. Emphasis was given to the curricula of this course, throughout its history, from the foundation of the Academy in 1940 up to the present day. In addition, the theoretical basis covers the history of curriculum presented by Luzuriaga (1946), Brzezinski (1987), Silva (1989), Pacheco (1996), Doll (1997), Moreira (1999), Roldão (1999), Libâneo (2000) and Silva (2001), among others. The research uses qualitative methodology in the form of a case study. The field work was carried out through observation and interviews, with pre-structured questions. A random selection of informants was made of former commandants/former directors of the Academy, former instructors and teachers, present instructors and teachers, officers formed by the Academy in the 1992-2001 period and present students attending the police officer formation course for the last two years. From the data obtained, the theoretical basis and the records of observation and the interviews carried out, it can be concluded that the curriculum practice and the teaching/learning process undertaken today at the Goiás Miliary Academy, unlike that used during the military regime, is centered on the student and his/her experience. Another relevant conclusion was confirmation of the military character of the institution, that is, the Goiás Military Police give more emphasis to disciplinary issues, particularly in what concerns the hierarchy and organization of the academic sphere. It was also seen that the present curriculum of the Goiás Military Police Academy reflects sociopolitical changes in the profile of the subjects it offers, thereby assuming a more civil than military character. The research also allows one to conclude that the Academy, in its formation of police officers, has not adopted one single pedagogical theory. Rather, it uses a combination of Comte and Herbart’s positivist theory and of Dewey’s progressivism. / A presente dissertação consta de um estudo sobre o curso de formação de oficiais da Academia de Polícia Militar do Estado de Goiás. Tem o propósito de sugerir mudanças no ensino policial militar, especialmente, no currículo e na prática pedagógica dos instrutores - linguagem militar – e dos professores - terminologia pedagógica. Pretendemos, pois, encontrar caminhos para desenvolver uma proposta de formação de oficiais mais humanitária e melhor qualificada, concernente às exigências do mundo contemporâneo. A relevância desta investigação encontra-se em sua dimensão acadêmico-científica ao acompanhar as mudanças curriculares e pedagógicas do ensino policial militar, tendo em vista a exigência de formar profissionais com um perfil de oficial que possa garantir a segurança da população civil, com ações mais humanas, sem o uso de repressão física e simbólica desse Aparelho Ideológico do Estado. O referencial teórico está fundamentado em estudos que abrangem a organização do Estado e sua refuncionalização, sob a ótica de Faoro (2001), com críticas à adoção do Estado Mínimo. Os aparelhos ideológicos do estado são vistos sob a teorização de Althusser (1970); a história da instituição militar e de seu ensino segundo Lara (1986), Skidimore (1988), Ludwig (1998), Germano (2000), Gaspari (2002) e outros. A revisão histórica e a conceituação de polícia e de ensino policial na Academia foram realizadas por meio da 19 análise documental e das propostas curriculares da APM de outros Estados e da APM de Goiás. Damos ênfase aos currículos desse curso, ao longo de sua história, desde a criação da APM, em 1940, até ao que se encontra em vigor. Ainda, o referencial teórico abrange a história de currículo sustentada em Luzuriaga (1946), Brzezinski (1987), Silva (1989), Pacheco (1996), Doll (1997), Moreira (1999), Roldão (1999), Libâneo (2000) e Silva (2001). A metodologia da pesquisa é qualitativa, sob a forma de estudo de caso. A pesquisa de campo deu-se mediante observação e entrevistas, com roteiro pré-estruturado. Os informantes foram selecionados por amostra aleatória, entre os ex-comandantes/ex-diretores da APM, exinstrutores e ex-professores, atuais instrutores e atuais professores, oficiais egressos formados na APM, no período compreendido entre 1992 a 2001 e alunos que estão freqüentando o curso de formação de oficiais, nos dois últimos anos. Diante dos dados obtidos, do referencial teórico, do registro das observações e das entrevistas realizadas, é possível concluir que as práticas curriculares e o processo ensino-aprendizagem hoje desenvolvido pela APMGO, contrariamente ao que ocorria durante o regime militar, vêm se centrando mais no aluno e nas suas experiências. Outra conclusão relevante refere-se à confirmação do caráter militar da instituição, qual seja, a PMGO dá maior ênfase aos aspectos disciplinares, notadamente no que diz respeito à hierarquia e à organização do ambiente acadêmico. Constatou-se que a atual grade curricular da APMGO reflete as mudanças sócio-políticas no perfil das disciplinas ministradas, assumindo caráter mais civil do que militar. A pesquisa permite concluir que a Academia não adota uma única teoria pedagógica na formação do oficial, traduzindo-se, entretanto, com maior preponderância, uma conjugação entre a teoria positivista de Comte, Herbart e a teoria progressivista de Dewey.

The standards-based, teach-and-test methods that have come to proliferate secondary education since the inception of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) fail to adequately prepare students for higher education and employment. This system lacks opportunities for developing 21st century skills such as higher-level thinking, problem solving, and group dynamics, as well as opportunities for fostering spiritual growth and personal development. This problem impacts graduates of U.S. high schools because they are unprepared for higher education and the 21st century workplace. Using qualitative multiple case study methodology, this study examined five U.S. Montessori high schools through the lens of cultural-historical activity theory. Interview and blog-based focus group responses and document data were coded line-by-line using predetermined categories and codes as well as open coding. The coded data were analyzed by individual case and then collectively. Findings revealed that education in these settings addressed all areas of development and fostered 21st century skills. Some characteristics that typify Montessori education at lower levels, such as multi-age classes and the prepared environment, played less significant or different roles in the high school programs. Characteristics that were prominent across the cases included use of place-based, experiential learning; building of caring, family-like staff/student relationships; and emphasis on social development. Implications for social change within the Montessori community include informing practice at existing schools and development of teacher education programs. In the broader education community, the consistency in program emphasis, despite diverse school circumstances, suggests a Montessori approach may facilitate social change by inspiring a fresh approach to school reform in high schools.

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The implementation of professional learning communities is a professional development practice that uses collaborative interactions within a constructivist framework to increase teacher and student learning. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore the question of how the dialogue of grade level meetings within professional learning communities impacts the professional development of teachers using the constructivist theory of learning as the conceptual framework. The researcher gathered data through hour-long interviews over a 4-week period with 6 learning community participants, one from each of the 6 grade levels at the elementary school research site. A thematic analysis of the dialogical interactions revealed the following: (a) Professional growth is contingent upon the presence of focused dialogue, (b) Dialogue creates a feeling of acceptance that results in professional growth, (c) Dialogue results in learning opportunities that are prescriptive to the needs of the participants, and (d) Dialogue increases the content knowledge of teachers while providing them opportunities for the acquisition of instructional strategies. These dialogues offered opportunities for teacher examination of school data and focused efforts to improve weaknesses for greater student academic achievement. The results also revealed the qualities necessary for productive interactions to occur within professional learning communities that lead to professional growth and student success. Implications for positive social change include fostering the growth of teachers by revealing how conversing with others facilitates the acquisition of effective teaching practices and providing research based strategies and guidelines that promote the facilitation of productive collaborative and dialogical interactions within learning teams that result in improvements for the entire school community.

The rapid growth of online learning fueled by technologies including course management systems (CMS) has transformed the traditional educational landscape. Little research shows why faculty members at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been slow to adopt this new teaching paradigm. This quantitative, nonexperimental study utilized Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory as the theoretical base. Research questions explored faculty perceptions of the CMS's attributes (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability) and organizational support (policies, procedures, and norms) in order to predict adopter status. The study used a convenience sample of 137 full-time faculty from 3 public and 2 private HBCUs in the southeastern U.S. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The findings provided evidence that faculty in different adopter categories have varying characteristics and needs related to adoption and use of the CMS. Predictors for innovators were compatibility and complexity; for early adopters, relative advantage, complexity, and observability; and for early majority adopters, the predictor was complexity. For late majority adopters, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability were predictors; and predictive attributes for laggards were relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and organizational support. Several individual factors were significant for each adopter category. The findings may be used to promote positive social change by providing a means for administrators and faculty development staff to predict adopter levels in order to develop initiatives that address differences in adopter needs, thereby facilitating adoption of the CMS and online learning.

教育部自九十年度起實施九年一貫英語教學課程，由於學生程度不一，班級人數過多，教學媒體不足，研究報告指出應該成立英語教學資源中心，提高教師教學品質，規劃線上輔助教學，以增進學生學習機會及學習效果。 本研究從知識管理角度探索英語線上輔助教學，建構英語教學內容知識結構模式及教學知識流程架構；俾使線上教學具備語意查詢機制，開啟英語線上輔助教學創新模式。 英語教學內容知識框架（English Content Knowledge Ontology）抽象化類別具多重之階層、對等及相依關係。將內容知識抽象化類別實體化，其類別與實體之集合，即為本範例所建構之知識框架。 本研究引介物件導向，視內容知識為一個物件，具有不同之狀態及行為；將狀態與行為封裝，物件與物件間藉由訊息進行協調動作，達成整體運作之功能。學生亦為學習流程中一個物件，具有不同之屬性及行為；透過訊息之交換、進行任務協調，達成學習之最終目的。 以UML表示法建構英語線上學習流程三大模型：功能模型─使用案例模型將使用者對系統的需求模型化，靜態模型─物件模型抽出物件，表現出靜態的結構，動態模型─表示出物件與物件之間訊息的流向。 研究中試圖探討有關國小英語線上輔助教學網站之現況。未來期望架構具備語意檢索機制之網站，採自由選擇學習、多元適切評量模式，能紀錄分析學習及測試結果，建立學習紀錄（包括學習風格、習性、態度及學習效果等等）以期增進學生學習機會，分享教學資源。 藉由新的學習模式，學生可以獲得自我成長的資源，同時希望可以喚起更多關懷英語教學網站之研究與發展，為我們的孩子及新的學習方式注入更多生命力。本研究所建構之模式，希望能作為未來發展兒童英語線上學習之參考，以提昇國內兒童英語教育實施之成效。 關鍵詞：九年一貫英語課程、知識管理、知識本體、語意資訊檢索、物件導向、UML / The Grade 1-9 English Teaching Curriculum was put into practice by the Ministry of Education in 2001. Due to the fact that there are too many students in each class and that there is not enough teaching media, the students fall into different levels in English proficiency. Some research concluded that an English Teaching Resource Centre should be established to enhance teachers’ teaching quality and to provide an on-line teaching aid, hence to give the students more learning opportunities and to improve their learning effects. In this study, the on-line English teaching aid was discussed from the viewpoint of Knowledge Management. English Content Knowledge Ontology and English Teaching Knowledge Flow Architecture were suggested to provide an on-line teaching aid with a semantic retrieval system so as to initiate an innovative model for on-line English teaching aids. The English Content Knowledge, Ontology, a model of English domain knowledge, defines the concepts and their attributes, as well as the multiple relationships between the concepts: Class（vertical）, Reciprocity（horizontal）, and dependency（grouping）relationships. An “instance” is hypostatized from an abstract class, and the integration of the abstract classes and the instances represent the English Content Knowledge Ontology built up in this research. The present study has introduced Object Oriented concept that deemed the English content knowledge as an object and as an instance with different Attributes and Operations. Encapsulated attributes and operations engaged in coordination among different objects through exchanges of messages, and resulted in the achievement of the overall system operations. Meanwhile, each student would also be an object in the course of the study and possess different attributes and operations. The final goal, learning, could be achieved through the exchanges of messages for mission coordination. UML was applied in the study to construct the three major models in the on-line English learning. Functional Model – Use case Diagram to model the user’s requirements for the system； Static Model – Class Diagram to abstract an object for showing a static architecture； Dynamic Model – Sequence Diagram to describe the information flow among the objects. This research also attempted to explore the present circumstances of the primary school’s on-line English teaching aid websites. It illustrated the needs of developing architecture for a website with semantic retrieval functions, multiple choice ways of learning and diversified modes for learning assessments It will be able to record and analyse the learning effect and test the result, building up learning records (including learning style, habit, attitude and learning effect) in order to provide each student with more learning opportunities and to share teaching resources with all of the teachers. Through the new learning model, the students are able to obtain learning resources to grow by themselves. The present study also urged more concern on the research and development of the English teaching website in order to provide more vitality to our children and their new learning methods. The model built up in this study may serve as a reference in the development of effective on-line English learning for children. Key words: Grade 1-9 English Teaching Curriculum, Knowledge Management, Ontology, Semantic Retrieval System, Object Oriented, UML

Through the lens of Bandura's social-cognitive theory, which proposes that one's sense of self-efficacy can foster positive beliefs, the purpose of this descriptive, quantitative study was to determine whether the attitudes held by general education teachers have an influence on their perceptions of inclusion. General education teachers' beliefs in their abilities regarding teaching in inclusive classrooms may have an influence on the success of inclusion. This study examined the difference in attitudes toward inclusion between elementary school general education teachers whose previous teaching experience was with solely general education students but who now teach in an inclusive classroom, and those whose only teaching experience has been in the inclusive classroom. Eighty one general education teachers from public elementary schools in a suburban school district completed the Scale of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC). Results from independent-samples t-tests and Mann-Whitney difference tests showed no significant statistical difference between mean STATIC scores and indicated the attitudes of both groups were positive towards inclusion. The acknowledgement of current teacher attitudes towards inclusion promotes positive social change by serving as a rationale for other school districts to create professional development opportunities. These opportunities will allow general education teachers to become better prepared in supporting and educating special needs students in their classrooms.