Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-08T14:53:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2134501 bytes, checksum: 643f6646cae15977cb536533713c1927 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The constructivist teaching method whose main characteristic is the adoption of practical activities in where the individual interacts directly with the object of its development, being motivated to participate actively in the learning process that is included, exploiting their prior knowledge and creativity. From this perspective, this study was to investigate the contribution of constructivist methodology in teaching Production Engineering. For this purpose an experiment was conducted in groups of students of Engineering Production UFERSA, UFF e CEFET-RJ, with the aim of comparing the gains made by students in a traditional classroom and in a constructivist classroom. The two classes discussed the concepts related to Just In Time philosophy. For the constructivist classroom was used Game Production Management, activity games adapted for use in the teaching of production engineering, raised in the literature. Comparison of the results was performed from the application of statistical tests and McNemar Binomial. The results obtained by use of statistical tests denote the contribution of the inclusion of activities in teaching Constructivist Production Engineering. The results collected through a questionnaire administered to students who participated in the experiments showed the acceptance of constructive activity as a tool to complement the exhibition of traditional concepts covered in class. / O método de ensino construtivista tem como característica principal a adoção de atividades práticas em que o individuo interage diretamente com o objeto de seu desenvolvimento, sendo motivado a participar ativamente do processo de aprendizagem em que está incluído, explorando seus conhecimentos anteriores e sua criatividade. Sob essa perspectiva, este trabalho buscou investigar a contribuição da metodologia construtivista no ensino de Engenharia de Produção. Para isso foi realizado um experimento em turmas de alunos dos cursos de Engenharia de Produção da UFERSA, UFF e CEFET-RJ, com o objetivo de comparar os ganhos obtidos pelos alunos em uma aula tradicional e em uma aula construtivista. As duas aulas abordaram os conceitos relacionados à filosofia Just In Time. Para a aula construtivista foi utilizado o Jogo Gestão da Produção, atividade adaptada de jogos utilizados no ensino de engenharia de produção, levantados na literatura. A comparação dos resultados obtidos foi feita a partir da aplicação dos testes estatísticos de McNemar e Binomial. Os resultados obtidos pela utilização dos testes estatísticos denotam a contribuição da inserção de atividades construtivistas no ensino de Engenharia de Produção. Os resultados coletados por meio de um questionário aplicado com os alunos que participaram dos experimentos mostrou a aceitação da atividade construtivista como instrumento complementar a exposição dos conceitos abordados nas aulas tradicionais.

abstract: Health and healing in the United States is in a moment of deep and broad transformation. Underpinning this transformation is a shift in focus from practitioner- and system-centric perspectives to patient and family expectations and their accompanying localized narratives. Situated within this transformation are patients and families of all kinds. This shift's interpretation lies in the converging and diverging trails of biomedicine, a patient-centric perspective of consensus between practitioner and patient, and postmodern philosophy, a break from prevailing norms and systems. Lending context is the dynamic interplay between increasing ethnic/cultural diversity, acculturation/biculturalism, and medical pluralism. Diverse populations continue to navigate multiple health and healing paradigms, engage in the process of their integration, and use health and healing practices that run corollary to them. The way this experience is viewed, whether biomedically or philosophically, has implications for the future of healthcare. Over this fluid interpenetration, with its vivid nuance, loom widespread health disparities. The adverse effects of static, fragmented healthcare systems unable to identify and answer diverse populations' emergent needs are acutely felt by these individuals. Eradication of health disparities is born from insight into how these populations experience health and healing. The resulting strategy must be one that simultaneously addresses the complex intricacies of patient-centered care, permits emergence of more localized narratives, and eschews systems that are no longer effective. It is the movement of caregivers across multiple health and healing sources, managing care for loved ones, that provides this insight and in which this project is keenly interested. Uncovering the emergent patterns of caregivers' management of these sources reveals a rich and nuanced spectrum of realities. These realities are replete with opportunities to re-frame health and healing in ways that better reflect what these diverse populations of caregivers and care recipients need. Engaging female Mexican American caregivers, a population whose experience is well-suited to aid in this re-frame, this project begins to provide that insight. Informed by a parent framework of Complexity Science, and balanced between biomedical and postmodern perspectives, this constructivist grounded theory secondary analysis charts these caregivers' processes and offers provocative findings and recommendations for understanding their experiences. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Healthcare Innovation 2013

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:30:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Felix von Borell de Araujo.pdf: 5387313 bytes, checksum: 5efd83e0ed804d085ba283e5635406b5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-12-20 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / The objective of this study was to understand how social meanings of dignity are built in the relationship between a local community and the companies placed in its geographic area. This is a qualitative research developed by the Constructivist Grounded Theory method. The study, that is exploratory-descriptive, is based the interpretative paradigm of social research. The theoretical perspective that guided the study was the Structural Symbolic Interactionism. The local community chosen for this study was the city of Litoral (fictitious name), located in the state of Espirito Santo. In this town, there are two large companies whose relationship with the community of Litoral has been the object of the present study. We built a substantive theory from 24 interviews with 20 residents, internet content, participant observation,photographic records, official literature of the city and the companies studied and notes in a field diary. The results suggest that the meanings of dignity in the relationship among the informed social actors are built by community members according to how they interpret and evaluate the care present in the conducts of companies towards objects of dignity. In this evaluation process, the community takes into account the interpretation that they make about the benefits and the intentions that underlie the conduct of the companies. This judgement is based on the expectations that the members of the community have about how that relationship should be, what may vary according to the tangibility of the firm in question and the timing of such a judgment. This process of construction of meanings takes place in a space of interactions between people and individuals ans objects. Suggestions for future research and practice are provided. / O objetivo do estudo foi o de compreender como são socialmente construídos os significados de dignidade no âmbito da relação entre uma comunidade de local e as empresas situadas em sua imediação geográfica. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa desenvolvida pelo método da Grounded Theory Construtivista. O estudo, de natureza exploratório-descritiva, se encontra alicerçado no paradigma interpretativo de pesquisa social. A perspectiva teórica que orientou a realização do estudo foi a do Interacionismo Simbólico Estrutural. A comunidade de local escolhida foi a da cidade de Litoral (nome fictício), situada no estado do Espírito Santo. Nessa cidade,encontram-se duas empresas de grande porte cuja relação com a comunidade de Litoral foi objeto do presente estudo. A partir de 24 entrevistas com 20 moradores, conteúdos da internet, observações participantes, registros fotográficos, literatura oficial sobre a cidade e as empresas em questão e anotações no diário de campo foi construída uma teoria substantiva visando o alcance do objetivo determinado. Os resultados sugerem que os significados de dignidade no âmbito da relação entre os atores sociais de interesse nessa pesquisa são construídos pela comunidade de acordo com a forma como seus membros interpretam e avaliam o zelo presente nas condutas empresariais frente a objetos de dignidade. Nesse processo de avaliação, os membros da comunidade levam em consideração sua interpretação a respeito dos benefícios que as condutas empresariais trazem para eles e as intenções que subjazem às ações das organizações. Esse julgamento é baseado nas expectativas que os membros da comunidade possuem a respeito de como deve ser essa relação, o que pode variar de acordo com a tangibilidade da empresa em questão e o momento em que tal julgamento é realizado. Esse processo de construção de significados ocorre em um espaço de interações entre pesssoas e entre indivíduos e objetos. Sugestões para pesquisas futuras e para a prática são apresentadas.

Distance learning has been playing an ever more influential role. Yet there remains little rigorous academic research into distance learning pedagogy, lacking of serious study in management, delivery and organization of distance learning has destabilized the field. Recently, the boom of Web 2.0 has made websites a lot more intuitive, interactive and interesting; Web 2.0 is also widely used in distance education. Study of distance education as a result sometimes has been misdirected, instead of understanding and solving the real issues facing distance education, research in the field devoted entirely to technology usage discarding the very issue of effective education in distance context. In other words, instead of pursuing technology-relevant policies we focus on technology-driven policies. This thesis starts by reviewing learning theories and arguing for the case of why one is more suitable for distance learning than others. The author argues that constructivism, which favors a dynamic learning process, encourages people to interact, share ideas and bounce ideas is the more effective learning theory. But deploying constructivist pedagogy into real life is difficult. We need more concrete ideas as to how to organize distance learning, a framework to benchmark distance education, to evaluate distance education. That is where Moore’s transactional theory which actually derives from constructivist pedagogy comes into the picture. Moore pointed out 3 key areas of distance education: dialogue, structure and learner autonomy. Moore argues that by having enough constructive dialogue, flexible structure catering individualism and a high level of learner autonomy to execute learning; we can reduce “distance” in distance education. Moore is equally concerned about pedagogy as he is about technologies and he has incorporated into his theory how technological changes have influenced the way distance education has been delivered for the better. This is the brilliance of Moore’s, he has not sided with either pedagogy or technology, he observed the rise of technology and the influence it has on distance education but refused to see technology as the sole factor that makes distance learning more effective or reduces “distance” in distance education. The linkage between constructivism and Moore’s theory is of significance although it is only barely acknowledged in Moore’ writing. The magnitude of this connection is that first it highlights that the work that Moore has done has been based on strong theoretical pedagogy, his contribution is that he has simplified a grand ideology into something that can be applied in the class room. Also he has succeeded in refining elements of constructivism into working variables for quantitative research. His theory is still highly relevant today but his analysis of technologies’ roles has not yet included the latest explosion of technologies in the post-1993 age: the Internet, the booming Web and especially the new Web 2.0. The aim of this thesis is to extend his analysis to these new technologies. We studied how the explosion of Web 2.0 services have been facilitating rich dialogue among peers, teachers and learning materials, allowing more individualization to educational settings and structures. Also Web 2.0 lowers the barrier to participation and content generation and thus would be expected to encourage learner autonomy. A large part of the thesis has been dedicated to literature review. This is because the author believes that in order to improve distance education, it is necessary to first understand learning theory to know when and how people learn, and explore the nature of distance education to see the differences between distance and non-distance education, and then have a comprehensive plan to implement distance education, and evaluate that plan. The implementation bit is of course a practical project; the author used a real-life course at Umeå University where students from various backgrounds signed-up to learn about how Web 2.0 can be leveraged to enhance distance education. A constructivist approach was adopted so we had a chance to see how it actually turned out. We used Moore’s transactional distance theory to evaluate the impact of introducing Web 2.0. / In my thesis, I have discussed the role of distance-learning and have discussed how constructivism makes better education, Moore’s analysis that distance education is naturally education and thus what makes education makes good distance education. Better education according to Moore is when you can reduce “transactional distance” by influencing its makeup dialogue, structure and learner autonomy. I also looked at examples of where Web 2.0 has been successfully applied to reduce “transactional distance” grounded in Moore’s theory. I looked at the humble historical context of distance-learning and the spectacular achievements that distance-education teachers and students despite all those forces against change. I discussed the development of distance-education to become what it is today. I believe technologies are part of the solution but also we need strong pedagogy and a rigorous framework to guide it. The discussion of constructivism vs. objectivism showed the contrasting differences as well as certain overlapping elements of both ideologies. I believe constructivism was the pedagogy of the 21st century which involves a great deal of personal reflection, interaction among course peers and teachers as well as a shift in how education must be organized. Moore’s theory of transactional distance is grounded in constructivist pedagogy but has his fair share of genius thought. First, he convinced us that distance education is also education because the distance in distance education or what Moore called “transactional distance” also exists in face-to-face classroom education, to make better distance learning means to reduce “transactional distance”. Second, his ability to benchmark an operational framework to organize distance education and measure transactional distance as a result or influencing the three variables dialogue, structure and learner autonomy. His work has been proved by Saba (1994) with dynamic systems modeling as well as questioned by few critics of his poor theory construction as well as unconvincing empirical data gathered from a few studies. However, Moore’s theory of transactional distance is still the prominent theory and Moore himself a leading figure in the field. Transactional theory is realized by a new wave of highly interactive web technologies built on the architecture of openness and participatory. This plays well into constructivism of build a virtual learning community for collaborative learning. We looked at a prime example of employing Web 2.0 technologies for better distance education by Kane and Fichman (2009). The benefits of instruction activities that otherwise would not be possible without Web 2.0 have been analyzed and evaluated using Moore’s variables to yield a positive result. I also demonstrated a personal experience being part of a distance learning course at Umea University in Spring semester 2010 where we all learned about distance learning in the modern age and apply constructivism pedagogy and Moore’s transaction theory distance in evaluating the course. Understanding the theory makes me a better student because I know what makes effective learning and also further confirm my belief in the mandate of distance education, a distance education for all because you can’t learn individually. Kane and Fichman (2009) have surprised me to the extent of their creative ideas of applying Web 2.0 in education such as the idea of crowdsourcing and peer review by wikis. Able to use technologies especially in a live environment such as the course at Umea University gave me a real sense of gaps between theory and practice. / Author: Tran Huy Duc Mobile: 00-84-1283 27 47 09 Address: CC23 Truong Son St, Ward 15, District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam E-mail: ductranhuy@yahoo.com

Magister Artium - MA / According to migrant research in South Africa, after the advent of democracy in South Africa, in 1994, the country has received an influx of foreign migrants, more especially from the African continent. However, much focus has been on the negative outcomes of the host community and its relationship with immigrants. Recent immigration research labelled South Africa as a xenophobic nation, and much emphasis on xenophobia was in Black South African townships. Although townships in South Africa are widely known for their hostile attitudes towards African nationals, in recent years, townships like Gugulethu have become homes for many African immigrants. This study investigates the integration of foreign migrants into the South African community: a case of Zimbabweans living in Gugulethu, Cape Town. Qualitative research methods' adopting an in-depth interpretation of the findings was used to answer the research question posed by this study. The research question posed by this study is, in the absence of a strategic plan to integrate African foreign nationals into South Africa society, how do African migrants living in Gugulethu use their social capital to integrate themselves into the local community, which is widely regarded as xenophobic? Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interviews and observations and data was analysed according to the research questions by making codes and themes. In addition, the number of study participants was 30 people; 25 Zimbabwean immigrants and for comparative purposes 2 Ugandan immigrants and 3 local South Africans were also included. Both convenience and snowballing sampling techniques were used. The study found that despite the challenges faced by migrants in their host community, these migrants used their social capital in the form of social networks to integrate themselves into the host community.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Gerald D. Bailey / Online professional development has the potential to be a dynamic tool to construct knowledge and enhance professional performance. Online collaboration tools have accelerated learning and have made online professional development convenient, dynamic, and flexible. Yet access to powerful learning resources has not always ensured that quality online professional development has taken place or that authentic, transformational learning has occurred. This study has shown that technology has presented challenges that have proved difficult for online professional development facilitators and participants. Consequently, the facilitator's role in professional development has been even more critical in the virtual environment and the facilitator has had to be even more intentional in their actions, decisions, and expectations. The purpose of the study was to research, develop, and validate an online professional development facilitator's handbook that would clarify and demonstrate the knowledge, attitudes, practices, and skills utilized by exemplary online professional development facilitators. This study has also ascertained practical instructional strategies that are effective in planning, implementing, and facilitating online professional development. As a result of this study, an online professional development handbook was developed according to Borg and Gall's (1989) Research and Development (R&D) cycle and methodology using three panels that consisted of expert and novice online professional development facilitators. Findings include: Learning, defined as the process of constructing personal understanding through interactions with others while collectively engaging in challenges that are novel and transferable to other situations and settings, is transformational and has a sustaining impact when skillfully facilitated in the online environment. Online learning communities organized around collaborative inquiry and collective problem solving become co-creators of knowledge in a risk-free, trusting environment. Participants (teachers) become self-determining learners focused on engaging in appropriate endeavors to increase their classroom content knowledge and management skills by identifying their own needs and creating a plan to raise academic achievement and improve their own practices. When educational systems invest in honest dialogue about student work, candidly assess student and teacher needs, make changes based on data and research, and value individual and group contributions, these organizations become cultures of thinkers and communities of learners.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / "This study is guided by theories about educational policy implementation and their implications for teaching. These theories underline the notion that educational reform is a progress and it iv comes in cycles. According to Tyack and Cuban (1995), the first cycle (policy talk) is for diagnosing problems and for advocacy of solutions. It is followed by policy action; then actual implementation of the plan. The implications for these theories therefore imply that teachers play an important role in any educational reform and as such should be involved in any decision making and policy implementation in order to make any change in education a worthwhile process (Fullan, 2001; Helsby, 1999; Tyack and Cuban, 1995). This study focused on the implementation of the policy document Towards education for All: A development brief for education, culture, and training and its implications on mathematics teachers at secondary schools. The policy document highlights the main features of Learner-Centered approaches. Therefore, the aim of the study is to investigate how mathematics teachers implement Learner-Centered Education in Mathematics classrooms in Namibia..."

Outcomes-based education (OBE) (at least at a conceptual level) is moving from an instructionist (teacher as transmitter of knowledge) to a constructivist approach (teacher as mediator and facilitator in the construction of meaning). This shift requires teachers that move from a traditional teacher-centred classroom to a learner-centred classroom management approach. The policy originators label this shift as a “paradigm shift”, but in the training of educators in OBE, no training was offered in terms of a new approach to classroom management. In this study I argue that if OBE in the South African context really constitute a paradigm shift, then at conceptual level, it would require a new approach to classroom management. Against this background, the aim of the study is to conceptually interrogate the notion of constructivist classroom management and investigate how classroom management within a constructivist mode differs from traditional classroom management within an instructionist approach. This study is qualitative in nature and employs conceptual analysis in the form of conceptual historical analysis, conceptual cartography and hermeneutic analysis. The Wilsonian concept analysis was used to examine and distinguish between the defining attributes of the concepts “instructionist classroom management” and “constructivist classroom management” and their relevant attributes. Also, a typology of non-empirical questions applied to conceptual analysis was used. The Matrix of Paradigmatic Value Systems was used as a tool/lens to categorise “instructionist classroom management” and “constructivist classroom management” in terms of their paradigmatic roots. Credibility and authenticity was achieved through crystallisation instead of triangulation. Emerging from the literature and concept analysis, “instructionist classroom management” is informed and guided by the traditional paradigm – it is based on a mechanistic worldview. On the other hand, “constructivist classroom management” is compatible with the emerging paradigm – it has holistic and artistic features. Traditional classroom management is underpinned by the principles of scientific management whilst constructivist classroom management is informed and guided by contingency approaches to management theory. Based on the analysis done and the reflection on the data, it is posited that classroom management within a constructivist setting needs to move from traditional to contingency classroom management approach. On the surface, basic management principles such as, planning, organising, leading and control, appear to be similar, but this is a myth. For example, planning, seen from its traditional defining terms, approaches classroom management as a step-by-step process under control and directed by the teacher; and may restrict the degree to which learners become collaborators in the teaching and learning situation. Organising focuses on issues of group work and collaborates learning; control moves to accountability (where learners become part of the development of class rules and partners in ensuring order and discipline); and evaluation moves to ongoing assessment and feedback as a strategy to ensure continuous improvement and the facilitation of the construction of new knowledge. Thus, this study proposes rethinking a set of principles compatible to the emergent paradigm that should not only support the construction of knowledge in the constructivist setting, but also promote collaborative interaction. / Thesis (PhD (Education Management, Law and Policy))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The international student population in higher education institutions in the United States has been increasing steadily in the last decade. A high percentage of these students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) courses or in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs in many community colleges. These programs are faced with the need to integrate adequate instructional activities and performance-based assessments that help improve and accelerate language speaking skills to prepare students for the next academic level. The goal of this exploratory and descriptive developmental case study was to develop a class project with performance-based learning activities for an ESOL advanced level conversational class at Houston Community College Southeast using podcasting technology and a constructivist instructional design approach. These activities were a series of five student-generated podcasts (scripted and unscripted) lab assignments the objective of which is to promote student engagement in real world conversation topics that can potentially affect their English speaking skills and attitudes in a positive manner. The project was named the ESOL PodZone conversational lab. A mixed method research approach resulted in a triangulation of the results from quantitative and qualitative data analyses that served as corroborative evidence to answer three research questions: How do student-generated podcasts on real world conversation topics improve the learner's speaking skills? What are the students' attitudes toward student-generated podcast activities and the impact on their speaking skills? How should student-generated podcast learning activities be integrated into the ESOL instruction to enhance the students' speaking skills? The sample group had 22 students: 12 Vietnamese, 8 Hispanics, 1 from Kazakhstan, and 1 from Equatorial Guinea. The findings documented that student-generated podcasts can affect conversational language skills in the pronunciation, fluency, grammar, and vocabulary domains at different levels over longer periods; that students have positive attitudes toward the use of podcasting for language learning; and that using a constructivist instructional design model (CIDM) framework facilitates an effective integration of student-generated podcast authentic activities into the ESOL conversational curriculum. Further research may be considered for similar case studies with different populations, using different podcasting and instructional applications.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The aim of the study was to investigate the nature of biology practical work and associated discourses in two Namibian secondary schools. The purposive sample consisted of three biology teachers and 36 grade 11 students who enrolled for NSSC Higher- and Ordinary-level biology in 2004 and 2005. The study adopted a descriptive and an in-depth qualitative design involving the use of interviews and observation schedules (Video Observation Quoting Schedules-VOQS). The quality of VOQS instruments were established through a panel of independent experts who critically assessed the quality of the items and later discussed to reach consensus. Their rating of the items helped in the establishment of interrater reliability.