M.Ed. (Philosopy of Education) / Every year the failure rate among matrics causes great concern among various parties such as the students’ parents, the community and teachers. These reports focus attention on a serious problem, namely the effectiveness of schools in South Africa. Economic, social and political factors significantly contribute to the large percentage of matric students who either drop out or fail their studies. The high number of dropouts and students who fail, is a serious problem that have severe implications and it must be addressed urgently. In order to address this problem it is imperative to investigate school effectiveness. The specific purpose of this study is to investigate schools in South-Africa, to identify problems, define criteria that can be used in school improvement programmes and to design models that explain the role of the criteria during implementation of school improvement programmes. The study required literature research in order to investigate the factors influencing the performance of students and to determine possible criteria for school effectiveness. The following criteria resulted from the research and would be interpreted in a functional simulation improvement model : * Clear academic goals * Social network * School ambience * Responsible leadership * Teacher efficiency * Quality instruction * Pupil well-being

M.Ed. / The transformasieproses in Suid-Afrika met die instelling van Uitkomsgebaseerde Onderwys, asook die implementering van die Nasionale Assesseringsbeleid tesame met snelle ontwikkeling in die onderrig en leer van wiskunde, het ‘n veranderde siening van die skoolhoof se rol, funksie en verantwoordelikhede teweeg gebring. Een omvattende verandering vir die skoolhoof is om te verseker dat ‘n skool gehalte onderrig en leer voorsien en in stand hou. Die tranformasie in die onderwys het daartoe aanleiding gegee dat die navorser ondersoek ingestel het na die persepsies van skoolhoofde ten opsigte van die assessering van leerderprestasie in wiskunde binne die Uitkomsgebaseerde Onderwysparadigma. Hierdie navorsig gee die verskillende persepsies wat laerskoolhoofde oor die aard van wiskunde en die assessering van leerderprestasie in wiskunde het. ‘n Kwantitatiewe navorsingsmetode is gebruik om skoolhoofde se persepsies oor die assessering van leerderprestasie in wiskunde te identifiseer. Tesame hiermee het ‘n literatuuroorsig die raamwerk vir die ondersoek voorsien. Die doel van die navorsing was om die persepsies onderliggend aan skoolhoofde se bestuur van assesseringshandelinge te identifiseer. ‘n Gestruktureerde vraelys is as navorsingsinstrument gebruik. Die sleutelbevindings van hierdie navorsing was dat laerskoolhoofde uiteenlopende persepsies van die aard van wiskunde en die assessering van leerderprestasie in wiskunde het. Hulle persepsies van die aard van wiskunde spruit uit die manier waarop hulleself in wiskunde onderrig is, die manier waarop hulle geassesseer is, en hulle oortuigings en houdings oor wiskunde en assessering. Die volgende sleutelaspekte het uit hulle persepsies van die assessering van leerderprestasie in wiskunde en hulle rol om te verseker dat gehalte onderwys voorsien word, na vore gekom: • ‘n Gebrek aan begrip vir die aard van wiskundige kennis. • ‘n Gebrek aan begrip van die essensie van uitkomsgebaseerde assessering. • Beperkte kennis en begrip van hedendaagse sienings oor die onderrig en leer van wiskunde. Ten slotte is dit duidelik dat deur opleiding en ontwikkelingsprogramme en sterk ondersteuningstrukture, skoolhoofde ondersteun kan word om die assessering van leerderprestasie doeltreffend te bestuur en die voorsiening van gehalte onderrig en leer in wiskunde te verseker. / Mr. D.R. Mestry

The purpose of this non-experimental study was to determine whether teacher cognitive and behavioral agility relates to student achievement as measured by their value-added model (VAM) score and their performance evaluation measured through the Marzano instructional practice (IP) framework, and whether that relationship is moderated by contextual variables. Cognitive agility, measured through the Strategic Thinking Questionnaire for Teachers (STQ T TM), refers to the leader’s ability to use their repertoire of thinking skills. Behavioral agility, measured with the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire for Teachers (SLQ T TM), relates to the leader’s ability to use a wide array of leader influencing actions. Teacher VAM score is the percent of the teacher’s students that met or exceeded a statistically predicted score on the end of year assessment. Teacher IP scores were also collected and were based on classroom walkthroughs, and other factors, conducted by their respective school-based administrator(s). The study included 75 teacher participants at the middle and high school levels and used correlational, linear regression, moderator, and mediation statistical analyses. The research findings indicate that cognitive agility continues to be a significant predictor of behavioral agility and that both cognitive and behavioral agility were significantly related to VAM or IP in teachers over the age of 50. Additionally, VAM scores significantly increased through the use of reframing and IP scores increased when utilizing bridging leader actions. However, it was also found that VAM scores were negatively correlated to the managing leader actions in the total population. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of this study was to determine if teachers who use thinking and leading actions have higher student achievement as measured by the teacher’s Value Added Measure (VAM) score. A quantitative non-experimental design investigated the relationships between teacher cognitive and behavioral agility and student achievement. Cognitive agility, measured through the Strategic Thinking Questionnaire for Teachers (STQT ), refers to the leader’s ability to use their repertoire of thinking skills. Behavioral agility, measured with the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire for Teachers (SLQT ), denotes the leader’s ability to use a wide array of leader influencing actions. Teachers were surveyed and the data were analyzed through correlation and multiple regressions to determine the relationship among the variables. Although the cognitive and behavioral agility was not correlated with a teacher’s VAM score, the results indicate that teachers do perceive themselves as leaders in their classrooms. Educational leadership certification, higher degrees, and years experience of a teacher did moderate the relationship between local VAM and both cognitive and behavioral agility. The sub-scales of systems thinking and transforming of the survey instruments also were significant to the results. Theoretically, this study contributes to the teacher leadership literature, focusing on the classroom teacher and their effect on student achievement. Practically, with educational accountability changing the landscape, school districts should train teachers to engage in leadership skills, reward teachers for earning a Master’s degree in leadership, and work to retain high quality teachers who are leaders within their classroom. Greater student achievement could be the result. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The purpose of this descriptive quantitative and basic qualitative study was to examine fifth and eighth grade science teachers' responses, perceptions of the role of technology in the classroom, and how they felt that computer applications, tools, and the Internet influence student understanding. The purposeful sample included survey and interview responses from fifth grade and eighth grade general and physical science teachers. Even though they may not be generalizable to other teachers or classrooms due to a low response rate, findings from this study indicated teachers with fewer years of teaching science had a higher level of computer use but less computer access, especially for students, in the classroom. Furthermore, teachers' choice of professional development moderated the relationship between the level of school performance and teachers' knowledge/skills, with the most positive relationship being with workshops that occurred outside of the school. Eighteen interviews revealed that teachers perceived the role of technology in classroom instruction mainly as teacher-centered and supplemental, rather than student-centered activities. / by Rebecca Kerr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

The purpose of this study was to determine which academic and demographic factors predict students' achievement in the nursing major of a baccalaureate program. Records of 128 full time subjects were examined to extract the factors selected to be included in the analysis.Data pertaining to each independent variable were organized into three distinct groups based on the known performance of each subject following certification. One group passed all course work in the nursing major; one group failed one or more courses in the nursing major delaying completion; and one group was no longer enrolled. To investigate the differences in the group membership, discriminant function analyses were performed to examine academic and demographic predictors. A classification technique was utilized to test the adequacy of each discriminant function analysis. All classification analyses were 72.3 percent and above in probability level.Two null hypotheses guided this study: Hypothesis I proposed that academic factors do not predict attrition and/or retention in a baccalaureate nursing program; and Hypothesis II proposed that demographic factors do not interact with academic factors in predicting success. Hypothesis I was rejected , and Hypothesis II was not fully accepted based on discriminant function analyses.The following conclusions were identified from the findings of this study:1. Grade point averages in the required prerequisite courses predicted group membership (achievement) in the nursing major.2. Grade point averages of 3.0 during progression in the nursing major predicted membership in a group defined as continuing successfully in the first attempt of course work and graduating on time.3. Grade point averages of less than 3.0 following the first semester in the nursing major predicted membership in a group defined as failing at least one course, or perhaps predict membership in a group that will experience attrition.4. Ethnicity made a significant contribution with academic factors to predicting group membership for achievement.These results suggest that nursing educators and counselors need to consider the importance of not only closely monitoring each subject's semester grade point average, but also referring the identified problem to the appropriate service provider for intervention.3 / Department of Educational Leadership

Orientadores: Matilde Virgínia Ricardi Scaramucci, Claudia Hilsdorf Rocha / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T19:05:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lima_AnaPaulade_M.pdf: 2460778 bytes, checksum: 878af9143fa3f9ea8daa71e39f428a65 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: O ensino de língua inglesa tem se iniciado cada vez mais cedo nas escolas regulares brasileiras (SCHEIFER, 2008; COSTA, 2008). A expansão desse ensino incentiva as pesquisas na área, que revelam, dentre outras coisas, a escassez de estudos sobre o livro didático de língua inglesa (RAMOS; ROSELLI, 2008) e sobre avaliação em língua estrangeira para crianças (REA-DICKINS; RIXON, 1997; SCARAMUCCI et al., 2008; COSTA, 2008). Esses dados nos chamaram a atenção, tendo em vista a forte influência dos livros didáticos no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de línguas (RICHARDS, 2002; PINTO; PESSOA, 2009; DIAS, 2009, dentre outros), bem como das avaliações na vida dos alunos, no ambiente escolar e na sociedade como um todo (SCARAMUCCI, 1998/1999; 2000/2001; 2004; 2006; HUGHES, 2003; SHOHAMY, 2004; MCNAMARA, 2000), podendo causar tanto impactos positivos quanto negativos. Propomo-nos, então, neste trabalho qualitativo e de cunho interpretativista, a analisar as avaliações de rendimento sugeridas por alguns livros didáticos de inglês voltados para alunos do Ensino Fundamental I. Como as avaliações de rendimento visam a observar se os objetivos de ensino foram alcançados, nosso objetivo é analisar se as concepções de linguagem, ensino e aprendizagem que as fundamentam são as mesmas que embasam o ensino, bem como se os objetivos de ensino são contemplados na avaliação. Analisamos, ainda, se as avaliações propostas por esses materiais estão em consonância com o que as pesquisas na área de avaliação consideram adequadas para a condução do processo de ensino-aprendizagem-avaliação nesse segmento. A análise revelou desencontros entre o que se ensina e o que se avalia, tendo em vista que nem todos os conteúdos ensinados são avaliados e que as habilidades orais, apesar de enfatizadas pelos materiais, são pouco recorrentes nas avaliações. Observamos também que, apesar da maioria das avaliações refletir as visões de linguagem, ensino e aprendizagem que embasam o ensino, essas concepções estão muito distantes das visões mais contemporâneas, segundo as quais a aprendizagem ocorre por meio da interação significativa e a língua é entendida como um sistema holístico de comunicação e de reflexão que permite ao indivíduo "agir no mundo" (SCARAMUCCI, 2006, p. 59) / Abstract: Even though the teaching of foreign languages is not mandatory in Elementary School in Brazil, English has been taught since early schooling (ROCHA, 2006; SCHEIFER, 2008; COSTA, 2008). The interest in this area has increased and research has shown the scarcity of studies about English textbooks (RAMOS; ROSELLI, 2008) and assessment (REA-DICKINS; RIXON, 1997; SCARAMUCCI et al. 2008; COSTA, 2008) for children. Considering the influence of textbooks (RICHARDS, 2002; PINTO; PESSOA, 2009; DIAS, 2009) and assessments (SCARAMUCCI, 1998/1999; 2000/2001; 2004; 2006; HUGHES, 2003; SHOHAMY, 2004; MCNAMARA, 2000) in the teaching-learning process, we conducted this qualitative and interpretive study to analyze the tests proposed by some English textbooks for elementary level students in order to observe the concepts of language teaching and learning that underlie them; in addition, we investigated whether the learning objectives are included in the assessment. We also analyzed whether the tests proposed by these materials are in line with what the research in the language assessment area consider appropriate to conduct the teaching-learning-assessment process in this segment. This study shows that there is a mismatch between teaching and assessment: the content taught is not totally assessed and the oral skills, although emphasized in the material, are not usually evaluated in the tests. Most of the tests reflect the views of language, teaching and learning that underlie the teaching process. However these concepts are not on a par with contemporary views, in which learning occurs through interaction and meaningful language is understood as a holistic system of communication and reflection that allows the individual to "act in the world" (SCARAMUCCI, 2006, p. 59) / Mestrado / Lingua Estrangeira / Mestre em Linguística Aplicada

D.Ed. (Didactics) / The main objective of this research is to develop a diagnostic model for the prediction of mathematics achievement for first year university students. In order to design this model of prediction, the following objectives were formulated: * to establish a profile of a typical successful and unsuccessful student in Mathematics; * to calculate the probable final mark achieved by a student in Mathematics; * to establish the probability of success by a student in Mathematics. In this research various factors determinating the academic performance of first year students at a university are discussed. Firstly the transition from school to university and its implications on the student, the teaching of a subject and its influence, and those factors inherent in the student are investigated. The factors inherent to the student are described as cognitive factors (intelligence, aptitude and previous performance) and non-cognititve factors (study methods and attitudes, interest, anxiety, personality and adjustment).

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education