All schools exist in a particular environment. No matter what environment the school is in the educator can make use of it as a learning resource. The environment is a critical aspect at all levels of education and in all programmes to create environmentally literate and active citizens. This study focussed on the use of the environment as a resource for cross-curricular materials development in Outcomes-Based Education. It is essential for all the driving forces of the education system to understand, that materials development is the process of designing and developing learner-support materials (resources) to enhance the teaching-learning process. Therefore, developing cross-curricular materials is a requisite for assisting learners to master the necessary knowledge, skills, values and attitudes. Developing cross-curricular materials promote integrated learning as encouraged by Outcomes-Based Education. The findings for this study indicate that some educators still lack skills for developing cross-curricula materials. The findings also indicate that, educators from rural schools mostly depend on waste materials as their teaching-learning resources. The study also indicate some recommendations that could be used to empower educators to master competent materials development skills. Quality teaching and quality learning mostly depend on adequate resources that could assist the learner to master the required knowledge and skills. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2003.

Due to the unique nature of South African public education, it is not always viable to invest in expensive, high maintenance resources. Out of this context the Media in Education Trust (MIET) sought to provide resources that would meet the need for low maintenance resources, even harnessing the power of the educator as a resource. In 1999 the "Foundations" supplements made their appearance, featuring in certain prominent newspapers. Towards the latter part of 1999 the years work on ''Foundations'' was packaged into the ''Foundations'' pack, which consisted of 2 books and a series of 8 posters. With this in mind this dissertation was initiated by the desire to evaluate the supplement and pack and its usage. The evaluation was narrowed even further by focussing specifically on participants of a workshop held on the usage of "Foundations". The dissertation was aimed at seeing if workshop participants were motivated to use the pack and whether these had become part of their teaching practice. During the course of this research the Centre for Research, Evaluation and Policy at the University of Durban - Westville was commissioned to evaluate two of MIET's projects. The opportunity thus presented itself for the research scope to be expanded. During the course of this research data was evaluated from a MIET workshop at Berea in Durban, a workshop in Vryheid attended and a workshop in Empangeni viewed. The majority of participants viewed the workshops very positively. The questionnaires given to educators at specific schools revealed that the majority of educators are aware of "Foundations" and attempt to utilise it in some form or the other. ''Foundations'' does have a unique place in classrooms throughout South Africa. What exists as an issue is the manner in which it is brought into the fore as a valuable resource. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2001.

The purpose of this study was to establish how foundation phase educators in the North West Province facilitate learning in Outcomes-Based Education (OBE) classrooms. In essence the study looked into the manner and extent to which the educators implement OBE as envisaged in South Africa. The nature of the research question led to the study following a qualitative research paradigm. Observation and interviews were used to collect data in an explanatory approach. The classroom observations were done by means of a schedule produced through literature review. The interviews were conducted in a one-to-one basis following each classroom observation, and were used to clarify any matters picked up from the observations. Two standard questions, what role do parents play in teaching and learning in your classroom? plus what do you use assessment for? were asked in every interview. In addition, any other question was asked flowing from the responses as well as matters and/or actions/behaviour picked up from the observation. The study culminated on recommendation for In-service Education and Training (INSET) programme framework. The findings of this study revealed that the educators, who participated, . although labelled the best in their cohort, were far from performing as expected. It was clear that although they tried their best to implement as directed, they need thorough training to do it right. Most of these educators have some insight of the theory of OBE but lack the skill to implement in their classrooms. For instance, although all of them indicated that assessment is an integral part of teaching in OBE, in practice it was not. These findings may be summarised by saying that the educators who participated 1 need to be retrained to implement OBE. Also, if the subject advisors who chose the participants were right in labelling them best within their cohort, then the challenge is even bigger for OBE to succeed. As such, the INSET programme framework suggested in this study, would contribute a great deal towards retraining. / Thesis (PhD) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2003

The purpose of the study was to assess the differences between two; methods for training parents in child management skills. Group I, the educational training group, consisted of seven parents, while Group II, the competency-based training group, bad five participants. Two dependent measures, time-out and instruction giving, were assessed during simulations with a confederate. Probes were also taken during analogue situations between the parent and child. Follow-up probes were conducted at six- and twelve-weeks for the EFTG, and at 8-weeks for the CBTG.Data was subjected to an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to determine statistical differences between groups. A multiple baseline across skill domains was also used to assess clinical changes between groups and within individuals.Findings Parents trained in the CBTG performed significantly better, in both time-out and instruction giving skill domains, than did parents trained within the educational format. All five CBTG parents achieved a mastery level of 90% or higher. Parents trained through the traditional educational methods were unable to achieve mastery in either, skill domain. Subsequent to the introduction of competency training, all but one of the EFTG parents were able to reach mastery. The parent who was unable to reach mastery, was unable to do so in either skill domain.All parents were satisfied with service delivery regardless of treatment received. Parents also reported similar changes in their child's behavior throughout the course of the training program.Conclusions Competency-based training methods were far superior to the more traditional educational approach in shaping parents behavior (i.e., time-out and instruction giving skills). Parent perceptions of changes in their own behavior are a poor indicator of measured change.Parent's reported satisfaction is a poor prognosticator for termination of treatment services.

Thesis (MEd (Staff Development))--University of South Australia, 1995

The thesis that emerges from the publications nominated for examination, is that a holistic or integrated competency based approach to vocational education and training (VET) and professional education (both initial and continuing) has many advantages over traditional approaches: * It provides a curriculum framework which links practice to theory in more coherent ways than currently exist; * It potentially provides a way of breaking the old dichotomy between 'knowing that' and 'knowing how' which has characterised Anglo-Saxon education and which has resulted in the belief that education which is practical is both different from and inferior to that which is abstract; * It provides the basis for teaching and learning approaches which could enhance students' adaptability and flexibility over their lives; * It has the potential for developing in occupational education more valid assessment strategies than those traditionally used and also for reducing the deleterious effects on learning of measurement-based assessment approaches. In summary, it is argued that the integrated approach to competency-based education provides a conceptual base for the competency movement and a promising direction for educational reform for all levels of occupational education. It is further argued that competency standards developed through an integrated approach can facilitate the implementation of a number of other areas of social and economic policy, such as the recognition of qualifications of overseas professionals in Australia, and the internationalisation of professional services. Overview of the publications The publications span a six-year period from 1990 to 1996. The first of them was written at a time when there was very little literature in the area (and virtually none in Australia) and when there was a great deal of confusion about the nature of competency, how to develop competency standards and the implications of the competency approach for education and training. What literature did exist, was mostly twenty years old and was largely a reaction against educational curricula which, it was felt, had failed to adequately prepare students for occupations or for life more generally. In place of a curriculum based on the acquisition of knowledge most of the critics suggested that curriculum should be based on an analysis of what people needed to do. Conceptually, as Wolf (1995) and others have pointed out, it was based on a niave reductionism arising out of behaviourist approaches to education. This approach was quite powerful for a brief period in the 1970s in teacher education programs in the United States. However the challenge to behaviourism from cognitive and humanist approaches to learning seemed to undermine the conceptual basis of the competency movement and very little was written about competency approaches until the late 1980s. As Raven (1996) has recently pointed out, the literature on competency-based education which has appeared recently is also a reaction against 'something that is sensed to be wrong' (p.74). But what this is, what needs to be achieved and how this could be done is not clear. He suggests that the contemporary competency literature lacks a conceptual and analytical base and that there is little recognition of the need for a research program which develops a better understanding of the nature of competence, how it might be developed in individuals, how it might be assessed and what impact this would have on individuals, organisations and society generally. It is these issues that the publications submitted for examination have addressed. They have attempted to provide a conceptual base for competency-based education and a framework for how competency might be developed and assessed. Much of the recent literature in Australia has built on the approach which the publications originated. The publications can be divided into those dealing with the nature of competency, particularly the integrated model, (a, b, d, e) those dealing with curriculum and teaching issues (b, j) and those dealing with assessment of competence (c, f, h, i, k). The theme which unites them, is the integrated approach to competency and its capacity to provide a coherent framework for improved educational practices in all occupational education. Another possible way of categorising the publications would be by educational level. For reasons associated with the traditional division of labour in our workforces we tend to think about the differences between educational levels rather than the similarities. It is usual to think about higher education for example, even when it prepares people for occupations, as substantially different from other occupational education. This is underlined by the fact that there is no term, in common usage, to encompass both what is currently referred to as middle level or vocational education, and education for the professions. Despite its specific nature, professional education is often identified with academic and general education, while vocational education is identified with practical education and is assumed to be devoid of substantial theoretical content. In fact much of higher education for the professions is practical and much vocational education is grounded in theory, even if it is not always made explicit. A conclusion which I believe can be drawn from these publications as a whole is that the difference between higher education for the professions and vocational education for middle level occupations is one of degree rather than one of kind. Obviously most professional work is more complex than work at, say, trades level. But it is better to conceptualise these levels on a continuum rather than to see them as essentially different. There will be many instances when professionals need to do things which are routine where simple competencies are used. Conversely many tradespeople will need to use complex combinations of competencies to solve challenging problems. Hence, it is not useful to divide the publications into those dealing specifically with the professions (of which there are six- a, b, c, d, g, i) and those dealing with issues relevant to all sectors of education (of which there are five- e, f, h, j, k). What the publications have to say about the nature of competency, how to develop competency through curricula and teaching and how to assess it, is broadly applicable to all occupational education irrespective of the context in which it is discussed.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Ensuring that speech pathology students are sufficiently competent to practise their profession is of critical importance to the speech pathology profession, students, their future employers, and clients/patients. This thesis describes the development and validation of a competency based assessment of speech pathology students’ performance in the workplace and their readiness to enter the profession. Development involved an extensive literature review regarding the nature of competency and its relationship to professional practice, the purpose and nature of assessment, and the validation of performance assessments. An online and hard copy assessment tool (paper) was designed through integrating multiple sources of information regarding speech pathology and assessment of workplace performance. Sources included research, theory, expert opinion, current practice, and focus group consultations with clinical educators and speech pathology students. The resulting assessment tool and resource material included four generic components of competency (clinical reasoning, professional communication, lifelong learning, and professional role) and seven occupational competencies previously developed by the speech pathology profession. The tool comprised an assessment format, either in a booklet or online, for clinical educators to rate students’ performances on the competencies at mid and end placement using a visual analogue scale. Behavioural descriptors and an assessment resource booklet informed and supported clinical educators’ judgement. The validity of the assessment tool was evaluated through a national field trial and using Messick’s six interrelated validity criteria which address content, substantive, structural, generalisability, external, and consequential aspects of validity (Messick, 1996). The validity of the assessment tool and its use with speech pathology students was evaluated through Rasch analysis, parametric statistical evaluation of relationships existing between information yielded by the Rasch analysis and other factors, and student and clinical educator feedback. The assessment tool was found to have strong validity characteristics across all validity components. Item Fit statistics generated through Rasch analysis ranged from .81 to 1.17 strongly upholding that the assessment items sampled a unidimensional construct of workplace competency for speech pathology students and confirming that generic and occupational competencies are both necessary for competent practice of speech pathology. High Item and Person Reliabilities (analogous to Cronbach’s alpha) were found (.98 and .97 respectively) and a wide range of person measures (-14.2 to 13.1) were generated. This indicated that a large spread of ability and a clear hierarchy of development on the construct was identified and that the assessment tool was highly reliable. This was further confirmed by high Intra Class Correlation coefficients for a small group of paired clinical educators rating the same student in the same workplace (.87) or in different workplaces concurrently (.82). Rasch analysis of the visual analogue scale used to rate student performance on 11 items of competence identified that clinical educators were able to reliably discriminate 7 categories or levels of student performance. This, in combination with careful calibration procedures, has resulted in an assessment tool that Australian Speech Pathology pre-professional preparation programs can use with confidence to place their students’ level of workplace competence into 7 zones of competency, with the seventh representing sufficient competence to enter the profession. The assessment tool also showed strong potential for identifying marginal students and for future use in promoting quality teaching and learning of professional competence. Limitations to the research and the tool validity were discussed, and recommendations made regarding future research. First, the clinical educator, who has dual and possibly conflicting roles as facilitator and assessor of student learning, made the assessment. Second, situating the assessment in the real workplace limits the students’ opportunities to demonstrate competence to those that naturally arise in the workplace. Paradoxically, both these factors also contributed to the validity of the assessment tool. It was recommended that the assessment tool be revised on the basis of the information gathered from the field trial, that further data be collected to ensure a broader proportional representation of speech pathology programs, to investigate possible threats to validity as well as those areas for which the tool showed promise. This research developed the first prototype of a validated assessment of entry level speech pathology competence that is grounded in a unified theoretical conception of entry level competence to the profession of speech pathology and the developmental progression required to reach this competence. This research will assist the profession of speech pathology by ensuring that speech pathologists enter the workplace well equipped to provide quality care to their future clients, the ultimate goal of any professional preparation program. Messick, S. (1996). Validity of performance assessments. In G. W. Phillips (Ed.), Technical Issues in Large-Scale Performance Assessment (pp. 1-18). Washington: National Centre for Education Statistics.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Ruth Childs.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1989. / Bibliography: leaves 103-107.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education, 2005. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (303-312).