This study sought to determine factors that militate against men’s participation in the current Zimbabwean functional literacy programme. The research utilized the case study design and the data collecting instruments included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and observations. Twelve adults, seven males and five females aged between thirty-nine and sixty-five years of age were interviewed by the researcher on “Why men were not participating in the functional literacy programme”. No similar research had ever been conducted in Zimbabwe since the inception of the programme in 1992. The definitive findings of the study include a grounded research theory which was extrapolated from the data. After a thorough scrutiny of the data collected, it was possible to conclude that while many of the barriers to literacy participation are similar, the bread and butter issues need to be acknowledged by literacy providers when aiming to attract men into and retain them within the programme. The research also found that poverty, past negative experiences during the early school days, and stigma related issues, were the major inhibiting factors against men’s participation in the programme in the Mazowe district. Although the research had time related and operational limitations, these were however, repulsed by controls effected by the researcher. The diversity of qualitative data collecting instruments played a positive role in ensuring checks and balances in the type and authenticity of data collected. In order to retain male participants in the programme, a supportive environment is recommended. This can be achieved if voluntary literacy tutors are trained in design and delivery of instruction as well as in mobilizing strategies, so that they are sensitive to male participants’ circumstances. The income generating projects in which men are currently involved, need to be made more viable in order to boost their morale. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

This study sought to determine factors that militate against men’s participation in the current Zimbabwean functional literacy programme. The research utilized the case study design and the data collecting instruments included in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and observations. Twelve adults, seven males and five females aged between thirty-nine and sixty-five years of age were interviewed by the researcher on “Why men were not participating in the functional literacy programme”. No similar research had ever been conducted in Zimbabwe since the inception of the programme in 1992. The definitive findings of the study include a grounded research theory which was extrapolated from the data. After a thorough scrutiny of the data collected, it was possible to conclude that while many of the barriers to literacy participation are similar, the bread and butter issues need to be acknowledged by literacy providers when aiming to attract men into and retain them within the programme. The research also found that poverty, past negative experiences during the early school days, and stigma related issues, were the major inhibiting factors against men’s participation in the programme in the Mazowe district. Although the research had time related and operational limitations, these were however, repulsed by controls effected by the researcher. The diversity of qualitative data collecting instruments played a positive role in ensuring checks and balances in the type and authenticity of data collected. In order to retain male participants in the programme, a supportive environment is recommended. This can be achieved if voluntary literacy tutors are trained in design and delivery of instruction as well as in mobilizing strategies, so that they are sensitive to male participants’ circumstances. The income generating projects in which men are currently involved, need to be made more viable in order to boost their morale. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

A presente dissertação consiste em um estudo sobre a motivação de pessoas idosas para freqüentar um núcleo de alfabetização integrante de um movimento de educação popular com os seguintes objetivos: conhecer as expectativas dos sujeitos em relação à aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita e o modo como estas têm sido trabalhadas ao longo de suas vidas; verificar quais são os motivos que impulsionam a participação de um sujeito idoso em uma turma de alfabetização; observar a preferência por estudar em ambiente sócio-educativo não-formal em detrimento ao acesso à rede formal de ensino; e proporcionar aos sujeitos colaboradores uma experiência formativa por meio da realização de pesquisa-formação. Num universo de 307 turmas que compunham o MOVA-Guarulhos no ano de 2006, o campo de investigação constitui-se por um grupo do período matutino, localizado nas dependências de uma Igreja Católica, situado numa região periférica da cidade, onde ocorreu uma série de encontros sistemáticos com um grupo composto por sete educandas idosas, com idades entre 60 e 73 anos. A autobiografia educativa serviu como metodologia de pesquisa-formação tendo em vista a aproximação dos sentidos e valores atribuídos à experiência no movimento de educação popular. Os conceitos essenciais para a compreensão das questões relacionadas à alfabetização advêm das obras de Tfouni (1988, 2004, 2006), Biarnès (1998) e Silva (2001, 2003), no que diz respeito ao letramento como algo que independe da aquisição do código escrito, sendo o letramento a-funcional um conceito chave para a compreensão da relação que os sujeitos estudados estabelecem com a língua escrita. Uniu-se a obra de Goffman (1988, 2003) à análise de Bauman (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003) sobre a fuga da estigmatização em tempos de modernidade líquida numa perspectiva de sociedade policultural. O caminho aberto por esses autores, para a compreensão da identidade pós-moderna e suas relações com a cultura letrada, coadunou-se com a teoria winnicottiana da transicionalidade, compondo assim um arcabouço teórico cuja intenção era a de explicitar a maior amplitude possível de dimensões sociais e psicológicas do objeto em questão. A singularidade das histórias de vida coletadas conduziu a elaboração de sete pontos de análise que sintetizam as informações mais significativas para a compreensão da motivação, a saber: a escola de onde (não) viemos; o que sofremos; por que não viemos antes; vergonha de falar, medo de se expor; saberes distintos, vidas diferentes; leitura representada e escrita terceirizada; e, finalmente, de onde vem o incentivo. A partir desses pontos, infere-se que a aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita não se constitui enquanto principal elemento de motivação para a freqüência desses sujeitos no MOVAGuarulhos. Os avanços na interação social, relacionados com a melhoria da expressão oral e com a forma de tratamento típica entre os sujeitos participantes de um movimento popular de educação, são apontados como principal fator elucidativo da permanência de pessoas idosas numa turma do MOVA-Guarulhos. / This dissertation consists in a study about motivation of aged people to attend an alphabetization nucleus which integrates a movement of popular education. It has the following aims: to know the subject\'s expectations about the learning of reading and writing, as well as the way this expectations have been worked through their lives on; to verify which motives impel the participation of aged people in an alphabetization nucleus; to notice the preference for studying in a socio-educative non-formal circle in despite of the access to the formal teaching opportunities; and, to supply a formative experience to the collaborators by means of realization of a researchformation. In a universe of 307 nucleuses that composed MOVA-Guarulhos in the year of 2006, the investigation field was formed within a group that studied during the morning in a classroom inside a building of Catholic Church, situated in the peripheral region of the city. In this place, a sequence of systematic meetings occurred with a group composed by seven aged women students, with age between 60 and 73 years old. The educative autobiography served as methodology of research-formation in order to approximate the meanings and values attributed to the experience in a popular education movement. The essential concepts for the comprehension of the questions related to alphabetization come from the studies of Tfouni (1988, 2004, 2006), Biarnès (1998) and Silva (2001, 2003), concerning to literacy as something that does not depend on the acquisition of the written code. This way, the a-functional literacy is a very important concept to understand the relation that studied subjects establish with written language. This work also united Goffman\'s ideas (1988, 2003) to Bauman\'s analysis (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003) about escapement of stigmatization in times of liquid modernity in a policultural society perspective. All these authors opened a path to comprehend Postmodern identity and its relations with lettered culture, and this path coadunates with Winnicott\'s theory of transitionality, composing a theoretical frame whose intention was to explain the most possible part of social and psychological dimensions of the focused object. The singularity of collected life histories drove us to the elaboration of seven points of analysis to synthesize the most significant information for the comprehension of the motivation, they are: the school from where we (did not) come; what we suffered; the reasons why we did not come before; shame to talk, to show oneself; distinct knowledge, different lives; represented lecture and outsourced written; and, finally, where the incentive comes from. Based on these points, it infers that the learning of reading and writing does not constitute itself as the principal element of motivation for attending classes in MOVAGuarulhos. The advances in social interaction, associated to improvement of oral expression and the habitual treatment between participants of a popular education movement, are indicated as major factor to elucidate the reasons why aged people start to study and remain in a nucleus integrant of MOVA-Guarulhos.

A presente dissertação consiste em um estudo sobre a motivação de pessoas idosas para freqüentar um núcleo de alfabetização integrante de um movimento de educação popular com os seguintes objetivos: conhecer as expectativas dos sujeitos em relação à aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita e o modo como estas têm sido trabalhadas ao longo de suas vidas; verificar quais são os motivos que impulsionam a participação de um sujeito idoso em uma turma de alfabetização; observar a preferência por estudar em ambiente sócio-educativo não-formal em detrimento ao acesso à rede formal de ensino; e proporcionar aos sujeitos colaboradores uma experiência formativa por meio da realização de pesquisa-formação. Num universo de 307 turmas que compunham o MOVA-Guarulhos no ano de 2006, o campo de investigação constitui-se por um grupo do período matutino, localizado nas dependências de uma Igreja Católica, situado numa região periférica da cidade, onde ocorreu uma série de encontros sistemáticos com um grupo composto por sete educandas idosas, com idades entre 60 e 73 anos. A autobiografia educativa serviu como metodologia de pesquisa-formação tendo em vista a aproximação dos sentidos e valores atribuídos à experiência no movimento de educação popular. Os conceitos essenciais para a compreensão das questões relacionadas à alfabetização advêm das obras de Tfouni (1988, 2004, 2006), Biarnès (1998) e Silva (2001, 2003), no que diz respeito ao letramento como algo que independe da aquisição do código escrito, sendo o letramento a-funcional um conceito chave para a compreensão da relação que os sujeitos estudados estabelecem com a língua escrita. Uniu-se a obra de Goffman (1988, 2003) à análise de Bauman (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003) sobre a fuga da estigmatização em tempos de modernidade líquida numa perspectiva de sociedade policultural. O caminho aberto por esses autores, para a compreensão da identidade pós-moderna e suas relações com a cultura letrada, coadunou-se com a teoria winnicottiana da transicionalidade, compondo assim um arcabouço teórico cuja intenção era a de explicitar a maior amplitude possível de dimensões sociais e psicológicas do objeto em questão. A singularidade das histórias de vida coletadas conduziu a elaboração de sete pontos de análise que sintetizam as informações mais significativas para a compreensão da motivação, a saber: a escola de onde (não) viemos; o que sofremos; por que não viemos antes; vergonha de falar, medo de se expor; saberes distintos, vidas diferentes; leitura representada e escrita terceirizada; e, finalmente, de onde vem o incentivo. A partir desses pontos, infere-se que a aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita não se constitui enquanto principal elemento de motivação para a freqüência desses sujeitos no MOVAGuarulhos. Os avanços na interação social, relacionados com a melhoria da expressão oral e com a forma de tratamento típica entre os sujeitos participantes de um movimento popular de educação, são apontados como principal fator elucidativo da permanência de pessoas idosas numa turma do MOVA-Guarulhos. / This dissertation consists in a study about motivation of aged people to attend an alphabetization nucleus which integrates a movement of popular education. It has the following aims: to know the subject\'s expectations about the learning of reading and writing, as well as the way this expectations have been worked through their lives on; to verify which motives impel the participation of aged people in an alphabetization nucleus; to notice the preference for studying in a socio-educative non-formal circle in despite of the access to the formal teaching opportunities; and, to supply a formative experience to the collaborators by means of realization of a researchformation. In a universe of 307 nucleuses that composed MOVA-Guarulhos in the year of 2006, the investigation field was formed within a group that studied during the morning in a classroom inside a building of Catholic Church, situated in the peripheral region of the city. In this place, a sequence of systematic meetings occurred with a group composed by seven aged women students, with age between 60 and 73 years old. The educative autobiography served as methodology of research-formation in order to approximate the meanings and values attributed to the experience in a popular education movement. The essential concepts for the comprehension of the questions related to alphabetization come from the studies of Tfouni (1988, 2004, 2006), Biarnès (1998) and Silva (2001, 2003), concerning to literacy as something that does not depend on the acquisition of the written code. This way, the a-functional literacy is a very important concept to understand the relation that studied subjects establish with written language. This work also united Goffman\'s ideas (1988, 2003) to Bauman\'s analysis (1999, 2000, 2001, 2003) about escapement of stigmatization in times of liquid modernity in a policultural society perspective. All these authors opened a path to comprehend Postmodern identity and its relations with lettered culture, and this path coadunates with Winnicott\'s theory of transitionality, composing a theoretical frame whose intention was to explain the most possible part of social and psychological dimensions of the focused object. The singularity of collected life histories drove us to the elaboration of seven points of analysis to synthesize the most significant information for the comprehension of the motivation, they are: the school from where we (did not) come; what we suffered; the reasons why we did not come before; shame to talk, to show oneself; distinct knowledge, different lives; represented lecture and outsourced written; and, finally, where the incentive comes from. Based on these points, it infers that the learning of reading and writing does not constitute itself as the principal element of motivation for attending classes in MOVAGuarulhos. The advances in social interaction, associated to improvement of oral expression and the habitual treatment between participants of a popular education movement, are indicated as major factor to elucidate the reasons why aged people start to study and remain in a nucleus integrant of MOVA-Guarulhos.

<p>The research employed a qualitative research paradigm. The ethnographic approach was used to conduct the research. Data collection was done though various ethnographic techniques, classroom observation, in-depth interviews and document analysis. The population was 85 women who participated in a Adult Basic Education and Training programme in Eersterivier in the Cape Peninsula area a questionnaire was used to collect demographic information of the participants Data was analysed by thematic analysis and coded, categorised and discussed according to the aim and objectives of the study in relation to previous studies The main findings were why exploring the existing literacy practice women were depended on others for literacy assistance, which made them avoid literacy events and become vulnerable in this process to cope with the everyday life.</p>

We live in a scientific society. Science is all around us. We take scientific principles for granted every time we use technology, such as a car, a computer, or a cell phone. Paradoxically, the scientific literacy of the population is minimal at best. Having a basic knowledge of scientific principles is no longer a luxury but, in today's complex world, a necessity. To increase the scientific literacy of non-science majors, an astrobiology course was developed at the Center for Science and Mathematics Education at The University of Texas at Austin. The course subscribes to an educational philosophy that promotes the significance of teaching science to non-science majors, endorses the importance of multidisciplinary content knowledge, supports the teaching of the nature of science in an implicitly mode, advances the discussion of socio-scientific issues, and includes competent thinking-based teaching strategies using the dynamic discipline of astrobiology. The thesis reviews the problems in scientific literacy, outlines the characteristics of this innovative course, proposes a novel standard - competent thinking - to evaluate scientific literacy and analyzes the results of this course in terms of competent thinking. Data collected provided evidence of an increase of competent thinking skills among the students, especially in terms of self-reflection. Both the first and the second pilot study showed strong evidence that students transitioned from naive to competent thinking arguments. The main study demonstrated that students greatly improve their self-reflecting skills. The final study confirmed improvement in terms of self-reflecting skills, and showed that students gradually improve their arguments based on logic, reason, sophistication, and evidences. Therefore, the results show that this innovative astrobiology course is an effective tool for enhancing competent thinking skills among non-science major students. / text

Metaphors and assumptions which underlie them occur in everyday language use, including that found in newspaper articles. Conceptions constructed by these metaphors frame how social issues are thought about and acted upon. Adult literacy is such an issue. These representations influence how readers view literacy, and, in turn, may impel policy and practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how articles were distributed over the 1990s in eight Canadian newspapers, what metaphors predominated, which endured, along with metaphorical representations, interpreted and constructed. Using a conceptual approach within the qualitative paradigm, the method was a blend of discourse analysis and critical linguistics, using the metaphor as the unit of study. Ideas from discourse research, metaphor studies, critical linguistics, critical literacy and conceptual analysis shaped the theoretical framework. Sources for research materials were the University of British Columbia Library, in particular its microform section and its online services, the University of Victoria Library, the Vancouver Public Library, the World Wide Web, and databases. Eight Canadian newspapers provided articles relating to adult literacy. The 284 articles collected in the sample were read for instances of metaphor. Access and Excel assisted in seeing the data; the findings were distilled from resulting tables. A culminating diagram depicted the metaphorical representations of adult literacy and guided discussion. Results showed most articles were published in 1990 and 1995 in conjunction with the release dates of literacy reports and surveys. In addition, metaphorical representations, clustered under the framework of a noun as a person, place, or thing, depicted adult literacy as a complex and often contradictory conception comprised of text personified, eight distinct, contrasting places, and two concrete and twelve abstract things. As a place, literacy is represented as a nation, region, sanctuary, divide, found world, lost world, dark territory and null space. As a concrete entity, literacy is organic, a commodity, a product, or a barrier. Literacy as an abstract entity is depicted as science, a deficit, burden, medical entity, spatial entity, journey or quest, crusade or cause, aspiration or liberation, advertising campaign, condition or disability, battle or competition, or theatrical event. Five stereotypes represented the illiterate: the child, the prisoner, the other, the heroic victim and the good citizen. Finally, most metaphors endured over the ten years with literacy as science being the most prevalent and sustained. The study makes six recommendations. First, newspapers should research and publish significant findings of how they construct conceptions such as adult literacy for their readers. Next, discourse and conceptual analysis should be more widely used by adult education researchers. Thirdly, research stemming from discourse and conceptual analysis should be reviewed by adult educators when they are discussing educational program planning or curricular and policy decisions. Fourthly, adult literacy theorists and practitioners should continue to expand their knowledge of conceptions of literacy by using investigative processes including qualitative research that moves beyond functionalist views. Also, adult educators should examine significant educational conceptions and their representations in the media and compare these to the conceptions discussed in academic literature. The last recommendation is that the representations of adult literacy and the illiterate in this study should be compared with the views of adult literacy practitioners and their students.

<p>The research employed a qualitative research paradigm. The ethnographic approach was used to conduct the research. Data collection was done though various ethnographic techniques, classroom observation, in-depth interviews and document analysis. The population was 85 women who participated in a Adult Basic Education and Training programme in Eersterivier in the Cape Peninsula area a questionnaire was used to collect demographic information of the participants Data was analysed by thematic analysis and coded, categorised and discussed according to the aim and objectives of the study in relation to previous studies The main findings were why exploring the existing literacy practice women were depended on others for literacy assistance, which made them avoid literacy events and become vulnerable in this process to cope with the everyday life.</p>

This research, which took the form of a case study in a large textile factory, is primarily concerned with finding out if there is a link between a particular educational level (i.e. ABET level 4 Communications/Language and Mathematics) used as a measure for the first stage of selecting prospective employees as machine operators, and a hard skill (i.e. actually operating a machine). After conducting interviews with nine people in the workplace; doing observations of three machine operators performing their jobs, and analysing various documents, such as the tool used for assessment, I found there to be an incongruence between the ‘requisite’ knowledge and skills and the actual knowledge and skills needed – the language and maths’ competencies needed in order to be deemed ‘competent’ in the assessment are of a higher ABET level than the language and maths needed ‘on-the-job’. But, this research is not simply about language and mathematics competencies. It is also about the ‘new workplace’ that has emerged with the advent and spread of globalisation. My study looks at the appropriateness of the ‘measure’ used as an entry requirement for a job, and by so doing it explores issues of inclusion and exclusion, and power relations. My study is, therefore, located within the critical social science paradigm and I raise questions around issues of morality, ethics and social justice. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This study examined the family literacy practices of ten adult participants who attend the Tembaletu Adult Basic Education (ABE) Centre in rural KwaZulu- Natal. The aim was to explore the influence of the ABE programme on these practices? The concept of family literacy in this rural context was interrogated. This is a qualitative case study, and the data collection techniques included individual interview, focus group interviews, observation, and document analysis. Findings revealed that women engaged in varied literacy practices in their homes. Story telling was more common than reading to children. The participants in the study for the first time are able to engage with their children in school related literacy activities. The extent to which the participants and their children supported each other in their literacy development was dependent on the levels of literacy. The Adult Basic Education programme had a direct impact on the literacy practices in the families of the participants. The benefits reported by the participants included personal empowerment, enhanced self-image, and the acquisition of literacy life skills that are crucial to the health and well being of their families. The study highlights tensions between the content of adult programmes and family literacy practices valued by the participants. Other key issues that emerged in the study are: the link between family literacy and culture; gender and family literacy; family literacy in the context of HIV/Aids. The findings in this study valuable perspectives on emerging family literacy in a rural context - an area of study that is in its infancy in South Africa. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.