The purpose of this study was to explore the selected middle years teachers’ experiences of promoting student learning in student-centered classrooms, and how these recalled experiences might affect their own future teaching and assist other teachers to promote student learning. Based on social constructivism as the epistemological foundation, I chose Appreciative Inquiry (AI) as the research methodology. AI values people’s positive experiences and emphasizes the importance of the positive core of change (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2000). In total, there were 53 middle years teachers in China and Canada who responded to an online survey. Four Chinese education experts were interviewed online, and 12 Canadian education experts participated in an interpretation panel. The findings showed that both Chinese and Canadian participants believed that engaging students in their learning was the core of creating student-centered classrooms. They regarded group study as the most popular instructional strategy that was used to promote student-centered learning. Most participants stated that they had changed or planned to change their teaching practices because they had positive teaching experiences in student-centered classrooms. Chinese participants stated that they had shared their positive teaching experiences with other teachers at three levels: school divisions/districts, schools, or grades/subjects. The main activities for communication among Chinese teachers included group discussion, collective lesson planning, and classroom visits. Canadian participants reported that they usually shared their educational ideas and teaching experiences with other teachers in both formal and informal ways, such as chatting with each other during breaks, developing learning projects together, and communicating with each other through school networking websites. In addition, findings also showed that most Chinese middle years teachers teach a single subject, but many Canadian middle years teachers teach multiple subjects. Based on this research, I suggested that teachers should apply multiple instructional strategies in their classrooms, serve students, and collaborate with parents/families. School boards and schools should make more efforts to encourage their teachers to communicate with each other, formally and regularly by providing policy, technical, and financial supports for relevant programs and activities. Teachers should choose either a single subject or multiple subjects to teach according to their own willingness and abilities. Future researchers may benefit by using Appreciative Inquiry to explore people’s positive experiences in education, and should be more open-minded by conducting cross-cultural and inter-cultural research to facilitate educators to communicate with each other and learn from each other.

As nursing is a practice-based profession it is essential that pre-graduate students are socialised in the clinical learning environment from the start of their training. Consequently, clinical accompaniment is regarded as a vital component of nursing training to offer the necessary support to pre-graduate students. This study aimed to evaluate clinical accompaniment of pre graduate students in a specific Nursing Education Institution (NEI) in Gauteng as part of the four year comprehensive programme by means of Appreciative Inquiry (AI). The AI approach focuses on the positive aspects of an organisation and aims to enhance what could and should be valued rather than focusing on the problems. A qualitative, contextual, explorative and descriptive research design was utilised. Data was collected from second-, third- and fourth-year comprehensive programme pre-graduate nursing students in a specific NEI by means of semi-structured self-report interview guide. The data was analysed according to the four objectives of this study, guided by the 4-D cycle of AI, utilizing content analysis and verified by the co-coder. The results were categorized into four main themes. For the first objective, “the best of what is”, nurse educator support, registered nurse support, students’ professional development, and multidisciplinary team members’ support, were themed. The second objective intended to enhance the best of what is by indicating “what could be” the ideal clinical accompaniment. The third objective indicated “what should be” addressed during clinical accompaniment to move towards excellence and enhance the clinical learning experiences of students and the following themes emerged: inadequate support from nurse educators, lack of resources, inadequate support from registered nurses, and disregard for student status. The respondents recommended “what must be” as an action plan to enhance clinical accompaniment based on the findings, and the following themes emerged: nurse educator’s responsibility, registered nurse’s responsibility, and availability of resources for students. / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Nursing Science / unrestricted

Samhället förändras med nya utmaningar. Detta skapa behovet för att organisationer ökar takten för att möta förändringen. Det innebär att arbetssätt och standardisering, kan bidrag till verksamhetsutveckling. Uppsatsen därmed undersökte and presenterade resultat som kan hjälpa ledare i olika organisationer att förstå ledarskaps betydelse för ständiga förbättringar både internt och med andra organisationer. Studien som genomfördes på LBS Kreativa gymnasiet med intervju, enkät, observation och dokumentanalys som datainsamlingsverktyg, visade att skolan/organisationen, med hjälp av relations-baserat ledarskap, arbetar med transparens och öppenhet. Detta arbetssätt har bidragit till en förändrade arbetskultur och dokumenterade organisationens arbete med ständiga förbättringar. I fortsättningsvis, visade sig att lärarna, vårdnadshavare och leverantör är nöjda. Resultat visade också att samarbetet mellan skolan och sin leverantör inte var en återkommande punkt i skolans systematiska kvalitetsarbeten / The changes experienced in society presents challenges that demands for reciprocal approach on continuous improvement within organizations. This entails fashioning work ways and standards that can adapt to these changes; a task that leaders or prospective leaders should be conversant with. Thus, this study investigates and present results that could assist leaders in understanding the importance of their engagement in continuous improvement as well as the relationship with partners. Investigation through means of interview, survey, observation and documents analysis were conducted at LBS Creative Senior High School (LBS Kreativa Gymnasiet). The research presented description of how the school through its various leaders work consistently with improving the school and its students. The result showed that the school, through relational leadership perspective operates with transparency, openness and the engagement of teaching and non-teaching staffs, which have enabled the transformation of work-culture to one that is consistence with improvement. The result also showed that the transformation has contributed to satisfaction as experienced by teachers, parents/guardians and partners, however partnership with companies was based on an order-deliver relationship and thus was not necessary to be part of the school’s continuous improvement plan. / <p>2018-06-27</p>

Engagerat ledarskap är grunden till att skapa en god kvalitetskultur och för attlyckas krävs medarbetarskapets delaktighet. Forskare menar att stödet förnärvarande ledare i vården har fram tills idag varit tämligen outvecklat. Syftetmed denna studie var att förstå framgångsfaktorer för hur kvalitetskulturen isvensk sjukvård kan kopplas mot ledarnas möjlighet att främja ett gottmedarbetarskap. Detta utifrån en förklarande sekventiell mixad metod med tvåkvantitativa mätningar som slutligen resulterade i en kvalitativ intervju. Enmätning av kvalitetskulturen vid svenska sjukhus utfördes utifrån ett tidigareframtaget mätinstrument för att mäta kvalitetskultur. Mätinstrumentetpresenterades genom 13 beteendepar som främjar respektive hindrar enkvalitetskultur. Denna mätning visade att det idag råder en generellt godkvalitetskultur vid svenska sjukhus. Genom denna mätning kunde enregressionsanalys utföras som kopplades samman mot sjukhusens resultat iNationell patientenkät. Ett statistiskt signifikant beteende kunde uppmätassom enligt denna mätning skapar nöjdare patienter ju mer medarbetarnaupplever att detta beteende förekommer i deras organisation. Beteendet ärnär vi har ett problem tar vi reda på grundorsaken innan vi beslutar om enlösning. Detta beteende togs med till två framgångsrika sjukhus för att djupareförstå hur dessa arbetar med medarbetarskapet i just detta beteende. Utifrånworkshop med dessa två sjukhus är slutsatsen att ledare behöver ha erfaritden kvalitetskultur och det medarbetarskap de ska bära för att främja ettmedarbetarskap som kopplats samman med kvalitetskulturen. I jakten på attnå framgång är en stark kvalitetskultur eftersträvansvärd men utifrånworkshoparna ser författarna ingen möjlig snabb lösning för att nå dit.Resultatet visar att dagens ledare i vården behöver stöd i form av mentor ellerreflektion kring ledarskap själv eller i grupp för att utvecklas. I konstruktiv andaär det med förbättringskunskap i grunden som allas delaktighet i arbetet medständiga förbättringar bedrivs. Detta kräver allas reflektion, ärlighet, mod,öppenhet och förtroende där allt grundar sig i att alla vill varandras väl! / Committed leadership is the foundation for creating a good quality culture andto succeed, the participation of employees is required. Researchers argue thatsupport for the current leaders in healthcare has until now been ratherundeveloped. The purpose of this study was to understand how the qualityculture in Swedish healthcare can be linked to the leaders' ability to promotegood co-workership. This study was based on an explanatory sequentialmixed method with two quantitative measurements that ultimately resulted in aqualitative interview. A measurement of the quality culture at Swedishhospitals was taken based on a previously developed instrument formeasuring quality culture . The measuring instrument comprises 13behavioral pairs that promote or hinder a quality culture. This measure showsthat there is generally a good quality culture at Swedish hospitals at present.Through this measurement, a regression analysis was done which links to thehospital's results in the National Patient Survey. A statistically significantbehavior was observed, and according to this measurement, is likely to createmore satisfied patients as more professions feel that this behavior occurs intheir organization. The behaviour in question can be described as: when wehave a problem, we find out the root cause before we decide on a solution.This behavior was brought into two successful hospitals in order to understandmore deeply how they work with the co-workership in this particular behavior.Based on the workshop with these two hospitals, we conclude that leadersneed to have experienced the quality culture and the co-workership they areassumed to carry in order to promote an employee culture that is linked to thequality culture. In pursuit of success, a strong quality culture is desirable, butbased on the workshops, the authors see no possible quick solution to reachit. The result shows that today's leaders in healthcare need support in the formof a mentor or time for reflection on leadership on their own or in groups inorder to develop. In constructive approach, it is with improvement knowledgethat everyone's involvement in the work of continuous improvement isconducted. This requires reflection, honesty, courage, openness and trustfrom everyone involved and intentions rooted in the wellness and prosperity ofall. / <p>2019-06-27</p>