For many organizations, efficiency in product development is a question of accel¬erating project operations and being innovative in products and technical solutions, and this has interesting consequences for project work. This thesis aims to study technical development work in project groups in order to identify factors that support innovativeness. In this thesis, innovativeness is defined as the ability of project groups to arrive at new ideas and solutions for technical problems, and their implementation. It is hoped that the studies in this thesis will contribute new knowledge in the product development research area, using complementary theories. This thesis is based on four case studies of product development projects, representing different types of industry. The cases involve the development of new, complex industrial products and are reported in four appended papers. The research reported in this thesis has primarily, but not exclusively, adopted a qualitative approach. The studies have shown that innovativeness is favored by project work characterized by lower levels of control, the continuous acquisition of knowledge and a sense of responsibility and interest in tasks, as well as a continuous formulation and definition of tasks and problems. In addition, project work characterized by commitment and interaction have also been found to be important for innovativeness. Three factors supporting innovativeness are presented. Interactive product utilization in work is an alternative to detailed planning in solving coordination needs and maintaining a system view within a project. Interactive control mechanisms are important because product specifications often need to be defined as the project progresses. An interactive social environment supports technical problem solving by providing opportunities for spontaneous interaction between project members. / QC 20101001

<p>The aim of the thesis was to investigate and analyze howproject members at operative level experience industrialproject work. The project goal, alongside the time limits,methods applied, and cooperation, were envisaged to set theprerequisites for the work situation. Four empirical studies,based on both qualitative and quantitative methods, areencompassed by this thesis. In total, 31 companies and 298respondents were involved in the studies. The studies wereperformed in product-development and construction settingswithin the mechanical engineering industry. The analysis showsthat project work is characterized by: 1) Goal-focusedcooperation in flexible and changeable work groups. Demandscompetence for cooperation; interaction and communicationconstantly adjusted to problem-solving processes; and jointactivities for goal definition. 2) Treating time as a resource.A fast pace of work demands shared responsibilities in a team;unconstrained interaction and communication; and socialsupport. Scarce time resources give rise to the risk ofneglecting needs for long-term knowledge development. 3)Development and insecurity. Development makes contingency-basedsupervision and planning needed, together with team-basedplanning and goal formulation. High levels of developmentstimulate knowledge and improvements to routines and practices.Technological development also entails insecurity, whichrequires the ability mentally to cope with flexibility andcontinuous adjustments.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Project organization, Project work, Projectmanagement, Project team, Product development, Constructionprojects, Psychosocial work environment.</p>

Magistro darbe analizuojamos Šiaulių miesto ikimokyklinių ugdymo įstaigų pedagogų nuostatos į projektinę veiklą. Atskleidžiamas jų požiūris į projektą. Išsiaiškinama kokių tikslų ir motyvų veikiami pedagogai dalyvauja projektinėje veikloje. Atskleidžiama išorinė ar vidinė motyvacija turi didesnę įtaką pedagogų pasirinkimui. Atlikta analizė rodo, jog pedagogai vieningiausiai rinkosi tokius tikslus ir motyvus, kurie atspindi jo vidinį siekį tobulinti esamą padėtį. Šiaulių ikimokyklinių ugdymo įstaigų pedagogams būdingos novatoriaus, ankstyvųjų diegėjų ir ankstyvosios daugumos novacijų diegėjų tipus apibūdinančios nuostatos. / The attitude of educators of Šiauliai preschool educational institutions towards the project work is analysed in the master’s thesis and their opinion towards the project work is revelled. It is ascertained which objectives and motives encouraged educators to participate in the project work. Revealed external or internal motivation influences educators’ choice more. The research shows that educators the most unitedly have chosen such aims and motives that reflect their inner will to improve the present situation. The attitude that describes the types of innovators, early adopters and early majority novations’ initiators is characteristic to educators of Šiauliai preschool educational institutions.

Atliekant tyrimą buvo siekiama atskleisti vyresnių klasių mokinių dalyvavimo projektinėje veikloje veiksnius, pagrindžiant šią veiklą kaip kūrybiškumo ugdymo prielaidą. Siekiant šio tikslo, buvo atlikta literatūros šaltinių analizė, kuri parodė, kad kūrybiškumas apibrėžiamas kaip polinkis į naują, originalią, novatorišką veiklą, modeliavimą ar mąstymą, kaip žmogaus gebėjimas atrasti naujus ir originalius sprendimus, daryti ką nors unikalaus, atrasti naujus darinius, naudotis platesne nei duota informacija, valdyti naujas situacijas. Nesant sąlygų kūrybiškumas gali ir nepasireikšti. Empirinis tyrimas atskleidė, kad popamokinė veikla – svarbi mokinių kūrybiškumo ugdymo forma, kurią mokiniai dažniausiai pasirenka patys. Apie papildomo ugdymo turinį mokiniai dažniausiai sužino iš bendraklasių, iš draugų. Tačiau dalyvauti projektuose dažniausiai skatina mokytojai. Konkursantai dažniau negu mokiniai skatina savo draugus dalyvauti popamokinėje veikloje. Mokinių ir konkursantų požiūris į popamokinę veiklą skiriasi. Mokiniai aktyviau dalyvauja mokykloje organizuojamoje popamokinėje veikloje negu konkursantai, nes turi daugiau laisvo laiko, nori geriau pasiruošti baigiamiesiems egzaminams. Mokinių ir konkursantų požiūriu yra svarbūs visi projektinės veiklos etapai. Sudėtingiausia – projekto vykdymo ir sklaidos veikla, kadangi taip mano šiek tiek daugiau nei pusė respondentų. Tačiau jie nesureikšmina projekto temos pasirinkimo etapo. Galima manyti, kad ne patys mokiniai ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Performing the research it was aimed to reflect the factors of higher grades schoolchildren’s participation in project work, understanding this activity as creativity encouragement premise. To achieve the aim the analysis of literature sources was performed. It showed that creativity is defined as turn for original and novel activity, modelling or thinking; as ability of people to find new, unusual solutions, discover novelties, use additional information, handle with unfamiliar situations. Without certain circumstances creativity might not develop. Empirical research revealed that extracurricular activities, which students usually choose themselves, are an important part of students’ creativity upbringing. Students usually learn about the content of extracurricular activities from their classmates or friends. However, those who encourage students to take part in project work are most often teachers. What is more, students participated in different kinds of contests inspire the others to join after-school classes. The view of the students who participated in different kinds of contests and those who did not on extracurricular activities is different. Non-participants are more actively involved into after-school activities because they have more free time and choose it as a way to prepare for school-leaving examinations. Both contests participants and non-participants claim that all the stages of project work are important. A bit more than a half of respondents think that the... [to full text]

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-07-08Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:13:18Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 biottofilho_d_me_rcla.pdf: 755829 bytes, checksum: 3171ce1fb6b62cf3c21a08142f4280a1 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / A presente pesquisa trata do desenvolvimento da matemacia no trabalho com projetos. A matemacia é entendida como um conhecimento matemático que contempla duas dimensões: uma técnica e outra sociopolítica. A dimensão técnica da matemacia envolve a habilidade de lidar com conceitos matemáticos. A dimensão sociopolítica da matemacia envolve aplicar esses conceitos em diferentes contextos e refletir sobre suas aplicações, avaliando o uso que se faz da Matemática. O foco dessa pesquisa está na dimensão sociopolítica da matemacia. O objetivo é investigar as possibilidades do trabalho com projetos para proporcionar reflexões sociais e políticas e entender o papel da Matemática nesse processo de reflexão. O cenário da coleta de dados foi um projeto configurado fora do contexto escolar, desenvolvido com um grupo de doze jovens e intitulado Planejamento Urbano. O grupo de orientadores do projeto foi formado por pesquisadores em Educação Matemática e pesquisadores da área de Geografia que são especialistas em administração urbana. As atividades desenvolvidas com o grupo de jovens envolveram explorar o tema através de jogos simuladores de tabuleiro e eletrônico, bem como investigar situações problemáticas na cidade de Rio Claro. A análise dos dados é feita com base em estudos teóricos sobre trabalho com projetos no âmbito educacional e educação matemática crítica. Os resultados trazem episódios do projeto em que é possível identificar discussões sociais e políticas que proporcionaram aos participantes: ampliar a compreensão sobre o planejamento urbano de uma cidade, tomar consciência da complexidade dos problemas explorados e do tipo de cidade em que vivem, entender que nem sempre a necessidade vai ser o fator principal que configurará as decisões tomadas em uma cidade, bem como encarar a Matemática como um auxílio para o poder de argumentação,... / The present research addresses the development of mathemacy through project work. Mathemacy is interpreted as a mathematical knowledge within two dimensions: a technical and a sociopolitical. The technical dimension of mathemacy includes a capacity to deal with mathematical notions. The sociopolitical dimension of mathemacy includes the application of such notions in different contexts and an evaluation of such uses of mathematics. The sociopolitical dimension of mathemacy is the focus of this research. The aim is to investigate the possibilities which project work provides for social and political reflections and understanding the role of mathematics in such processes of reflection. The scene for data collection was a project, called ‘City Planning’, established outside the school context, involving a group of twelve young people. The group of supervisors included researchers in mathematics education and researchers in geography with specialization in city administration. The activities developed with a group of young people included the exploration of themes from electronic and other games as well as real problems related to the city where they lived. The analysis of data is based on theoretical studies about project work in educations as well as in critical mathematics education. The result includes episodes from the project where it is possible to indentify discussions among the participants about social and political issues, like: broadening the understanding of city planning; becoming aware of the complexity of the explored problems of a city in which we are living; understanding that it is not necessarily always the principal factors which determines the decision that are taken; as well as seeing mathematics as a tool for strengthen argumentation, for understanding the situation, and for taking decisions and planning actions...(Complete abstract, click electronic access below)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:24:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-09-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:11:41Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 cattai_mds_me_rcla.pdf: 1823472 bytes, checksum: 29fc576e2938cea8acef40d1d4dd008e (MD5) / Fundesp / O objetivo desta pesquisa é discutir a formação dos professores de Matemática que trabalham com projetos e documentar a maneira da implementação desta proposta em sua prática. Sua relevância está no fato de que são muitas as recomendações e poucas as orientações para o desenvolvimento de projetos nas escolas. A inserção dos projetos nas aulas de Matemática visa a tratar problemas sociais e conteúdos curriculares de forma mais investigativa. Seus dados são provenientes de entrevistas com dez professores de Matemática os quais atuam no Ensino Fundamental ou Médio e de duas fichas preenchidas por eles. Seus relatos possibilitam identificar três formas diferentes de trabalhos com projetos: i) individualmente e por iniciativa própria; ii) por sugestão da escola, de forma fragmentada; iii) coletivamente. Não há indícios de que a formação inicial destes professores os tenha influenciado a trabalhar com projetos. Este preparo foi construído ao longo de suas carreiras, através da participação em cursos de formação continuada, da experiência com a prática e das interferências de suas características pessoais. Esta pesquisa poderá contribuir com sugestões aos professores que queiram desenvolver projetos e aos organizadores de cursos de formação de professores, além de alertar para a necessidade de reorganização da estrutura escolar. / The objective of this study is to discuss the education of mathematics teachers who work with projects and document the way this proposal is implemented in their teaching practice. Its relevance lies in the fact that the recommendations are many and guidance minimal regarding the development of projects in the schools. The aim of including projects in mathematics classes is to approach social problems and curriculum contents in a more investigative manner. The data are taken from interviews with ten elementary and high school mathematics teachers as well as two questionnaires filled out by each of them. It was possible to identify three different forms of working with projects: i) individually, by the teachers own initiative; ii) by the school s suggestion, in a fragmented manner; iii) collectively. There are no indications that the initial education of these teachers influenced them to work with projects. This preparation was built during their careers through participation in continuing education courses, practical experience, and interferences in their personal characteristics. This study can contribute suggestions to teachers who want to develop projects and to organizers of courses for teachers, in addition to calling attention to the need to reorganize the school structure.

Orientador: Miriam Godoy Penteado / Banca: Rosana Giaretta Sguerra Miskulin / Banca: Maria Elizabeth Bianconcini Trindade Morato Pinto de Almeida / Resumo: O objetivo desta pesquisa é discutir a formação dos professores de Matemática que trabalham com projetos e documentar a maneira da implementação desta proposta em sua prática. Sua relevância está no fato de que são muitas as recomendações e poucas as orientações para o desenvolvimento de projetos nas escolas. A inserção dos projetos nas aulas de Matemática visa a tratar problemas sociais e conteúdos curriculares de forma mais investigativa. Seus dados são provenientes de entrevistas com dez professores de Matemática os quais atuam no Ensino Fundamental ou Médio e de duas fichas preenchidas por eles. Seus relatos possibilitam identificar três formas diferentes de trabalhos com projetos: i) individualmente e por iniciativa própria; ii) por sugestão da escola, de forma fragmentada; iii) coletivamente. Não há indícios de que a formação inicial destes professores os tenha influenciado a trabalhar com projetos. Este preparo foi construído ao longo de suas carreiras, através da participação em cursos de formação continuada, da experiência com a prática e das interferências de suas características pessoais. Esta pesquisa poderá contribuir com sugestões aos professores que queiram desenvolver projetos e aos organizadores de cursos de formação de professores, além de alertar para a necessidade de reorganização da estrutura escolar. / Abstract: The objective of this study is to discuss the education of mathematics teachers who work with projects and document the way this proposal is implemented in their teaching practice. Its relevance lies in the fact that the recommendations are many and guidance minimal regarding the development of projects in the schools. The aim of including projects in mathematics classes is to approach social problems and curriculum contents in a more investigative manner. The data are taken from interviews with ten elementary and high school mathematics teachers as well as two questionnaires filled out by each of them. It was possible to identify three different forms of working with projects: i) individually, by the teachers’ own initiative; ii) by the school’s suggestion, in a fragmented manner; iii) collectively. There are no indications that the initial education of these teachers influenced them to work with projects. This preparation was built during their careers through participation in continuing education courses, practical experience, and interferences in their personal characteristics. This study can contribute suggestions to teachers who want to develop projects and to organizers of courses for teachers, in addition to calling attention to the need to reorganize the school structure. / Mestre

Orientador: Miriam Godoy Penteado / Banca: Rosana Giaretta Sguerra Miskulin / Banca: Telma Aparecida de Souza Gracias / Resumo: O objetivo dessa pesquisa é identificar aspectos importantes da inserção da tecnologia informática nos programas de formação inicial de professores de Matemática. Utilizando uma abordagem de pesquisa qualitativa, de caráter interpretativo, foi realizada uma investigação sobre o uso da Internet no contexto de um trabalho com projetos, dentro do estágio supervisionado do Curso de Ciências - Habilitação em Matemática da Faculdade Estadual de Educação, Ciências e Letras de Paranavaí - Paraná. Os resultados do trabalho destacam duas situações: a primeira mostrando o que ocorre quando os futuros professores atuam como usuários de alguns recursos da Internet, compreendendo-a como um espaço a ser explorado; a segunda apresenta os sentimentos e impressões dos futuros professores quando atuam como autores, produzindo e divulgando informações na Internet, vista então, como um espaço a ser habitado. A análise dos dados apresenta algumas possibilidades e desafios que as tecnologias digitais trazem para a formação inicial de professores de Matemática, especialmente quando se articulam ao trabalho com projetos. / Abstract: The objective of this research is to identify important aspects of introducing information technology into mathematics teacher education programs. Using a qualitative research approach, of an interpretive nature, an investigation was conducted regarding the use of the Internet in the context of a project work, in a supervised traineeship in the Sciences Program - Qualification in Mathematics, of the State College of Education, Sciences, and Letters of Paranavaí, in the state of Paraná. The results of the study highlight two situations: the first demonstrates what occurs when future teachers act as users of some Internet resources, understanding it as a space to be explored; the second presents the feelings and impressions of future teachers when they act as authors, producing and disclosing information on the Internet, seen then as a space to be inhabited. The data analysis presents some possibilities and challenges offered by digital technologies for the education of future mathematics teachers, especially when they are linked with project work. / Mestre

This thesis explores children’s and pedagogues’ participation in project work in a Swedish preschool inspired by the pedagogical philosophy of Reggio Emilia and its associated participatory agenda. The overall aim is to investigate how children are involved in the shaping of project work in everyday interactions. The study examines how children’s participation and involvement in project work, as it unfolds over time, is organized and negotiated in interaction; what children and pedagogues are oriented to and what communicative, embodied, visual, and material resources that are used. The empirical material was collected during a six months long video ethnographic study among four to five years old children. The video recordings and field notes collected during participant observations are analyzed from an ethnomethodological and a socio-cultural perspective. The study sheds light on how both children and pedagogues are active agents in the constitution of project work and the various communicative and material resources that they draw upon when participating in project work. The findings highlight how the pedagogues work to create conditions for children’s participation and how this work is intimately connected to and dependent on children’s agency. Moreover, it is shown that the pedagogues are creating conditions to facilitate children’s participation through various activities that at first glance appear as controlling. Among other things the pedagogues vary how wide ranging content is allowed. When participating in project work the children are treated and act as competent. They relate to tasks as active subjects and participatory agents in that they coordinate various resources to solve problems and to create products. In their interpretations and reinterpretations of a given task, the children take into account as well the pedagogues’ instructions as their own and other children’s interests. / Forskarskolan: Globalisering, literacy och utforskande lärprocesser: Förskolebarns språk, läsande, skrivande och matematiserande

The purpose of the study was to examine how teachers and children interpreted the project and understood its values. To this end, it was necessary to focus on four defining parameters which affect the investigation: structure of pre-school project work, content and delivery, the methods used by teachers during the project, which pedagogical documentation was used (and how), and how the project determined the approach, the curriculum goals and values. Using a qualitative approach, regular unsystematic observations were made over five days, during which three teachers, two pedagogues, two pre-school teachers, and one nanny from the same kindergarten were interviewed regarding children in three age groups: 1-2 years old, 3 years old, and 4-5 years old. The results of my investigation showed that the teachers were divided on how to apply the project as a working method. Children's active role in the pre-school project varied depending on the extent to which teachers adopted children perspective in everyday practice. The teachers used the documentation to evaluate, make visible processes of learning in children and reflect on the educational work of the projects. / Reggio Emilia