The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experience of parents and professionals living in a large metropolitan city in South India who were raising and/or working with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The study explored the unique perspectives of parents and professionals regarding their beliefs and practices about autism, as well as the nature of the parent-professional relationship. Nineteen parents (all mothers) and 21 professionals were interviewed in person at four schools, an early intervention program, a hospital clinic, and a physician’s office. Themes were developed using qualitative software, and reliability was established through multiple coders and member checks. The meaning of health, illness, and disability vary greatly across cultures and across time. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model provided the conceptual paradigm to examine how broad cultural beliefs in the macrosystem, local services in the exosystem, parent- professional relationships in the mesosystem, and practices at home and school in the child’s microsystem worked together to explain autism spectrum disorders for this group of participants at this point in history. Four major themes emerged from the study that related to parents’ and professionals’ beliefs about causes of autism, expectations from treatments and services, nature of parent-professional partnerships in managing a child’s autism, and the current ‘state of things’ with regard to autism in one South Indian city. Across the themes, parents and professionals embraced two seemingly contradictory yet perfectly compatible cultural beliefs: a modern, scientific approach and a traditional Indian viewpoint. The treatments offered to children were similar to Western practices, with the addition of traditional Indian practices (e.g., yoga, Ayurvedic medicine, Siddha). Parents were mostly happy and comfortable with their interactions with the professionals. Parents valued collaboration and respect but also acknowledged that the relationship was vertical in nature, with professionals having more authority. Professionals’ assessment of their relationship with parents was influenced by their overall views about the families—positive or negative—which in turn was influenced by what they believed caused the child’s autism (e.g., genetics/scientific causes vs. cold parenting and departure from traditional family structure). Services for children with autism in India are rapidly expanding, though the vast majority of those affected are not diagnosed or treated.

The current study is an attempt to provide insights into the nature of tensions and consistencies between teachers’ belief-practice relationships and how these impact on teaching practices. The study aims to address three main research gaps. Firstly, it explores EFL teachers’ belief-practice consistency level in relation to the teaching of speaking, an understudied curricular domain. Secondly, the phenomenon is examined from two major perspectives: teachers’ perceptions of their own pedagogical contexts and their core-peripheral belief systems, thus using a multi-perspective approach which is usually not the case with other studies in the field. Finally, the study took place in Kazakhstani secondary school EFL classrooms, a geographical context which has not featured at all in the language teacher cognition literature to date. Using a multiple-case design and multiple methods of data collection, the research project explored the relationship between four EFL teachers’ stated beliefs and classroom practices in relation to the teaching of speaking. The teachers were interviewed and observed over a period of nine months. The findings provide evidence of how speaking instruction unfolded in the classroom and the multiplicity of factors which shaped teacher decision-making and behavior. Specifically, the insights from my study highlight the impact of a) teachers’ perceptions of their pedagogical contexts, b) their core and peripheral beliefs, and c) the interaction of all these factors on the enactment of their speaking instruction beliefs. These findings carry important implications for the field of language teacher cognition, and for teacher education and professional development.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Leadership, 2004. / Title from second page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 202-231).

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Lotta Larson / All human beings possess within them implicit and explicit theories which they use repeatedly throughout their lives to explain a wide array of experiences (Tracey & Morrow, 2017). In education, teachers use their theories about reading and learning to read to inform nearly every aspect of their instruction. These belief systems develop over a lifetime and are used as filters when making instructional decisions (Cunningham & Fitzgerald, 1996; Prawat, 1992; Richardson, Anders, Tidwell, & Lloyd, 1991; Smith, 2004). Understanding and identifying these theoretical perspectives empowers educators to make informed instructional decisions in the classroom while also clarifying and defining their roles as teachers. While numerous studies have documented the relationship between teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices, there appeared to be limited research that related preservice teachers’ beliefs and practices to their personally held theoretical perspectives. This study explored pre-service teachers’ beliefs and practices and how they related to their theoretical orientations to reading. The study specifically addressed the gap in the research focusing on pre-service teachers who were enrolled in a literacy methods course. Multiple data sources were gathered from interviews, observations, and artifacts and documents. These data were collected and analyzed throughout the duration of the study. The study’s findings established the relationship between pre-service teachers’ theoretical orientations to reading and their beliefs and instructional practices. The data analysis revealed that the pre-service teachers’ previous life experiences, and experiences in the literacy methods course and corresponding internship influenced their theoretical orientations to reading. Further data analysis also revealed inconsistencies related to the alignment of pre-service teachers’ beliefs and instructional practices and change of theoretical orientations.

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Many researchers have explored teachers’ beliefs in literacy and found that teachers’ literacy beliefs affect their instructional practices in foreign language (FL) or second language (SL) classrooms. Researchers have demonstrated that teachers’ literacy beliefs and instructional practices are generally consistent. There have been many studies regarding teachers’ literacy beliefs and classroom instruction in the context of FL/SL and more recent studies on teachers’ literacy beliefs presenting an increasing interest in heritage language (HL) such as Spanish and Chinese. However, less is known about Korean language teachers’ literacy beliefs and practices in the mixed classroom of heritage and non-­‐heritage learners. This present study had two main purposes. First, it examined and described the literacy beliefs and instructional practices of a novice Korean language instructor, who struggled primarily with heritage learners in his teaching career. The second purpose was to seek an in-­‐depth view of a novice teacher’s literacy beliefs and practices toward two different student subgroups of heritage and non-­‐heritage learners in the same classroom. In addition, this study investigated incongruences between literacy beliefs and practices toward heritage and non-­‐heritage learners. In order to examine a novice Korean instructor’s literacy beliefs and practices toward Korean heritage learners and non-­‐heritage learners, this research employed a qualitative case study and collected data through a combination of a survey, semi-­‐structured interviews, and videotaped classroom observations. The Literacy Orientation Survey (LOS) and Taxonomy Of Techniques were adopted for a survey and classroom observation, respectively. The results of the current study indicated that the novice teacher of Korean has general literacy beliefs compatible with a constructivist orientation, which is a whole-­‐ language approach and one that promotes transformative learning. For most of the instructor’s literacy instruction in the classroom, his literacy beliefs appeared to be congruent with his practices toward KHLLs. The novice teacher promoted differentiated literacy instruction by giving separate, more challenging, or instruction more connected to everyday life in an effort to meet each individual learner’s needs in literacy. Acknowledging heritage learners as mediators and community builders who could potentially promote literacy skills, the participant presented a broader understanding of literacy and multiliteracies, such as cultural and digital literacy, beyond traditional skill-­‐ focused reading and writing. However, his overall literacy beliefs were incongruent with his instructional practices toward KFLLs because of frequent accommodations for less proficient learners through more traditional or eclectic activities. This incongruence and distinctive literacy instruction toward two different learner subgroups were explained by several factors: university policy on teaching and learning, his educational background and teaching experiences, and the low proficiency of the Korean language learners. This study of a novice teacher’s literacy beliefs toward different learner groups suggests that the embracing of comprehensive and constructivist approaches to literacy instruction and curriculum is only possible when pre-­‐ and in-­‐service teachers are aware of their own premises or propositions about literacy beliefs and instructions. The findings generated by this study can serve as a good starting point to guide FL/HL teachers to professional growth and expand the field of HL literacy studies in the future.

Summaries in English and Sesotho / This qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study explored culturally sensitive health information about the use of herbal medicine by pregnant women in Lesotho, in order to provide culturally sensitive health advice to pregnant women. Pregnant women used herbal medicine and remedies during pregnancy resulted in still births and complications during labour. Data on the beliefs and practices of fifteen purposively and conveniently sampled pregnant women attending a rural antenatal clinic was collected through semistructured interviews and analysed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method. Ethical principles and strategies to ensure trustworthiness were applied. One central theme emerged: ‘Women believe that the use of herbal medicine and remedies is a traditional practice that pregnant women need to follow due to culture’. The cultural beliefs and practices of the women were deeply rooted in Basotho culture, which guided the use of herbal medicine. However, some considered herbal medicines to be harmful, as the dosage and content of these medicines vary. Nurses are therefore key to providing culturally sensitive health care advise on using herbal medicine during pregnancy. / Boithuto bona ba boleng bo botle, bo hlalosang le ho fumaneng tlhaiso-leseling e mabapi le bophelo bo botle mabapi le ts’ebeliso ea meriana ea litlama ke basali ba baimana Lesotho, ele ho fana ka likeletso tsa bophelo bo botle ba setso. Lintlha tse mabapi le litumelo le litloaelo tsa basali ba baimana ba leshome le metso e mehlano ka boomo le ka mokhoa o fumanehang li ile tsa bokelloa ka lipuisano tse hlophisitsoeng le ho hlahlojoa ho sebelisoa mekhoa e supileng ea Colaizzi. Melao-motheo ea boits’oaro le maano a ho netefatsa hore a ts’epahetse a sebelisitsoe. Ho ile hoa hlaha sehlooho se le seng se bohareng: ‘Basali ba lumela hore ts’ebeliso ea litlama ke tloaelo eo basali ba baimana ba lokelang ho e latela ka lebaka la moetlo’. Litumelo le litloaelo tsa basali li ne li metse ka metso moetlong oa Basotho, o neng o tataisa ts’ebeliso ea meriana ea litlama. Leha ho le joalo, ba bang ba ne ba nka meriana ea litlama e le kotsi, hobane litekanyetso le litlhare tsa meriana ena li ea fapana. Ka hona baoki ke senotlolo sa ho fana ka thuto ea bophelo bo botle ba setso mabapi le ho sebelisa litlama nakong ea boimana. Mehopolo ea bohlokoa Meriana ea litlama, litumelo le litloaelo tsa moetlo, basali ba baimana, thuto ea bophelo bo botle / Health Studies / M.A. (Public Health)

This study was conducted to analyse aspects of mental computation within primary school mathematics curricula and to formulate recommendations to inform future revisions to the Number strand of mathematics syllabuses for primary schools. The analyses were undertaken from past, contemporary, and futures perspectives. Although this study had syllabus development in Queensland as a prime focus, its findings and recommendations have an international applicability. Little has been documented in relation to the nature and role of mental computation in mathematics curricula in Australia (McIntosh, Bana, & Farrell, 1995,p. 2), despite an international resurgence of interest by mathematics educators. This resurgence has arisen from a recognition that computing mentally remains a viable computational alternative in a technological age, and that the development of mental procedures contributes to the formation of powerful mathematical thinking strategies (R. E. Reys, 1992, p. 63). The emphasis needs to be placed upon the mental processes involved, and it is this which distinguishes mental computation from mental arithmetic, as defined in this study. Traditionally, the latter has been concerned with speed and accuracy rather than with the mental strategies used to arrive at the correct answers. In Australia, the place of mental computation in mathematics curricula is only beginning to be seriously considered. Little attention has been given to teaching, as opposed to testing, mental computation. Additionally, such attention has predominantly been confined to those calculations needed to be performed mentally to enable the efficient use of the conventional written algorithms. Teachers are inclined to associate mental computation with isolated facts, most commonly the basic ones, rather than with the interrelationships between numbers and the methods used to calculate. To enhance the use of mental computation and to achieve an improvement in performance levels, children need to be encouraged to value all methods of computation, and to place a priority on mental procedures. This requires that teachers be encouraged to change the way in which they view mental computation. An outcome of this study is to provide the background and recommendations for this to occur. The mathematics education literature of relevance to mental computation was analysed, and its nature and function, together with the approaches to teaching, under each of the Queensland mathematics syllabuses from 1860 to 1997 were documented. Three distinct time-periods were analysed: 1860-1965, 1966-1987, and post-1987. The first of these was characterised by syllabuses which included specific references to calculating mentally. To provide insights into the current status of mental computation in Queensland primary schools, a survey of a representative sample of teachers and administrators was undertaken. The statements in the postal, self-completion opinionnaire were based on data from the literature review. This study, therefore, has significance for Queensland educational history, curriculum development, and pedagogy. The review of mental computation research indicated that the development of flexible mental strategies is influenced by the order in which mental and written techniques are introduced. Therefore, the traditional written-mental sequence needs to be reevaluated. As a contribution to this reevaluation, this study presents a mental-written sequence for introducing each of the four operations. However, findings from the survey of Queensland school personnel revealed that a majority disagreed with the proposition that an emphasis on written algorithms should be delayed to allow increased attention on mental computation. Hence, for this sequence to be successfully introduced, much professional debate and experimentation needs to occur to demonstrate its efficacy to teachers. Of significance to the development of efficient mental techniques is the way in which mental computation is taught. R. E. Reys, B. J. Reys, Nohda, and Emori (1995, p. 305) have suggested that there are two broad approaches to teaching mental computation,,Ya behaviourist approach and a constructivist approach. The former views mental computation as a basic skill and is considered an essential prerequisite to written computation, with proficiency gained through direct teaching. In contrast, the constructivist approach contends that mental computation is a process of higher-order thinking in which the act of generating and applying mental strategies is significant for an individual's mathematical development. Nonetheless, this study has concluded that there may be a place for the direct teaching of selected mental strategies. To support syllabus development, a sequence of mental strategies appropriate for focussed teaching for each of the four operations has been delineated. The implications for teachers with respect to these recommendations are discussed. Their implementation has the potential to severely threaten many teachersf sense of efficacy. To support the changed approach to developing competence with mental computation, aspects requiring further theoretical and empirical investigation are also outlined.

The Kazakhs of post-Soviet Central Asia have been in the process of re-discovering their cultural heritage and establishing their own national identity. Profoundly affecting this process is that they live in a world that is becoming more and more globalized, with increasing degrees of interaction with other cultures. During Soviet times there was a large degree of isolation from cultures outside of the Soviet Union and their lives were mostly impacted by a Russian dominated system. After the collapse of the Soviet system they were suddenly exposed to a world of ideas, influences, and opportunities. Part of re-establishing their cultural roots involved consideration of their Islamic heritage. They were caught between trying to discover this for themselves and in doing so include cultural beliefs and practices that are blended into an orthodox expression of Islam, or allowing themselves to be told by outside practitioners of Islam how they should believe and act. Seventy plus years of communism had weakened the commitment and expression of Islam, and this as well as the forces of globalization has made them cautious and even suspicious of any radical expressions of religion. With the post-Soviet openness and exposure to other cultures came the opportunity for Christianity to present itself as a valid system of belief for Kazakhs. This began as an expatriate dominated exercise as individual Kazakhs embraced Christianity and the first churches were started. As the years progressed Kazakh church planting faced the challenge of having a foreign image and as a result needed to consider how to contextualize Christianity so that it could develop a Kazakh identity. At the same time church planting as with the Kazakh culture as a whole, was confronted with the impact of globalization. This meant that church planting had to not only consider Kazakh cultural factors but also what changes globalization would bring that impacted how church planting would be done. This study seeks to examine this church planting context that finds itself caught between the effects of contextualization and globalization, and by means of the principles of Grounded Theory discover principles for effective church planting. / Christian Spirituality, Church History & Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

回溯過去的研究,教師信念對於其教學行為影響非常深遠，但是對於字彙學習策略融入教學這個議題，相關的研究仍然不多。本研究旨在探討高職英文教師對於字彙學習策略融入教學的信念還有實際的教學情形。文獻探討涵蓋字彙教學的發展、字彙學習策略的理論以及教師信念與實踐。 本研究所蒐集到的有效問卷為二百零一份，研究的對象為台灣的高職英文教師。研究方式採用量化的教師問卷佐以質性的教師訪談。共有八位教師參與本研究的訪談。訪談的內容經過整理分析，用來解釋或補充問卷統計的結果。分析問卷時，採用的統計方法有描述性統計、相關係數、單因子變異數分析。本研究的主題如下：(一) 教師信念及教學情形：分別以認知策略、社會策略、後設認知以及學習媒介等策略來探討、(二)教師信念與其實踐情形是否符合，與造成兩者之間不相符的可能原因以及(三)探討影響教師信念與實踐的各種因素。 本研究的主要發現是： 1. 教師對於字彙學習策略融入教學抱持相當正面的態度，而實踐程度是中低等以上。 2. 由於統計顯示教師信念和實踐是正相關，教師實踐和他們的信念大致符合，不過教師所面臨的一些問題如教學時數限制、學生動機、教科書的設計、資源不足等會使他們無法完全遵照其信念於教學。 3. 一些因素如教學年資、教師學歷、學生程度、英語教學時間長短、教師是否參加字彙相關研習，以及是否接觸學習策略相關的研究報告等確實會影響教師的教學信念與實踐。 本研究有助於了解高職英文教師對於字彙學習策略融入教學的信念以及他們實踐的情形，希望能夠提升老師對於策略教學的覺知。研究者對於英文教師、師資培育機構、教育部還有教師書出版社提出建議改善之道，期望能進一步提升高職的英語教學。 / Although research has shown that teacher beliefs play a decisive role in teachers’ instructional judgments and decisions, their beliefs and practices in integrating vocabulary learning strategies have not gained enough attention in the recent English educational forum. This study aimed to explore what attitudes vocational high school English teachers held toward the instruction of vocabulary learning strategies and their practices of the beliefs. Literature review ranged from vocabulary instruction, vocabulary learning strategies to teachers’ beliefs and practices. The participants of this study were vocational high school teachers in Taiwan. The data collection instruments were questionnaire and interview. The former provided mainly quantitative data and the latter qualitative data. A total of 201 valid questionnaires were analyzed and computed by means of descriptive statistics, correlation, t-test and one-way ANOVA. Eight teachers were contacted for the follow-up interviews. Their interview results were utilized to further support and explain the questionnaire data. There were three issues investigated in this study. The first one was teachers’ beliefs and practices in integrating vocabulary learning strategies into their instruction. Teachers’ beliefs and practices of cognitive strategies, social strategies, multiple sources, and metacognitive strategies were discussed. The second was the consistency and inconsistency between teachers’ beliefs and their practices and the possible problems that might cause the inconsistency. The third one was influential factors that affected teachers’ beliefs and practices. Based on the results of the study, major findings were summarized. First, teachers approved highly of the integration of vocabulary learning strategies and the frequency of their practices ranged from low to high. Second, based on the significant correlation of teachers’ beliefs and practices, the relationship was generally consistent. However, teachers were not able to teach what they believed completely. Some of the strategies revealed larger gap due to the problems from the curriculum, students’ motivation, textbook design and teachers’ preparation. Third, variables such as teachers’ teaching experience, educational background, students’ BCT test score, instructional time, teachers’ attendance of workshops and their exposure to related research were found to be significant in affecting teachers’ beliefs and practices. It is hoped that the study can contribute to more understanding of vocational high school teachers’ beliefs and practices in vocabulary learning strategies. Teachers may inspect their teaching process and raise the awareness of integrating vocabulary learning strategies into their teaching. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher further made suggestions to English teachers, teacher education institutes, the Ministry of Education and the textbook publishers. Results of this study might help enhance English teaching in vocational high schools.