No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

[pt] O presente texto apresenta um estudo com os licenciados em Pedagogia e em Biologia com enfoque nas representações sobre a profissão docente. A análise sobre a formação inicial e a atuação profissional nos primeiros anos de carreira buscou evidenciar o ponto de vista desses professores na construção da identidade profissional. Em tempos de reformas na estrutura e funcionamento dos sistemas de ensino e no papel dos professores, se faz necessário tensionar as motivações, disposições e os valores manifestados por aqueles que se inserem nesse campo. A polissemia de conceituações teóricas e suas interfaces são debatidas a fim de identificar as especificidades da docência como atividade em vias de profissionalização e reconhecer as múltiplas influências que levam alguém a se tornar professor. O material empírico foi produzido por 195 questionários respondidos por egressos dessas licenciaturas, formados no período de 2008 a 2015. As categorias analíticas utilizadas foram professores iniciantes, profissionalidade, profissionalização e trabalho docente. Na opinião desses professores, o excesso de teorizações e a falta de abordagens práticas das funções docentes na formação inicial a tornam insuficiente, o que gera sentimentos de insegurança e o choque de expectativas com o mundo real do trabalho. Há o reconhecimento de cada vez mais exigências para o desempenho dos professores, embora estes não participem das instâncias de regulação e controle da profissão. Somado a isso, a precarização das condições, o desprestígio social e os efeitos da responsabilização pessoal sobre a eficiência no trabalho constituem os desafios para socialização e o desenvolvimento profissional do magistério. / [en] This document presents a study of graduates in Pedagogy and Biology with a focus on representations of the teaching profession. The analysis of the initial training and professional practice in the early years of career sought to highlight the point of view of these teachers in the construction of their professional identity. In times of changes in the structure and functioning of education systems, and the role of teachers, it is necessary to tighten the motivations, dispositions and values expressed by those who are part of this field. The polysemy of theoretical concepts and their interfaces are discussed in order to identify the teaching specificities as an activity in the process of professionalization, and to recognize the numerous influences that lead someone to become a teacher. The empirical material was produced by 195 questionnaires filled by graduates, formed from 2008 to 2015. The analytical categories used were beginning teachers, professionality, professionalization, and teaching work. According to these teachers, excessive theorizing and lack of practical approaches of teaching duties in the initial training makes it insufficient, and generates insecurity and the clash of expectations with the real world of work. There is a recognition of increasing requirements for the performance of teachers, although they do not participate in the instances of profession regulation and control. Added to this, the precarious conditions, lack of social prestige, and the effects of personal accountability on efficiency at work are the challenges for socialization and professional development of teachers.

The purpose of this research was to examine the potential relationship between students’ degree of familiarity with repertoire common to beginning band method books and aural-based music achievement after one year of study. Three research questions guided this study: (1) Which songs from the Familiar Repertoire Survey (FRS) are reported as being the most and least familiar to the sample? (2) For a familiar song, “Lightly Row,” can FRS scores predict (a) Familiar Music Achievement Singing Test (FMAST) scores, (b) Familiar Music Achievement Playing Test (FMAPT) scores, (c) Familiar Music Achievement Improvisation Singing Test (FMAIST) scores, and (d) Familiar Music Achievement Improvisation Playing Test (FMAIPT) scores? (3) For an unfamiliar song, “Finish Line,” can FRS scores predict (a) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Singing Test (UMAST) scores, (b) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Playing Test (UMAPT) scores, (c) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Improvisation Singing Test (UMAIST) scores, and (d) Unfamiliar Music Achievement Improvisation Playing Test (UMAIPT) scores? Participants (N = 17) were fifth and sixth grade students enrolled in their second year of beginning band in a New Jersey elementary school. I created two measurement instruments: FRS, designed to gauge the breadth and depth of students’ familiarity with songs common to beginning band method books, and the Music Achievement Test (MAT) designed to measure aural-based music achievement in singing, playing by ear, and improvising on a familiar and unfamiliar song. In the first session, participants completed FRS by listening to songs common to beginning band books and completing a Likert-type survey on their familiarity with each song. Later, participants watched MAT through an interactive video which prompted them to complete eight musical subtests. I recorded all performances. Judges rated each performance with two rating scales. I analyzed the frequency of responses for each song and found “Hot Cross Buns,” “Jingle Bells,” “Pierrot,” “Lightly Row,” and “London Bridge” to be the most familiar songs. Through linear regressions, I analyzed the ability of FRS to predict MAT scores. I found a significant regression equation between FRS and its ability to predict FMAST scores and UMAIST scores. The current exploratory study contained many limitations which restricts its generalizability to other beginning band populations; however, six conclusions can be made. Familiarity with common beginning band repertoire as represented by a selection of 24 songs common to beginning band method books does not predict students’ achievement (a) singing an unfamiliar song, (b) demonstrating through singing improvisation based on a familiar song, (c) playing by ear a familiar or unfamiliar song, and (d) improvising on an instrument, whether improvising within the context of a familiar or unfamiliar song. Familiarity with common beginning band repertoire does predict students’ achievement (a) singing a familiar song and (b) demonstrating through singing improvisation based on an unfamiliar song. / Music Education / Accompanied by one .mp3 file and one .xlsx file (Microsoft Excel 2007).

Beginning teacher attrition is a problem that exacerbates the inequity of opportunities for all students, especially for those in schools that are already challenged by poverty. This study makes use of the Beginning Teacher Longitudinal Survey (covering the period between 2008 and 2012) and U.S. Census data to identify which teachers leave and to explain why. Beyond that, it also offers a look into the characteristics of those teachers who stay at the same school for five years. The empirical investigation is embedded in a conceptual framework that draws from motivation and identity theories and brings in insights about the importance of geography and of neighborhood effects from works on poverty and education. The study utilizes a dataset with survey responses from approximately 1,800 full-time teachers from a sample designed to represent the overall population of beginning teachers in the United States. By combining individual-level longitudinal data with information about communities, it makes an important contribution to the study of new teacher placement, attrition, and retention. The evidence is presented using a variety of descriptive and inferential statistics, and the analysis includes factor analysis and logistic regression models. The results show that indicators of leaving the profession before the fifth year become apparent early on, as factors measured at the end of year one have significant effects on early career outcomes. Most prominently, higher degrees of burnout reported by teachers, which includes factors such as decreased enthusiasm and increased fatigue, are associated with increased risks for leaving the profession without the prospect to return to it and with transferring to a different school district. Several other factors on the individual and school-level emerge as relevant to career outcomes. Teachers who have Highly Qualified Teacher credentials and report a supportive school climate are at less risk to leave the profession. On the other hand, teachers with alternative certification and master’s degrees are more likely to move to a different school or districts in the first five years. In terms of socio-geographic factors that help explain teacher retention and attrition, the only significant variable in the regression models used in the analysis is the percentage of White residents at the Census tract of the Year 1 school. When everything else is held constant, decreasing this percentage from 100 to 0 increases the predicted probability of leaving the profession by approximately 20%. Considering that a vast majority of beginning teachers both in the sample and in the overall population are White, this findings fits in with theories about “the pull of home” and cultural habitus. The magnitude and significance of this finding suggest that it warrants further exploration, as racial composition of the communities is likely a measurement proxy for complex processes of inequality. / Urban Education

The number of very small farms (<10 acres) is increasing and beginning farmers (in practice for <10 years) are more likely to run them. Very small farms are typically complex systems in which the farmer manages both production of a diverse array of crops and marketing of crops directly to consumers and their failure rate in early years is high. This work seeks to increase the likelihood of success for beginning farmers by understanding these complex systems better. We collected qualitative and quantitative data from interviews with three successful beginning farm operations in Southwest Virginia covering practical and philosophical aspects of farm production, sales and management. We mapped social, environmental and economic aspects of farming systems and studied how farmers use resources (Community Capitals) and management to enhance their system's success, developing a broader definition of success that encompasses what farmers gain from farming beyond profitability. Using these maps, we created a system dynamics model of a small farm system in STELLA including unique components such as customer attraction and retention. Through model development, we learned that these successful farmers began their operations with experience and financial resources, and employed their skills, resourcefulness and cultural and social capital to charge prices for their products that could sustain their operations financially. Using our model, current and aspiring farmers, service providers, and small farm advocates will be able to simulate real or hypothetical farm systems to better understand what establishing a successful small farm might require and how to confront potential challenges. / Master of Science

The United States is facing a rising average age of principal farm operators and a decline in number of beginning farmers. With numerous barriers and challenges resulting in many farm failures, a majority of beginning farmers are relying on off-farm income to support their households. Decision-making and farm business planning are difficult skills to develop and improve, and the ability to develop a plan to balance on- and off-farm labor could allow farmers to make more profitable decisions. In this study, a General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS) is used to develop a labor management planning framework for use by Virginia's beginning vegetable farmers or service providers, such as extension agents, with the goal of improving total (on- and off-farm) profitability and farm viability. Study findings suggest that a willingness to work of 12 hours per day, 365 days per year and hired labor costs of $9.30 per hour, which is the national average for agricultural workers encourage a farmer to maintain an off-farm job, while a relatively lower off-farm wage or salary may encourage a farmer to work on the farm only. Lastly, higher hired labor costs may encourage a farmer to pursue his or her most profitable work opportunity, be it on- or off-farm, without hiring labor to maintain the farm. The model developed in this study may be used to plan multiple years of farm management to include anticipated changes in off-farm employment opportunities, land availability, product mix, and access to farm labor. The author suggests that beginning farmers who use this planning tool are able to make more informed decisions related to allocation of labor time and resources, resulting in lower failure rates for beginning farmers in Virginia. A user-friendly interface may be developed based on the study framework, to strengthen the results and increase the practicality of the tool. / Master of Science

Beginning band directors appear to prioritize notation-based practices in their programs and rehearsals despite cognitive research indicating the necessity of audiation for musical comprehension and success. During rehearsals, directors oversee musical success and cognition suggesting the potentiality to improve upon traditional forms of teaching in order to prioritize audiation and encourage its systematic improvement. Using Edwin Gordon’s work on audiation and applications from cognitive research as my theoretical framework, I surveyed, observed, and interviewed beginning band directors regarding their prioritization of audiation during rehearsals. In this mixed methods study in which I used an explanatory sequential, multiple case study design, beginning band directors from select institutions and Gordon Institute of Music Learning certificate holders (N = 20) were asked to complete an online survey answering Likert-scaled and open-ended questions regarding rehearsal activities and students’ musical success. After survey completion, each volunteer director (n = 4) was observed twice, interviewed individually, and interviewed collectively in a focus group. Following the transcription of observations and interviews, open-ended survey responses, observations, and interviews were coded and major themes generated. Three implications for band directors and music educators included, first, valuing an unlimited pedagogy with a de-emphasis on decoding and repertoire and a reemphasis on ear playing and informal learning. Second, preparatory experiences are important for comprehensive success in beginning instrumental study. Third, a beginning band curriculum that is intentionally seeking to create comprehensive musicianship among beginners may be best achieved by balancing traditional pedagogy, Music Learning Theory, and informal music learning approaches. Future research might examine directors’ teaching inclusions and pedagogy over a more extensive period of time or as a single case study. Future research could also document audiation instruction from the student perspective.