This arts-based, qualitative investigation focused on high school English teachers of students with learning dis/abilities (Baglieri & Knopf, 2004) who used visual arts integration (Eisner, 2002) to find out how teachers experience using visual arts in English and what their experiences mean (Zoss & White, 2011) in order to understand why certain experiences stood out for the teachers as being important. I framed the study theoretically with complexity theories of teaching and learning (Davis, Sumara, & Luce-Kapler, 2008), while combining aspects of sociocultural theory (Smagorinsky, 2001; Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch, 1991), cognitive pluralism (John-Steiner, 1997) and Dewey’s notion of experience (1934/1980). The teacher participants were three high school English teachers employed at an independent school for students with learning dis/abilities. A/r/tography (Irwin & Springgay, 2008; Springgay, Irwin, & Kind, 2005, 2008) influenced my methodology in that I created visual art to theorize the data and my experiences conducting the study. I collected data during spring and summer 2011. Data sources included participant observation and field notes (Dewalt & Dewalt, 2002), photography (Coover, 2004; Harper 2000, 2002), teachers’ visual texts (La Jevic & Springgay, 2008), artifacts (Prior, 2003), and interviews (Smagorinsky, 2008; Smagorinsky & Coppock, 1994). I used qualitative methods of coding analysis (Charmaz, 2006; Ezzy, 2002; Saldaña, 2009) and visual analysis (Riessman, 2008; Rose, 2001), as well as arts-based methods for educational research (Cahnmann-Taylor & Siegesmund, 2008). This study fills a gap in empirical research in both English education and special education by examining English teachers integrating art in classes for students with dis/abilities. Furthermore, understanding how teachers experience visual arts integration can inform methods courses for teaching secondary English educators.

Introduction: Community coalitions with public health-related missions are formal, semi-permanent, action-oriented partnerships comprised of community members, representatives of government agencies, policymakers, and academic partners. Despite their potential to promote sustainable change, coalitions have had mixed success in effecting long-term improvements in community health. There is a need to assist them in developing strategies for improving and sustaining their functionality. The purpose of this study was to improve understanding of the elements of coalition success and sustainability that are vital to health-related community-based participatory research. Methods: Although the literature describes coalition functions for effecting sustainable programs and policies, most research reports on individual programs only, rather than looking at the breadth of community coalitions and the commonalities that contribute to their effectiveness. Semi-structured interviews (N = 42) with academic and community partners followed by a grounded theory analysis of the data address this gap and provide theoretical underpinnings of factors sustaining coalition effectiveness. Results: Seven domains emerged: (1) Characteristics related to coalition structure and processes; (2) Partner characteristics, e.g., diversity, patience, flexibility, expertise; (3) Community characteristics, e.g., capacity, ownership; (4) Partnership dynamics and synergy; (5) Tangible benefits; (6) Available resources, and; (7) Project characteristics. In all, 70 elements representing these categories influenced coalition effectiveness over time. Discussion: Sustained effectiveness means continual improvement, ongoing development of skills and structures to support positive change, and expanded program or policy activities that benefit stakeholders. Whereas community researchers have yet to reach consensus on the universal elements of sustainability, this study expands knowledge of the factors contributing to coalition effectiveness beyond initial project implementation.

This thesis is about knowing in biology in higher education and research. The gene concept is used as an example of knowledge content that is common to both biological research and education. The purpose is to study how knowing about the gene is expressed in different forms of knowledge contexts at the university. This is important to study in order to understand documented learning problems regarding the gene concept but also to better understand the relation between knowledge in research and teaching. Knowledge has to be transformed to become an educational content, a process that is of special interest within the field of Didaktik. The thesis is based on three qualitative case studies. Study I is an analysis of a textbook in biology. The purpose is to examine the content as presented to the students to see how its structure may contribute to the problems students have. How does the gene concept function as a scientific representation and at the same time as an object for learning in a biology college textbook? A phenomenographic approach is used to study implicit variation in gene concept use when the textbook treats different sub disciplines. The results show conceptual differences between them. The different categories of the gene found–as a trait, an information structure, an actor in the cell, a regulator in embryonic development or as a marker for evolutionary change–mean that we deal with different phenomena. The gene as an object is ascribed different functions and furthermore these functions are intermingled in the textbook. Since, in the textbook, these conceptual differences are not articulated, they likely are a source of confusion when learning about genes. Study II examines the gene concept use in a scientific context, as exemplified by five research articles from a scientific journal. Using an adaptation of Hirst’s criteria for forms of knowledge, the study characterizes how the scientific contexts for the gene concept use vary. What kinds of different gene concept use in these contexts can be discerned? When comparing the articles, it becomes evident that the gene concept is used to answer different kinds of questions. The meanings of the gene concept are connected to various knowledge projects, their purposes and the methods used. Shifts of methodologies and questions entail a concept that escapes single definitions and “slides around” in meanings. These contextual transformations and associated content leaps are here referred to as epistemic drift. Study III follows an integrative research project in biology.  What are the characteristic content conditions for knowledge development? What different ways in using the gene concept can be distinguished? By using the analytic methodology developed in study II, the scientific contexts are categorized according to their knowledge project, methods used and conceptual contexts. The results show that the gene concept meanings and the content vary in focus, are more or less explicitly formulated, or possible to formulate, and consist of different skills. One didactic conclusion is that by being more overt about the conditions for problem solving within a specific subdisciplin (i.e. fruitful questions to ask, knowledge needed to answer them, and methods available), students may be given opportunities to get a broader perspective on what it means to know biology. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript.</p><p> </p>

Internet Memes transverse and sometimes transcend cyberspace on the back of impossibly cute LOLcats speaking mangled English and the snarky remarks of Image Macro characters always on the lookout for someone to undermine. No longer the abstract notion of a cultural gene that Dawkins (2006) introduced in the late 1970s, memes have now become synonymous with a particular brand of vernacular language that internet users engage by posting, sharing and remixing digital content as they communicate jokes, emotions and opinions. For the purpose of this research the language of Internet Memes is understood as visual, succinct and capable of inviting active engagement by users who encounter digital content online that exhibits said characteristics. Internet Memes were explored through an Arts-Based Educational Research framework by first identifying the conventions that shape them and then interrogating these conventions during two distinct research phases. In the first phase the researcher, as a doctoral student in art and visual culture education, engaged class readings and assignments by generating digital content that not only responded to the academic topics at hand but did so through forms associated with Internet Memes like Image Macros and Animated GIFs. In the second phase the researcher became a meme literacy facilitator as learners in three different age-groups were led in the reading, writing and remixing of memes during a month-long summer art camp where they were also exposed to other art-making processes such as illustration, acting and sculpture. Each group of learners engaged age-appropriate meme types: 1) the youngest group, 6 and 7 year-olds, wrote Emoji Stories and Separated at Birth memes; 2) the middle group, 8-10 year-olds, worked with Image Macros and Perception memes, 3) while the oldest group, 11-13 year-olds, generated Image Macros and Animated GIFs. The digital content emerging from both research phases was collected as data and analyzed through a hybrid of Memetics, Actor-Network Theory, Object Oriented Ontology, Remix Theory and Glitch Studies as the researcher shifted shapes yet again and became a Research Jockey sampling freely from each field of study. A case is made for Internet Memes to be understood as an actor-network where meme collectives, individual cybernauts, software and source material are all actants interrelating and making each other enact collective agencies through shared authorships. Additionally specific educational contexts are identified where the language of Internet Memes can serve to incorporate technology, storytelling, visual thinking and remix practices into art and visual culture education. Finally, the document reporting on the research expands on the hermeneutics of Internet Memes and the phenomenological experiences they elicit that are otherwise absent from traditional scholarly prose. Chapter by chapter the dissertation was crafted as a journey from the academic to the whimsical, from the lecture hall to the image board (where Internet Memes were born), from the written word to the remixed image as a visual language that is equal parts form and content that emerges and culminates in a concluding chapter composed almost entirely of popular Internet Meme types. An online component can be found at http://memeducation.org/

Curriculum 2005 is an attempt by the South African government to create and implement a strategic plan to change the formal school curriculum. The new curriculum has 'integration' as one of its focal features. This study is an investigation of the use of' environment' as an integrating' organiser' in the senior phase of Curriculum 2005 in a selection of schools in the Mpumalanga province. While the Curriculum 2005 framework encourages curriculum integration, this is an area which might be neglected during implementation, because there is so little experience among teachers of working in an 'integrated' way. Environmental education is an approach to education which requires and facilitates curriculum integration. This study has the potential to contribute to our understanding of the integration of environmental learning across the new curriculum. Questionnaires and vignettes based on document analysis, follow-up interviews and classroom observations, involving a small group of teachers, were used in conducting the study. The investigation has revealed that participating teachers show a limited understanding of the constructs 'environment' and 'phase organiser'. Teachers do not take or introduce a critical perspective on the nature and causes of environmental issues. They treat the construct 'environment' and associated issues quite superficially when working with learners. Participating teachers generally misunderstood the concept 'phase organisers' and tended to interpret it in concepts associated with the curriculum framework they were used to. Curriculum 2005 also requires teachers to take on a more active curriculum development role. This study looked at four teachers' attempts to develop learning programme units, and at the way in which two teachers implement their curriculum plans focussing on 'environment', in the classroom. It was found that participating teachers do not always follow the same sequence or steps when developing a learning programme. Learning programme units were not considered in developmental sequence, they lacked some form of continuity and links between intended learning outcomes and teaching activities were also lacking. There was inadequate integration between learning areas. Furthermore, integration between knowledge, skills, values and attitudes was also not quite clear among the teachers, and they tended to deal with environmental knowledge in a rather limited way, focussing instead on the awareness and attitudes. These findings are of concern, and they are in keeping with the Curriculum 2005 Review Report, which highlighted the danger of inadequate focus on curriculum content. On overall teachers seem to be struggling with the whole notion of 'integration', even though environment as a phase organiser is meant to assist with curriculum integration. The thesis ends with recommendations on how teachers might be assisted to achieve meaningful curriculum integration, through using learning outcomes as well as content knowledge relevant to environmental learning.

abstract: Contemporary urban food security in the US is influenced by complex, multidimensional, and multi-scale factors. However, most assessment methods and intervention efforts in food security research are: 1) narrowly focused on environmental factors (i.e. the presence or absence of quality food outlets), 2) divorced from the human dimension and, 3) ultimately disempower communities to affect change at the local level. New approaches are needed to capture the lived experiences and unique perspectives of people potentially most vulnerable to food insecurity, while also empowering people to become change agents in their lives and in the wider community. This thesis argues that sustainability problem solving frameworks such as transformational sustainability research (TSR), and community-based participatory research (CBPR) provide promising bases from which to address these deficiencies. Through interactive workshops with youth in Canyon Corridor, a neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona, I demonstrate the potential of concept mapping, sketch mapping, and intervention mapping methods that prioritize participation and co-production of knowledge to: 1) better understand the contextual, community-identified factors that contribute to food security or food insecurity, 2) identify and adapt interventions for the local context and, 3) promote community agency and action. Workshop outcomes suggest the relevance of these frameworks and methods, and the potential for more people- and place-based approaches to food security research. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Sustainability 2012

Submitted by Erika Demachki (erikademachki@gmail.com) on 2017-05-15T19:31:47Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Cristiane José Borges - 2017.pdf: 6795387 bytes, checksum: df3f07fbc7383b232fa129143a36710f (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-05-16T12:07:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Cristiane José Borges - 2017.pdf: 6795387 bytes, checksum: df3f07fbc7383b232fa129143a36710f (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-16T12:07:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Cristiane José Borges - 2017.pdf: 6795387 bytes, checksum: df3f07fbc7383b232fa129143a36710f (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-27 / INTRODUCTION: The process of population aging is a worldwide phenomenon and, simultaneously, a new social role emerges - the informal caregiver-, seen as an essential component to promote elderly’s quality of life in some dependency situation at home. OBJECTIVE: To describe the construction and implementation of care and support strategies for elderlies’ informal caregivers through the Community Based Participatory Research. METHOD: A descriptive study guided by Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles and carried out through the organization of a Community Advisory Committee (CAC), which involved academic and community participants. The study was attended by 384 people, nine community partners, 255 professionals working in family health strategies and 120 elderlies’ informal caregivers. The research was divided into the following phases: 1 - establishment of the community partnership; 2 - identification of problems related to elderly’s informal caregiver; 3 - prioritization of problems related to elderly’s informal caregiver; 4 - capacity survey of community strengths, dynamics and resources; 5 – arrangement of strategies, method, support and care interventions to elderly’s informal caregiver; 6 - implementation of strategies, method, support and care interventions to elderly’s informal caregiver; 7 - data analysis by CAC members; 8- dissemination of results obtained with CAC partnership; 9 - maintenance, CAC sustainability and partnerships evaluation. For the results’ analytical process, the content analysis proposed by Bardin was used for qualitative data and the descriptive statistical analysis was used for quantitative data. The Bioecological Theory of Human Development was adopted as a complementary basis for data analysis. RESULTS: Through the CAC constitution, there were identified, in a collective way, 17 problems faced in the elderly’s informal caregiver daily life. The use of the Severity, Urgency and Trend matrix allowed these problems prioritization for decision making. This process mobilized the construction of an action plan composed by five strategies: 1 - teaching of CAC members about the concepts recommended to define the caregiver role; 2 -raising the knowledge of Family Health Strategy professionals about the importance of including the informal caregiver as a care focus; 3 - performance of the 1st Multiprofessional Care Meeting for Elderly and Informal Caregiver; 4 - recording of the city’s informal caregivers of elderly people; 5 - qualification of the elderlies’ informal caregivers. CONCLUSION: The use of Community Based Participatory Research enabled the community partners’ empowerment, that mobilized themselves in support of elderlies’ informal caregivers, developing actions that included the mapping of the city’s informal caregivers of elderly people, mobilization and qualification of the Family Health Strategy professionals, and the organization of care spaces. In this process, it was verified that this research approach strengthens health democratization by promoting greater involvement and social protagonism of community partners, creating ideas and concrete actions for the establishment of care strategies for the elderlies’ informal caregivers. / INTRODUÇÃO: O processo de envelhecimento populacional é um fenômeno mundial e, concomitante a ele, emergiu um novo papel social – o cuidador informal –, visto como uma peça elementar para promover a qualidade de vida do idoso em alguma situação de dependência no domicílio. OBJETIVO: Descrever a construção e a implementação de estratégias de atenção e suporte aos cuidadores informais de idosos por meio da Pesquisa Participante Baseada na Comunidade. MÉTODO: Estudo descritivo guiado pelos princípios da Pesquisa Participante Baseada na Comunidade e realizado a partir da organização de um Comitê de Assessoria Comunitária (CAC), que envolveu participantes acadêmicos e da comunidade. Participaram do estudo 384 pessoas, sendo nove parceiros da comunidade, 255 profissionais que atuam nas estratégias saúde da família e 120 cuidadores informais de idosos. A investigação foi dividida nas seguintes fases: 1 - formação de parceria com a comunidade; 2 - identificação de problemas relacionados ao cuidador informal de idoso; 3 - priorização de problemas relacionados ao cuidador informal de idoso; 4 - levantamento das capacidades de pontos fortes, dinâmicas e recursos da comunidade; 5 - planejamento de estratégias, método e intervenções de atenção ao cuidador informal de idoso; 6 - implementação de estratégias, método e intervenções em atenção ao cuidador informal de idosos; 7 - análise dos dados pelos membros do CAC; 8 - divulgação dos resultados obtidos com a parceria do CAC; 9 - manutenção, sustentabilidade do CAC e avaliação das parcerias. Para o processo analítico dos resultados, utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo proposta por Bardin, para os dados qualitativos, e a análise estatística descritiva, para os dados quantitativos. Adotou-se como fundamentação complementar para análise dos dados a Teoria Bioecológica do Desenvolvimento Humano. RESULTADOS: A partir da constituição do CAC identificaram-se, de maneira coletiva, 17 problemas enfrentados no cotidiano do cuidador informal de idoso. O uso da matriz de Gravidade, Urgência e Tendência possibilitou a priorização desses problemas para a tomada de decisão. Esse processo mobilizou a construção de um plano de ação composto por cinco estratégias: 1 - capacitação dos membros do CAC sobre os conceitos preconizados para definir o papel do cuidador; 2 - sensibilização dos profissionais da Estratégia Saúde da Família sobre a importância de incluir o cuidador informal como alvo de cuidados; 3 - realização do I Encontro Multiprofissional de Atenção à Pessoa Idosa e ao Cuidador Informal; 4 - cadastramento dos cuidadores informais de idosos do município; 5 - qualificação dos cuidadores informais de idosos. CONCLUSÃO: O uso da Pesquisa Participante Baseada na Comunidade possibilitou o empoderamento dos parceiros comunitários que se mobilizaram em prol dos cuidadores informais de idosos, desenvolvendo ações que incluíram o mapeamento dos cuidadores informais no município, a mobilização e a qualificação de profissionais da Estratégia Saúde da Família, e também a organização de espaços de cuidados. Nesse processo, constatou-se que essa abordagem de pesquisa fortalece a democratização da saúde por promover maior envolvimento e protagonismo social dos parceiros da comunidade, gerando ideias e ações concretas para o estabelecimento de estratégias de atenção aos cuidadores informais de idosos.

M.Ed. / This study forms part of a greater ongoing research project concerning teacher competence and its assesment. The project focuses on researching teacher opinion on teacher competences identified by the initial research. The following areas of teacher competence are being researched : The learning environment Professional commitment Order and discipline Educational foundation Teacher reflection Co-operative ability Effectiveness Leadership This dissertation is part of the research undertaken regarding order and discipline and its role in teacher competence. An intensive research of the literature has given rise to a conceptualisation that consists of the following five aspects, namely : values; rules; human relationships; management of classroom behaviour; and teaching practices. This research essay focuses on classroom management behaviour as an aspect of order and discipline : implication for the management of teacher competence. Having orientated the reader to the particular field of research, the motivation and background of the problem will now be discussed.

M.A. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Little is known about the healthcare experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults (ages 18-24) and even less is known about LGB college students (ages 18-24). Helping LGB college students effectively access appropriate, sensitive healthcare has the potential to reduce negative long-term health consequences. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the healthcare experiences of LGB college students (ages 18-24) in the local college community using community-based participatory research (CBPR). Three online synchronous focus groups and one online individual interview were conducted with 19 LGB college students between January and February 2011. The focus groups were segmented into lesbian (n= 7), gay (n= 7), and female bisexual (n = 4) groups. One male bisexual was interviewed individually. The mean age of the sample was 20.7 years (SD = 1.2, range = 19-24). The sample was predominately White non-Hispanic (85%). Qualitative content analysis was used to describe the healthcare experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students in the local community. One overarching theme (not all the same), one main theme (comfort during the clinical encounter), three sub themes (personalizing the clinical encounter, deciding to disclose and social stigma, and seeking support of self-identified sexual orientation) and one preliminary sub theme (perceived confidentiality) emerged from the analysis. One major action emerged from the analysis and supported the development of the social network site (on Facebook) entitled: College Alliance Towards Community Health (CATCH). The mission of CATCH is to provide LGB college students in the local community with a comfortable forum to learn about various healthcare concerns of lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students. Additional implications for nursing practice and implications for further research in the LGB college community are addressed.