Orientador: Telma Pileggi Vinha / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-28T02:39:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Oliveira_MarianaTavaresAlmeida_M.pdf: 3188232 bytes, checksum: 62b64446609d90d4732d3e1509537252 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Resumo: Fundamentado na teoria piagetiana, este trabalho se constitui de um estudo qualitativo e quantitativo que tem como objetivos identificar as causas, as estratégias empregadas e as finalizações dos conflitos vividos entre alunos de 13 e 14 anos. A amostra foi constituída por 63 alunos do oitavo ano de duas escolas públicas estaduais do Ensino Fundamental II de uma cidade do interior paulista, escolhidas por conveniência. Os dados foram coletados por meio de 27 sessões de observação das interações sociais dos adolescentes, em diferentes momentos da rotina escolar, contabilizando um total de 108 horas, sendo encerradas por saturação. Os resultados das observações indicaram que as principais causas que geraram conflitos nos alunos de 13 e 14 anos foram a provocação e a reação ao comportamento perturbador. As estratégias de resolução mais frequentemente utilizadas foram as unilaterais e o abandono foi a finalização mais comum para as desavenças observadas. A contribuição do estudo foi, portanto, o detalhamento das evoluções da compreensão e da vivência dos conflitos interpessoais, oferecendo subsídios para o planejamento de intervenções mais afinadas com as necessidades próprias de cada faixa etária, favorecendo o desenvolvimento de estratégias de resolução de conflitos mais cooperativas / Abstract: Characterized as a qualitative and quantitative study and grounded in Piaget's theory, this study aimed to identify the causes, the strategies employed and the outcomes of conflicts experienced between 13 and 14 year old students. The set consisted of 63 eighth grade students from two elementary public schools in São Paulo State/Brazil, chosen at convenience. Data were collected through 27 sessions of observation of social interactions of adolescents, at various situations of school routine, accounting for a total of 108 hours, being closed by saturation. The results of observations indicated that the main causes that led to conflicts among 13 and 14 year old students were teasing and reaction to annoying behavior. Resolution strategies more frequently used were unilateral and abandonment was the most common outcome for the observed disagreements. The contribution of the study was, therefore, to detail the developments in the understanding and in the experience of interpersonal conflicts, providing support for the planning of interventions more in line with the needs of each age group, favoring the development of conflict resolution strategies more cooperative / Mestrado / Psicologia Educacional / Mestra em Educação

Thesis (MPA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / In post - apartheid South Africa, a lack of adequate financial and physical resources in historically disadvantaged public schools is a major barrier to effective teaching and learning. Schools in the rural South Africa are part of communities and therefore can be seen as microcosms of societal conditions. The national Ministry of Basic Education has a responsibility to provide a necessary educational infrastructure to all public schools. Other relevant stakeholders such as the community and businesses need to assist the government to supplement the delivery of educational infrastructure. It is against this background that the study undertakes to assess the delivery of educational infrastructure that will lead to service delivery improvement. Some of the considered focused areas in the study include the demographics of the schools, the condition of the school infrastructure and the legislative frameworks that serve to support educational infrastructure. Literature on various forms has been reviewed in order to understand the regulatory framework upon which the delivery of educational infrastructure is based. The study used the qualitative method to investigate the delivery of educational infrastructure. The main findings indicated that educational infrastructure in rural schools is generally poor and there is a shortage of physical resources in schools. It is clear in this regard that current processes are hampering the Department of Basic Education to improve service delivery in public schools especially those that are in rural areas. vi KEYWORDS  Department of Basic Education in Limpopo Province  Educational infrastructure  Assessment  Physical resources  Public schools  Service delivery  Teaching and learning

Examined in this hermeneutic phenomenological study is a transformation in the researcher's choral music teaching in which students' abilities to construct self emerged organically from interactions, or dialogues, that took place among and between the students, the teacher, and the music being studied. To allow for such interaction to emerge organically and meaningfully, students and teacher both shared in the power needed to construct a classroom environment in which the localized issues of the classroom and the specific contexts of students' lived histories were maintained and encouraged. This process of interaction, based upon dialogue among and between equal agents in the classroom, is described in the study as dialogic interactionism. In order to examine the concept of dialogic interactionism, three constructs upon which dialogic interactionism is based were developed and philosophically analyzed. They include the construction of self through the construction of self-knowledge; the localized reference system of the classroom, and the issue of power. Each construct is considered within the context of extant writings both in general education and music education philosophy. Following the analysis, a theoretical description of the dialogic interactive choral classroom is given as well a description of how such ideas might be realized in practice. The study concludes with issues for further study.

Traditional views on science education focus solely on content learning in the classroom, however more contemporary perspectives harness science content to help students become active citizens and lifelong learners outside of the classroom (Daher & Saifi, 2018; Vedder-Weiss & Fortus, 2011; Yacoubian, 2018). Project-based science is a reform pedagogy that emphasizes real-world utilization of science to solve problems that are personally relevant to students’ everyday lives (Kanter & Konstantopoulos, 2010). Unfortunately, there is no uniform theory or approach to project-based science. The diversity that exists in the interpretation and implementation of the project-based learning theory and model has resulted in a variety of research and developmental issues across disciplines, often resulting in confusion about what counts as being project-based and what does not (Kokotsaki et al., 2016; McNeill & Krajcik, 2007; Yu et al., 2018). While the goal of project-based science is to positively impact all students’ motivation for and achievement in science learning, there has been little research on its use as an instructional strategy with diverse students in urban schools (Kanter et al., 2001; Krajcik et al., 2006; Panasan & Nuangchalerm, 2010; Scheneider et al., 2002; Shwartz et al., 2008). Even as newer studies are published (Fitzgerald, 2020; Nainggolan et al., 2020; Wang, 2020), the field is stagnant, and research is still needed that looks into the ways in which culture influences the way American secondary students learn science (Brown, 2020). One of the characteristics of project-based science that makes it appealing, is its ability to drawing on the lived experiences of students, but most of the work done to date has not included or reflected the lived experiences of urban students of color. The goal of this mixed methods instrumental case study was to provide a glimpse into what it would look like to use a reconceptualized approach to project-based science that was more inclusive of urban students’ identities and lived experiences, while also being intentional about the nature of science and science epistemology. This involved the creation and use of a project-based science unit that included both implicit and explicit design features of the nature of science and science epistemology, along with pedagogical practices that were aligned with the theoretical underpinnings of project-based science (active learning, sociocultural theory, constructionist theory, constructivist theory, and situated cognition); along with the frameworks of Black feminist thought and reality pedagogy, which have not yet been considered in project-based science settings. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analyzed for trends and emergent themes. Quantitative data were collected from a diverse sample of fifty urban 9th grade New York City Living Environment students ranging in age from 13 to 15 years old. Ninety eight percent of participants had ethnic backgrounds other than White. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) repeated measures statistical tests and mixed between-within ANOVA statistical tests were used to examine quantitative data. The findings revealed that 96% of participants developed understandings of the local, state, and national level science standards and learning outcomes, aligned to the unit used in this study; and made significant gains on pre, midterm, and post multiple-choice and free response exams. While both genders made significant improvements, the male participants in this study outperformed the female participants. Qualitative data were collected from a total of 13 students, ranging in age from 13 to 15 years old, who participated in two gender-specific cogenerative dialogues. One hundred percent of cogenerative dialogue participants had ethnic backgrounds other than White. Thick descriptions and analysis were used to make sense of students’ experience with the project-based science unit. All cogenerative dialogue participants seemed to developed understandings of the nature of science and science epistemology. Implications for practice and future research are considered.

<p>    </p> <p>The first article presents a study that measured exhibit visitors' reported attitudes as measured by an early iteration of the attitudinal learning inventory (ALI) (Watson et al., 2018). The study, which was conducted at the Indiana State Fair and measured visitors’ self-reported attitude changes after visiting an exhibit about hellbender salamanders, found that 73% of survey respondents claimed they would change their behavior and 70% claimed they would tell others what they learned by visiting the exhibit. The second article presents a study that measured visitors' time spent at the exhibit to calculate holding power. Holding power was calculated by dividing the amount of time spent at the exhibit by the minimum amount of time it takes to read the text and interact with the exhibit. The holding power for the <em>What's Bugging Belva? </em>exhibit was favorable at .67 and is compared with exhibits with holding powers of .47 (Boisvert et al, 1995) and .69 (Peart, 1984). The third study gathered visitor data using the validated ALI and analyzed the data using the FREQ procedure (SAS 9.4). The study was conducted at the Indiana State Fair and Purdue Springfest and measured visitors’ responses to an exhibit about animal welfare. At both events, visitors had positive perceptions in the categories of cognitive and general learning, affective learning, behavioral learning, and social learning.  </p>

As a concept that represents teacher professionalism and expertise, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has received extensive research attention since the mid-1980s. PCK refers to the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular aspects of subject matter are organized, adapted, and represented for instruction (Shulman, 1987). Recent studies have shown that PCK impacts instruction quality and student learning (Beyer & Davis, 2012). Nevertheless, in the field of English language teaching (ELT), PCK remains unnoticed by many language teachers (Kind & Chan, 2019). PCK pertaining to speaking instruction is even more underrepresented. Meanwhile, English teaching in mainland China has undergone reforms aimed at promoting students' oral proficiency, but many problems still exist. Most studies have explored teaching methodologies, learning strategies, and the assessment of speaking. However, there is not much research on improving teaching effectiveness from the perspective of teachers' PCK. This qualitative multiple case study examines teachers' PCK from the perspective of teaching English speaking over a two-year period. Purposeful sampling was employed, and five EFL instructors were the key informants. The instructors worked in different universities in mainland China and taught various levels of speaking courses. The data include classroom observations, teacher interviews, student interviews, reflection journals from the teachers, and various course syllabuses. The study findings emphasize the contents and features of EFL teachers' PCK in a more systematic way and show that teachers' PCK comprises six components: knowledge of features of curriculum, pedagogy, learners' challenges, language enhancement, course evaluation, and the educational context. Each category contains a variety of subcategories. Two paths are revealed for the development of PCK: one path is for teachers to develop their PCK by studying the relevant literature and then transform that knowledge into students' comprehensible knowledge based on students' understanding; another path is for teachers to transfer or adjust PCK from other courses or people to their own instruction and then develop PCK through evaluation and reflection. The study also shows that based on three developmental models (the trial-based approach, top-down approach, and inquiry-based approach), the teacher participants advanced in three aspects: spiritual enrichment, renewed teacher roles, and philosophical inquiry. In addition, in this study, PCK is proven to be dynamic, personal, and transformative rather than static, canonical, and integrative. Theoretically, this study proposes a comprehensive framework of PCK components and development for speaking instructors and underscores the concept of meta-representations. It adds to the literature on EFL teachers' cognition in the Chinese context, thus broadening and enriching the research on EFL teachers' PCK in the educational field. Practically, the study highlights the importance of appropriating the educational context, establishing teacher beliefs and philosophy, and improving teachers' critical literacy as well as their language competency. The findings can also enhance teacher educators' and policy-makers'awareness of specific subject matter and deepen their understanding of speaking instruction. The findings shed light on how to improve overall EFL speaking pedagogy, empower EFL teachers, and facilitate their professional development within the context of English curriculum reform. Limitations of the study lie in its restricted timeframe, limited resources, and sampling size. Future research directions could be to conduct a longitudinal study with more participants or to develop and quantify PCK measurements.

As a concept that represents teacher professionalism and expertise, pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has received extensive research attention since the mid-1980s. PCK refers to the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular aspects of subject matter are organized, adapted, and represented for instruction (Shulman, 1987). Recent studies have shown that PCK impacts instruction quality and student learning (Beyer & Davis, 2012). Nevertheless, in the field of English language teaching (ELT), PCK remains unnoticed by many language teachers (Kind & Chan, 2019). PCK pertaining to speaking instruction is even more underrepresented. Meanwhile, English teaching in mainland China has undergone reforms aimed at promoting students' oral proficiency, but many problems still exist. Most studies have explored teaching methodologies, learning strategies, and the assessment of speaking. However, there is not much research on improving teaching effectiveness from the perspective of teachers' PCK. This qualitative multiple case study examines teachers' PCK from the perspective of teaching English speaking over a two-year period. Purposeful sampling was employed, and five EFL instructors were the key informants. The instructors worked in different universities in mainland China and taught various levels of speaking courses. The data include classroom observations, teacher interviews, student interviews, reflection journals from the teachers, and various course syllabuses. The study findings emphasize the contents and features of EFL teachers' PCK in a more systematic way and show that teachers' PCK comprises six components: knowledge of features of curriculum, pedagogy, learners' challenges, language enhancement, course evaluation, and the educational context. Each category contains a variety of subcategories. Two paths are revealed for the development of PCK: one path is for teachers to develop their PCK by studying the relevant literature and then transform that knowledge into students' comprehensible knowledge based on students' understanding; another path is for teachers to transfer or adjust PCK from other courses or people to their own instruction and then develop PCK through evaluation and reflection. The study also shows that based on three developmental models (the trial-based approach, top-down approach, and inquiry-based approach), the teacher participants advanced in three aspects: spiritual enrichment, renewed teacher roles, and philosophical inquiry. In addition, in this study, PCK is proven to be dynamic, personal, and transformative rather than static, canonical, and integrative. Theoretically, this study proposes a comprehensive framework of PCK components and development for speaking instructors and underscores the concept of meta-representations. It adds to the literature on EFL teachers' cognition in the Chinese context, thus broadening and enriching the research on EFL teachers' PCK in the educational field. Practically, the study highlights the importance of appropriating the educational context, establishing teacher beliefs and philosophy, and improving teachers' critical literacy as well as their language competency. The findings can also enhance teacher educators' and policy-makers'awareness of specific subject matter and deepen their understanding of speaking instruction. The findings shed light on how to improve overall EFL speaking pedagogy, empower EFL teachers, and facilitate their professional development within the context of English curriculum reform. Limitations of the study lie in its restricted timeframe, limited resources, and sampling size. Future research directions could be to conduct a longitudinal study with more participants or to develop and quantify PCK measurements.

My dissertation is a qualitative design-based research study that explores Singaporean elementary school students’ documentation and reflection practices in a maker learning environment. In this work, I build upon literature from Constructionism, Metacognition, and formative assessment methods. I investigate the following research questions regarding student-driven documentation of maker processes: 1. How might artifact documentation and organization, as a mode of formative assessment, provide new insights to students and teachers in complex making/construction processes? 2. How could artifact documentation embedded in a collaborative tool contribute to students' identification and reflection of new knowledge gained during their making process? Over the course of two and a half years, I developed prototypes of the CoCreator App, informed by constructionist pedagogy and metacognitive practices. Then, I implemented the CoCreator App prototypes in two schools and an afterschool makerspace in Singapore, where students and teachers used it as their technology-facilitated process for documentation. Through analysis of students’ and teachers’ interviews, observations and field notes of classroom sessions, I reveal opportunities for thoughtful design of documentation tools that advance and challenge the theoretical underpinnings of Constructionism and Metacognition, and cater to elementary school students’ learning and reflection. My design recommendations include: multimodal choices of documentation, integration with students’ routines and workflows, organization of artifacts to achieve a balance between multimodality and integration with routines. Finally, I end with a note about the essential role that teachers play in engaging with students’ artifacts and nurturing a culture of documentation in the classroom, to inch closer to helping students develop intrinsic motivation towards student-driven formative assessment.

No description available.

No description available.