This study seeks to explore aspects of the educational practice of the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) programme. The philosophy (the Christian underpinnings) and pedagogy (mastery learning) of the ACE programme as contemporary educational practice is examined against a background of educational reform movements such as outcomes-based education. In addition, the thesis examines the issue of what it takes for a student to succeed in tertiary education, investigates the stated claims of the ACE programme in this regard, and then scrutinises these claims, in an empirical study, that includes ACE graduates, their parents and university admissions officers. Finally recommendations are made to those who use the programme in schools regarding any perceived strengths and/or weaknesses in the programme itself, or in the management and implementation of the programme, with a view to enhancing the educational experience of high school students preparing to enter the realm of tertiary education. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed.(Educational Management)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T18:40:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JOAO ANTONIO SARDELLI NETO.pdf: 1201413 bytes, checksum: 16c2b87722246c16b36ddb6df57c0b79 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-06-12 / Due to the incapacity of the public sector to provide resources to support the demand for higher education, during the ten last years, the private education system became protagonist of an unprecedented expansion. Such an expansion created a situation of intense competition, in which only those institutions that may maintain a certain standard of quality for education will survive, supported by an appropriate system for the monitoring of the critical factors for success. The central focus of this study is to perform a test based upon a theoretical reference in order to observe and to treat the processes that affect the performance of a higher education institution, through a bibliographic research and submitting a proposal for a model that may be of interest of the managers of said entities. The proposal advances within the context of higher education institutions, in respect to Measuring the Performance of academic support Processes, in order to identify opportunities to eliminate wastes and to have a continuous improvement. The contribution of the Managerial Accounting for the implementation and monitoring of operational improvement initiatives is examined within a strategic point of view. General principles of Process Management are broached as a manner to create a conceptual basis for the elaboration of indexes that comply with the information requirements to guide the management process. The study submits an analysis of the results achieved, showing the possibility to eliminate wastes and to have a continuous improvement. The concept of Contribution Costing was applied for the classification of courses, by order of absolute value of its contribution towards the final result. The model has shown itself to be appropriate for the recommended objectives / Devido à incapacidade do setor público em prover recursos para suportar a demanda por ensino superior, nos últimos dez anos, o ensino privado acabou sendo protagonista de uma expansão sem precedentes. Este crescimento estabeleceu uma situação de intensa competitividade, devendo sobreviver apenas as instituições que consigam manter um padrão de qualidade no ensino, apoiada num sistema adequado para monitoramento dos fatores críticos de sucesso. O foco central do presente estudo é realizar um ensaio a partir de um referencial teórico para observação e tratamento dos processos que afetam o desempenho de uma instituição de ensino superior, mediante pesquisa bibliográfica e proposição de um modelo que possa ser do interesse dos gestores destas entidades. A proposta se desenvolve no contexto das instituições de ensino superior, no que se refere à Mensuração de Desempenho de Processos de apoio acadêmico, visando identificar oportunidades para eliminação de desperdícios e melhoria contínua. A contribuição da Contabilidade Gerencial para a implementação e monitoramento de iniciativas de melhorias operacionais é examinada dentro de um enfoque estratégico. Princípios gerais da Gestão por Processos são abordados como forma de criar um arcabouço conceitual para elaboração de indicadores que atendam os requisitos de informação para orientar o processo de gestão. O estudo apresenta uma análise dos resultados obtidos, através do modelo proposto para planejamento e controle dos processos selecionados, demonstrando potencial para eliminação de desperdícios e melhoria contínua. O conceito de Custeio por Contribuição foi aplicado para classificação dos cursos por ordem do valor absoluto da sua contribuição para o resultado. O modelo revelou-se adequado para os objetivos a que se propõe

This study seeks to explore aspects of the educational practice of the Accelerated Christian Education (ACE) programme. The philosophy (the Christian underpinnings) and pedagogy (mastery learning) of the ACE programme as contemporary educational practice is examined against a background of educational reform movements such as outcomes-based education. In addition, the thesis examines the issue of what it takes for a student to succeed in tertiary education, investigates the stated claims of the ACE programme in this regard, and then scrutinises these claims, in an empirical study, that includes ACE graduates, their parents and university admissions officers. Finally recommendations are made to those who use the programme in schools regarding any perceived strengths and/or weaknesses in the programme itself, or in the management and implementation of the programme, with a view to enhancing the educational experience of high school students preparing to enter the realm of tertiary education. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed.(Educational Management)