Haitian immigrant parents often face challenges to visibly engage in their children's education in the United States due to social, cultural, and economic factors. This study addressed parent involvement (PI) among Haitian immigrant parents of adolescents in a Florida community. The purpose of this exploratory, multiple-case study was to better understand connections between immigrant Haitian parents' beliefs and learning experiences and their experiences supporting their adolescents' learning. Three research questions were developed to explore Haitian adults' lived experiences and perceptions of themselves as keepers of knowledge and as learners, their experiences and perceived roles as parents, and the resources they possessed that could increase PI. The conceptual framework included social constructs of family literacy, new literacy studies, and funds of knowledge. Nine Haitian parents of teenage children and 3 educators and liaisons from the community were selected for interviews. Qualitative data analysis included open coding, theme identification, and triangulation of data from an archival PI survey. Findings indicated that adults' experiences with learning at home and learning at school influenced their perceived parenting roles and self-efficacy at home, the type of PI in which they engaged, and future aspirations for their children. Results were used to develop a white paper aimed at community stakeholders to enhance educators' and social service providers' cultural knowledge of Haitian families and to promote two-way communication. The project may encourage the development of culturally responsive PI strategies and adult learning opportunities benefiting local and trans-national Haitian communities throughout the United States.

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers often lack the experience and skills to provide children with supports necessary to foster academic and social skill development. Professional development can improve ECE teachers' skills, but ECE trainers often lack understanding of adult learning principles, known as andragogy. Knowles' conceptual framework of andragogy was used to explore the knowledge and use of andragogical principles of 8 ECE trainers selected via criterion-based purposive sampling. The research questions focused on ECE trainers' knowledge and use of andragogical principles. Three cases, each consisting of 2 or 3 live professional development trainings for early childhood educators, were used in this study. Data sources included (a) observations of ECE trainings, (b) semi-structured interviews with ECE trainers, and (c) content analysis of ECE training materials. Thematic analysis revealed that although participants were not formally trained in andragogy and were unfamiliar with the associated verbiage, most had a strong grasp of andragogy and used andragogical principles to drive the development and presentation of their training materials. The 3 main themes that emerged were (a) lack of training/background in andragogy, (b) training strategies employed, and (c) training design. Findings from this study provide an original contribution to the limited existing research on the professional development of early childhood educators and expand the existing body of research on andragogy. This study contributes to social change by revealing that trainers may benefit from formal andragogical training, which may then improve the education provided by ECE teachers to young children.

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No description available.

Utbildning för slutanvändare av IT-system på arbetsplatsen är en dyr och tidskrävande affär. Trots att mycket information om systemen tas fram under utvecklingenav systemet, i form av kravdokument och annan dokumentation, används den informationen sällan i utbildningssyfte. Företaget Multisoft önskadeundersöka hur den dokumentation de tar fram under utvecklingen av skräddarsyddaverksamhetssystem åt olika företag, kallade Softadmin R -system, kananvändas i utbildningssyfte.Syftet med detta examensarbete var att identifiera vilka lärbehov slutanvändareav verksamhetssystem utvecklade av företaget Multisoft har. Baserat på dessa lärbehov undersöktes hur den dokumentation som tas fram under utvecklingenskulle kunna nyttjas i utbildningssyfte. En kvalitativ undersökning med narrativa semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med slutanvändare och projektdeltagare hos sex olika företag som implementeratett Softadmin R -system inom de senaste två åren. Projektdeltagarna hade varit involverade under utvecklingen från kundföretagets sida och slutanvändarnahade inte varit involverade i utvecklingen. Tio intervjuer genomfördes och en tematisk analys utfördes på intervjutranskriptionerna. Framtagna teman tolkades utifrån en kognitivistisk syn på lärande. Resultatet från analys av intervjuerna pekar på att slutanvändare vill kunna lära sig genom att testa sig runt i systemet. Slutanvändare vill lära sig genomatt få information visuellt och inte enbart via text. Ett utbildningsmaterial om ett Softadmin R -system ska inte kräva tidigare kunskap om systemet för attvara tillgängligt. Vidare indikerar resultatet att slutanvändare upplever att systemen har en komplex affärslogik där det är svårt att förstå hur systemet solika processer påverkar varandra. Övergången från ett gammalt system till det nya kan innebära svårigheter i lärandet för slutanvändarna. Avsaknad avstruktur då slutanvändarna lärde sig använda systemet identifierades som ett problem. Ett förslag på struktur för ett utbildningsmaterial har tagits fram. Detta utbildivningsmaterial är tänkt att använda information från den dokumentation som tas fram under utvecklingen av Softadmin R -system. Denna användning av dokumentationen skulle i nuläget behöva göras manuellt med viss anpassning. Förslag på hur det kan automatiseras har presenterats. Funktionella krav på ett system för framtagning och underhåll av den informationsom krävs för det föreslagna utbildningsmaterialet har presenterats. När Softadmin R -system som utbildningsmaterialet berör uppdateras möjliggörsystemet uppdatering av utbildningsmaterialet. Systemet möjliggör även framtagning av utbildningsmaterial anpassat för en viss yrkesroll. / End user training of IT systems at the workplace is an expensive and time consuming ordeal. Despite a lot of information about the systems being produced during development of the system, in the form of requirement documents and other documentation, the information is seldom used for educational purposes. Multisoft wished to explore how the documentation produced during the development of their tailor-made business systems, named Softadmin R systems, can be used for educational purposes.The purpose of this master thesis was to identify what learning-needs end users have in regards to business systems developed by the company Multisoft. Based on these learning-needs an investigation would be placed on how the documentation produced during development could be used for educational purposes. A qualitative study with narrative semi-structured interviews was conducted with end users and project participants at six different companies that had implemented a Softadmin R system at their workplace within the last two years. The project participants had been involved from the customer company’s side during the development whereas the end users had not been involved. Ten interviews were conducted and a the matic analysis was performed on the interview transcripts. Procured themes were then interpreted from a cognitiveperspective on learning. The results indicated that end users want to be able to learn by trying to use the system themselves. End users want to learn by getting information visually and not only via text. A training material for a Softadmin R system should not require prior knowledge about the system to be available to the learner. Furthermore the results indicate that end users feel the systems have a complex business logic where it is difficult to understand how the different processes in the system affect each other. The transition from an old system to a new system can be problematic to the end users’ learning. A lack of structure in the end users’ learning of the system was identified as an issue.

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No description available.

This master thesis project was based on the development and evaluation of an open learning material in thermal imaging for automation applications. The outsourcer – FLIR Systems – wanted a three-day course covering all necessary topics for infrared cameras in automation applications. These topics include thermography, optics, detectors, networks, protocols, and more. The open learning material was designed to function as a three-day, self-paced, distance course, and it was based on theories of andragogy, self-directed learning and transformative learning. The master thesis process was essentially divided into two phases: the development phase and the evaluation phase. The method for the development phase was based on a literature study. The literature on creating open learning material included ways of compensating for the lack of social interaction in distance courses, such as a friendly, warm narrator using the pronoun “I”, encouraging phrases, and self-assessment questions (SAQs). An SAQ is a framing of question intended to guide the learner towards self-assessment of his or her learning and knowledge. The vital part of the SAQ is the response, where not only the correct answer is given, but feedback on the wrong choices too. The development of the open learning material was an iterative process where discussion with supervisors at FLIR Systems and KTH Royal Institute of Technology led to improvements of the material. The evaluation phase consisted of two tests with test subjects. The first test was conducted by sending a sample unit of the material to test subjects around the world along with a questionnaire. The main objective was to test the tone and style of the material. There were variations in the result, but the majority found the material friendly and readable. The second test was an in-house test with three participants. Three sample units of the material was used, and the main objective was to test the usability of the material and the test subjects’ perceived learning process. The usability of the material varied with the three test subjects and depended on their technological prerequisites and reading comprehension in English. All test subjects responded positively to their perceived learning outcome. The following conclusions were drawn: the open learning material has the potential to promote autonomous and self-directed learners and can be used as a basis for further development – such as web-based courses and teacher-led classes. The open learning material as a whole and the results and analysis from the tests are included as appendices. / Detta examensarbete baserades på utveckling och utvärdering av ett öppet läromedel i termografi för automationstillämpningar. Uppdragsgivaren – FLIR Systems – hade uttryckt ett behov av en tredagarskurs som täckte alla nödvändiga ämnen för infraröda kameror för automationstillämpningar. Dessa ämnen var bland annat termografi, optik, detektorer, nätverk, protokoll med flera. Det öppna läromedlet var designat för att fungera som en tredagars distanskurs och det var baserat på teorier om andragogik, självstyrt lärande och transformativt lärande. Examensarbetets process bestod i huvudsak av två faser: utvecklingsfasen och utvärderingsfasen. Metoden för utvecklingsfasen baserades på en litteraturstudie. Litteraturen i skapande av öppet läromedel inkluderade tillvägagångssätt för att kompensera för bristen av social interaktion i distanskurser, så som en vänlig och varm berättarröst som använder pronomenet ”jag”, uppmuntrande fraser och självbedömningsfrågor (SAQ, Self-Assessment Question). En självbedömningsfråga är en frågeställning menad att leda den lärande mot självbedömning av hens lärande och kunskap. Den viktiga delen av självbedömningsfrågan är responsen, där inte bara det rätta svaret är givet, utan också feedback på de felaktiga svaren. Utvecklingen av det öppna läromedlet var en iterativ process där diskussion med handledare på FLIR Systems och Kungliga Tekniska högskolan ledde till förbättringar i materialet. Utvärderingsfasen bestod av två test med försökspersoner. Det första testet utfördes genom att skicka en provenhet av materialet till försökspersoner över hela världen tillsammans med en enkät. Huvudsyftet med testet var att testa tonen och stilen på materialet. Resultatet var varierande, men majoriteten av testpersonerna fann materialet vänskapligt och läsligt. Det andra testet var ett internt test med tre deltagare. Tre provenheter från materialet användes och huvudsyftet var att testa användbarheten av materialet och försökspersonernas upplevda läroprocess. Användbarheten av materialet varierade hos de tre försökspersonerna och berodde på deras tekniska förutsättningar och läsförståelse i engelska. Alla försökspersoner gav positiv respons om deras upplevda läranderesultat. Följande slutsatser drogs: det öppna läromedlet har potential att främja autonomt och självstyrt lärande, samt kan användas som en bas för fortsatt utveckling så som webbaserade kurser och lärarledda kurser. Det öppna läromedlet i sin helhet och resultat och analys av testen är inkluderade som bilagor.

This case study research aimed to explore, understand, and compare the experiences of individuals participating in a heterogeneous adult community drama class in Central Sweden. Drawing from classical pragmatism and employing a conceptual framework rooted in sociocultural theory, the study utilized semi-structured interviews, open-questionnaire responses, and participant observations to collect data which was analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Key findings indicated that participants generally viewed their engagement in the class positively while also recognizing the challenges and complexities of working within a mixed-language level group. As such, participants identified diverse motivations and preferences which informed their expectations and impressions of participation. As well, Swedish L2 learners of various levels and Swedish L1 speakers identified distinct challenges and opportunities in relation to learning and navigating language within the class context. Despite identified challenges, the high degree of group diversity emerged as a centrally important and beneficial feature of participation by facilitating opportunities to learn and assist one another in a supportive community environment through mediation. Subsequently this paper offers recommendations for transferable contexts to mitigate language-related challenges based on participant accounts and observations. Moreover, this study seeks to contribute to the fields of comparative education and applied drama through its focus on exploring and examining possibilities and consequences of heterogenous group learning among adults and in a community drama class. Consequently, the results of the study may be useful in adult education settings, applied drama contexts, and among policymakers interested in exploring participatory learning approaches, particularly in relation to supporting migrant individuals and migrant integration.

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