Since the implementation of the latest reform in the education programs of Quebec, the adaptation of teaching has taken on an important place in the concerns of all actors in education. However, this adjustment towards the adoption of teaching practices that require more participation on the part of the pupil is not accomplished so easily, particularly in the field of science and technology (ST). In order to gain a better understanding of these processes of adaptation, it is opportune to question ourselves on the factors and dynamics of interest at stake, especially in disadvantaged environments. Such environments are faced with situations where other difficulties coexist: integration of pupils, lack of interest, problems in classroom management, multi-ethnicity, etc. As a result, such difficulties give rise. to particular limitations, expressed in the form of needs, by pupils and teachers, likely to have a restrictive effect on the adaptation of teaching practices. Accordingly, our research focuses on the needs perceived by teachers in high school ST classrooms in disadvantaged school environments, since they present a privileged means to better understand the processes involved in the adaptation of practices. The adoption of an ecosystemic perspective, centered on these needs and their contribution towards the dynamics of decision-making, enabled us to better apprehend the complexity of these processes in ST classrooms. We were able to identify the needs perceived by teachers by following the methodology of conceptanalysis of needs, and by combining focus groups with the DRAP software. The results account for the large variety of needs to be considered in the equation of adaptation of teaching practices. These needs generally belong to the classroom system (microsystem). For pupils, they are mainly cognitive needs, but for teachers, they pertain to organization and structure. The influence of these needs on the adaptation processes depends on the interpretation by teachers of teaching situations, so much so that a same need can at times be assumed as negative pressure, generating obstacles, or at other times as a positive impulse, facilitating adaptation.

Os ensinos técnicos e tecnológicos estão em pauta nas discussões e decisões governamentais. Esta pesquisa investiga o encontro entre a educação de língua inglesa e esses ensinos. Por meio de metodologias qualitativas de cunho etnográfico, analiso as visões de dois professores e de diversos alunos de duas escolas, uma escola técnica de nível médio e uma faculdade de tecnologia do ensino superior, pertencentes a um centro educacional tecnológico no Estado de São Paulo. Nesta, respondo a duas perguntas de pesquisa: qual é a percepção dos alunos e professores do segmento escolar técnico/tecnológico da presença da língua inglesa na sociedade? E qual é o reflexo da relação língua inglesa e sociedade neoliberal globalizada nos contextos de educação técnica/tecnológica, considerando-se a premissa da formação crítica na sociedade atual? Com base nas interpretações de dados, esta tese defende que as duas escolas investigadas têm realizado um trabalho educacional por meio das aulas de inglês que visa, concomitantemente, a formação tecnológica/instrumental, cidadã e crítica. A contribuição desta pesquisa é mostrar que esses contextos constituem espaços de mudança e que visam uma formação cidadã dos alunos, como indicado em suas diretrizes. Exponho este estudo em duas partes. A primeira parte apresenta uma introdução, na qual contextualizo o campo e as metodologias envolvidas na investigação sobre a língua inglesa, e as raízes teóricas desse estudo, embora a teorização se estenda ao longo dos capítulos, tecidos com dados, análise e reflexões. A segunda parte se constitui por cinco capítulos. Os sentidos construídos nesta parte se pautam em dados que me levaram a interpretações e compreensões sobre: as questões acerca do neoliberalismo que influencia os discursos sobre a língua inglesa, discutidas no primeiro capítulo; o ensino de língua inglesa e a educação na sociedade atual, ensino este analisado no contexto das relações globais-locais (glocais) e que é apresentado no segundo capítulo; a relação pedagogia convencional/tradicional e a pedagogia crítica analisada no ensino de língua inglesa no referido contexto de investigação, o que me permitiu reflexões e revisitas conceituais no terceiro capítulo; a adequação de uma proposta de formação crítica no contexto de educação técnica/tecnológica, numa análise que conta com as teorias dos novos letramentos e das novas tecnologias (NTICs) para a investigação da prática, compondo o quarto capítulo e da problematização da prática dessas teorias e respectivas perspectivas culturais no desenvolvimento de uma cidadania ativa, o que constitui o quinto capítulo. Ancorado nos movimentos educacionais contemporâneos, concluo afirmando que os novos letramentos, somados às práticas pedagógicas existentes nos ensinos técnicos/tecnológicos, podem colaborar com propostas educacionais renovadas. / The technical education and the technology/vocational education are at stake in government decisions and discussions. This research investigates the encounter between English language education and the technical and vocational education. Based on qualitative ethnographic methodologies, I analyze the discourses of two teachers and several students from two schools - a secondary level technical school and a faculty of technology both belonging to a technology educational institution in the State of São Paulo . Through this approach I seek to answer two main research questions: what is the perception of students and teachers from these schools in relation to the presence of English language in society? And how is the relationship between the English language and globalized neoliberal society reflected in technical/technology education, with regard to the premise of the necessity of critical education in today\'s society? Based on interpretations of data, this thesis argues that both schools have developed a pedagogical approach aimed at instrumental teaching at the same time as it focuses on citizenship and critical education. The contribution of this thesis is to suggest that these contexts provide spaces for change and that vocational education can contribute to students citizenship education, as indicated in its official orientations. I present this study in two parts. The first one comprises the introduction, the contextualization, the methodologies, and some theoretical roots of this research. The second part comprises the analysis of data intertwined with more theoretical grounding. In the first chapter, I discuss the influence of the neoliberal discourse on English language teaching and learning. In the second one, the interpretative analysis focuses on English language teaching and education in current society, in particular the notion of the global-local, or the glocal. In the third part I present an analysis based on a revisited critical pedagogy. I reflect upon some views of conventional/traditional pedagogy and critical pedagogy through English language education. The new literacies and new technologies (ICTs) are the focus of the fourth chapter. In the fifth and final chapter I reflect upon the concepts of culture and citizenship within foreign language education contexts. I understand that education, culture and citizenship should be in dialogue if they are to contribute to new teachings and new learnings. Based on contemporary educational movements, I conclude by stating that the new literacies, added to the existing pedagogical practices of this educational institution, might produce new educational proposals, which comprise the transformative dimensions of schooling.

This study investigates what preschool staff include in the technology subject in preschool education, what content they view as relevant and how the teaching of this content can be organized. This is motivated by the fact that technology as subject have not been clearly defined, leaving the teachers insecure and unconfident about what to teach and how to teach it. In addition, preschool do not have a tradition of addressing teaching and learning the way they are now obliged to do according to the curriculum and many studies have shown subject teaching to be a challenge in preschool. Thus, the preschool staff’s challenge is twofold regarding the teaching of technology. The aim is addressed by a mixed methods design, starting with questionnaires and followed by interviews with preschool staff (daycare attendants and preschool teachers). The questionnaire was completed by 102 preschool staff members and interviews were held with seven of these participants. A key results is that technology in preschool involves building and creating. Emphasized is that children should be offered much and varied materials and that it should be available in the environment and inspire creative activities. Another key result is that every-day use of artifacts is viewed as part of technology education. Children should learn to handle artifacts by using them, e.g. pulling up the zipper to close the jacket or cut with scissors. These are activities preschool have always engaged children in, which the staff now name technology. However, there are variations in the result and there are preschool staff members who express a more conscious teaching where children are able to learn about things like the purpose of technology, what parts an object consist of and how these parts are connected, and about technological systems, e.g. how the water get from the lake to the tap and how it is purified on the way. But there are also examples where technology activities are used as a means for working towards the striving goals of other areas, such as math, science and social behavior. Implications are that preschool staff need to develop their teaching in order to work in accordance with the curriculum. A relevant first step is to strengthen their content competence in technology, but also, they need tools for how to teach subject matter like technology in a practice characterized by children’s own choice and influence.

Submitted by Sandra Pereira (srpereira@ufrrj.br) on 2016-10-05T14:04:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2011 - Pedro Paulo Oliveira.pdf: 855841 bytes, checksum: 8daca2855c71433426197e9c804784e6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-05T14:04:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2011 - Pedro Paulo Oliveira.pdf: 855841 bytes, checksum: 8daca2855c71433426197e9c804784e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-30 / Secretaria de Educa??o Profissional e Tecnologica - Setec/MEC. / Social Representations are structures of individual knowledge that are shared and that enable a group understand the reality, to maintain their integrity and support their practices. This work had the purpose to know the Social Representations of Cacha?a and its relationship with the consumption of alcohol for students in the course of Technology in the Production of Cacha?a of Federal Institute of the North of Minas Gerais (IFNM) -Campus Salinas. Using the diagnosis of factors that had motivated these young people for this college course, to identifying if the consumption and the conceptions about cacha?a at these young people were affected by this college course, as well as the factors that the students has related for to drinking cacha?a as: occasions, friendship, the correlation with the family habits, the risks to health and social problems. The research was carried out in IFNMG, in the year 2010, with forty-eight students in the upper course of Technology in the Production of Cacha?a. It was consisted of three stages: 1- socioeconomic characteristics of students, with structured questions; 2- Evaluation of the knowledge of the students about cacha?a that understood the use of a Likert scale of five points; 3- Social representation of the cacha?a with roadmap built with open-ended questions, in order to encourage the discourse, and the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed by technique of the Collective Subject Discourse, on the basis of the theory of Social Representations, using the software Qualiquantisoft. Thus, it was found that the universe of the students presents a predominance of women (62.5 %) and the age range of 18 to 21 years old (56.2 % ). The majority (87 % ), concluded the middle school at a public school in regular course (90 %) and are living in an urban area (81 %) in the city of Salinas (86 % ). On the social representations for the consumption of alcohol, the students have attitudes predominantly unfavorable to the consumption of alcoholic beverages; they hadn't believe that the young people has drunk alcohol for "to feel sad or annoying" or "feel more integrated and identified with their group"; the motivation more favorable on the consumption of alcoholic beverages were "to relax or calm down the nerves" and "to feel more adults". In terms of Knowledge and Beliefs, the students believe that alcohol can cause physical dependence" and the consumption of cacha?a "helps to unwind/ encourage". It was verifie that the social representations of students about the properties and the consumption of alcoholic beverage and cacha?a, presents a great level of information and they has attitudes predominantly negative in relation to alcohol consumption. The representation to the attraction of the cacha?a from Salinas, it was found that "The fame of the cacha?a and the city" as the most prevalent among the answers. Therefore, for these students, the biggest attraction of cacha?a of Salinas maintains a direct correlation with the marketing that has been attributed to the cacha?a this region. However, they have believed on the factors of quality of the cacha?a once they showed an expressive representation in the categories involved in the production and quality as: "sensory attributes", "quality" and "manufacture craft". / As Representa??es Sociais s?o estruturas de conhecimento individuais, compartilhadas, que permitem a um grupo entender uma realidade, manter sua integridade, direcionar e fundamentar suas pr?ticas. Esta pesquisa teve como prop?sito conhecer as Representa??es Sociais da Cacha?a e a sua rela??o com o consumo de ?lcool para alunos do curso superior Tecn?logo em Produ??o de Cacha?a do no Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais (IFNM)-Campus Salinas, atrav?s do diagn?stico dos fatores que motivaram o ingresso desses jovens neste curso; identificando se o consumo de e as concep??es sobre cacha?a pelos jovens foram afetados pelo seu ingresso no curso, bem como os fatores que os alunos relacionam com ato de beber cacha?a como: ocasi?es, companhias, a correla??o com os h?bitos familiares, os riscos ? sa?de e problemas sociais. A pesquisa foi realizada no IFNMG, no ano de 2010, com quarenta e oito alunos do curso superior de Tecnologia em Produ??o de Cacha?a e consistiu de tr?s etapas: 1-a caracteriza??o socioecon?mica dos discentes com um roteiro estruturado; 2-a avalia??o do conhecimento dos alunos sobre cacha?a que compreendeu a utiliza??o de uma escala do tipo Likert de cinco pontos; 3- a pesquisa de representa??o social da cacha?a com roteiro constru?do com quest?es abertas, a fim de incentivar o discurso, sendo os discursos gravados, transcritos e analisados pela t?cnica do Discurso do Sujeito Coletivo, com base na teoria das Representa??es Sociais, utilizando o software Qualiquantisoft. Assim, verificou-se que o universo dos sujeitos do presente estudo apresenta um predom?nio de mulheres (62,5%) e a faixa et?ria de 18 a 21 anos de idade (56,2%). A sua maioria (87%), concluiu o ensino m?dio em escola p?blica, em curso regular (90%) e s?o residentes em ?rea urbana (81%) no munic?pio de Salinas (86%). Nas representa??es sociais sobre o consumo de ?lcool, os sujeitos desta pesquisa apresentam atitudes predominantemente desfavor?veis ao consumo de bebidas alco?licas; n?o acreditam que os jovens bebam por ?se sentirem tristes ou aborrecidos? ou para ?se sentirem mais integrados e identificados com o seu grupo?; as motiva??es mais favor?veis sobre o consumo de bebida alco?lica foram ?para relaxar ou acalmar os nervos? e ?para se sentirem mais adultos?. Quanto ao Conhecimento e Cren?as eles acreditam que o ?lcool ?pode causar depend?ncia f?sica? e o consumo de cacha?a ?ajuda a descontrair/ desinibir?.

This research was conducted to determine if students receiving complex systems instruction in the form of software simulations recognize patterns and underlying elements of complex systems more effectively than students receiving traditional instruction. Complex systems were investigated with an analytic (reductive) approach in a control group and with a synthesis approach in the treatment group. Exploration of this top-down approach to learning complex systems counters traditional bottom-up methodologies, investigating systems and subsystems at the component level. The hypothesis was that students experiencing complex systems scenarios in a computer-based learning environment would outperform their counterparts by constructing a greater number of explanations with emergent-like responses. A mixed method experimental, pretest posttest, control group triangulation design research study was designed for high school students enrolled in an Introduction to Technology and Engineering course. A pretest consisting of one open-ended near transfer problem and one far transfer problem was administered, investigating the generation of reductive (clockwork) and complex (emergent-like) mental models. A stratified sampling procedure was used to assign students to control or treatment groups. Following treatment, an analysis of covariance failed to reveal statistically significant evidence supporting the hypothesis. However, qualitative data in the form of student transcriptions, daily lab reports, and data entry worksheets revealed evidence of emergent-like response and behaviors.

The aim of this research study was to examine high school students' systems thinking when engaged in an engineering design challenge. This study included 12 high school students that were paired into teams of two to work through an engineering design challenge. These dyads were given one hour in their classrooms with access to a computer and engineering sketching paper to complete the design. Immediately following the design challenge, the students participated in a post hoc reflective group interview. The methodology of this study was informed by and derived from cognitive science's verbal protocol analysis. Multiple forms of data were gathered and triangulated for analysis. These forms included audio and video recordings of the design challenge and the interview, computer tracking, and student-generated sketches. The data were coded using Gero's FBS framework. These coded data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The transitions were further analyzed using measures of centrality. Additionally, qualitative analysis techniques were used to understand and interpret systems and engineering design themes and findings. Through the qualitative and quantitative analyses, it was shown that the students demonstrated thinking in terms of systems. The results imply that systems thinking can be part of a high school engineering curriculum. The students considered and explored multiple interconnected variables, both technical as well as nontechnical in nature. The students showed further systems thinking by optimizing their design through balancing trade-offs of nonlinear interconnected variables. Sketching played an integral part in the students' design process, as it was used to generate, develop, and communicate their designs. Although many of the students recognized their own lack of drawing abilities, they understood the role sketching played in engineering design. Therefore, graphical visualization through sketching is a skill that educators may want to include in their curricula. The qualitative analysis also shed light on analogical reasoning. The students drew from their personal experience in lieu of professional expertise to better understand and expand their designs. Hence, the implication for educators is to aid the students in using their knowledge, experience, and preexisting schemata to work through an engineering design.

<p>The thesis deals with how<strong> </strong>technology as a school subject is presented to the pupils in the Swedish compulsory school at junior high school level. The main focus is on how teachers work with the subject matter in teaching, which is on the level of <em>the</em> <em>enacted curriculum</em>. The official documents established by the national school authorities,<em> the intended curriculum</em>, and <em>the hidden curriculum</em> are both of special interest in the study. The hidden curriculum refers to possible, but not intended consequences of the enacted curriculum for pupils’ understanding of technology as a school subject. </p><p><em>          </em>The empirical analysis of the study is based on a narrative analysis on the one hand and the variation theory on the other. The empirical data collection consists of data from:<strong> </strong>(a) interviews with five teachers and (b) a series of classroom observations, covering an entire section of each teacher’s course of the subject matter.</p><p>          The data from the interviews with these teachers indicated that they understood the concept of technology as<strong> </strong>human made artefacts aiming to satisfy practical needs. When it came to the understanding of technology as a school subject the teachers differed between understanding the aim of the subject as to: (1) practice craftsmanship, (2) prepare the pupils for future careers as engineers, (3) illustrate science, (4) strengthen girls’ technical self-confidence and (5) get the pupils interested in technology in order to become inventors in the future. <strong></strong></p><p>The data from the classroom observations indicated that the teaching presented in technology gave the pupils the opportunity to develop three specific capabilities: (1) evaluate and test functionality, (2) be precise and accurate and (3) construct, build and mount. The three capabilities were possible to develop when accomplishing tasks of practical character. Results also indicated that technology as a school subject was taught in different ways depending on the teachers’ educational background, the physical learning environment and the size of the school class. Variation theory was applied as a tool in the analysis of the data from the classroom observations, i.e. the teachers’ ways of working with the subject matter. The analysis indicated that the most frequently used pattern of variation was ‘contrast’.  Through the contrast-variation the teachers managed to contrast better or worse alternatives of constructing and using artefacts. It can be argued that this pattern of variation, ‘contrast’, is the proper pattern when pupils are working with limited or expensive material.<strong></strong></p><p>          The overall conclusion of the study is that teachers’ interpretations of current intended curriculum and their choices of subject matter and teaching methods affect which abilities the pupils are<strong> </strong>offered to develop in technology as a school subject. Based on the results of the study it can be argued that the education and the teaching of technology lacks realism and the result is that technology as a school subject may be experienced by pupils as not very important. It is obvious that the school subject technology, as well as teaching in technology, in the Swedish compulsory school, demands more attention from the national school authorities, in order to develop the pupils’ understanding that technology as a subject is related to the future development of society and social welfare.<strong></strong></p><p> </p>

<p><font face="Times-Roman" size="3"><font face="Times-Roman" size="3"> <p align="left">The purpose of this study was therefore to address the following primary research question: &lsquo / What effect would a specially designed, developed, implemented and evaluated Material Science (MS) course have on serving teachers in terms of their perceptions and knowledge/understanding regarding content in MS and instructional practice in D&amp / T?&rsquo / </p> </font></font></p>

The purpose of this thesis is to describe and explain the influence of the Practical and Applied Arts on randomly selected comprehensive high school students. The research examined the history of the Practical and Applied Arts, the reasons for students taking the courses, the state of Practical and Applied Arts in Saskatchewan,the future of Practical and Applied Arts, the need for more research, and the effect the courses had on graduates career and education choices (over the ten-year period immediately following high school graduation). <p>Data were collected by an online questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The data were analyzed by the researcher. A seven member interpretation panel purposely chosen to represent four different profiles was used to interpret and provide meaning to the data.

Simulation video games potentially offer students the opportunity to participate in activities designed to bring about higher order thinking. Gee (2005b, 2007) elucidates that without the guidance of instructors, humans involved in a simulation experience have a high probability of finding creative but spurious patterns and generalizations that send learners down miseducative paths. The focus of this study is an examination of the function of instructor guided reflection and prior participant interest and exposure to video games in promoting affective and cognitive learning during participant use of single and multiplayer simulation video games in the classroom. One hundred twenty- eight students enrolled in World History classes at a suburban high school located in the Southeastern United States participated in this research study. Participants completed a survey of their interest and prior exposure to video games, played a tutorial of the simulation video game, played a single player or multiplayer version of the game with or without instructor guided reflection, and completed a posttest of reasoning and knowledge ability. The researcher used independent samples t tests, analysis of variance, and descriptive statistical analysis in combination with qualitative methods outlined by Miles and Huberman (1994) to analyze the data. Thomas (2003) described the mixed methodology used to analyze and interpret the data in this research study. Quantitative analysis of the data revealed that participants who engaged in both reflection and multiplayer groups scored significantly higher on posttest of reasoning ability at the .05 level. Furthermore, qualitative analysis revealed that participants in the multiplayer and reflection treatment groups were more likely to be engaged in the lesson, participate in more cognitive discussions, and made more connections to the large context of the lesson. Participants with a high level of prior interest in video games scored significantly higher on a posttest of reasoning ability at the .05 level of significance and were more likely to participate actively during the lesson. The findings from this study suggest the need for teaching educators to utilize reflective and collaborative practices in the incorporation of digital technology in the classroom.