The purpose of this study was to develop a model describing the relationship of inquiry-based teaching elements on middle school students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) interests and belief changes. The study utilized pretest/posttest, correlational, and longitudinal designs. Classroom inquiry data (N = 139) and middle school students’ attitudinal data (N = 1779) were collected in middle school classrooms within a 40 mile radius of Texas A&M University during the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years. Results indicated 24% of the variation in middle school students’ change in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) interests was explained by the inquiry-learning element “teacher as listener” was very characteristic of this classroom.” STEM interest change explained 55% of the variation in middle school students’ STEM belief change. Analyses indicated NSF Fellows and teachers affected the rate at which middle school students’ STEM beliefs and interests changed. Middle school students’ STEM interests and beliefs remained significantly unchanged from pre- to post-NSF Fellow each year of the study. Classroom inquiry levels did significantly increase from beginning of school-year to end of school-year each year of the project. NSF Fellows had a positive relationship with the one inquiry element “teacher as listener” was very characteristic of the classroom; which explained middle school students’ change in STEM interests. NSF Fellows had negative relationships with the inquiry elements, lessons involved fundamental concepts of the subject; lessons were designed to engage students as members of a learning community; lessons promoted strong conceptual understanding; and elements of abstraction were encouraged when it was important to do so. No inquiry elements were associated with middle school students’ change in STEM beliefs. Middle school students’ change in STEM interests were positively associated with three inquiry elements, “teacher as listener” was very characteristic of the classroom; students were involved in the communication of their ideas to others using a variety of means and media; and student questions and comments often determine the focus and direction of classroom discourse. The inquiry element, instructional strategies and activities respected students’ prior knowledge and the preconceptions inherent therein, was negatively associated with changes in middle school students’ STEM interests.

You can always fall back into teaching. This thesis explores the meaning of this statement as it pertains to teachers’ motivations related to their careers, the decisions they make in both their daily work and their professional goals, and the consequences of those decisions. I investigate why teachers choose to teach. What are the reasons that lead teachers to ‘fall back’ into teaching? Upon beginning their career, what do these teachers experience during their daily work in the classroom? How do they negotiate how they feel with what they do? Falling back into teaching is an arts-informed thesis. I am an artist and a researcher who communicates in text and images. I combine autobiographical writing and the language of art, the elements of design, to explain my academic and artistic journey. The thesis employs the metaphor of a triptych, a three-paneled painting that has been and continues to be used specifically by visual artists. The left panel encompasses the introduction; a definition of 'fallback', an explanation of arts-informed inquiry as a method for researching fallback, and a first meeting with my parents and me who inform the thesis. The middle panel follows my research process in understanding 'fallback' using the elements of design: line, shape, space, colour, value and texture. The final panel provides a reflection on the process and a response to those who have read and relate to 'fallback'.

This study examined the experience of three secondary science student teachers from Western Oregon State College in Monmouth, Oregon during the Spring quarter of 1990. The question was: What is student teaching like from the point of view of the student teacher? The research methodology was qualitative, more specifically participant observation, prolonged engagement, and using the Constant Comparative Model. Data sources included audio taped journals from the student teachers, transcribed audio tapes from seminars, video tapes of teaching, rich descriptions from field notes made by the researcher, a journal from one cooperating teacher, and a journal kept by the researcher. Analysis of the data set produced 81 coding categories. A data set was marked, cut and filed under these coding categories. Patterns and generalizations were drawn from the categorized data set. The three student teachers had widely varied experiences. The analysis of data resulted in the generation of seven hypotheses concerning student teaching. They were as follows: 1. Student teachers react to the student teaching experience differently. 2. The student teaching experience may be so complex that a total, Gestalt, understanding of it is not possible. 3. For some student teachers, there is a critical point, called The Wall. 4. The nature of the critical point and the outcomes of the experience vary greatly among the student teachers. 5. Student teachers need a support group or support individual available during the student teaching experience. 6. The cooperating teacher(s) is/are a stronger influence on the student teacher than is the college supervisor. 7. The predictors for success in student teaching that were used in this study are likely unreliable. / Graduation date: 1991

The purpose of this project was to examine the perceptions of private studio-based music teachers regarding recruitment and retention of students. Gaining insight and understanding into the careers of private studio-based music teachers is a way to help practicing teachers and educate students who aspire to have a similar career path. Research questions included: (a) How do students and teachers become acquainted with one another? (b) What strategies do private studio-based teachers use to attract students? (c) What factors impact the effectiveness of recruitment and retention strategies used by private studio-based music teachers? (d) Why do students choose to begin privately studying music? (e) Why do students discontinue lessons? Ultimately, private studio-based teachers were found to rely on many factors and phenomena to help them recruit new students. Word of mouth, location, reputation, presence in schools, and performance were discovered to be common attractions to potential students. After a student began lessons the following aspects impacted the retention period: Enjoyment or fun, achievement, teaching methods, distractions, parental involvement, and the teacher’s perception of retention. / School of Music

You can always fall back into teaching. This thesis explores the meaning of this statement as it pertains to teachers’ motivations related to their careers, the decisions they make in both their daily work and their professional goals, and the consequences of those decisions. I investigate why teachers choose to teach. What are the reasons that lead teachers to ‘fall back’ into teaching? Upon beginning their career, what do these teachers experience during their daily work in the classroom? How do they negotiate how they feel with what they do? Falling back into teaching is an arts-informed thesis. I am an artist and a researcher who communicates in text and images. I combine autobiographical writing and the language of art, the elements of design, to explain my academic and artistic journey. The thesis employs the metaphor of a triptych, a three-paneled painting that has been and continues to be used specifically by visual artists. The left panel encompasses the introduction; a definition of 'fallback', an explanation of arts-informed inquiry as a method for researching fallback, and a first meeting with my parents and me who inform the thesis. The middle panel follows my research process in understanding 'fallback' using the elements of design: line, shape, space, colour, value and texture. The final panel provides a reflection on the process and a response to those who have read and relate to 'fallback'.

This study aims at shedding some light on teachers’ attitudes and views on poetry as a part of English language studies. More specifically, it intends to explore whether there is support for the generally preconceived idea that poetry’s role in today’s language studies has diminished. This essay presents previous research regarding the development of poetry teaching in classrooms and the importance of reading poetry. Thereafter it includes a smaller qualitative survey, which was sent out to teachers in Swedish upper secondary schools, on their views concerning poetry and its incorporation in their courses, as well as reasons behind their choices. Although the study did not receive enough answers to warrant general conclusions on how teachers in Halland view poetry, the results do show tendencies toward a view of poetry as being strenuous to work with due to students’ resistance and negative attitudes. Moreover, that poetry is one area of English language studies that the majority of teachers view as less important. Furthermore, the results reveal that a teacher’s personal interest in poetry, or lack of interest, affects the amount of time and focus placed on poetry in the classrooms.

Consumption of wine is high internationally. There is a tendency of increasing consumption of qulity wine over table wine. The experience of drinking wine is not like drinking any other alcohol beverage, it is more sensual experince because of the sophistication of the taste and flavors that wine possesses. Sweden is not an exeption from the worldwide trend of increasing wine consumption. Moreover, Swedes are developing even more esthetic way of drinking wine, namely combining it with food. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of the Swedish consumers towards wine and in particular towards Bulgarian wine if there are any existent. It further investigates the determinants of the attitudes and perceptions towards wine. Three interviews with representatives of HoReCa (Hotels, Restaurants and Catering) and Systembolaget are conducted. They and the literature review serve as a base for the formulation of hypotheses which have to be supported or rejected with the help of a questionnaire developed for that purpose. The questionnaire is translated in Swedish as it is designed for the Swedish consumers. The current research is descriptive, so only descriptive statistics are used for the analyses of the data collected. The results of the study are really intriguing. Some factors that are mainly con-sidered of great significance turned out as not so important when it comes to the Swedish wine consumers. The interviews gave a really interesting insight about the specific situation on the Swedish alcohol market and the consumption of wine among Swedes. The questionnaires reached their purpose and helped to support or reject the formulated hypotheses and to draw some essential conclusions about the perceptions and attitudes towards Bulgarian wine. Finally, this paper ends with the main conclusions reached by conducting the research, some market implications about wine producing companies that would like to enter the Swedish alcohol market and in particular Bulgarian wine cellars. Then the shortcomings of the study and the future research are dis-cussed.

This study aims to explore the effects on junior high school students¡¦ learning attitudes as well as learning performance after using 3C products. The study was conducted by means of questionnaire survey with self-editted ¡§Questionnaire on Learning Attitudes and Learning Performance¡¨. 600 junior high school students were randomly sampled from 25 public junior high schools in Kaohsing County and Kaohsiung City. The collected data was analyzed by statistical methods, including T-test, Chi-Square test, One-Way ANOVA, Point-Biserial Correlation , Person¡¦s Correlation and Multiple Regression. Based on the analyzed results, the followings were concluded: 1. The students of different background have different using function on 3C products such as cellphones, console game, digital cameras and computers. 2. The students of different background have different using frequency on 3C products such as cellphones, console game, digital cameras . 3. The effects occurred on students¡¦ attitudes after using 3C products. 4. Students¡¦ performance was affected by their attitudes after using 3C products. 5. The predictability on learning performance of Skill Level can even reach to 53.1%, followed by 1.6% of Emotion Level.

The purpose of this study was to develop a model describing the relationship of inquiry-based teaching elements on middle school students’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) interests and belief changes. The study utilized pretest/posttest, correlational, and longitudinal designs. Classroom inquiry data (N = 139) and middle school students’ attitudinal data (N = 1779) were collected in middle school classrooms within a 40 mile radius of Texas A&M University during the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 school years. Results indicated 24% of the variation in middle school students’ change in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) interests was explained by the inquiry-learning element “teacher as listener” was very characteristic of this classroom.” STEM interest change explained 55% of the variation in middle school students’ STEM belief change. Analyses indicated NSF Fellows and teachers affected the rate at which middle school students’ STEM beliefs and interests changed. Middle school students’ STEM interests and beliefs remained significantly unchanged from pre- to post-NSF Fellow each year of the study. Classroom inquiry levels did significantly increase from beginning of school-year to end of school-year each year of the project. NSF Fellows had a positive relationship with the one inquiry element “teacher as listener” was very characteristic of the classroom; which explained middle school students’ change in STEM interests. NSF Fellows had negative relationships with the inquiry elements, lessons involved fundamental concepts of the subject; lessons were designed to engage students as members of a learning community; lessons promoted strong conceptual understanding; and elements of abstraction were encouraged when it was important to do so. No inquiry elements were associated with middle school students’ change in STEM beliefs. Middle school students’ change in STEM interests were positively associated with three inquiry elements, “teacher as listener” was very characteristic of the classroom; students were involved in the communication of their ideas to others using a variety of means and media; and student questions and comments often determine the focus and direction of classroom discourse. The inquiry element, instructional strategies and activities respected students’ prior knowledge and the preconceptions inherent therein, was negatively associated with changes in middle school students’ STEM interests.

<p>The purpose of this study was to examine the cooperation between two parts of the Swedish prison and probation service, the prison and the probation office. More specifically its aim was to find the attitudes and the different work models surrounding this cooperation. To find my result I had interviews with six probation officers in two probation offices in south of Sweden. My questions were general and I choose follow-up questions during the interviews. The analysis was based on a cooperation theory. The conclusions of the study were that there are work models that have been brought in by the head office of the organization, that does not work properly and they are not popular by the staff. This keeps the probation officers from having a good cooperation with the staff from the prisons. The probation officers also have some attitudes toward the prison staff that keeps them from having a good cooperation. These attitudes are clearly shown during the prison and probation service’s staff education and somewhat continues to show up during the probation officers every day work. These problems can be explained through the cooperation theory as a lack of perquisite for a good cooperation.</p>