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This research involved an in-depth and holistic investigation into the use of Internet technologies in high school classrooms. Specifically, it combined studies of the physical and psychosocial learning environments operating within these 'technological settings' and investigated interactions among the selected physical and psychosocial factors in influencing students' satisfaction with their learning. Further, the study described how both the physical and psychosocial domains may effectively enable, or alternatively, constrain the teaching methodologies used in these classrooms. The study involved two phases of investigation. The first phase involved a broad examination of the learning environment as measured with a questionnaire containing items measuring aspects of the psychosocial learning environment and with ergonomic site evaluations using a specially designed worksheet and inventory for computerised classrooms. In the second phase of the study, interactions among the physical and psychosocial variables in these measures were explored through the use of selected and detailed case studies from the original sample. Case studies included a more detailed assessment of the physical classroom environment in tandem with classroom observations and student/teacher interviews. The study was conducted in Australian and Canadian secondary schools and so, offers additional insights in the different approaches to technology implementation and teaching practice. The results of the study reveal a number of statistically significant and independent associations between physical and psychosocial factors and further, between psychosocial factors and students' satisfaction with learning. These findings were complemented by similar qualitative findings from the case studies. These quantitative and qualitative results were used to inform a model for educational productivity for ++ / computerised classrooms. The model includes a number of important physical and psychosocial factors which when considered together, may influence student attitudes (and potentially other outcomes) in emerging networked and computerised learning environments.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which Constructivist Learning Environment (CLE) aspects exist in primary level 4th and 5th grade Science and Technology Courses in Turkey as perceived by students and their teachers. Secondly, the study aimed at finding out whether perceptions of students on CLE differ according to certain demographic variables. Finally, the study attempted to explore the extent to which the perceptions of teachers on administrative support have a relationship with their perceptions on CLE. Subjects of the study involved 1143 primary level 4th and 5th grade students in Turkey during 2006-2007 school year from 6 socio-economic development groups as determined by State Planning Department and their 264 teachers. Data were collected in 2006-2007 Spring semester through administration of two questionnaires to the students and the teachers. Data analysis was carried out through both quantitative (repeated measures ANOVA, frequencies, means, standard deviations, MANOVA) and qualitative analysis techniques. The results of the study indicated that students and teachers perceived the current learning environment to be often constructivist. In addition, the results revealed that perception of CLE differed according to socio economic status and technology use of students. Lastly, the results revealed that there is a significant but low correlation between teachers&rsquo / perceptions on CLE and their perceptions on administrative support they received. The results revealed that students should be provided with more facilities and teachers be provided with more in-service training opportunities.

This study aims to identify the effect of using the blended learning method on students' academic achievement and satisfaction level in a university course for female student teachers who follow the General Teaching Method Course (304) at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. The content of the course (304) was based on the five stages of the ADDIE instructional design model, comprising five phases: (1) Analysis, (2) Design, (3) Development, (4) Implementation, and (5) Evaluation. The research questions of the study can be summarised in two main questions: 1. What is the effect of using the method of blended learning in the General Teaching Method Course (304) on students’ academic achievement, compared to using face–to–face approaches to learning alone? 2. What is the effect of using the method of blended learning in the General Teaching Method Course (304) on students’ satisfaction, compared to using face–to-face approaches to learning alone? The researcher answered these questions through a mixed method research approach using the Explanatory Sequential Design, in order to determine the nature and objectives of the study. In this, the researcher started with the collection and analysis of quantitative data (using a quasi-experimental approach), which has priority for addressing the two research questions, and then followed this with the collection and analysis of qualitative data (using group interviews) to help explain the quantitative results. The researcher identified the study sample as 96 female students’ teachers at the College of Basic Education in Kuwait. The sample consisted of a first experimental group (n= 39)who followed the General Teaching Method Course (304) by blended learning using virtual learning environment (VLE) of Blackboard, a second experimental group (n=31) who followed the course (304) by blended learning using personal learning environment (PLE) of Facebook, and the control group (n= 26) who followed the course (304) using face-to-face approaches to learning alone. The dependent variables were academic achievement (as assessed in the course’s midterm, final and practical exams) and students’ satisfaction (as assessed by the questionnaire, giving a total mark and 3 sub-marks in reference to the students’ satisfaction about the teaching method of the course, the content of the course, and the instructor's support during the course). When answering the first question of the research, the study found that there was a significant difference in both mid-term and final tests between the first experimental group (studying through the blended learning method using VLE of Blackboard) and the control group (studying through face-to-face learning alone). However, there was no significant difference in both mid-term and final tests between the second experimental group (studying through the blended learning method using PLE of Facebook) and the control group. And there was also no significant difference in the practical test between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group. When answering the second question of the research, the study found that there was a significant difference in the teaching method dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group. And there was also a significant difference in the instructor’s support dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the first experimental group and the control group, but no significant difference was found between the second experimental group and the control group. There was also no significant difference in the course content dimension of the satisfaction questionnaire between the two experimental groups (each separately) and the control group.

Nowadays, in the new era of technology, everything needs to be updated, which represents a new challenge to education to adapt to the developments in technology. Moreover, due to the gap of theory separating practices in business schools, it is becoming obvious that the Universities can hardly help students to acquire experience. Due to this problem, business schools can limit the potential of students’ success. This study examines the efficiency of technology use in class as well as outside of the classroom. This was done by interviewing five teachers within different areas of teaching in Jönköping International Business School. The results show that there are many aspects that need to be considered such as policy, teacher development, the development of the virtual learning environment and other technological improvements, before applying technology in flipped classroom. / Den nya eran av teknik i dagens samhälle gör att allt måste uppdateras. Detta utgör en ny utmaning för utbildningen som bör anpassa sig till denna tekniska utveckling. Dessutom, som en följd av det teoretiska gapet som separeras från praxis i handelshögskolor är det tydligt att universiteten knappast kan hjälpa studenter att skaffa sig underförstådd kunskap. På grund av det här problemet kan handelshögskolor begränsa potentialen av studentens framgång. Däremot visar vår forskning att användningen av tekniken i det flippade klassrummet kan bidra till att förbättra situationen. Denna studie undersöker effektiviteten i teknikanvändning i klassrummet såväl som utanför klassrummet genom att intervjua fem lärare inom olika områden av undervisning på Jönköping Internationella Handels Högskola. Resultaten visar att det är många aspekter som bör beaktas, såsom policy, utvecklingsarbete av lärare, utveckling av VLE i tillägg till andra tekniska förbättringar, innan man applicerar tekniken i det flippade klassrummet.

Syftet med den här studien är att bidra med kunskap om hur social, pedagogisk och fysisk lärmiljö är utformad i grundsärskolans klassrum. Utifrån syftet besvaras tre frågeställningar: Hur är den sociala lärmiljön utformad, hur är den pedagogiska lärmiljön utformad och hur är den fysiska lärmiljön utformad? Studien bygger på tolv observationer i fyra klassrum på tre grundsärskolor. Observationerna har sin grund i ett observationsschema som är skapat utifrån de tankar SPSM har i Värderingsverktyg för tillgänglig utbildning – förskola, skola och fritidshem (2018). Syftet med mitt observationsschema var att kunna registrera om mina observationspunkter förekom och i vilken utsträckning de i så fall användes. Observationsschemat innehöll tre teman/bedömningsområden. De bedömningsområden som användes var fysisk miljö, social miljö och pedagogisk miljö. Under varje område fanns det bedömningspunkter och inom det pedagogiska fanns det tre frågor som hade skattningsskalor som var graderade från hela tiden, oftast, sällan och aldrig. Resultaten visar att den sociala lärmiljön var utformad kring de vuxna. Det fanns aktiviteter som möjliggjorde relationer och skapade gemenskap i klassrummen. Lärarna fick alla att vara delaktiga i den sociala kontexten. Dock saknades det möjligheter för eleverna att interagera med varandra.  Den pedagogiska lärmiljön var till största delen uppbyggd på och kring aktiviteter som främjade delaktigheten. Den sociala och kommunikativa delen fick stort utrymme. Dock saknades det struktur och det fanns brister i att anpassa undervisningen och individanpassat material. Resultaten i den fysiska lärmiljön visar på två olika sidor. Den ena sidan handlar om mindre justeringar och byggnationer som lärare och hantverkare kan åtgärda vilket är gjort i de flesta klassrummen. Den andra sidan visar stora brister som kräver stora ombyggnationer av lokalerna. / The purpose of this study is to contribute with knowledge on how social, pedagogical and physical learning environments in classrooms are designed in schools for persons with an intellectual disability. Based on this purpose the aim is to answer three different questions: How is the social learning environment designed? How is the pedagogical learning environment designed? and How is the physical learning environment designed? The study is based on twelve observations in four classrooms in three different schools. The observations follows an observation schedule based on the thoughts of SPSM in ”Värderingsverktyg för tillgänglig utbildning-förskola, skola och fritidshem” (2018). The purpose of my observation schedule was to observe which, if any, of the tools were used and to what extent. The observation schedule contained three schedules/assessment areas. The assessment areas were physical environment, social environment and pedagogical environment. Each area included assessment points and the pedagogical area contained three questions with rating scales from “all the time”, “often”, “not so often” and “never”.  Results show that the social learning environment is structured around adults. There were activities facilitating relationships and fellowship in the classrooms. All the teachers were able to engage in the social context. However, students lacked opportunities to interact with each other.  The pedagogical learning environment was to a large extent composed of and based around activities that promoted participation. Social interactions and communication figured prominently. There was however a lack of structure, of adapting teaching and provision of personalised teaching material. Results of the physical learning environment is displayed over two pages. One is about possible minor adjustments and additions that teachers and craftsmen could implement, although such adjustments and additions have been implemented in a majority of the classrooms. On a final note, there is one environment that have major shortcomings and that is the physical environment. This environment demands for major reconstructions of school premises.

This study aims to explore Swedish upper secondary students’ attitudes toward first language (L1) use in a second language (L2) English learning environment. In addition, it aims to explore the functions of L1 use. Through a qualitative approach with both observations and interviews, a pattern of L1 use was noticed. The results corroborate prior research on student attitudes and show that students are positive toward L1 use. Swedish students tend to use their L1 through translanguaging and codeswitching as a tool for understanding, and as a way to establish relationships. In other words, L1 use needs to be considered a natural part of their L2 learning environment, even though they also understand the importance of exposure to and use of English in the classroom in order to become proficient in it. The students’ attitudes thus challenge the monolingual approach that is predominantly used in Swedish upper secondary schools today.

Very little has been done to define the process of clinical learning in Malawi and yet anecdotal observations reveal that it is more challenging than classroom teaching and learning. This set the impetus for this hermeneutic phenomenological study, the aim being to gain an understanding of the nature of the clinical learning experience for undergraduate students in Malawi and to examine their clinical experiences against some experiential learning models (Kolb 1984; Jarvis et al 1998). The study setting was Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) and the sample was selected purposively and consisted of 30 undergraduate students who were recruited through volunteering. Conversational interviews were conducted to obtain students’ accounts of their clinical learning experience and an eclectic framework guided the phenomenological analysis. The study raises issues which relate to nursing education and nursing practice in Malawi. From an experiential learning perspective, the study reveals that clinical learning for KCN students is largely non-reflective. The study primarily reveals that the clinical learning experience is enormously challenging and stressful due to structural problems prevalent in the clinical learning environment (CLE). In some clinical settings the CLE appears hostile and oppressive due to negative attitudes which some of the clinical staff display towards KCN students. Consequently, students’ accounts depict emotionally charged situations which confront them and this illustrates that clinical learning for KCN students is an experience suffused with emotions. In literature issues on emotions are commonly discussed under emotional labour (Hochschild 1983) and I used the concept as a basis for my pre-understandings and interpreted the students’ accounts of their clinical learning experience against such a conceptual framework. What resonated from their narratives was the depth of the emotion work they engage in. This enabled me to arrive at a new and unique conceptualisation of clinical learning redefined in terms of emotional labour within the perspective of nurse learning in Africa. The findings are a unique contribution to the literature on emotions and provide essential feedback which forms the basis for improving clinical learning in Malawi.

From the point of departure of a literacy perspective the aim of this study is to, examine how preschool teachers form and stage a learning environment that facilitates the language development of preschool children. The focus of our study is to explore how preschool teachers stress the importance of the learning environment when it comes to furthering language development and to examine the literacy events staged by preschool teachers. Our study is based on qualitative interviews with four preschool teachers working in different areas of Stockholm. One of the preschools participate in a language project. The other preschools are without alignment. We have also carried out observations in preschool environments, in order to examine the possibilities for preschool children to develop their language skills. To analyse our results we have used a literacy perspective where literacyevent is a central concept. The result of our study demonstrates that preschool teachers create possibilities for preschool children to become familiar with language in many different ways. Specifically prominent is bookreading, narrative, signs and symbols. The preschool which took part in a language projekt differed from the other as this preschool worked more consciously with books and narrative to support childrens literacy competense. The environment of this preschool also stands out from the other preschools whereby the promotion of language can be observed in all parts of the environment. It was shown both in the placement of the books and in how the preschool teachers talked about the importance of the books. The result of our study shows that all preschool teachers are very conscious of how childrens language can be promoted. However, the results also brings to light that not all teachers are as conscious of this when it comes to how to promote writing in the youngest children in the preschool. The results of our interviews reveal that preschool teachers consciously work in many different ways to promote language development for preschoolers from a literacy perspective. They are, however, not aware of the term literacy in relation to written language.

Student Number : 0317159E - MSc(Nursing) research report - School of Therapeutics - Faculty of Health Sciences / The learning environment and supervision in clinical placement play an important role in nursing education. The purpose of this study was to describe the opinions of student nurses with regard to the clinical learning environment and supervision at Malamulo Hospital, Malawi. A quantitative descriptive design was used. Data were collected from nursing students at Malamulo College of Health Science using the Clinical Learning Environment Scale (CLES) comprising structured questions. The questionnaire was administered to the total population of students (N=84) and the response rate was 87% (n=73). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Relationships between variables were determined by using Fisher’s exact test and the t-test. The findings revealed that the majority of the participants were satisfied with their clinical learning environment and supervision in their latest clinical placement. Particularly, they were satisfied with the relationship that prevailed between students and members of nursing staff, feedback they received from their supervisors, the nursing care given to patients and the quality of learning opportunities. However, it was determined that nurse teachers did not regularly supervise students and also that some students were not clear about the nursing philosophy of their wards. Ward familiarization processes were not well planned as indicated by about a third of the participants. More than one third also indicated that the learning situations were not sufficient and not meaningful. While 73.98 % indicated that they received constructive feedback from their supervisors, about half of the participants indicated that the feedback was not given continuously.The majority (67.76%) of the participants experienced team supervision as opposed to individual supervision. Therefore it is recommended that nurse teachers increase the number of visits to the wards when students are in clinical placement to improve quality of clinical learning. The nursing college may need to have specific clinical instructors who are trained in clinical supervision and who will be available for students in the clinical placements regularly. The ward managers and the nursing staff need to clarify and display their ward nursing philosophy so that both nurses and students can have a common understanding and common goal in the provision of nursing care. It is also recommended that feedback be given to students continuously to enhance learning.