在這日益競爭的國際化時代，臺灣能否與國際接軌，甚至搶先在國際上佔有一席重要之地即顯得非常重要，而第二外語教育絕對是其重要關鍵之一，關係著國家在世界舞臺上的競爭力。 然而我國高中第二外語教育落實緩慢，遲至1994年才有第二外語課程開設，且高中第二外語教育在現今仍有諸多問題點。鄰近國家之中，韓國第二外語教育發展悠久，也重視第二外語人才培育，因此本研究希望藉由臺韓高中第二外語教育之比較，找出可借鏡韓國之處，給予臺灣高中第二外語教育發展建議，進而提升國家競爭力。 為了達到研究目的，本研究方法採用文件分析法與G.Z.F. Bereday的比較研究法，進行臺灣與韓國高中第二外語教育之比較研究。內文主要探究兩國高中第二外語教育之發展歷程、高中第二外語課程、高中第二外語師資與培育、第二外語於大學入學之採計等四大面向。 研究結果發現過去韓國高中第二外語因長期列為必選修而深植在高中教育，目前第二外語雖與臺灣同樣列為選修科目，但韓國的選修比例仍遠高於臺灣。此外，韓國第二外語科目分化且專精，另有外語高中與國際高中專門培育外語人才，並有教育部主導的線上學習課程，整體第二外語教育規劃比臺灣完善。在師資方面，韓國第二外語師資培育機構遠多於臺灣，第二外語普遍由合格師資教學，也有特色聘用制度解決師資問題，師資狀況較臺灣理想，且韓國的教師在職進修體系也較臺灣完整，第二外語教師進修方式多元，皆值得臺灣參考學習。另外，韓國第二外語為大學考科之一，第二外語的重要性及與大學入學選才的連結程度均較臺灣高。 根據研究結果，本研究針對臺灣高中第二外語教育發展提出以下建議：（一）課綱編制應具有系統性。（二）增設外語高中與國際高中。（三）增加第二外語特色開課方式。（四）開發高中第二外語線上課程。（五）發展高中第二外語課程教材。（六）短期輔導第二外語在職教師取得教師證，長期應增設大學第二外語科系及師資培育機構。（七）加強第二外語教師在職教育。（八）實施巡迴教師制度。（九）短期提高大學採計第二外語的意願，長期應將第二外語納入大學入學考試選擇考科。 / In this era of increased internationalization, it is impossible for Taiwan to keep itself from the international situation. Therefore, it is of great importance to keep up with the international practice and even preemptively occupy an important place in the world. The second foreign language education is absolutely one of the most crucial keys to the country's competitiveness on the world stage. However, the implementation of the second foreign language education in Taiwan’s high schools is slow. The second foreign language course in high schools was not opened until 1994, but it still has many problems nowadays. Among neighboring countries, second foreign language education in South Korea has a long history, and the country also values the importance of cultivating second foreign language talents. Thus, this study hopes to compare the second foreign language education in senior high schools between the two countries, and to find out what Taiwan can learn from the experience of South Korea. Lastly, it is hoped that the paper could shed some light on the development of second foreign language education in Taiwan's high schools so as to enhance the national competitiveness. This study adopted document analysis and G. Z. F. Bereday's comparative method in education to conduct a comparative study of the second foreign language education in Taiwan and South Korea. The paper mainly explores four major aspects — the development of the second foreign language education in high school, the second foreign language curriculum in high school, the second language teachers in high school and teacher education, and the requirement of the second foreign language for university admission. It was found that the second foreign language in South Korea was deeply rooted in high school education by being a required subject in the long-term. Even though the second foreign language in South Korea is currently listed as an elective as in Taiwan, the elective ratio in South Korea is relatively higher than Taiwan. Furthermore, the second foreign language subjects in South Korea are diverse and specialized. It also has foreign language and international high schools to cultivate foreign language talents, together with online learning courses led by the Ministry of Education. On the whole, educational planning of the second foreign language programs in South Korea is more complete than that of in Taiwan. In terms of teachers, there are relatively more teachers training institutions in South Korea than in Taiwan. The second foreign language is generally taught by qualified teachers and also has a special employment system to solve the problem of employment of teachers. As a result, teachers' status is better than Taiwan. Moreover, on-the-job training system of teachers in South Korea is also more complete than that of Taiwan, and the second foreign language teacher has a variety of training methods; all of which are worth learning. In addition, the second foreign language in South Korea is one of the subjects tested in college entrance exams, making the importance of the second foreign language and the degree of connection with university entrance candidates both higher than Taiwan. According to the research results, this study proposed the following suggestions for the development of second foreign language education in high school in Taiwan: (1) The syllabus should compile more systematically. (2) To increase the establishment of foreign language high school and international high school. (3) To increase the second foreign language special start mode. (4) To develop high school online second foreign language courses. (5) To develop high school second foreign language teaching materials. (6) In the short-term, counseling second foreign language in-service teachers to obtain teacher's certificate. In the long term, the university should increase the second foreign language department and teacher training institutions. (7) To strengthen the second foreign language teacher in-service education. (8) To implement floating teacher system. (9) In the short-term, to improve college recognize second foreign language certification. In the long-term, the second foreign language should be included in the college entrance exams as an alternative.

Many U.S. students do not perform well on mathematics assessments with respect to algebra topics such as linear functions, a building-block for other functions. Poor achievement of U.S. middle school students in this topic is a problem. U.S. eighth graders have had average mathematics scores on international comparison tests such as Third International Mathematics Science Study, later known as Trends in Mathematics and Science Study, (TIMSS)-1995, -99, -03, while Singapore students have had highest average scores. U.S. eighth grade average mathematics scores improved on TIMMS-2007 and held steady onTIMMS-2011. Results from national assessments, PISA 2009 and 2012 and National Assessment of Educational Progress of 2007, 2009, and 2013, showed a lack of proficiency in algebra. Results of curriculum studies involving nations in TIMSS suggest that elementary textbooks in high-scoring countries were different than elementary textbooks and middle grades texts were different with respect to general features in the U.S. The purpose of this study was to compare treatments of linear functions in Singapore and U.S. middle grades mathematics textbooks. Results revealed features currently in textbooks. Findings should be valuable to constituencies who wish to improve U.S. mathematics achievement. Portions of eight Singapore and nine U.S. middle school student texts pertaining to linear functions were compared with respect to 22 features in three categories: (a) background features, (b) general features of problems, and (c) specific characterizations of problem practices, problem-solving competency types, and transfer of representation. Features were coded using a codebook developed by the researcher. Tallies and percentages were reported. Welch's t-tests and chi-square tests were used, respectively, to determine whether texts differed significantly for the features and if codes were independent of country. U.S. and Singapore textbooks differed in page appearance and number of pages, problems, and images. Texts were similar in problem appearance. Differences in problems related to assessment of conceptual learning. U.S. texts contained more problems requiring (a) use of definitions, (b) single computation, (c) interpreting, and (d) multiple responses. These differences may stem from cultural differences seen in attitudes toward education. Future studies should focus on density of page, spiral approach, and multiple response problems.

This thesis explored the integration of automated essay scoring (AES) software into the writing curriculum for high level ESOL students (levels 3, 4, and 5 on a 1-5 scale) at a high school in Miami, Fl. Issues for Haitian Creole speaking students were also explored. The Spanish and Haitian Creole speaking students were given the option to write notes, outlines, and planning sheets in their L1. After using AES in the middle of the writing process as a revision assistant tool, 24 students responded to a Likert Scale questionnaire. The students responded positively to the AES based on the results of the Likert scale questionnaire: 71% responded “agree” and “strongly agree” to the question “Other students would benefit from using writing software before handing in a final draft.” Also, the majority reported that they valued teacher feedback. None of the students chose to use their L1 to write notes/outlines.

The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences and perceptions of 12th-grade literature teachers about curriculum, Post-Colonial literature, and students. Theories posed by Piaget (1995), Vygotsky (1995), and Rosenblatt (1995) formed the framework for this micro-ethnographic study. Seven teachers from public and private schools in South Florida participated in this two-phase study; three teachers in Phase I and four in Phase II. All participants completed individual semi-structured interviews and demographic surveys. In addition, four of the teachers were observed teaching. The analysis yielded three themes and two sub-themes: (a) knowledge concerned teachers’ knowledge of British literature content and Post-Colonial authors and their literature; (b) freedom described teachers’ freedom to choose how to teach their content. Included in this theme was dilemmas associated with 12th-grade classrooms which described issues that were pertinent to the 12th-grade teacher and classroom that were revealed by the study; and (c) thoughts about students described teachers’ perceptions about students and how literature might affect the students. Two subthemes of knowledge were as follows:(1) text complexity described teacher responses to a Post-Colonial text’s complexity and (2) student desirability/teachability described teachers’ perception about how desirable Post-Colonial texts would be to students and whether teachers would be willing to teach these texts. The researcher offers recommendations for understanding factors associated with 12th-grade teachers perceptions and implications for enhancing the 12th-grade experience for teachers and curriculum, based on this study: (a) build teacher morale and capacity, (b) treat all students as integral components of the teaching and learning process; teachers in this study thought teaching disenfranchised learners was a form of punishment meted out by the administration, and (c) include more Post-Colonial authors in school curricula in colleges and schools as most teachers in this study did not study this type of literature nor knew how to teach it.

This applied dissertation was designed to explore and provide a better understanding of students of international background enrolled in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at a 4-year public American college in Southeast Florida. This study utilized a qualitative phenomenological design for data collection and analysis. The interview protocol was reviewed and verified by a panel of experts. The data collection took place in the fall of 2014; the researcher utilized an open-ended interview protocol with purposeful sampling of nine international students. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded. The participants checked the transcripts for accuracy of the recorded data. An analysis of the data revealed common themes of the international students’ educational experience in American institutions of higher education. The interviews of the participants allowed the researcher to better understand the international student’s lived experiences. The qualitative research created an awareness of the social and academic experiences of international students at an American college. The researcher concluded that the types of experiences are varied among the participants from the three different world regions, yet there was a high consistency of the themes: learning and studying, perception of faculty, expedited learning, online learning, language and communication issues, and a lack of social interaction with native students. There are ramifications for educators for strategic instructional practice and school leadership to seek and enhance student engagement and intercultural competencies. It will become necessary to increase cultural competencies through diversity initiatives both within the curriculum and throughout institutions by better understanding students’ perceptions and including those from various backgrounds, cultures, genders, and religions. To conclude, recommendations for future research are provided.

Much work exploring alterity and hybridity in the Maghreb ignores representations of education which confront seminal formative experiences, specifically education. French colonial education was problematic because it granted access to the colonizer’s culture, yet it also created a rupture in self-identity for Maghrebi students. In this thesis, I interrogate the literary representations of sites and sources of education by analyzing how these representations discuss the tension between formal French education and informal Maghrebi education. My thesis begins with a historical overview of colonial education in the Maghreb. I then discuss literary methods of negotiating identity, contrasting Arab and Western autobiography especially. Furthermore, I compare writing practices informed by a French education and a North African upbringing. Next, I compare formal and informal sites of education—the school, home and community—which articulate sources of alterity experienced during colonial childhood. Writers interrogate formal settings, including the school, classrooms, teachers, and examinations, and gaze upon the normative space and dominant culture which contradict that of the home. Conversely, informal settings provide subversive sources of education that resist the power structures of colonial France. These sites, including parents, the home, and community, provide an oppositional education and a means of resistance to rejected systems of power. Both settings represent spaces of cultural confrontation that serve as both a means of betrayal as well as benefit to students. The texts I consider discuss the dynamic end of the French colonial period yet were written over a period of time that allowed for personal reflection by the authors as well as for contributions by literary critics and historians that affected the perception and comprehension of the volatile period at the end of French colonialism and the fall of the Fourth Republic.

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Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Against the background of the social and economic problems of South Africa, certain aspects of the relatively successful education system of the Republic of South Korea are examined in this thesis with the purpose of gaining insight into the restructuring of the South African educational system and the influence that education has on society. The thesis is based mainly on a literature study. In the interpretation and comparison of information the structural- functional and systems approaches to educational provision were used, with the emphasis on the Confucian, African and Western ways of thinking (mentalities). In the thesis the contextual factors which influence the particularisation of the South Korean and South African educational systems are discussed, with specific reference to pre-school education, vocational and technical education, teacher training, moral education, parental involvement, distance and adult education and the financing of education. Certain conclusions and recommendations regarding South African education are also made. / Teen die agtergrond van die sosiale en ekonomiese probleme van Suid-Afrika word in hierdie verhandeling ondersoek ingestel na sekere aspekte van die relatief suksesvolle onderwysstelsel van Suid-Korea met die oog op die verkryging van moontlike insigte vir die herstrukturering van die Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel en die invloed van onderwys op die samelewing. Die verhandeling berus hoofsaaklik op 'n literatuurstudie. In die interpretasie en vergelyking van gegewens is daar gebruik gemaak van 'n struktureel-funksionalistiese en sisteembenadering tot onderwysvoorsiening, met besondere klem op Confucianistiese, Afrika- en Westerse lewens- en wereldbeskouings (mentaliteite). In die verhandeling word die kontekstuele faktore wat 'n invloed het op die verbesondering van die onderwysstelsels van Suid-korea en Suid-Afrika bespreek. Daar word ook 'n ondersoek gedoen na voorskoolse onderwys, beroeps- en tegniese onderwys, onderwysersopleiding, morele onderwys, ouerbetrokkenheid, afstands- en volwassene-onderwys in die twee lande, asook die finansiering van onderwys. Sekere gevolgtrekkings en aanbevelings ten opsigte van Suid-Afrikaanse onderwys word laastens gemaak. / Educational studies / M. Ed. (Vergelykende Opvoedkunde)

By asking the question “How do young, urban, professional Kenyans make connections between tribal identity, colonialism, and the lived experience of nationhood?,” the researcher engages with eight participants in exploring their relationships with their tribal groups. From this juncture the researcher, through a co-constructed process with participants, interrogates the idea of nationhood by querying their interpretations of the concepts of power and resistance within their multi-ethnic societies. The utility of KuPiga Hadithi as a cultural responsive methodology for data collection along with poetic analysis as part of the qualitative tools of examination allowed the researcher to identify five emergent and iterative themes: (1) colonial wounds, (2) power inequities, (3) tensions, (4) intersection, and (5) hope. Participant discussion of these themes suggests an impenetrable link between tribal identity and nationhood. Schooling, as first a colonial and then national construct, works to mediate that link. Therefore, there is the need for a re-conceptualization of the term ‘nation’ in the post-Independence era.

The Czech Republic and Scotland rank similarly in international pupil's performance tests. However, education systems of these countries differ greatly. This research has three main focus areas: 1) general aspects of Scottish education including teaching methods, school and real life connections in teaching, and school leaver's destinations 2) studying Chemistry and teaching at university 3) Chemistry in the senior phase of secondary education and the change of topics and exam paper brought in with the new Curriculum for Excellence. Comparative analysis of syllabi, exam papers, government publications and OECD reports was used and personal experience from an exchange study programme at a Scottish university and a work placement at a secondary school in England were utilized. The Higher exam paper was translated and Czech secondary students sat the test Furthermore, teacher trainees and Chemistry teachers were asked to evaluate the test. Results show that Czech students are taught different things and are accustomed to different ways of being tested, ones that are more focused on knowledge and less on critical thinking. Chemistry education in Scotland is more focused on school and real life connections and newest scientific discoveries. Therefore, Chemistry support notes for the senior phase were analyzed...