The objectives of the study were to examine the Life Experience curriculum, level 3-4, in terms of the teachers, students and problems encountered in the course presentation at the adult school of the North Eastern Regional Non-formal Education Centre: Tools used in the study are :- (1) questionnaires seeking the expectations of the twenty-seven centre staff (2) questionnaires seeking attitudes and desires of eighty-two students in the classes studied (3) observation of four Life-Experience classes (4) interviews with five teachers of Life-Experience classes and thirty-one students. Important findings include the following :- Both student attendance and staff enthusiasm were high, The syllabus was seen as suitable in length and level of difficulty by both staff and students, even though the level of performance (as measured by examination) varied widely across courses and between students. Students asked for a flexible component to meet localised needs as well as the core curriculum. The objectives of the classes were for students who had had no chance to continue their formal studies to gain knowledge, attitudes, skills and culture needed for their daily occupation. Students requested more information on foreign geography, biographies on important Thai figures, and the economic and political situation in Thailand. Skills which were learnt and applied included food preservation, house maintenance, hygiene, use of legal procedures such as traffic controls and loans, family planning and Buddhist moral codes. Attitudes which it was considered appropriate to develop were symbolised by the 'Knit-pen man' who is a good citizen, rational problem solver, diligent, patient and a supporter of national goals. Changes requested by students for the courses included more time for class discussion, a wide range of textbooks to be available, and field trips to broaden their experience. Changes indicated by staff and student responses were a greater emphasis on changes in behaviour with regard to food preparation and hygiene, more thorough and reflexive evaluation to develop adequate levels of knowledge, allowance for the considerable personal difficulties of the adult students attending classes, and supply of a greater range of teaching resources.

<p>Denna uppsats bygger på ett fallstudium som genomfördes hösten 2006 i Mondulkiri,</p><p>Kambodja. Fallstudien är av kvalitativ art och fungerar som metodologiska ramen för</p><p>uppsatsen där litteraturstudier och intervjuer ingår som instrument. Syftet med studien var att</p><p>belysa vad som motiverar vuxna bunonger till lärande samt att belysa hur de beskriver vad</p><p>kunskap är för dem i deras kontext och hur de värderar den pågående</p><p>alfabetiseringsprocessen. För att uppnå studiens syfte genomfördes 15 intervjuer med vuxna</p><p>bunonger bosatta i Mondulkiri samt litteraturstudier kring motivation, kunskapssyn och</p><p>alfabetisering. Intervjuerna genomfördes utifrån en kvalitativ metod. Resultatet från</p><p>intervjuerna och litteraturstudierna visar på att det är främst yttre faktorer som påverkar</p><p>bunongernas motivation. När det gäller förhållandet mellan motivation och lärande är det</p><p>relationellt sammankopplat med vad individen värderar som mest nödvändigt för hans/hennes</p><p>situation i jämförelse med andra värden som är kontextuellt betingat. Bunongernas</p><p>kunskapssyn är relaterat till deras historia av muntlig tradering och alfabetiseringsprocessens</p><p>värde sätts i relation till behovet av kunskap som traderingen inte kan ge. Vidare förstärker</p><p>studien tidigare forskning som visar på att ”bilingual education” och ”non formal education”</p><p>är goda redskap för att bygga en långsiktig och varaktig alfabetisering.</p>

Denna uppsats bygger på ett fallstudium som genomfördes hösten 2006 i Mondulkiri, Kambodja. Fallstudien är av kvalitativ art och fungerar som metodologiska ramen för uppsatsen där litteraturstudier och intervjuer ingår som instrument. Syftet med studien var att belysa vad som motiverar vuxna bunonger till lärande samt att belysa hur de beskriver vad kunskap är för dem i deras kontext och hur de värderar den pågående alfabetiseringsprocessen. För att uppnå studiens syfte genomfördes 15 intervjuer med vuxna bunonger bosatta i Mondulkiri samt litteraturstudier kring motivation, kunskapssyn och alfabetisering. Intervjuerna genomfördes utifrån en kvalitativ metod. Resultatet från intervjuerna och litteraturstudierna visar på att det är främst yttre faktorer som påverkar bunongernas motivation. När det gäller förhållandet mellan motivation och lärande är det relationellt sammankopplat med vad individen värderar som mest nödvändigt för hans/hennes situation i jämförelse med andra värden som är kontextuellt betingat. Bunongernas kunskapssyn är relaterat till deras historia av muntlig tradering och alfabetiseringsprocessens värde sätts i relation till behovet av kunskap som traderingen inte kan ge. Vidare förstärker studien tidigare forskning som visar på att ”bilingual education” och ”non formal education” är goda redskap för att bygga en långsiktig och varaktig alfabetisering.

Educators and scholars continue to lament United States citizens' geographic illiteracy and are calling on Congress to address the crisis. However, despite recent public attention, a lack of national commitment to teaching geography in all public school grade levels persists. Therefore, non-formal educational avenues need to be pursued to address this crisis. One such avenue may be Entertainment-Education (E-E). E-E interventions have been used outside of the U.S. to impact social problems and detrimental behaviors by presenting positive role models in entertainment products designed to stimulate changes in viewers' behavior. For example, soap operas promote condoms use as a HIV prevention strategy (Tanzania), model culturally-sensitive actions to stop domestic violence (South Africa), and promote infant oral-rehydration therapy (Egypt). This study posits academic learning can be facilitated in a similar fashion as behavior change through an E-E methodology. Beginning with an examination of the E-E field by indexing E-E literature found in scholarly publication databases, this study demonstrates the 30-year health message focus of the field and presents a catalogue of E-E interventions cross-referenced by name and target country. The combination of these two products illuminates how U.S. audiences and non-behaviorally based outcomes have not been targeted, leaving academic subject learning as an area into which E-E can expand. The expansion of E-E methodology into geography education (or any other subject) requires understanding of how academic concepts interact with the structure of fictional narratives. Using a grounded theory approach, this study analyzes the U.S. television series NUMB3RS, which uses math to drive the story (as opposed to simply serving as context), to develop an Academically-Based Entertainment-Education (ABEE) model. ABEE is then applied to Google Earth, exploring how to leverage non-linear and visually dependent narratives as well as develop user-driven learning experiences. The implications of research presented here and through future refinement of the ABEE model may potentially (1) develop educative entertainment products supporting formal education and (2) bring geographic knowledge into the realm of popular culture through mass media, thereby impacting geographic literacy at a societal level in the U.S. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/ETD-TAMU-2011-05-9128.

This thesis examines how mothers of children labeled ‘learning disabled’ negotiate with educational professionals as advocates for their children. Previous scholarship has not adequately addressed the role that parents, particularly mothers of children labeled ‘learning disabled’ play in the education of their children. Through analyzing the ways in which these educational practices shape people’s experiences and identities, we can gain a deeper understanding of the ways in which labeling processes are experienced, managed, constructed, negotiated and/or resisted. This subject was explored through in-depth interviews with six mothers, using interviewing practices informed by standpoint methodology. My analysis follows two major themes. The first theme deals with the contradictory nature of psychoeducational assessments in the classrooms of the educational system. I demonstrate how psychoeducational assessments act as a set of rules, regulations and rights. I demonstrate how the mothers in my study used these as tools for empowerment and resistance to educational structures and discourses of normalcy. I also demonstrate the limitations of these texts to secure the educational interest and rights of children labeled ‘learning disabled’. The second theme deals with transformation processes. I ask, how do mothers of children labeled ‘learning disabled’ change as a result of negotiating their child or children’s ‘learning disability’. I demonstrate how being a parent of a child labeled ‘learning disabled’ is outside the sphere of ‘regular’ parenting and the sphere of the formal educational system and the economic, social and health-related consequences of such negotiations.

The purpose of this study was to examine participants&rsquo / civic engagement behavior of a non-formal training on democracy and human rights through the case of Toplum G&ouml / n&uuml / ll&uuml / leri Vakfi (TOG) Democracy and Human Rights Project. In order to achieve this, a survey was conducted to the participants who attended the trainer&rsquo / s training of TOG&rsquo / s Democracy and Human Rights Project. The entire population who completed the trainer&rsquo / s training at that time consisted of 154 TOG volunteers, and all population were aimed to be reached for data collection. The study initiated with a needs analysis study to explore what elements were needed to be evaluated in the survey with regard to TOG&rsquo / s administrative group. Next, based on those findings, literature review on civic engagement and the indicators adapted by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) a questionnaire containing both open-ended and close-ended items was developed to measure participants&rsquo / civic behaviors. The data were collected through an online survey tool, Survey Monkey, an accessable number of population (N=56) was reached and a return rate of 43.4 percent was enhanced. The results revealed that participants of trainer&rsquo / s training of TOG&rsquo / s Democracy and Human Rights Project could be regarded as active citizens who engage in civil society, participate in political actions, pay attention to current events and follow the news regularly. In addition, findings showed that there was a decrease in the frequencies in terms of participation in the civil society in time. Lastly, implications for further research on participants&rsquo / civic participation from non-formal education perspectives are highlighted.

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This study focused on the development of a proposal for a secondary alternative program that would be effective in the state of Kuwait. A professional preparation program that would function in support of the alternative school was also included. The investigator attempted to find the answers to the following questions: What are some of the major features of selected secondary school alternative programs in southeastern Arizona? How could these features be utilized in developing an alternative program for the secondary schools of Kuwait? What type of staff preparation program would be appropriate to effectuate the proposed alternative program? A review of the major elements of Kuwaiti history and culture was presented. Additionally, a summary of the development of the educational institutions in Kuwait was included, with special attention to current methods and practices. A review of the related literature indicated that the alternative school movement has become widespread in the United States as a means of providing youngsters with educational experiences different from those found in traditional schools. The recent increase in the number of alternative schools seems to be based on the assumption that differences among students require diversity in learning experiences. A theoretical framework was formulated from the literature to guide the collection of further data. It consisted of the following categories: (1)philosophy; (2)structure; and (3)function. Under each of these categories, several sub-categories were discussed. The study was conducted by the investigator as a participant observer in local alternative programs in a southwestern metropolitan area. The alternative programs under investigation participated in the study on a voluntary basis and included Cougar Alternative High School, Jefferson Alternative High School, Jackson High Alternative School, and Oak High School. The first three schools listed above serve a population of individuals who could not attend regular secondary schools. The fourth program is a conventional high school that includes an alternative program as part of its function. An interview schedule consisting of various questions regarding philosophy, structure, and function was developed and completed by selected staff at the schools under investigation. The resulting data was recorded and analyzed according to the three framework categories. A proposal for a secondary alternative program appropriate to the country of Kuwait was formulated, and a staff preparation program was included. A major element in the structure of the proposed program was the development of a cross-cultural team consisting of United States and Kuwait members and a representative from Kuwait University. The cross-cultural team would focus on the training of Kuwaiti educators for the proposed secondary alternative school. The investigator would function as coordinator for the training program and director of the proposed alternative program.

The proposed research is about the introduction of Continuous Assessment (CA) in Grade 12 Higher Grade Mathematics, as part of the learner's overall assessment. Schools are required by policy laid down by the Department of Education to implement CA in Grade 12 Mathematics. The introduction of CA is a new development. It is important to study how it is being implemented and the effect it has on the quality of Mathematics Education. The goals of this research are to: • investigate Grade 12 Mathematics teachers' understanding and views of CA; • the strategies that they are implementing in CA; • how CA is impacting on the conceptual understanding of their learners and • to what extent are teachers' assessment practices consistent with the Rationale of Continuous Assessment? The data was collected by means of a questionnaire which consisted of both close-ended and semi-structured questions. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the quantitative data. The findings show that continuous assessment is not being implemented in terms of a wide range of alternate assessment strategies as it was intended to be, with pen and paper testing still being the more dominant practice. The findings also show that whilst Continuous Assessment is having a measured educational impact on teachers and learners, there are still problems experienced by educators. These problems are hampering its implementation. Teachers require more workshops on the Continuous Assessment strategies. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2004.

No description available.