This study aimed to investigate elementary school EFL teachers¡¦ use of scaffolding strategies for enhancing EFL students¡¦ cognitive engagement, and to examine whether the teachers¡¦ beliefs correspond to their strategy use. The three main focuses of the study included: 1) the types of scaffolding strategies used by elementary English teachers to enhance EFL students¡¦ cognitive engagement; 2) the processes of using these scaffolding strategies; 3) the teachers¡¦ beliefs in using these scaffolding strategies. The present study utilized an exploratory-explanatory case study design. Two elementary English teachers participated in this study. Data were collected from interviews and classroom observations during late-August to mid-October 2007. The researcher carried out all the interviews and classroom observations after she got the two teachers¡¦ permission to participate in this study. Five hours of interviews and eleven hours of classroom observations were collected from one teacher, while one and a half hours of interviews and nine hours of classroom observations were collected from the other. The interview data were audio-taped and then transcribed word by word. The classroom observation data were video-taped, and the useful parts were transcribed word by word. The researcher adopted constant comparative method and the template approach for data analysis. The process of data analysis with the use of constant comparative method included categorizing the types of scaffolding strategies from the collected data and analyzing the two elementary English teachers¡¦ beliefs of using scaffolding strategies. In addition, Gallimore and Tharp¡¦s (1990) six teaching strategies were used as a template to confirm that there was no missing code in the data analysis process. The three major findings of this study are as the following: 1) the two elementary English teachers in this study believed that cognitive engagement is classified into three categories: attention, memory, and critical thinking; 2) the two elementary English teachers in this study used scaffolding strategies in different ways to help students achieve different categories of cognitive engagement; 3) the two elementary English teachers¡¦ different beliefs of cognitive engagement played an important role in their use of scaffolding strategies, and they guided students to achieve different levels of cognitive engagement in class based on their beliefs. The findings of the present study, in general, respond to EFL teachers¡¦ perceptions of ZPD (Vygotsky, 1978) and scaffolding (Wood, Bruner, & Rose, 1976) which pointed out the importance of teacher¡¦s role in assisting students¡¦ second language learning. The expected findings discussed are as the following: 1) similar scaffolding strategies for enhancing students¡¦ cognitive engagement found in the present study were recognized in previous studies; 2) teachers¡¦ beliefs played an important role in teachers¡¦ use of scaffolding strategies. Unexpected, or interesting findings discussed are as the following: 1) one teacher in the present study believed that cognitive engagement was a sequential concept; 2) the two teachers in the present study showed different perceptions of the role of EFL teacher in initiating students¡¦ critical thinking; 3) The two teachers in the present study were not aware that students could be active listeners or learners in class; 4) The two teachers in the present study put more emphasis on students¡¦ memory of vocabulary and sentences than on critical thinking. Three pedagogical implications are suggested in this study: 1) Elementary English teachers need to be aware that critical thinking of some students¡¦ might need assistance from teachers; 2) elementary English teachers need to be aware that step-by-step assistance is more likely to help students achieve critical thinking; 3) teacher education should provide related courses about cognitive engagement, and practice teachers should learn how to assist students in engaging cognitively in English class. Finally, this study suggests three directions for further research: 1) the future study should investigate on teachers¡¦ beliefs or perspectives on using scaffolding strategies in class; 2) the future study should take students¡¦ perspectives into account to identify the effectiveness of scaffolding strategies in enhancing EFL students¡¦ cognitive engagement; 3) the future study should take parents¡¦ expectation or perceptions of English teaching into account to investigate how parents¡¦ expectations and feedback influence teachers¡¦ scaffolding strategies.

English reading comprehension is an educational challenge worldwide. This study investigated how Grade 2 teachers teach English reading comprehension to First Additional Language (FAL) learners at three selected independent schools in Gauteng where the language of learning and teaching (LoLT) is English. Three English medium independent schools in Gauteng, South Africa participated in the study. The participants at each research site consisted of Grade 2 teachers (main participants) and Grade 2 learners (secondary participants). Grade 2 teachers were selected purposively on the criteria that they had taught for more than two years and were teaching English reading comprehension to Grade 2 FAL learners. This study followed a qualitative approach, and was situated within the interpretivist paradigm. The research design accommodated a case study. The conceptual framework was based on the revised taxonomy by Krathwohl and Anderson for questioning which integrated the role of the teacher in a reading lesson. The three stages of reading, before reading, during reading and after reading were divided into the different levels of thinking and reasoning as suggested in Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) theory. The data collection strategies were semi-structured interviews with Grade 2 teachers; observing reading lessons they gave; and keeping a journal in which personal reflections on the investigation into teaching and learning practices were documented. Once data was collected, the recordings of the semi-structured interviews were transcribed. The observation checklists and the reflection journal entries were analysed. Data was analysed using a coding process and five themes and twelve sub-themes emerged. The findings show that the interactive approach was common in the teaching of English reading comprehension. However, parental involvement, the availability of the trained teachers and appropriate resources were necessary. A learner's individual reading needs and reasoning ability have to be considered through the use of differentiated teaching practices. Questioning throughout the reading process improves a learner's understanding of the text. / Die leesbegrip van Engels is 'n wêreldwye uitdaging. Hierdie studie het ondersoek hoe Graad 2-onderwysers onderrig in leesbegrip in Engels aan leerders van Engels as Eerste Addisionele Taal gee by drie uitgesoekte onafhanklike skole in Gauteng waar die taal van leer en onderrig (TLO) Engels is. Drie onafhanklike Engelsmediumskole in Gauteng, Suid-Afrika het aan die studie deelgeneem. By elke skool was die deelnemers Graad 2-onderwysers (hoofdeelnemers) en Graad 2-leerders (sekondêre deelnemers). Graad 2-onderwysers is doelbewus gekies op grond van die kriterium dat hulle langer as twee jaar onderrig gegee het en ten tye van die studie Graad 2-EAT-leerders onderrig het. Die studie volg 'n kwalitatiewe benadering binne die interpretivistiese paradigma. Die navorsingsontwerp behels 'n gevallestudie. Die konseptuele raamwerk is gebaseer op Krathwohl en Anderson se hersiene taksonomie van vraagstelling wat die onderwyser se rol in 'n leesles integreer. Die drie leesstadia voor, gedurende en na lees word in die verskillende vlakke van lees en redenering verdeel, soos wat in Vygotsky se teorie van die Sone van Naaste Ontwikkeling (ZPD) aan die hand gedoen word. As dataversamelingstrategieë is semigestruktureerde onderhoude met Graad 2-onderwysers gevoer, lesse waargeneem en 'n joernaal gehou waarin persoonlike besinning oor die ondersoek van onderrig- en leerpraktyke gedokumenteer is. Na dataversameling is die opnames van die semigestruktureerde onderhoude getranskribeer. Die waarnemings-kontrolelyste en die inskrywings in die besinningsjoernaal is ontleed. Data is met behulp van 'n koderingsproses ontleed, wat vyf temas en twaalf subtemas na vore gebring het. Daar is bevind dat die interaktiewe benadering algemeen in die onderrig van leesbegrip van Engels gebruik word. Die betrokkenheid van ouers, beskikbaarheid van opgeleide onderwysers en geskikte hulpbronne was egter noodsaaklik. Leerders se individuele leesbehoeftes en redeneringsvermoë moet by wyse van gedifferensieerde onderrigpraktyke in aanmerking geneem word. Leerders se begrip van die teks verbeter wanneer vrae in die loop van die leesproses gestel word. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Early Childhood Education / MEd / Unrestricted

According to The Swedish Schools Inspectorate’s (2014) quality review, technology subject is all too often characterized by practical work that does not illustrate the theory. In this study, the theory is used to describe the practical work in technology teaching. The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge of how practical problem solving together with oral interaction affects students’ understanding of the theory behind the water tower as a technical system. Previous research shows how oral interaction strengthens students’ learning through the zone of proximal development (ZPD). When Students work in groups they can use each other’s knowledge and together support each other to reach a new development zone. Through group collaboration, they also increase their skills in practical problem solving through oral interaction and exchange of knowledge.  The methods in the study are design study, observation with observation schedule and observation with video analysis. The teaching approach in the design study is based on the students’ understanding of the theory behind the water tower as a technical system with the help of practical work in groups. The design of the design study is based on students in year six having to understand the theory behind the water tower by constructing a water tower themselves. The results of the study shows that students in year six through our approach to technology teaching are given the opportunity for a gradual increase of knowledge acquisition. The gradually increasing of understanding is based on the students developing from initially lacking knowledge of the water tower as a technical system in level one and in level four the students understanding how the different technical systems work together. The results shows that this way of working is a good addition to the existing technology teaching, with a focus on the theoretical knowledge in the technology subject.

L’approche d’apprentissage par problèmes (APP) a vu le jour, dans sa forme contemporaine, à la Faculté de médecine de l’Université MacMaster en Ontario (Canada) à la fin des années 1960. Très rapidement cette nouvelle approche pédagogique active, centrée sur l’étudiant et basée sur les problèmes biomédicaux, va être adoptée par de nombreuses facultés de médecine de par le monde et gagner d’autres disciplines. Cependant, malgré ce succès apparent, l’APP est aussi une approche controversée, notamment en éducation médicale, où elle a été accusée de favoriser un apprentissage superficiel. Par ailleurs, les étudiants formés par cette approche réussiraient moins bien que les autres aux tests évaluant l’acquisition des concepts scientifiques de base, et il n’a jamais été prouvé que les médecins formés par l’APP seraient meilleurs que les autres. Pour mieux comprendre ces résultats, la présente recherche a voulu explorer l’apprentissage de ces concepts scientifiques, en tant que processus de construction, chez des étudiants formés par l’APP, à la Faculté de médecine de l’Université de Montréal, en nous appuyant sur le cadre théorique socioconstructivisme de Vygotski. Pour cet auteur, la formation des concepts est un processus complexe de construction de sens, en plusieurs étapes, qui ne peut se concevoir que dans le cadre d’une résolution de problèmes. Nous avons réalisé une étude de cas, multicas, intrasite, les cas étant deux groupes de neuf étudiants en médecine avec leur tuteur, que nous avons suivi pendant une session complète de la mi-novembre à la mi-décembre 2007. Deux grands objectifs étaient poursuivis: premièrement, fournir des analyses détaillées et des matériaux réflectifs et théoriques susceptibles de rendre compte du phénomène de construction des concepts scientifiques de base par des étudiants en médecine dans le contexte de l’APP. Deuxièmement, explorer, les approches de travail personnel des étudiants, lors de la phase de travail individuel, afin de répondre à la question de recherche suivante : Comment la dynamique pédagogique de l’APP en médecine permet-elle de rendre compte de l’apprentissage des concepts scientifiques de base? Il s’agissait d’une étude qualitative et les données ont été recueillies par différents moyens : observation non participante et enregistrement vidéo des tutoriaux d’APP, interview semi-structuré des étudiants, discussion avec les tuteurs et consultation de leurs manuels, puis traitées par diverses opérations: transcription des enregistrements, regroupement, classification. L’analyse a porté sur des collections de verbatim issus des transcriptions, sur le suivi de la construction des concepts à travers le temps et les sessions, sur le role du tuteur pour aider au développement de ces concepts Les analyses suggèrent que l’approche d’APP est, en général, bien accueillie, et les débats sont soutenus, avec en moyenne entre trois et quatre échanges par minute. Par rapport au premier objectif, nous avons effectivement fourni des explications détaillées sur la dynamique de construction des concepts qui s'étend lors des trois phases de l'APP, à savoir la phase aller, la phase de recherche individuelle et la phase retour. Pour chaque cas étudié, nous avons mis en évidence les représentations conceptuelles initiales à la phase aller, co-constructions des étudiants, sous la guidance du tuteur et nous avons suivi la transformation de ces concepts spontanés naïfs, lors des discussions de la phase retour. Le choix du cadre théorique socio constructiviste de Vygotski nous a permis de réfléchir sur le rôle de médiation joué par les composantes du système interactif de l'APP, que nous avons considéré comme une zone proximale de développement (ZPD) au sens élargi, qui sont le problème, le tuteur, l'étudiant et ses pairs, les ressources, notamment l'artefact graphique carte conceptuelle utilisée de façon intensive lors des tutoriaux aller et retour, pour arriver à la construction des concepts scientifiques. Notre recherche a montré qu'en revenant de leurs recherches, les étudiants avaient trois genres de représentations conceptuelles: des concepts corrects, des concepts incomplets et des concepts erronés. Il faut donc que les concepts scientifiques théoriques soient à leur tour confrontés au problème concret, dans l'interaction sociale pour une validation des attributs qui les caractérisent. Dans cette interaction, le tuteur joue un rôle clé complexe de facilitateur, de médiateur, essentiellement par le langage. L'analyse thématique de ses interventions a permis d'en distinguer cinq types: la gestion du groupe, l'argumentation, les questions de différents types, le modelling et les conclusions. Nous avons montré le lien entre les questions du tuteur et le type de réponses des étudiants, pour recommander un meilleur équilibre entre les différents types de questions. Les étudiants, également par les échanges verbaux, mais aussi par la construction collective des cartes conceptuelles initiales et définitives, participent à une co-construction de ces concepts. L'analyse de leurs interactions nous a permis de relever différentes fonctions du langage, pour souligner l'intérêt des interactions argumentatives, marqueurs d'un travail collaboratif en profondeur pour la co-construction des concepts Nous avons aussi montré l'intérêt des cartes conceptuelles non seulement pour visualiser les concepts, mais aussi en tant qu'artefact, outil de médiation psychique à double fonction communicative et sémiotique. Concernant le second objectif, l’exploration du travail personnel des étudiants, on constate que les étudiants de première année font un travail plus approfondi de recherche, et utilisent plus souvent des stratégies de lecture plus efficaces que leurs collègues de deuxième année. Ceux-ci se contentent, en général, des ouvrages de référence, font de simples lectures et s’appuient beaucoup sur les résumés faits par leurs prédécesseurs. Le recours aux ouvrages de référence essentiellement comme source d'information apporte une certaine pauvreté au débat à la phase retour avec peu d'échanges de type argumentatif, témoins d'un travail profond. Ainsi donc, par tout ce soutien qu'elle permet d'apporter aux étudiants pour la construction de leurs connaissances, pour le type d'apprentissage qu'elle offre, l’APP reste une approche unique, digne d’intérêt. Cependant, elle nécessite d'être améliorée par des interventions au niveau du tuteur et des étudiants. / The Problem-based learning (PBL) approach was developed, in its contemporary form, at the Faculty of Medicine, of MacMaster University in Ontario (Canada) in the late 1960s. Very quickly, this new active pedagogical approach, student-centered and based on biomedical problems, will be adopted by many medical schools around the world and used also in other disciplines. Despite its apparent success, however, PBL is also a controversial approach, particularly in medical education, where it has been blamed for promoting superficial learning. Furthermore, it has been documented that students trained by this approach, tend to be less successful at tests assessing the acquisition of basic scientific concepts.To what degree doctors trained by PBL excel in their work as doctors, remains to be determined as well. To better understand these results, this study sought to explore further the construction of scientific concepts, in the context of PBL, at the Faculty of Medicine, of Université de Montréal. The study is grounded in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and its inherent treatment of concepts’ formation as a complex construction process of meaning. We conducted a case study, multiple cases in the same site, the cases being two groups of nine medical students with their tutor that we followed during a full session, from mid-November to mid-December 2007. Two major objectives guided the study: First, we sought to offer a detailed study of the process of meaning making and development of scientific concepts by medical students in the context of PBL. Second, we studied students’ individual work that followed initial tutor mediated discussion of the case, and preceded the return session. We tried to answer to the following research question: How do the dynamics of PBL in medicine support students’construction of scientific concepts? The study was qualitative in nature, and data were collected through various means: no participant observation, video recordings of PBL tutorial sessions, semi-structured interviews of students, discussion with tutors and the consultation of their manuals. Analysis entailed the verbatim transcriptions of the observed problem solving sessions and interviews, and in turn inductive data analysis of concept formation accross time and over session. Through the grouping and classification of data and study of evolution of concepts over time, insights could be gathered into students’development of scientific concepts and the tutor’s role in this construction. Analysis suggests that PBL approach is generally well received, and discussions are lively, with an average of three to four exchanges per minute. Considering the first goal, we offered detailed explanations of the dynamics of concepts’ building that extends in all three phases of the PBL, namely the initial phase, the individual student research phase and the return phase. For each case studied, we highlighted the initial conceptual representations, resulting of students’ interactions, under the guidance of the tutor, and followed their transformation, through discussions at return phase. The choice of social constructivist theoretical framework of Vygotsky has allowed us to reflect on the mediation role played by components of the interactive system of PBL, that we considered as a zone of proximal development (ZPD) in a broader sense, and which are the problem, the tutor, the student and his peers, resources, including graphics artifact conceptual map, used extensively in all tutorials, to support the construction of scientific concepts. Our research has shown that students developed three kinds of conceptual representations: correct concepts, incomplete concepts and misconceptions, returning from their research. So, it is necessary, through social interaction, that attributes of scientific theoretical concepts be validated by facing the practical problem. In this interaction the tutor plays a key complex role of facilitator, mediator, mainly through language. Thematic analysis of his interventions helped to distinguish five themes: group management, arguments, questions of different types, modeling and conclusions. We have shown the link between tutor’s questions and the type of student responses, to recommend a better balance between different types of tutor’s questions. Students, also by verbal exchanges and by the collective construction of initial and final concept maps participate in the co-construction of these concepts. Analysis of their interactions enabled us to identify different functions of language, to emphasize the importance of argumentative interactions, markers of in depth collaborative work. We also showed interest of concept maps not only to visualize the concepts, but also as artifacts and tools of psychic mediation that play both, communicative and semiotics functions, in the development of scientifically sound concepts. Regarding the second objective, the exploration of students’ personal work, we found that first year students pursued a more thorough search, and relied on more effective reading strategies than their second year colleagues. These second year students relied more on reference books, reading simply and relying heavily on the summaries made by their predecessors, which is suggestive of a more superficial learning. Those students also, relied more on tutor. By using textbooks essentially as information source, debates were marked by cognitive low level exchanges, leading to little argumentative exchange and lack of deep and engaging collaborative work. Overall, however, the research suggests PBL is a unique, worthwhile pedagogical approach, offering students with opportunities to construct new conceptual understandings of complex medical concepts with help of a team within the zone of proximal development. But it requires to be improved by interventions concerning both tutors and students.

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-05-08T19:23:00Z No. of bitstreams: 1 penguin_pal.pdf: 2970755 bytes, checksum: e323baab15deb3b73a8f9191a0da9960 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T19:23:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 penguin_pal.pdf: 2970755 bytes, checksum: e323baab15deb3b73a8f9191a0da9960 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-07 / Nenhuma / O presente estudo investiga os efeitos da inserção do jogo eletrônico Club Penguin (disponível em videogame e em ambiente virtual - www.clubpenguin.com) nas aulas particulares de inglês como segunda língua (L2) a alunos gêmeos, de 7 anos, em processo de alfabetização. O advento da tecnologia trouxe consigo uma cultura própria - a cibercultura, que também envolve as crianças e que pode ser explorada para potencializar a aprendizagem. Utilizamos, nesta pesquisa, uma base teórica sociocultural, fundamentada no trabalho de Vygotsky, e fizemos uma releitura desta, considerando-a para o contexto de jogos eletrônicos. Os dados foram coletados utilizando-se gravações de áudio e vídeo, bem como diário de campo e documentos gerados nas aulas, durante o segundo semestre de 2010. Através de análise qualitativa, verificamos que as características do brincar e do aprender se ampliam no ambiente digital, bem como as possibilidades de interações entre os jogadores. Observamos que os participantes desta pesquisa tiveram avanços na Zona de Desenvolvimento Proximal, propiciados pela prática do andaimento entre pares ou com a professora. Eles também se apropriaram de vocabulário, de estruturas e da cultura da língua alvo, aumentaram o tempo dedicado ao jogo (e, consequentemente, ao estudo da L2) e ampliaram o uso da L2 em aula. / The present study examines the effects of the introduction of the electronic game Club Penguin (available in videogame and in virtual environment - www.clubpenguin.com) into the private English classes as a second language (L2) to seven-year-old twin students. The advance in technology has brought up its own culture – the cyberculture, which also fascinates kids and may be explored to enhance learning. We have used, for this research, a sociocultural theoretical base, grounded on the work of Vygotsky, and we have looked at a new approach of that, considering it to the context of electronic games. The data has been collected through audio and video recordings, and through the diary and documents produced in class, during the second semester of 2010. By means of qualitative analysis, we have noticed that the characteristics of playing and learning are amplified in the digital environment, as well as the possibilities of interactions among players. We have assessed that the participants of this research have had progress at the Zone of Proximal Development, stimulated by the practice of scaffolding among pairs or with the teacher. They have also acquired the L2 vocabulary, structures and culture; increased the time dedicated to the game (and, consequently, to L2 study); and expanded the use of L2 in class.

RÉSUMÉ L’approche d’apprentissage par problèmes (APP) a vu le jour, dans sa forme contemporaine, à la Faculté de médecine de l’Université MacMaster en Ontario (Canada) à la fin des années 1960. Très rapidement cette nouvelle approche pédagogique active, centrée sur l’étudiant et basée sur les problèmes biomédicaux, va être adoptée par de nombreuses facultés de médecine de par le monde et gagner d’autres disciplines. Cependant, malgré ce succès apparent, l’APP est aussi une approche controversée, notamment en éducation médicale, où elle a été accusée de favoriser un apprentissage superficiel. Par ailleurs, les étudiants formés par cette approche réussiraient moins bien que les autres aux tests évaluant l’acquisition des concepts scientifiques de base, et il n’a jamais été prouvé que les médecins formés par l’APP seraient meilleurs que les autres. Pour mieux comprendre ces résultats, la présente recherche a voulu explorer l’apprentissage de ces concepts scientifiques, en tant que processus de construction, chez des étudiants formés par l’APP, à la Faculté de médecine de l’Université de Montréal, en nous appuyant sur le cadre théorique socioconstructivisme de Vygotski. Pour cet auteur, la formation des concepts est un processus complexe de construction de sens, en plusieurs étapes, qui ne peut se concevoir que dans le cadre d’une résolution de problèmes. Nous avons réalisé une étude de cas, multicas, intrasite, les cas étant deux groupes de neuf étudiants en médecine avec leur tuteur, que nous avons suivi pendant une session complète de la mi-novembre à la mi-décembre 2007. Deux grands objectifs étaient poursuivis: premièrement, fournir des analyses détaillées et des matériaux réflectifs et théoriques susceptibles de rendre compte du phénomène de construction des concepts scientifiques de base par des étudiants en médecine dans le contexte de l’APP. Deuxièmement, explorer, les approches de travail personnel des étudiants, lors de la phase de travail individuel, afin de répondre à la question de recherche suivante : Comment la dynamique pédagogique de l’APP en médecine permet-elle de rendre compte de l’apprentissage des concepts scientifiques de base? Il s’agissait d’une étude qualitative et les données ont été recueillies par différents moyens : observation non participante et enregistrement vidéo des tutoriaux d’APP, interview semi-structuré des étudiants, discussion avec les tuteurs et consultation de leurs manuels, puis traitées par diverses opérations: transcription des enregistrements, regroupement, classification. L’analyse a porté sur des collections de verbatim issus des transcriptions, sur le suivi de la construction des concepts à travers le temps et les sessions, sur le role du tuteur pour aider au développement de ces concepts Les analyses suggèrent que l’approche d’APP est, en général, bien accueillie, et les débats sont soutenus, avec en moyenne entre trois et quatre échanges par minute. Par rapport au premier objectif, nous avons effectivement fourni des explications détaillées sur la dynamique de construction des concepts qui s'étend lors des trois phases de l'APP, à savoir la phase aller, la phase de recherche individuelle et la phase retour. Pour chaque cas étudié, nous avons mis en évidence les représentations conceptuelles initiales à la phase aller, co-constructions des étudiants, sous la guidance du tuteur et nous avons suivi la transformation de ces concepts spontanés naïfs, lors des discussions de la phase retour. Le choix du cadre théorique socio constructiviste de Vygotski nous a permis de réfléchir sur le rôle de médiation joué par les composantes du système interactif de l'APP, que nous avons considéré comme une zone proximale de développement (ZPD) au sens élargi, qui sont le problème, le tuteur, l'étudiant et ses pairs, les ressources, notamment l'artefact graphique carte conceptuelle utilisée de façon intensive lors des tutoriaux aller et retour, pour arriver à la construction des concepts scientifiques. Notre recherche a montré qu'en revenant de leurs recherches, les étudiants avaient trois genres de représentations conceptuelles: des concepts corrects, des concepts incomplets et des concepts erronés. Il faut donc que les concepts scientifiques théoriques soient à leur tour confrontés au problème concret, dans l'interaction sociale pour une validation des attributs qui les caractérisent. Dans cette interaction, le tuteur joue un rôle clé complexe de facilitateur, de médiateur, essentiellement par le langage. L'analyse thématique de ses interventions a permis d'en distinguer cinq types: la gestion du groupe, l'argumentation, les questions de différents types, le modelling et les conclusions. Nous avons montré le lien entre les questions du tuteur et le type de réponses des étudiants, pour recommander un meilleur équilibre entre les différents types de questions. Les étudiants, également par les échanges verbaux, mais aussi par la construction collective des cartes conceptuelles initiales et définitives, participent à une co-construction de ces concepts. L'analyse de leurs interactions nous a permis de relever différentes fonctions du langage, pour souligner l'intérêt des interactions argumentatives, marqueurs d'un travail collaboratif en profondeur pour la co-construction des concepts Nous avons aussi montré l'intérêt des cartes conceptuelles non seulement pour visualiser les concepts, mais aussi en tant qu'artefact, outil de médiation psychique à double fonction communicative et sémiotique. Concernant le second objectif, l’exploration du travail personnel des étudiants, on constate que les étudiants de première année font un travail plus approfondi de recherche, et utilisent plus souvent des stratégies de lecture plus efficaces que leurs collègues de deuxième année. Ceux-ci se contentent, en général, des ouvrages de référence, font de simples lectures et s’appuient beaucoup sur les résumés faits par leurs prédécesseurs. Le recours aux ouvrages de référence essentiellement comme source d'information apporte une certaine pauvreté au débat à la phase retour avec peu d'échanges de type argumentatif, témoins d'un travail profond. Ainsi donc, par tout ce soutien qu'elle permet d'apporter aux étudiants pour la construction de leurs connaissances, pour le type d'apprentissage qu'elle offre, l’APP reste une approche unique, digne d’intérêt. Cependant, elle nécessite d'être améliorée par des interventions au niveau du tuteur et des étudiants. / ABSTRACT The Problem-based learning (PBL) approach was developed, in its contemporary form, at the Faculty of Medicine, of MacMaster University in Ontario (Canada) in the late 1960s. Very quickly, this new active pedagogical approach, student-centered and based on biomedical problems, will be adopted by many medical schools around the world and used also in other disciplines. Despite its apparent success, however, PBL is also a controversial approach, particularly in medical education, where it has been blamed for promoting superficial learning. Furthermore, it has been documented that students trained by this approach, tend to be less successful at tests assessing the acquisition of basic scientific concepts.To what degree doctors trained by PBL excel in their work as doctors, remains to be determined as well. To better understand these results, this study sought to explore further the construction of scientific concepts, in the context of PBL, at the Faculty of Medicine, of Université de Montréal. The study is grounded in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory and its inherent treatment of concepts’ formation as a complex construction process of meaning. We conducted a case study, multiple cases in the same site, the cases being two groups of nine medical students with their tutor that we followed during a full session, from mid-November to mid-December 2007. Two major objectives guided the study: First, we sought to offer a detailed study of the process of meaning making and development of scientific concepts by medical students in the context of PBL. Second, we studied students’ individual work that followed initial tutor mediated discussion of the case, and preceded the return session. We tried to answer to the following research question: How do the dynamics of PBL in medicine support students’construction of scientific concepts? The study was qualitative in nature, and data were collected through various means: no participant observation, video recordings of PBL tutorial sessions, semi-structured interviews of students, discussion with tutors and the consultation of their manuals. Analysis entailed the verbatim transcriptions of the observed problem solving sessions and interviews, and in turn inductive data analysis of concept formation accross time and over session. Through the grouping and classification of data and study of evolution of concepts over time, insights could be gathered into students’development of scientific concepts and the tutor’s role in this construction. Analysis suggests that PBL approach is generally well received, and discussions are lively, with an average of three to four exchanges per minute. Considering the first goal, we offered detailed explanations of the dynamics of concepts’ building that extends in all three phases of the PBL, namely the initial phase, the individual student research phase and the return phase. For each case studied, we highlighted the initial conceptual representations, resulting of students’ interactions, under the guidance of the tutor, and followed their transformation, through discussions at return phase. The choice of social constructivist theoretical framework of Vygotsky has allowed us to reflect on the mediation role played by components of the interactive system of PBL, that we considered as a zone of proximal development (ZPD) in a broader sense, and which are the problem, the tutor, the student and his peers, resources, including graphics artifact conceptual map, used extensively in all tutorials, to support the construction of scientific concepts. Our research has shown that students developed three kinds of conceptual representations: correct concepts, incomplete concepts and misconceptions, returning from their research. So, it is necessary, through social interaction, that attributes of scientific theoretical concepts be validated by facing the practical problem. In this interaction the tutor plays a key complex role of facilitator, mediator, mainly through language. Thematic analysis of his interventions helped to distinguish five themes: group management, arguments, questions of different types, modeling and conclusions. We have shown the link between tutor’s questions and the type of student responses, to recommend a better balance between different types of tutor’s questions. Students, also by verbal exchanges and by the collective construction of initial and final concept maps participate in the co-construction of these concepts. Analysis of their interactions enabled us to identify different functions of language, to emphasize the importance of argumentative interactions, markers of in depth collaborative work. We also showed interest of concept maps not only to visualize the concepts, but also as artifacts and tools of psychic mediation that play both, communicative and semiotics functions, in the development of scientifically sound concepts. Regarding the second objective, the exploration of students’ personal work, we found that first year students pursued a more thorough search, and relied on more effective reading strategies than their second year colleagues. These second year students relied more on reference books, reading simply and relying heavily on the summaries made by their predecessors, which is suggestive of a more superficial learning. Those students also, relied more on tutor. By using textbooks essentially as information source, debates were marked by cognitive low level exchanges, leading to little argumentative exchange and lack of deep and engaging collaborative work. Overall, however, the research suggests PBL is a unique, worthwhile pedagogical approach, offering students with opportunities to construct new conceptual understandings of complex medical concepts with help of a team within the zone of proximal development. But it requires to be improved by interventions concerning both tutors and students.

DEd / Department of Curriculum Studies / Multi-grade teaching is a situation where one teacher teaches several grades together in one class. This phenomenon is common in both developed and developing countries. However, the problem is, in South Africa there is no multi-grade policy in place, curriculum and materials are written for mono-grade schools, pre-service and in-service training for teachers are geared at a mono-grade classroom. Consequently, teachers are not trained in appropriate multi-grade teaching and learning strategies; this may affect learner performance at such schools. It has been indicated that there is a dearth of research in the teaching and assessment practices in multi-grade setting in the literature, especially in Africa. This mixed methods study is based on the implications of peer tutoring as a teaching and learning strategy in English First Additional Language (FAL) for Grade 5 multi-grade learners’ performance. The purpose of this study was to determine implications of peer tutoring as a multi-grade teaching and learning strategy on Grade 5 learner performance in Vhembe District in Limpopo Province of South Africa. The study used mixed-methods design and concurrent Triangulation approach where both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to collect data concurrently. Quantitative data were collected through quasi experimental design and surveys while qualitative data were collected using scheduled interviews. The six week one-on-one peer tutoring programme was designed to assist grade 5 learners to read and spell proficiently as a supplemental instruction. The literature review revealed that peer tutoring as a teaching and learning strategy has been effectively used mostly in monograde schools. The study sample consisted of 77 grade 5 learners from four random sampled multi-grade schools whose first language (L1) or home language (HL) is Tshivenda but learnt through English as a Second language (L2) or First Additional Language (FAL), 4 teachers and 4 principals. Two schools served as treatment group v while two served as control group. Both groups took a pre-test and post-test; only the treatment group received peer tutoring intervention. The mixed method approach involved collected quantitative data through learners’ pretests, post-tests and spelling activities during the peer tutoring intervention. This was to compare the grade 5 learners’ results of those who had participated in the peer tutoring intervention with those in the control group. Both teachers and principals and learners completed a questionnaire on multi-grade teaching and peer tutoring. The findings revealed that: 1. The peer tutoring group performed better than the control group. 2. Peer tutoring might possibly be an effective teaching and learning strategy for multi-grade teaching. 3. Both teachers and principals expressed the need for in-service training workshops in teaching and learning strategies specifically for multi-grade teaching. 4. They also revealed that pre-service training should provide training courses on multi-grade teaching to prepare prospective teachers. The study recommended the following: The Department of Education should develop a multi-grade policy. In-service training workshops should train multi-grade teachers in appropriate multi-grade teaching and learning strategies. Institutions of higher learning should provide pre-service training in multi-grade strategies, infuse some multi-grade modules into their teacher training programmes and provide short courses on multi-grade teaching.

I denna kunskapsöversikt är syftet att undersöka hur det sociala samspelet jämfört med ettpragmatiskt förhållningssätt kan främja språkutveckling i SO-undervisningen. Detta hargenomförts genom att jämföra olika vetenskapliga artiklar. Artiklarna vi valde att undersöka,hämtades från olika databaser, Ebsco, Eric och Google Scholar. Vi valde att bryta ner detsociala och det pragmatiska förhållningssättet i mindre lärandemetoder för att kunnaundersöka vad forskningen säger om språkutvecklande arbetssätt inom SO-undervisningen.Kunskapsöversiktens resultat och slutats visar att det sociala samspelet och det pragmatiskaförhållningssättet kompletterar varandra och går att koppla samman.

Thesis (M.A. (Language (Education)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / The impact of the switch in LoLT between Grade 3 and 4 has been the subject of much research in South Africa which results in grade 4 low pass rate. What constitutes a problem is that during this transition from Sepedi to English as LOLT, most learners are linguistically not ready to make this leap (Heugh, 2006; Maswanganye, 2010). The change of the language of learning and teaching from Sepedi to English in Grade 4 is problematical because of the challenges in adjusting to the use of English as LOLT (Macdonald, 1990; Alexander, 2005; Heugh, 2006; Maswanganye, 2010). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of English First Additional Language on learners‟ academic performance in Grade 4 at a primary school. A qualitative research approach was adopted in this study due to the fact that this study was explanatory and descriptive in nature. This study used a qualitative case study research design and qualitative interpretive paradigm which allowed the researcher to gather information through observations and interviews. This study was guided by sociocultural theory developed by Vygotsky (1978) because it emphasizes that teachers can use strategies to create classroom conditions that foster learning by modeling, scaffolding and the development of the learners‟ zone of proximal development (ZPD). The study used inductive thematic data analysis method to analyse data collected from observation schedule and interviews. The findings showed that learners‟ hindrance concerning reading and writing in the English language is home based factors because of socioeconomic factors. This study shows that less teacher training also poses challenges to English reading development as they do not have sufficient knowledge on reading strategies to deal with the transition of grade 4 learners from Sepedi to English First Additional Language as a language of learning and teaching. The study recommends training of teachers on how to teach reading and implementation of additive or bilingualism for the subsequent language policy development in South African education system should be considered.

Professional development (PD) of teachers is part of the Department of Basic Education‘s (DBE) initiative to encourage school communities to use of information and communication technology (ICT) to improve the quality of Mathematics teaching and learning. The South African Council of Educators stipulates that PD programmes should align with system-wide needs, strengthen learning area content and outcomes, and promote system transformation. Imbedded in this system-wide criterion is The White Paper on e-Education to employ a fully ICT integrated system at all levels of education: management, teaching and learning, and administration by 2013. Mathematics teachers require PD that develops their technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) and their social professional identity (SPI). The PD of Mathematics teachers for ICT integration can assist the DBE to achieve the aims of The White Paper on e-Education and bridge the technology gap between South Africa and international education systems. Open distance learning (ODL) could be a viable method to deliver PD to Mathematics teachers to address their zone of proximal development, develop their TPACK, and establish and maintain their SPI. This study made use of a fully mixed sequential equal status multi-mode research design and methodologies to develop guidelines for the PD of Mathematics teachers in the pedagogical use of ICT in ODL. The qualitative phase (Phase I) was rooted in the interpretivist paradigm. Through an adjustable exploration of a systematic literature review, the researcher identified 23 core documents, analysed them with Atlas.ti™, and conceptualised four themes according to Engeström‘s third generation activity theory (AT). Phase II (radical exploration phase) of the research design was rooted in the radical structuralist paradigm. In the context of transformation, it developed, validated, and standardised a research instrument for the measurement of Mathematics teachers‘ PD requirements. The instrument was distributed to 300 senior phase (grades 7-9) Mathematics teachers in eight education management district centres of the WCED. The analyses of the quantitative data conceptualised a fifth activity system. The five activity systems from the adjustable and radical exploration phases were symbiotic, and co-dependent. Expansive learning was used for boundary crossing and network building during six phases of this study. The findings from the six phases of the expansive learning cycle indicated that PD of Mathematics teachers in ODL for Phase III implementation of the e-Education policy should be a joint initiative. Fundamentally ICT integration and implementation should start with Department of Basic Education (DBE) initiatives. The DBE and Provincial Departments of Education (PDEs) should conduct a needs analysis of ICT implementation, evaluate previous ICT PD programmes, plan ICT PD strategies aligned with the ICT development plan, as well as with the requirements of the Mathematics teachers. The DBE and PDE should invest in the provision of ICT equipment, afford human capital, reinstate the laptop initiative for teachers, and supply schools with networked-computer facilities to explore online platforms for PD. Mathematics teachers should assess their professional knowledge to construct new philosophies, create a subject network group, and interact as participants and members within their social environments. The standardised instrument could be used to determine and compare the PD of Mathematics teachers in other provinces and contexts. / PhD (Training and development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014