This thesis examines how drama facilitators adapt and assess their praxis so that it can be applied effectively in different learning contexts. This research analyses the good praxis of established facilitators with comparatively little documentation to disseminate their approaches. MED Theatre, Magic Carpet, the Shakespeare Schools Festival and West Exe Technology College employ facilitators who adopt a personalised approach to their praxis, transitioning across the spectrum of formal and informal learning to engage a diverse range of learners. The concepts of formal and informal learning are defined at the outset and the particular problems they can present drama facilitators are contextualised. Finding the right tools and assessment procedures is a significant challenge in a pedagogic landscape characterised by conflicting theories, a broad range of learner needs, and multiple perceptions of what actually counts as evidence of learning to justify praxis. With an increasing number of facilitators sustaining themselves by operating within a variety of learning settings there is an emerging need to identify what skills, knowledge and considerations support the process of becoming this kind of extended professional. Initiating my investigation, I explore how the role of a drama facilitator has emerged through movements in the fields of education, Community Theatre and the arts in Chapter One. The main pedagogic theories and approaches to assessment that a drama facilitator must engage with to personalise praxis are presented in Chapter Two. Supporting the development of this expanding field of praxis, the four case studies analysed illustrate how facilitators have sustained careers as extended professionals whilst negotiating educational policy, different learners, and assessment criterion. This thesis contributes to the argument for sustaining and developing links between formalised learning and informal social learning. I challenge the competitive perception of system-centred and learner-centred approaches, re-framing them as inter-related processes in cases of good practice. Finally, I identify how facilitators are attempting to forge further community links, interrogating how this emerging field 4 may be developed by drama facilitators who share a commitment to developing the quality of learning opportunities offered in the UK.

The aim of this study is to find out the pupils’ thoughts and experiences about speakingEnglish for second language acquisition in upper secondary school. We want to establish thatoral communication is an important factor towards fulfilling the criteria to strive for indeveloping the pupils’ knowledge and skills in language learning according to the Curriculumfor Compulsory School System (Skolverket, 2006) and the Syllabus for the English Subject(Skolverket, 2001).The background presents theoretical approaches in second language acquisition, such asVygostskij’s, Piaget’s and Krashen’s theories of language acquisition. Communicativecompetence, affective factors, strategies and speech-codes used in the learning process havealso been briefly described in this study.The methods used for collecting data were observations and interviews, with a qualitativesurvey and hermeneutic approach in focus. The research took place in three different schoolsin a municipality in southwest of Sweden. For the observations, there were 71 pupilsparticipating in this study and 37 pupils wanted to collaborate for the interviews. No teacheror school workers were involved or participated in the observations or interviews. We wantedto keep the pupils’ point of view about how they use verbal language skills in English to gainknowledge about the target language. / Uppsatsnivå: C

Overall, 11% of high school students leave school without a diploma, and the percentage is higher for at-risk populations. High school graduates earn higher salaries and are healthier and more law abiding than dropouts. Research is limited on the motivation of at-risk students to graduate from high school related to their technological identity to include technology and social media in their learning schema. This qualitative case study explored at-risk students' perceptions of social media, personal learning networks, and informal learning in facilitating their graduation. Pink's concept of motivation, Siemens's connectivism theory, and Bingham and Conner's theory of engagement and social learning provided the conceptual framework. Interviews were conducted with 11 at-risk students identified by one Charter school: 4 students at-risk of dropping out, 3 dropouts planning to return, and 4 dropouts who had returned to high school. Open coding was used to identify rich themes and patterns that may help at-risk students succeed in school. Of the 5 themes identified 4 related to technology identity: transference to learning, relationships with personal learning communities and social networks, bridging technologies, and connected knowledge. Relationships with instructors and the school community also emerged as a theme. Connecting familiar and accessible technologies with formal learning could provide additional means of supporting academic success. Permitting the use of smart phones and social media to provide technological access to learning materials and instructors may create a motivating learning environment where students are willing to remain in high school to obtain a degree. Potential social and work benefits beyond high school may accrue for students.

Sexuality education in public schools in the US is a set of curricula geared toward sexual health, sexual identities, sexual acts, associated values, as well as intimacy and relationships (Naz, 2014). Taught under the curricular umbrella of family life education in the present study, it is governed by state and federal legislation and shaped by community values. It is also uniquely controversial both politically and personally (Drazenovich, 2015; Giroux, 2011). In this study, I developed research questions grounded in Sexual Configurations Theory (SCT): a contemporary, comprehensive theory of sexual identities and behaviors (van Anders, 2015). I also used the theory of legitimate peripheral participation, which is a well-established theory of social interaction that can explain how learning occurs within and around a community (Lave and Wenger, 1991). I analyzed the curriculum of two rural public school divisions in the southeastern US to identify salient categories of curricula relevant to the research questions. I also interviewed 29 school personnel and community partners involved in the curriculum development and guest lectures. I aimed to identify differences in their perceptions of the curriculum as well as how students may have learned about sexuality in out-of-class contexts (for example, the internet, pornography, peer-to-peer, in households, etc.) (Charmaraman, Lee, and Erkut, 2012; Tight, 2016). Results indicated that participants perceived adolescents engaging in informal learning about sexuality elsewhere. The participants reported trying to help adolescents bridge these gaps in instruction with community partnerships, guest lectures from health professionals, and referrals to resources inside and outside of the school. I conclude that curriculum, context, and community are overarching principles in teaching and developing sexuality education. The evidence gathered and interpretations presented provide a rich description that drives implications for stakeholders interested in increasing curricular comprehensiveness. / Doctor of Philosophy / Sexuality education (or sex ed, also sometimes called family life education) in US public schools is a course that teaches adolescents about sexual identities, sexual activities, values, and relationships. It is a controversial topic due to its history, the politics associated with it, and differing values surrounding it across communities. In this study, I looked at the sexuality education curriculum of two rural school divisions in the southeastern US. I also interviewed 29 school personnel and community health partners involved with the curriculum and guest lectures, paying special attention to different perspectives that were raised about the topic. Results showed that participants were perceived that adolescent students would search for information on sex (such as among their peers, at home, on their phones, and watching pornography) when not given the information they wanted in the classroom. Participants also perceived concern that adolescents would engage in sexual behaviors as a result of out-of-class learning, and they attempted to provide referrals to in-school and community resources to bridge the gap between what was taught in the classroom and what was learned out of class. The research also uncovered different views on opting out of sexuality education, abstinence, pregnancy, disease (STI) prevention, and use of technology and apps.

<p>This research investigates mobile learning effectiveness in higher education. Mobile learning is composition of two words Mobile and Learning. In simple words mobile learning is mobility of learners by using mobile technologies in learning environment. Many researches addressed mobile learning but few of them covered mobile learning effectiveness. This study explores mobile learning effectiveness with the help of learning theories and models. Behaviorist, cognitive, humanistic, situational, and mobile learning theories are discussed that elaborate social, psychological, and philosophical aspects of learning.  Detailed evolution of learning is also part of this report that covers the literature of distance learning, electronic learning as well as formal and informal learning. Three effective learning models are taken in consideration: the Garrison’s Community of Inquiry, the Swan’s Interactivity and Online Learning, and the Danaher and his colleagues’ model of mobile learning and teaching evaluation model. Danaher’s model is selected as a conceptual framework of the study that is composed of three elements that are engagement, presence and flexibility. Engagement is the active participation of the learner in learning activities. Presence means being there, physically or mentally, in learning activity or place. Flexibility is how easy and facilitative the system is for teachers and students. These three elements are used to determine mobile learning effectiveness.  Survey method was used as our research approach. Empirical data was collected from Linnaeus University (prev. Växjö University) Sweden, by using two separate questionnaires for students and teachers. Collected data was analyzed with respect to learning theories and the theoretical model. The result reveals the potential of mobile learning as an effective mode of learning in terms of engagement and presence but flexibilty approved to be weaker in mobile learning.</p>

This research investigates mobile learning effectiveness in higher education. Mobile learning is composition of two words Mobile and Learning. In simple words mobile learning is mobility of learners by using mobile technologies in learning environment. Many researches addressed mobile learning but few of them covered mobile learning effectiveness. This study explores mobile learning effectiveness with the help of learning theories and models. Behaviorist, cognitive, humanistic, situational, and mobile learning theories are discussed that elaborate social, psychological, and philosophical aspects of learning.  Detailed evolution of learning is also part of this report that covers the literature of distance learning, electronic learning as well as formal and informal learning. Three effective learning models are taken in consideration: the Garrison’s Community of Inquiry, the Swan’s Interactivity and Online Learning, and the Danaher and his colleagues’ model of mobile learning and teaching evaluation model. Danaher’s model is selected as a conceptual framework of the study that is composed of three elements that are engagement, presence and flexibility. Engagement is the active participation of the learner in learning activities. Presence means being there, physically or mentally, in learning activity or place. Flexibility is how easy and facilitative the system is for teachers and students. These three elements are used to determine mobile learning effectiveness.  Survey method was used as our research approach. Empirical data was collected from Linnaeus University (prev. Växjö University) Sweden, by using two separate questionnaires for students and teachers. Collected data was analyzed with respect to learning theories and the theoretical model. The result reveals the potential of mobile learning as an effective mode of learning in terms of engagement and presence but flexibilty approved to be weaker in mobile learning.

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Abstracts This thesis will address current problems in terms of school feeding in the Czech Republic. Its purpose is to summarize the situation from the point of view of the heads of school cafeterias and to determine the greatest difficulties for further functioning of the system. School feeding system is a part of educational and learning process and its effects relate to proper fulfilling of schools' educational programmes. At the same time, it is an environment for application of informal learning in terms of correct eating habits and social interactions during meals. By participating in the process, the pupils gain socio-psychological competences for entire life. Not only they gain practical knowledge in terms of nutrition, they learn as well how to interact during meals in an unforced way. Using the questionnaire method, some of the problems of school feeding system were identified. Some of the most severe problems might become a risk to this whole unique system. The outcome of the research are findings which point out the problems, such as old age of the personnel in the school feeding system, as well as the absence of new young people, who would continuously take on the experiences and replace the retiring workers. The results of the research revealed that the case of these problems are mainly...

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:25:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cristiane Gomes de Carvalho Fontana.pdf: 1000696 bytes, checksum: 8345609c2a95280c9ebf3af8b3187574 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-01 / Fundo Mackenzie de Pesquisa / This research had as an objective to understand the learning process of associate deans in private institutions of tertiary education. It has attempted to identify and interpret the main dimensions of the action of this professional and compare his learning process in different environment universities and colleges. The study leaned on, above all, discussions about formal and informal learning and the learning that happens at work. In the study of the literature, the scenario of institutions of tertiary education in Brazil was presented to contextualize them. The discussions about the dimensions of the action of the associate deans were also presented. It has been conducted a basic qualitative interpretative study with eight associate deans in Administration. The main strategy used for the collection of data was the semi-structured interview, however, the informal observation on the workplace and the consultation to the sites of the institutions involved also complemented the analysis. The results show that the deans learn the dimension of the team work, political dimension,technical dimension and critical-reflexive dimension, mainly, through informal practices, standing out the interactions that happen in the institutions, the experiences obtained throughout the professional career and in the practice of his work. It has found out that the different environment influence what (content) and how (process) they learn. The lack of sponsorship to programs designed to build up capacity and the excess load of work were some of the factors identified and considered obstacles in the learning process of these deans. / Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo compreender o processo de aprendizagem de coordenadores de cursos de graduação em Administração inseridos em Instituições de Ensino Superior Privadas. Procurou-se identificar e interpretar as principais dimensões da ação desse profissional e comparar seu processo de aprendizagem em diferentes ambientes universidades e faculdades. O estudo apoiou-se, sobretudo, nas discussões sobre a aprendizagem formal e informal e a aprendizagem que ocorre no trabalho. Na revisão da literatura foram apresentados o cenário das instituições de ensino superior no Brasil procurando contextualizá-las e as discussões sobre as dimensões da ação do coordenador de curso. Foi conduzido um estudo qualitativo interpretativo básico com oito coordenadores de cursos de graduação em Administração. A estratégia fundamental utilizada para a coleta de dados foi a entrevista semiestruturada, no entanto, a observação informal dos locais de trabalho e a consulta aos sites das instituições envolvidas também complementaram as análises. Os resultados mostram que os coordenadores aprendem a dimensão do trabalho coletivo, dimensão política, dimensão técnica e dimensão crítico-reflexiva, principalmente, por meio de práticas informais, destacando-se as interações que ocorrem nas instituições, as experiências obtidas no decorrer da carreira profissional e no exercício de seu trabalho. Constatou-se ainda que os diferentes ambientes (Universidade x Faculdade) influenciam o que (conteúdo) e como (processo) aprendem. O pouco patrocínio a programas de capacitação e a sobrecarga de trabalho foram alguns dos fatores identificados e considerados obstáculos no processo de aprendizagem desses coordenadores.

L'obiettivo che questa tesi persegue è quello di analizzare il binomio blog/didattica, allargando il raggio di discussione e problematizzazione alle tecnologie di rete e all'educazione nei suoi aspetti di formalità e di informalità. Lo sguardo pedagogico-didattico viene eletto come guida del processo di riflessione e la scuola viene scelta come il campo di esplorazione privilegiato. L'approccio d'indagine assunto pone la didattica di fronte al blog riservando ad essa il compito di contestualizzare la tecnologia, di comprenderne potenzialità sfruttabili per sostenere processi di apprendimento formali ed informali e di rilevarne gli aspetti di vantaggio e di problematicità emergenti per progettare impieghi efficaci ed innovativi. La ricerca è strutturata lungo due direttrici: una teorico-fondativa destinata alla riflessione intorno ad alcuni nuclei tematici di sfondo (tecnologie educative, Rete e tecnologie emergenti, educazione formale ed informale) ed alla delineazione dello stato dell'arte in merito al blog ed alle sue applicazioni nella didattica; una empirica costituita dall'indagine sul campo finalizzata ad evidenziare e descrivere tendenze d'uso dei blog nei contesti scolastici italiani. / This thesis aims at analysing the blog/education binomial, extending its discussion and problematic nature to web technologies in the field of formal and informal educational methods. The teaching-learning question is selected as a guidance in the process under consideration and school is looked upon as the privileged field for research. This study places teaching and learning methods before blog and questions this new technique by examining it deeply in the afford to understand its potentiality in the formal and informal educational process. This study aims at putting into evidence possible advantages and problems arising from the application and planning possible innovations in the educational sphere. The research is based on two guiding lines: the theoretical-basic one referring to some background core topics (educational technologies, web, emerging methods, formal and informal education) and referring to the merits related to blog with its application to teaching; the empirical one based on a survey on the field aiming at bringing out and describing trends towards the use of blog in the Italian school environment.