This thesis centres on a narrative inquiry of the life stories of teachers in Post Compulsory Education with the aim of exploring how the ‘self’ is constructed within discursive environments. The study adopts a dialogical approach to narrative identity formation as an ongoing process of becoming within the life course. Grounded in social construction theory (Gergen 2009), the study acknowledges that identity is fluid and determined by context; self-creation is therefore both a collective and individual endeavour situated within the social and cultural context. The research design centres on an in-depth study of four teachers in the exploration of the meanings constructed from autobiographical memories; in addition, the study explores how narrative meanings are mediated within the organisational and political context of being a teacher. The study adopts a psychosocial perspective (McAdams 2006) to life stories and the analysis of narrative construction is conducted through the lens of dialogical self theory with the aim of exploring the multivoiced nature of the self based on a diversity of self-positions (Hermans 2001). Narrative identities are therefore viewed as relational, individuals position themselves within the stories they tell in relation to a particular audience; individuals are also positioned by the social and cultural environment in which they are embedded. The study contributes to current knowledge in relation to the crucial role emotions play in the dialogical construction of the self; findings indicate that early emotionally charged autobiographical memories play a significant role in defining individuals’ moral educational values within their teaching role. Emotions were also central to placing individuals in a field of tension in reconciling their personal values within the current organisational and political environment that imposes constraints on teachers’ professional practice. The study concludes that in order to sustain the moral purpose of teachers’ professional practice, there is a need for the dialogical renewal of the self through transformative discourse.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study examined the effects of using Dialogical Argumentation and Assessment for Learning as an Instructional Method (DAAFLIM) in teaching static electricity focussing on lightning as an example of static electricity to Grade 10 learners. Three groups of learners from two township schools were used as a sample for the study. The Solomon three-group design was employed in collecting data. One class was used as the experimental group and the other two were the control groups: control 1 group and control 2 group. The study drew on theoretical frameworks associated with prior knowledge of learners such as the constructivist viewpoint. The frameworks that were applied in the analysis of the data were Toulmin’s Argumentation Pattern (TAP) and Ogunniyi’s Contiguity Argumentation Theory (CAT). The experimental group and control group 2 were exposed to DAAFLIM as a teaching method and AFL as the assessment strategy. The control 1 group was taught in the traditional chalk- talk method and assessment was mostly summative. The experimental and control 1 groups received pre-tests and also wrote a post-test whereas the control 2 group only wrote the post test.

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Yes / Consultation is an important feature of research and, increasingly, researchers are required to work in partnership with stakeholders to increase the impact of their work. Our aim is to demonstrate what can be learned from the scholarship on, and practice of, member checking to facilitate productive knowledge exchange. Using dialogical analysis we explore three member check interactions from three different qualitative psychology projects focusing our analysis on difficult moments between researchers and participants conceptualised here as ‘sore spots’. We identify two major genres in these sequences: participant ambivalence and participant challenge. We then consider passages that allow us to explore a more theoretical understanding of these two genres in terms of the metaphor of portraits and mirrors. Overall, we outline how implicit epistemologies and theories of subjectivity (uncomplicated, blank, and complex) may be linked to the way in which stakeholders approach research. We also provide a map with regard to the theories within which member checks can be undertaken, associated research practices in terms of a range of researcher responses to stakeholder ambivalence and challenge, and implications of these moments for knowledge exchange for qualitative research but also for psychological science as a whole. We conclude that sore spots in knowledge exchange process can be productive opportunities of transformational validity.

yes / In this article, we suggest that our semiotic understanding of embodiment could be expanded to include a socially exalted individual who embodies a symbol. To illustrate this argument, we draw on an ongoing research project that examines fandom rhetoric and debates around the ‘Greatest of all time’ or the GOAT symbol in Tennis. Grounding Bakhtin’s tri-distinctions of identity, I-for-myself, I-for-other, other-for-me, in a Kantian hermeneutic tradition, we perform a theoretically informed analysis of the GOAT debate. Neither of the three components exists in isolation, rather, they interact in a reflexive dialogue which continually shapes and re-shapes individual consciousness and experiences of embodiment. We apply a ‘Romanticism aesthetic activity’ analytical framework to the tri-distinctions of identity, that consists of ‘creative’ and ‘critical’ rhetoric, within which we found genres of ‘myth,’ ‘art,’ and ‘science.’ Each genre functions, through disparate means to exalt or metamorphise an individual (our focus is on Roger Federer) into a cultural symbol, and that the symbolic form of GOAT reflexively organises the emotional field and identities for those fans deeply invested in it. This paper contributes to the current cultural psychological literature on understanding the mediation of people to symbols in a new digital age.

Yes / Critics of IPA suggest that it is unscientific, lacking a complex subjectivity and displaying a promiscuous epistemology. This article aims to explore these criticisms, offering a response that is inspired by the language of fertility and ideas adapted from evolutionary science. As the swan is often seen as a symbol of fidelity, this article draws an analogy between the promiscuous behaviour of Australian Black Swans and IPA research. Within this frame, flirtations with other methodologies are described as being advantageous in that they encourage gene flow and a productive cross fertilisation of ideas. An intermingling of genes can open up new avenues of research, enhance reflexive awareness and allow the voice of others to be heard. Finally as IPA is happy to engage in flirtations and dalliances with diverse theoretical frames to enhance its longevity, this article suggests that a good match could be made between IPA and dialogical methods.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Two grade 11 classes of two high schools in Cape Town were taught some concepts of sound by means of indigenous musical instruments. The purpose was to find out the relative effects (or none) of two instructional strategies. Toulmin (1958)’s Argumentation Pattern, Ogunniyi (1997)’s Contiguity Argumentation Theory and Reiner et al. (2000)’s Substance Schema formed the theoretical framework. A pre-post-test quasi-experimental design was employed and data collated using questionnaires, a sound conceptual test, argumentation worksheets, and classroom observation schedules. One teacher taught the experimental group using dialogical argumentation while another teacher taught the comparative group using lecturedemonstration method, coupled with the use of ICTs for duration of four weeks. Data were analysed using a mixed (quantitative and qualitative) methods approach. The findings revealed that many the learners held some scientifically valid conceptions of sound prior to formal instruction. However, the learners also held many scientifically invalid conceptions in relation to the speed of sound in air, sound propagation, and sound produced by stringed instruments. The alternative conceptions of learners in the C group remained largely unchanged after instruction, while those of the E group changed appreciably, but not completely. The E group learners changed the alternative conceptions that were worked into structured argumentation activities better than those which were not. Also, the learners in both groups seemed to hold indigenous beliefs in relation to sound which did not seem to change after instruction. Most learners had a positive attitude towards the use of indigenous knowledge in the science class. No significant difference was found between male and female learners with respect to conceptual understanding of sound, indigenous beliefs, and interest in the integration of science and indigenous knowledge.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The study employed a quasi-experimental design to determine the effect of DAIM on learners’ conceptions of lightning. The experimental group was taught using DAIM while the control group was taught the same content using TLM. Data was collected using the Science Attitude Questionnaire (SAQ), Beliefs about Lightning Questionnaire (BALQ), Conceptions of Lightning Questionnaire (COLQ) and Science Achievement Test on Lightning (SATOL) which was used to determine learners’ overall performance on the topic of electrostatics. The data was analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The findings of the study revealed that prior to the intervention (DAIM); the two groups of learners had both the scientific and the indigenous knowledge about lightning. A majority of the learners believed that lightning is caused by witches and traditional doctors. After being exposed to the DAIM most of the learners in the experimental group were found to have changed to the more scientific explanation of cause of lightning and protective measures against lightning. Few learners in the control were classified as possessing an equipollent worldview in terms of the CAT after the post tests. Some learners’ conceptions about lightning wavered between the scientific and traditional worldviews. The Science Attitude Questionnaire showed that both groups of learners had a positive attitude towards science. The findings also suggested that the inclusion of indigenous knowledge in science lessons promoted active participation from the learners, reinforced the learning of science because it promoted conceptual development and scientific literacy. The learners in the study also supported the integration of the scientific and the traditional worldviews about lightning. After the instruction, the learners in both groups seemed to still hold indigenous beliefs in relation to lightning. The post-test results showed that the DAIM group seemed to have been able to link the concept of lightning with electrostatics when they related lightning storms to electric discharge. The experimental group was found to be more elaborate in their explanations of the scientific nature of lightning than the control group which was not exposed to DAIM

The aim of the research undertaken was to answer the question “How do insights during Inclusive Learning Support Programme (ILSP) meetings between parents and teachers of children with Down syndrome (DS) inform mutual attainment of each groups' expectations?” Inclusive Education (IE) for the learner with DS was introduced informally during the early 1990s in South Africa within a few local schools in Pretoria. Transcribed interviews and observations were used from a sample of teachers and parents of children with DS conducted by the ILSP coordinator to collect data. They were analysed using Herman’s and Herman’s- Konopka's (2010) dialogical self theory, positioning theory and pronoun grammar analysis. Results showed there are two opposing tensions in education. One is a need for stability. This is offset by the dynamic nature of education practice with its many actors - learners, teachers, managerial and supervisory staff, support staff, institutions and government departments. Every actor interprets education according to their goals, subjective beliefs and understanding of what the education process is occupying a dominant position but working from a shadow position. IE brings its own set of tensions to the actors in education. Policy documents from government, as interpreted in schools in South Africa, express the need for stability in education. The study was limited to the constraints of the academic format. More accessible versions of the findings and recommendations can be developed in papers. For ILSP coordinators practically to have a promoter position in the dialogue between teachers and parents there is a need for them to become acutely aware of the positions they adopt in dialogue in themselves and with reference to others. The study has offered a new way of interpreting the expectations of both parties in the ILSP meetings and rendering a solution to the often frustrating outcomes. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

In Sweden two reforms were implemented in 2011 in order to delegate control to universities and improve the quality of tertiary education. Despite the efforts, Swedish universities are experiencing a quality crisis and the majority of students are receiving less than the recommended nine hours per week of tutor led education. The quality crisis, the low levels of student-teacher interaction and the reluctance towards marketization and customer focus within higher education, all provides cause for concern on how universities create value for their students. This study aims to examine the interaction students have with teachers, and how the interaction creates value for students. Interviews were conducted with students studying their third year of the business programme at Uppsala University. The result showed that the students thought interaction was important for their learning. Uppsala University was considered to offer sufficient amount of lectures and seminars, although with fluctuations in quality. Most notable in the study was the lack of feedback from teachers. The students showed strong discontent, as feedback would help them improve and learn, fulfilling their value creation.