Thesis ( Ph.D. ( Nursing)) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / The purpose of this study was to develop an evidence-based model for enhancing optimal midwifery practice environment in maternity units of public hospitals, Limpopo Province. A mixed method sequential explanatory design was adopted. The study was conducted in four phases, namely: quantitative, qualitative, model development and validation of the model. Self-developed 4-point Likert scale questionnaires consisting of 81 item questions for learner midwives and 89 item questions for midwifery practitioners were administered. The questionnaires were pre-tested prior to being administered to the respondents of the main study. The sample size of midwifery practioners was 174 and that of the learner midwives was 163. Data collected from respondents were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive and inferential statistics. Tables, pie and bar graphs were drawn to present the results. The results from the quantitative phase were utilized to formulate the interview guides that were used to explore the experiences of midwifery practitioners, experiences of learner midwives and perceptions of puerperal mothers. Phenomenological semi-structured individual interviews were conducted for midwifery practitioners (n=20), 3 Focus group discussions of learner midwives (n=18) and 3 focus group discussions of puerperal mothers (n=18) were held until data reached saturation. Data were analyzed qualitatively using Tesch’s open-coding method. Themes and sub-themes were coded manually. Results that emerged from the corroboration, comparison and integration of quantitative and qualitative results revealed the existence a sub-optimal midwifery practice environment, sub-optimal midwifery experiential learning environment and provision of sub-optimal midwifery interventions in the public hospitals of Limpopo province. Development of an evidence-based model emanated from the findings of numeric quantitative data and qualitative narratives. The evidence-based information from the existing situation as seen from the world of participants brought about a gap of optimal midwifery practice environment. The ideal situation was designed in a way of addressing the gaps identified. Experts were given the validation tool to assess whether the model was clear, simple, understood and that it can be utilized by any discipline in future.

Betoningen i fritidshemmets och dess pedagogers uppdrag ligger på det som många gånger är oförutsägbart – lek, utforskande och kreativa arbetssätt samt att främja elevers fantasi och kreativitet. Fritidshemmet är även en fysisk plats – en komplex miljö där förväntningar om informellt lärande och omsorg ska iscensättas och ta plats. Den fysiska inomhusmiljön i fritidshemmet och pedagogernas roll i att använda den som en del av det pedagogiska uppdraget finns inte i detalj specificerat i styrdokumenten och är ett område som inte tidigare prioriterats högt i akademisk forskning, men kan ses vara på tydlig uppgång. Studien, som genomförts i form av samtalspromenader tillsammans med pedagoger på fyra fritidshem i Skåne syftar till att – genom ett designteoretiskt och sociokulturellt perspektiv – belysa pedagogers intentioner och praktiker kring att främja elevers kreativitet och fantasi i och genom den fysiska inomhusmiljön på fritidshemmet. Den ställer även frågan kring vilka artefakter som används för detta syfte och på vilket sätt de presenteras för eleverna. Studiens resultat visar en samstämmig bild av både det utbud av artefakter som presenteras för elever i syfte att främja kreativitet och fantasi, och ett ospecificerat uppdrag som i högsta grad är levande för pedagogerna men många gånger är marginaliserat. / The emphasis of Swedish leisure-time teachers assignment lies in the unpredictable characteristics of play, explorative and creative ways of working and encouraging child fantasy and creativity. The leisure time centre is also a physical space where a complex mix of expectations of informal learning and care takes place.   The physical learning environment of Swedish leisure-time centres, and the teacher’s assignment concerning it, is neither in detail regulated in steering documents nor well documented in academic research but seems to be an upcoming subject of attention.   This study, which has been executed as walking interviews with teachers in four Swedish leisure-time centres, aims to – through a sociocultural and multimodal theoretical perspective – illustrate the intention and applied practices concerning the encouraging of child fantasy and creativity in and through physical learning environment. It also aims to explore the use and range of artifacts and how they are presented to children.   The results of this study present a unanimous picture of the range of artifacts used and an assignment highly vivid to the teachers but still unspecified as well as marginalized.

Die Gestaltung von sozio-technischen Systemen als Aufgabengebiet der Wirtschaftsinformatik setzt eine interdisziplinäre Ausrichtung und Berücksichtigung relevanter Forschungsgebiete voraus, die im Bezug auf die Fragestellung, wie komplexes Wissen in einer virtuellen Lernumgebung (VLU) repräsentiert und vermittelt werden sollte, im Bereich der didaktischen und lernpsychologischen Forschung liegen. In diesem Beitrag werden bereits vorhandene Lösungsansätze vorgestellt und aus psychologischer und didaktischer Sicht diskutiert, wobei weiterführende Potenziale aber auch Risikopotenziale vorhandener technischer Möglichkeiten und ihrer Einsatzbereiche herausgestellt werden sollen.

The aim of the submitted diploma is to refine tasks of manipulative environment Parquets for Preschool Children. These tasks then apply to preschool and school children. Not only observe how they cope with these activities, but also how they think, explain their actions, and how they communicate with each other. Observe myself, as a researcher, how do I work with children, how do I communicate with them and how do I submit them the tasks. The theoretical part defines the individual stages for the preschool and pupils in terms of the development of psychology, they are constructive concepts of teaching mathematics with reference to the RVP ZV and RVP PV. The tasks from the environment of Parquets for the first and second year of primary school were registered with reference to didactic potential. I searched the relevant didactic games and described their didactic goals. By the end of the thesis, the extent of the aims fulfilling is reflected. KEYWORDS environment Parquets, constructivism, 2D geometry, didactical games, Ubongo

The purpose of this essay is to reflect upon the participation and the influence of young children, between the ages one to three, in preschool. The starting point of the essay is a selfexperienced dilemma where children can make different choices in different aspects. The situations I describe are gathering- and meal situations. I also describe the impact that the learning environment can have in preschool. Can it help rather than hinder the possibilities for younger children to participate and have influence? In exploring these topics, I was guided by the following research questions: What impact has the educators’ approach in facilitating participation and influence for younger children? How does the learning environment impact the younger children’s participation and influence? How do the younger children communicate their will to participate and influence? In this reflection I discuss the preschool’s steering documents, the Convention on the Rights of the child and the Preschool Curriculum, that all preschool educators should follow. I am highlighting the meaning of the different concepts of participation and influence. I even discuss the importance of different approaches where the educator shows sensitivity for the children’s possibility to influence their day at preschool. The essay considers the impact of the learning environment on the younger children’s participation and influence. The essay ends with highlighting the great importance of the interplay between educators and children through different ways of communication and documentation / Syftet med denna vetenskapliga essä är att reflektera över delaktighet och inflytande för de yngre barnen mellan ett och tre år på förskolan. Essän har som utgångspunkt ett självupplevt dilemma där barnen utifrån olika aspekter kan göra olika val. Situationer jag beskriver är bland annat från samlingar och matsituationer. Jag beskriver även lärmiljöns betydelse på förskolan. Kan den hjälpa mer än stjälpa de yngre barnens möjligheter till delaktighet och inflytande? Till hjälp för att utforska detta har jag använt mig av dessa frågeställningar: Vilken betydelse har pedagogers förhållningssätt för att skapa delaktighet och inflytande för de yngre barnen? Hur påverkar lärmiljön yngre barns delaktighet och inflytande? Hur kommunicerar de yngre barnen sin vilja till delaktighet och inflytande? I reflektionen diskuterar jag förskolans styrdokument, barnkonventionen och läroplanen som alla pedagoger på förskolan ska förhålla sig till. Jag lyfter innebörden på de olika begreppen för delaktighet och inflytande. Diskuterar även förhållningsätt där vikten av pedagogens lyhördhet utifrån barnens möjlighet till att påverka sin vardag på förskolan. I essän reflekteras det över lärmiljöns betydelse för de yngre barnens delaktighet och inflytande. Essän avslutas genom att lyfta fram den stora betydelsen som samspelet mellan pedagoger och barn har genom olika kommunikationsvägar och dokumentationer.

Over the last 20 years the nursing profession has widely accepted reflective practices and reflective learning as effective measures to help students provide care in a frequently changing context. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the role of nurse educators in the facilitation of reflective learning in students. The objectives were to explore the reflective teaching practices of nurse educators, describe the learning activities that could promote reflective learning in student nurses and to determine whether the learning environment is conducive to promote reflective teaching and learning. A quantitative, explorative, descriptive study was conducted in nursing education institutions in Gauteng. A total of 121 nurse educators completed a structured questionnaire. The findings revealed that, although nurse educators agree with the importance of reflective practices in the teaching and learning environment they do not necessarily place emphasis on developing their own reflective practices. Reflective learning was not identified as a formal learning approach in the programmes the nurse educators facilitated but the educators did attempt to include reflection in the teaching and learning activities planned. Not enough emphasis is placed on the creation of a teaching and learning environment that will enhance reflection in a non-threatening context. The deeper understanding of reflective learning comes with continued personal reflective practices. Nurse educators should be taught how to facilitate reflective learning activities and how to create an environment conducive to reflection. Through reflective teaching practices students could be supported in developing into critical thinkers hence reflective learning should be a formal teaching and learning approach in nursing curricula / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Syftet med studien är att öka kunskaper kring lärares tankar om hur utomhuspedagogik kan bidra till lågstadieelevers måluppfyllelse och lärande för socialt hållbar utveckling, samt kunskaper kring hur elever interagerar när lärare använder utomhuspedagogik. Syftet undersöks med hjälp av sex kvalitativa intervjuer av lärare som arbetar aktivt med utomhuspedagogik samt tre observationer av elevers interaktioner i lärarnas utomhusundervisning. Studiens resultat visar att lärarna eftersträvar att kombinera teoretiska och praktiska erfarenheter som de menar kan bidra till en ökad måluppfyllelse för eleverna. I resultatet framkommer det att lärarna anser att utomhuspedagogik kan vara en inkluderande arbetsmetod för elevers lärande när språket är begränsat, eftersom den autentiska lärmiljön tillåter eleverna, med hjälp av sina sinnen, att kommunicera genom sitt kroppsspråk. Observationerna av elevernas interaktioner i utomhusundervisning visar att de får träna sina sociala förmågor genom att samarbeta och kommunicera med hjälp av utomhuspedagogikens praktiska inslag. Lärarna beskriver att utomhuspedagogik tillåter elever att lära genom en friare undervisning i en social gemenskap, där aktiviteter som sker i grupp är kärnan i lärarnas undervisning mot socialt hållbar utveckling. En slutsats är att det är viktigt att lärare får utbildning och kompetensutveckling för att bedriva utomhuspedagogisk undervisning som kan bidra till elevers kunskapsutveckling mot en hållbar framtid. / The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about teachers’ thoughts on how outdoor pedagogy can contribute to primary students’ goal achievementsand learning for social sustainable development, as well as knowledge about how students interact when teachers use outdoor pedagogy. The purpose has been achieved with the help of six qualitative interviews of teachers that actively work with outdoor pedagogy and three observations of students’ interactions in outdoor education. The results of the study show that the teachers aim to combine theoretical and practical experiences that they believe can contribute to an increased goal achievement for students. The results also show that the teachers believe that outdoor pedagogy can be an inclusive working method for students’ education when language skills are limited, as the authentic outdoor environment allowthem to communicate through gestures and visual communication. The outdoor observations of student’s interactions show that they can practice their social skills with the help of the practical elements of outdoor pedagogy through collaborations and communication. Finally, the study’s respondents describe that outdoor pedagogy allows students to learn through a social and unconfined teaching environment, where group work is the core of the teachers’ educational teachings towards social sustainable development. In conclusion, it is essential that teachers receive the education and skills needed to implement outdoor pedagogy that can contribute to students’ developmental knowledge towards a sustainable future.

Bakgrunden till denna studie är en vision om att kunna göra skillnad för alla barn i skolan när det handlar om en tillgänglig lärmiljö. Speciellt i de lägre skolåren sker övergångar varje år från förskola till förskoleklass och till sist in i årskurs ett. Vårt intresse riktas mot hur handledning kan utveckla samarbete och förhållningssätt inom och mellan de olika verksamheterna. Det ger också en inblick i specialpedagogens profession och vilka prioriteringar de intervjuade specialpedagoger gör i sitt arbete. Som metod valdes en kvalitativ ansats med semistrukturerade intervjuer. För att skapa en inblick i studien intervjuades åtta specialpedagoger om hur de ser på lärmiljö ur olika infallsvinklar. Som teoretiskt stöd i analysen av empirin användes den sociokulturella teorin. Resultatet visar att specialpedagogen kan utveckla verksamheten genom handledning under förutsättning att specialpedagogen är inkluderad i arbetslaget. Den kan då vara ett stöd för lärarna genom att arbeta för goda relationer och ett bra samarbete när det gäller att möta barn/elever utifrån deras individuella förutsättningar och behov. Respondenterna i studien upplever att personal på skolan förväntar sig att specialpedagoger ska arbeta med enskilda elever och utredningar, eventuellt ha kontakter med vårdnadshavare och externa verksamheter. Ordet handledning är laddat och lärare har en bild av att någon utifrån ska tala om hur de ska agera i vissa situationer. Därför är det önskvärt att använda ett annat begrepp som till exempel professionella samtal. Studiens resultat bidrar med fördjupad kunskap om hur specialpedagogen kan arbeta med handledning i lärarlag och en insikt om hur specialpedagogen kan bemöta och utveckla en verksamhet utifrån ett barns perspektiv / The background to this study is a vision of being able to make a difference for all children in school when it comes to an accessible learning environment. Especially in the lower school years, transitions take place every year. Our interest is directed towards how supervision can develop cooperation and attitudes within and between the various activities. It also provides an insight into the special educator's profession and what priorities the interviewed special educators make in their work. As a method, a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was chosen. To create an insight into the study, eight special educators were interviewed about how they view the learning environment from different angles. Sociocultural theory was used as a theoretical support in the analysis of empirics. The results show that the special educator can develop the school activities through supervision, provided that the special educator is included in the work team. It can then be a support for the teachers by working for good relationships and a good collaboration when it comes to meeting children / students based on their individual conditions and needs. The respondents in the study feel that staff at the school expect special educators to work with individual students and investigations, possibly have contacts with guardians and external activities. The word supervision is loaded and teachers have a picture that someone from outside should talk about how they should act in certain situations. Therefore, it is desirable to use another term such as professional conversations. The results of the study contribute with in-depth knowledge of how the special educator can work with supervision in teaching teams and an insight into how the special educator can respond to and develop an activity from a child's perspective.

<p>STEM education has been a topic of reform in education for many years and it has recently focused primarily on the education methodology called STEM integration. Universities and state departments of education have defined teacher education programs and STEM initiatives that explore the necessary ingredients for a curriculum using this methodology, but they do not provide explicit instructions for the design of the learning environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the question "What are the characteristics of high school learning environments that support integrated STEM instruction?" </p> <p>This qualitative study used a postpositive lens and multiple-case study framework to distill the experiences and evidence gathered from four STEM certified high schools in the state of Indiana. This distillation resulted in three universal themes common to each school which were: the allocation of universally accessible free space for STEM integration, the importance for mobility of resources and students, and the need for supportive technological resources. </p> <p>This study is applicable to both those who are educators working in STEM education and those researchers looking to understand the STEM integration paradigm or learning environment design. Educators can use this study to plan their own learning environments and researchers can use this study as a pilot to many other outlets in the topic of STEM integration. </p>

One of the crucial dimensions of students’ activities in the university environment is group scientifc activities. Teamwork, or in other words, collaborative activity, will have an appropriate efect on students’ deep learning (Slattery and Cleary, 2017). Also, due to the increase in learning in a virtual environment, especially in situations such as the Covid-19 pandemic, universities prefer a virtual collaborative learning environment (Velinov et al., 2021). Because they can carry out research teamwork, virtual knowledge sharing on remote scientifc projects activities (Schoop et al., 2005; Zhang et al., 2018). When pursuing this type of learning activity internationally, it requires paying attention to diverse dimensions to maintain its efectiveness in learning (Mundel, 2020). [Aus: Einleitung]