Qualitative research was used to get the perspectives of high school dropouts about their lives as nonparticipants in adult education. The research problem addressed in the study was the lack of information from high school dropouts themselves about their life experiences. The purpose was to have high school dropout nonparticipants express their views. The particular research method used was case study.Interviews were held with 15 high school dropouts who had been out of school at least five years. Three one-hour interviews were held with each respondent. Each interview had a particular focus. The first focused on the respondent's family and school experiences until the time of dropout. The second focused on present life experiences. The third focused on plans for the future, including possible participation in adult education.The respondents were selected from the dropout population with members being multi-age, multi-ethnic, of both genders, and from various localities within a community of approximately 200,000. The respondents were selected through the researcher's personal knowledge of dropouts who had not participated in further education; names provided by a relative and two acquaintances of the researcher; and names given by other respondents.The three interviews resulted in 13 categories of information. Categories included the following data: demographic, family, support people, education, employment, and future plans.Five of the 15 respondents saw no reason to become involved in adult education. One would become involved only if current employment ceased. Seven planned to enroll in adult education classes in the near future. Two planned to enroll when current obstacles were overcome.Reasons given for future enrollment in adult education resulted in three categories, with five respondents naming more than one reason. The reason self-satisfaction was given by six respondents. Job change was named by eight. Returning as an example for their children was the reason given by four respondents.Respondents seemed content with their lives. They enjoyed sharing their thoughts.The results of the study represent only this study. The reported protocol for data collection, the narrative, and the analysis of data enable replication of the methods used in the research. / Department of Educational Leadership

A large number of adult women living in rural parts of the country had neither the free time nor the opportunity to receive basic education at their early ages. As a result, despite the women's numerical significance, and their remarkable contribution to the economic development, women faced social and cultural challenges that undermine their human worth and dignity. These problems result mainly from lack of education among the majority of women and can possibly cause poverty and inequality. To address these problems, adult education and literacy programs that incorporate functional adult literacy, vocational training, and entrepreneurial support was implemented. Such a program is believed, would promote socioeconomic empowerment of women. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the impact of this adult literacy program on the rural women's socioeconomic empowerment. Conscientization and dialogue theory of Paulo Freire was adopted as a theoretical framework. A case study method was used with a purpose to determine the impact of adult literacy on the socioeconomic life of rural women. For sampling purpose, three adult literacy supervisors, five adult literacy facilitators, and twenty women were included. Data collection tools were in-depth interviews, focus group discussion and personal field notes. To analyze the data, the researcher took the rules proposed by Huberman and Miles (1994) and Marshall and Ross (1995).The analysis of the data resulted in two major themes, five categories, and twenty-one sub-categories. The result showed that the adult literacy program enhanced the following components of women's life: At the individual level, it improved, the ability to read, write and calculate; self-confidence to express one's feeling and idea; a positive self-concept; and confidence to challenge the already established wrong meaning about women. At the social level, literacy changed women's negative attitude towards children's education; improved their ability to persuade/communicate their spouses; it improved women's knowledge of family planning and health matters. Furthermore, it improved women's social networking ability and mobility; and changed women's attitude towards commonly practiced social evils like female child genital mutilation; and also increased women's participation in social affairs. At an economic level, adult literacy equipped women with the knowledge and skills to engage in different income generating activities like poultry production, honey production and growing different types of vegetables. Moreover, adult literacy advanced women's knowledge of saving and effective utilization of resources. However, it was found that that specific adult literacy program could not equip women adequately to exercise their decision-making right in financial management. / Language Education, Arts and Culture / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

Submitted by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-03-06T17:41:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LEÃO_Dinahmara Hild Ribeiro_2014.pdf: 1980984 bytes, checksum: a2895229bdee8b795b5fb1fbb58af67a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-03-06T17:41:27Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 LEÃO_Dinahmara Hild Ribeiro_2014.pdf: 1980984 bytes, checksum: a2895229bdee8b795b5fb1fbb58af67a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-03-06T17:41:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 LEÃO_Dinahmara Hild Ribeiro_2014.pdf: 1980984 bytes, checksum: a2895229bdee8b795b5fb1fbb58af67a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-06T17:41:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LEÃO_Dinahmara Hild Ribeiro_2014.pdf: 1980984 bytes, checksum: a2895229bdee8b795b5fb1fbb58af67a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-26 / Não recebi financiamento / This study has as object of research the continuing education of the teacher trainers of the Training Centre of the State of Mato Grosso (CEFAPRO), aiming to investigate how the training process is composed in the Cefapro of Barra do Garças, with emphasis in the construction of professional knowledge. The study considered the continuing education process in progress and the teacher trainers were used as research subjects. The data were collected through interviews and theoretical arguments were used for their analysis to introduce the debate on the continuing education of teachers in the public policies for education, assuming that continued education includes the educational reforms in Brazil. We sought to understand the formation process in different dimensions and contexts, with theoretical foundation based on Nóvoa (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2009), Marcelo García (1999, 2009), Imbernon (2002, 2009, 2010), Prada (1997, 2010), Tardif (2012), Freire (1979, 1982, 1996, 2001), among others. It is said that the continued formation of the Cefapro as a participatory proposal did not consolidate its training room for the construction of professional knowledge by the teacher trainers. The challenge for the continuing education of the Cefapro is to meet the educational policy, advancing beyond the limitations that it addresses to the practices committed to the transformation of the society / Este estudo tem como objeto de pesquisa a formação continuada de professores formadores do Centro de Formação do estado de Mato Grosso, com o objetivo de investigar como está constituído o processo formativo do Centro de Formação e Atualização dos Profissionais da Educação Básica de Mato Grosso de Barra do Garças (Cefapro), com ênfase na construção de saberes profissionais. O estudo considerou o projeto de formação continuada em execução e contou com professores formadores como sujeitos de pesquisa. Os dados foram coletados por meio de entrevistas e para sua análise foram utilizados argumentos teóricos que inserem o debate sobre formação continuada de professores na discussão das políticas públicas para a educação, partindo do pressuposto de que a formação continuada integra as reformas educacionais no Brasil. Procurou-se compreender o processo formativo em diferentes dimensões e contextos, com embasamento teórico pautado em Nóvoa (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2009), Marcelo García (1999, 2009), Imbérnon (2002, 2009, 2010), Prada (1997, 2010), Tardif (2012), Freire (1979, 1982, 1996, 2001), entre outros. Considera-se que a formação continuada do Cefapro, enquanto proposta participativa, não se consolidou no espaço formativo para a construção de saberes profissionais pelos professores formadores. O desafio colocado à formação continuada do Cefapro está em atender a política educacional, avançando para além das limitações que esta coloca às práticas comprometidas com a transformação da sociedade

A comparative evaluation framework of instructional interventions for implementation of online training for public library staff would enable a better understanding of how to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and efficacy of training in certain training environments. This dissertation describes a quasi-experimental study of a two-week, asynchronous online training course that was provided at four levels of instructional intervention to public library staff in the United States. The course content addressed the complex issues of difficult patron policy development and situational coping techniques. The objective of the study was to develop and demonstrate a theoretically grounded, evidence-based impact evaluation framework. The framework was used to assess the relative impact of an online course for public librarians at four levels of instructional intervention. The researcher investigated the relationships between the type of e-Training instructional interventions and the short- and long-term impacts on participants' knowledge, self-efficacy, and workplace performance. The study used a longitudinal, quasi-experimental design that included a pretest, posttest and three-month delayed posttest with follow-up survey. 194 participants completed all three phases of the study. The evaluation tools measured course content related knowledge and self-efficacy at all three phases (pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest) and assessed workplace application of training at 3-month follow-up. The results of this study contributed to evaluation theory and learning theory literature applied to the online learning environment and informed public library staff online training practices and evaluation methodologies.

Women constitute the largest proportion of the rural adult South African population. The rural areas host women with the lowest levels of education and skills training in the country. The lack of basic education and skills has resulted in many of them being marginalised, rejected and discriminated against, unemployed and living in poverty. These social problems have serious negative effects on them and their families, which is why the educational provision of Adult and Community Education and Training in South Africa is a significant tool for their socio-economic advancement. This educational provision is aimed at empowering adults in general, and rural women in particular, with the necessary livelihood skills to lead productive lives and consequently the study sought to investigate the socio-economic lives of rural women through skills training for poverty reduction in the Mthatha area of South Africa. A qualitative research approach and an exploratory design were employed for the study. A sample of 35 participants, comprising 20 female learners, 4 educators, and 7 former learners were in addition to 4 learners selected for a focus group discussion. Other instruments with which data were collected constituted in-depth individual interviews and documentary analysis. The theories underpinning the study are Maslow‘s theory of motivation, empowerment theory and critical pedagogy. Among others, the findings revealed the absence of adequate resources with which to empower rural women and consequently the study recommends that Adult and Community Education and Training providers include programmes that can up-skill rural women based at community learning centres in an effort to enhance their economic development. Community learning centres must be fully resourced in terms of facilities and appropriate learning tools to render Adult and Community Education and Training a beneficial educational intervention for these rurally based women. / Educational Studies / Ph. D. (Socio-Education)

In this study, the transfer of learning criteria that can be implemented before, during and after a learning programme was investigated. The transfer of learning criteria was identified, after which the Station Management Learning Programme was evaluated to see whether transfer of learning criteria was used during the facilitation of the programme. The study population for the research was comprised of facilitators and station commanders, who facilitated and attended the Station Management Learning Programme in Gauteng as part of their development as Station Commanders. The study methodology involved qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection, with questionnaires and one-on-one interviews. Descriptive statistics were produced and literature, questionnaires and interviews were examined to establish whether transfer of learning took place. The findings of the study reflect that various learning transfer strategies exist and that these can be used to transfer learning from the classroom to the work environment. The study concludes that a significant number of transfer of learning strategies are already implemented in the South African Police Service, in the presentation of the Station Management Learning Programme. / Adult Basic Education (ABET) / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / The worldwide emphasis on lifelong learning, the continuous and fast pace of change and the competitive nature of practice forces professionals in all sectors to remain abreast of the latest knowledge, skills and/or innovations. This has contributed to the evolution of the term continuing professional development (CPD). The university lecturer in the natural sciences functions within a unique area of professional practice, as the practice requires scholarship – which contains elements of both subject-specific and educational expertise. It remains unclear how CPD within this professional arena is defined in terms of need, purpose and provision. The current quality of learning and evaluation of learning also warrants investigation. This study aimed to investigate how CPD could play a role in scholarly development from the perspective of lecturers in the Faculty of Science at Stellenbosch University (South Africa). A qualitative approach was followed. Semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample, followed by an open-ended questionnaire with a stratified random sample, were used. The results are reported in seven chapters, of which the first provides an orientation to the conducted study. The second chapter focuses on placing CPD in the context of scholarly practice in the natural sciences at Stellenbosch University. The third chapter investigates the provision of CPD in the natural sciences that could enhance integrated scholarship. The fourth chapter investigates the quality of learning within CPD as a measure of scholarly development. The fifth chapter reports on the evaluation of scholars’ learning in CPD in the natural sciences at Stellenbosch University, while the sixth chapter focuses on current issues and future trends in CPD for natural science lecturers at Stellenbosch University that will motivate an integrated and holistic approach to scholarly development – based on their own insights into their professional practice. The final chapter concludes the study with recommendations for the future practice of CPD within this sphere. The main findings indicate a difficulty in defining CPD, as these lecturers see themselves as a diverse group not easily confined to the traditional boundaries of a professional sphere. This difficulty in defining CPD has a direct influence on the lecturers’ need for CPD and the purpose of CPD within this sector of higher education. The provision of CPD for lecturers in the natural sciences does not conform to an integrated and coherent system of provision between the different stakeholders. Many initiatives are informal and are initiated according to individual needs. There is evidence of collaborative efforts within the different disciplines, although they are limited in terms of transdisciplinarity and true integration of scholarly roles. As a result of the complexities of academic practice, the quality of learning within the existing CPD initiatives is not easily determined. The progression from novice to expert is a continuous process, which is mostly self-directed and reflective in nature. Formalised government interventions, Total Quality Management systems, leadership development, mentorship and situated learning are presented as possible means of enhancing the quality of learning in CPD. The present study indicates the lack of appropriate evaluation of learning in CPD as the main shortcoming in the total process of CPD conceptualisation, provision, quality assurance and evaluation within the study population. Accountability for the monetary investment and energy spent on any CPD initiative is therefore limited. Portfolios, peer review, open-ended problems and simulations, auditing and observation of practice are presented as viable options for effective evaluation of learning in CPD that could enhance integrated scholarship. The future trends in CPD are discussed in terms of the future context of practice; the role of and need for experts; how experts will be educated and how they will maintain their competence. This provides a holistic view of scholarly development through CPD within the context of lecturers in the natural sciences in the Stellenbosch University.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-11-05T13:00:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Edilene Aparecida Barros da Silva Aveledo.pdf: 988895 bytes, checksum: 5c263e66103fa0ee77b5f761d7231fed (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-05T13:00:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Edilene Aparecida Barros da Silva Aveledo.pdf: 988895 bytes, checksum: 5c263e66103fa0ee77b5f761d7231fed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-17 / The objective of this study was to investigate how the Weekly Pedagogical Meetings (WPM) take place inside a daycare center located in a city adjacent to the city of São Paulo, since teachers complain that these meetings do not meet their training needs. The ethnographic research analyzed in which aspects the WPM meets the training needs of teachers and in which it does not contemplate them, in order to re-signify: the end-goal of WPM as a formative space; the attendance to the training needs of teachers; children's learning; the moments of study, exchange, evaluation and collective decision that guarantee the collaborative teaching-learning process, in a nursery that is part of a municipal education network, with the educational guidelines of its policy. As a hypothesis, it was considered that the Pedagogical Coordinator (PC) has planned WPM with the aim of this space - the continuous formation of the teachers -, but its methodology is restricted to its own reading of the needs of the teachers, without to listen to these professionals, disregarding their history, their culture and the identity of the school. Initially, the picture of the education of the city and its peculiarities is presented, The history of Early Childhood Education and its trajectory in the municipality is also reported. Next, the importance of continuing education and the role of PC to ensure teacher-centered teacher training in the perspective of collaborative networking in the teacher training process is presented. The methodology used in the research involved teachers and PC. The data were collected through a questionnaire, interview, documentary analysis, and records of in situ observations, carried out by the researcher. The theoretical basis of the research is based on the studies of Placco (2003; 2006; 2010; 2012; 2013; 2017), Almeida (2003; 2012; 2016), André (2005; 2010; 2016), Souza (2001; 2012), Tardif (2014), Dubar (2005), Ciampa (1986), among others, about school-centered training and teacher identity. The analysis of the data shows that the greater training need of teachers is related to the practice developed in the classroom, although it reveals the predominance of contradictions, regarding the perception of teachers feel - or not - contemplated in their needs. The contradictory answers also took place regarding the listening and the possibilities of participation of the teachers during the meetings. The analysis also pointed out that the three-hour meetings during the night are tiring and that, at times, there is a loss of focus of the discussions, evidencing the need to elaborate guidelines that are more articulated to the real needs of the teachers. Strong interference was also identified with the demands of the Secretary of Education in the definition of the guidelines, which compromises the time of meetings and meeting the demands of teachers. The need for investment in interpersonal and collective relations was also perceived as a way to reduce the incidence of subjects discussed by teachers in informal spaces, called in the research as "pedagogical corridors". Finally, the need for continued strengthening of the role of the PC is underscored / O presente trabalho teve como objetivo investigar como ocorrem as Reuniões Pedagógicas Semanais (RPS) no interior de uma creche localizada em um município vizinho à cidade de São Paulo, uma vez que os professores reclamam que as referidas reuniões não suprem suas necessidades de formação. A pesquisa, de tipo etnográfico, analisou em quais aspectos a RPS atende às necessidades formativas dos professores e em quais não as contempla, com a finalidade de ressignificar: o objetivo-fim da RPS como espaço formativo; o atendimento às necessidades formativas dos professores; a aprendizagem das crianças; os momentos de estudo, troca, avaliação e decisão coletiva que garantam o processo de ensino-aprendizagem colaborativo, numa creche que faz parte de uma rede municipal de ensino, com as diretrizes educacionais de sua política. Como hipótese, considerou-se que o Coordenador Pedagógico (CP) tem planejado a RPS com o objetivo-fim desse espaço – a formação continuada dos professores –, porém sua metodologia restringe-se à leitura que ele próprio faz das necessidades dos professores, sem apurar a escuta desses profissionais, desconsiderando sua história, sua cultura e a identidade da escola. Inicialmente, apresenta-se o retrato da Educação da cidade e suas particularidades. Relata-se ainda, a história da Educação Infantil e sua trajetória no município. Em seguida, apresenta-se a importância da formação continuada e o papel do CP para garantir a formação dos professores centrada na escola, na perspectiva do trabalho em rede colaborativa, no processo formativo dos professores. A metodologia utilizada na pesquisa envolveu professores e CP. Os dados foram coletados por meio de questionário, entrevista, análise documental e registros de observações in loco, efetuadas pela pesquisadora. A fundamentação teórica da pesquisa está pautada nos estudos de Placco (2003; 2006; 2010; 2012; 2013; 2017), Almeida (2003; 2012; 2016), André (2005; 2010; 2016), Souza (2001; 2012), Tardif (2014), Dubar (2005), Ciampa (1986), dentre outros, sobre formação centrada na escola e a identidade do professor. A análise dos dados evidencia que a maior necessidade formativa dos professores está relacionada à prática desenvolvida em sala de aula, embora revele a predominância de contradições, no que tange à percepção de os professores sentirem-se – ou não – contemplados em suas necessidades. As respostas contraditórias também ocorreram no que se refere à escuta e às possibilidades de participação dos professores durante as reuniões. A análise também apontou que as reuniões de três horas no período noturno são cansativas e que, em alguns momentos, ocorre a perda de foco das discussões, evidenciando a necessidade da elaboração de pautas mais articuladas às reais necessidades dos professores. Também se identificou forte interferência das demandas da Secretaria de Educação na definição das pautas, o que compromete o tempo das reuniões e o atendimento às demandas dos professores. Percebeu-se, ainda, a necessidade de investimento nas relações interpessoais e coletivas, como forma de diminuir a incidência de assuntos discutidos pelos professores em espaços informais, denominados, na pesquisa, como “corredores pedagógicos”. Por fim, ressalta-se a necessidade de fortalecimento contínuo do papel do CP

Research suggests that recently graduated librarians are failing to find work in the traditional library context and consequently are seeking employment in related fields; also that internships are recognized as a valuable component of professional training, that students find them useful in developing skills, with demand outstripping supply. This study consisted of setting up, running, and analyzing an experimental intern training programme for MLS students outside the traditional library context. Its aims were to : i) Develop and manage an intern training programme (ITP) specifically focused on mentoring recent graduates and students in the application of their library skills in a non-library work context; ii) Use this model to facilitate students and recent graduates in transferring their library skills to a non-library work context; iii) Gauge whether participants found the ITP effective in preparing them for finding work – either in a traditional library or outside the traditional library setting. Through setting up this programme and running it since 2013, this study has made a primarily applied contribution to the discipline. In this written component of the study the researcher offers the documentation of the programme as a live case study analysed using a combination of tools including surveys, interviews and both qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings show that interns expect to use internships in the job searching process; that they expect to acquire new skills not developed on their MLS programmes; that they would still prefer traditional library jobs but that they expect their careers to involve non-traditional work contexts. Related to this, participants believe the internship has raised awareness of a wider range of suitable jobs. This indicates that they see the nature of librarianship changing – something reinforced by the way they believe librarianship is evolving through, for example, integrating social media into the role of the librarian. This study and its findings contributes to raising awareness in the library sector of the changing nature of the world of work for the next generation of librarians and, in turn, contribute to MLS programmes by indicating how they may adapt as the 21st century workplace continues to evolve. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

In this study, the transfer of learning criteria that can be implemented before, during and after a learning programme was investigated. The transfer of learning criteria was identified, after which the Station Management Learning Programme was evaluated to see whether transfer of learning criteria was used during the facilitation of the programme. The study population for the research was comprised of facilitators and station commanders, who facilitated and attended the Station Management Learning Programme in Gauteng as part of their development as Station Commanders. The study methodology involved qualitative and quantitative approaches to data collection, with questionnaires and one-on-one interviews. Descriptive statistics were produced and literature, questionnaires and interviews were examined to establish whether transfer of learning took place. The findings of the study reflect that various learning transfer strategies exist and that these can be used to transfer learning from the classroom to the work environment. The study concludes that a significant number of transfer of learning strategies are already implemented in the South African Police Service, in the presentation of the Station Management Learning Programme. / Adult Basic Education (ABET) / M. Ed. (Adult Education)