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As organizations grow and expand past their operational headquarters, individual branches may reflect a different identity than that of the headquarters. The question then is, "Is senior management able to transcend geographical boundaries and communicate the identity that has shaped their strategy for the organization?" The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of geographical expansion on the reflected perceptions of internal stakeholders related to the organization's intended identity as defined by senior management. Through this study, four themes emerged from the data. The themes included a reliance on reputation, a sense of belonging, peer influence, and communication congruence. Based on this data, the study provides a marketing of identity process to assist organizations in communicating their identity throughout the organization and across geographic locations.

The purpose of this quantitative exploratory experimental design study was to examine the effects of end-user’s multi-dimension engagement (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) on their cybersecurity intended behaviors (coping and threat appraisals). Additionally, this study is an effort to understand how end-users’ engagement levels changed over multiple playing sessions. There were two research questions: (1) “Do engagement levels have a relationship with the players’ intended behaviors in a cybersecurity serious game?” and (2) “Does playing more sessions of cybersecurity serious game affect players’ engagement?” The protection motivation theory (PMT) was used to assess users’ intended behaviors for two factors: (a) coping appraisal, and (b) threat appraisal. While, the multi-dimension factors of engagement (MDFE) instrument was used to assess users’ multi-dimensions engagement levels (cognitive, affective, and behavior).A total of 122 participants fully completed the (a) pre_knowledge initial survey, (b) assigned training sessions, and (c) post-training surveys (MDFE and PMT). Descriptive analysis was used to assess participants’ background as age, gender, and pre-knowledge. A multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine whether a linear combination of the multi-dimensional engagement factors: cognitive, affective, and behavior (as predictors) could predict coping appraisal and threat appraisal as factors of intended behaviors. Also, an independent samples t-test was used to determine whether there would be statistically significant differences in the engagement levels (cognitive, affective, and behavior) between group A and group B that underwent three and five training sessions of gameplay, respectively.The result showed cognitive engagement (i.e., challenge, graphics, and attainable goals) was as significant predictor for end-users’ intended behaviors for both coping and threat appraisals. However, affective and behavioral engagement were not significant predictors for end-users’ intended behaviors (for both coping and threat appraisals). Moreover, the analysis showed that end-users’ engagement levels changed over multiple playing sessions. Group B, who underwent more training sessions, showed more engagement levels. These results have implications on cybersecurity serious game design to include cognitive activities (i.e., challenge, graphics, attainable goals) to assure participants’ engagement levels remain high. Similarly, incorporate activities to enhance players’ confidence and autonomy to assure participants are affectively engaged. And finally, multiple-players game design is recommended to achieve social engagement. Also, findings would be helpful in implementing how often to prescribe the training session. Finally, several implications have been suggested to serious games designers.

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Information visualization is applied in many fields to gain faster insights with lighter user cognitive loads in analyzing large sets of data. As more products are being introduced each year, how can one select the most effective tool or representation form for the task? There are a number of information visualization evaluation methods currently available. However, these evaluation methods are often limited by the appropriateness of the tool for a given domain since they are not evaluating according to tools' intended use. Current methods conduct evaluations in a laboratory environment with "benchmark" tasks and often with field data sets not aligned with the intended use of the tools. The absence of realistic data sets and routine tests reduces the effectiveness of the evaluation in terms of the appropriateness of the tool for a given domain. Intended use evaluation approach captures the key activities that will use the visual technology to calibrate the evaluation criteria toward these first-order needs. This research thesis presents the results from an investigation into an intended use evaluation approach and its effectiveness of measuring domain specific information visualization tools. In investigating the evaluation approach, criteria for the intelligence analysis community have been developed for demonstration purposes. While the observations from this research are compelling for the intelligence community, the principles of the evaluation approach should apply to a wider range of visualization technologies. All the design rationale and processes were captured in this thesis. This thesis presents a design process of developing criteria and measuring five intelligence analysis visual analytic tools. The study suggests that in selecting and/or evaluating visual analytic tools, a little up front effort to analyze key activities regarding the domain field will be beneficial. Such analysis can substantially reduce evaluation time and necessary effort throughout a longer period of time. / Master of Science

The objective of educational innovation, wherever it takes place, at school or at national level, is to improve current practices. In its recent attempt to improve the quality of education in Malawi, the national government in 2001 embarked on curriculum reform and adopted an Outcomes Based curriculum which was implemented in 2007. The design features of the Malawi Outcomes Based Education were influenced by South Africa’s Curriculum 2005. Following the implementation of the curriculum reform, the purpose of this study was to investigate the enactment of Expressive Arts, its theme-based design and content, facilitative pedagogy and continuous assessment in a selection of six state primary schools – three urban and three rural in Zomba district where teachers were first trained to teach Expressive Arts. The study is framed by the theory of Illuminative evaluation (Parlett and Hamilton, 1976) and Productive Pedagogies (Lingard et al., 2001). Following a qualitative research design, data were collected through observation and post-observation interviews. Data analysis showed limited productive pedagogies in most lessons. The majority of lessons were characterised by lower intellectual quality, a focus on instrumental knowledge, integration at a superficial level, dominance of communalising practices, gendered practices, prevalence of localising discourses and a pedagogy aimed at national examinations. The overall picture from these findings is that classroom atmosphere in the twelve classrooms gave students limited opportunities for the acquisition of knowledge and development of skills, values and attitudes required for them to actively participate in the changing Malawian context and to be able to compete successfully in other contexts. It appears that dominant pedagogic practices in the Expressive Arts classroom serve to position learners in parochial orientations and issues. Therefore, there was an obvious discrepancy between the state’s intended curriculum and the teachers’ enacted curriculum. The implications of these findings for Malawi education have been raised. The most salient of these implications include the need for Malawi Institute of Education, the main change agent of primary school curriculum in the country, not only to consider revising the Expressive Arts curriculum but also to focus on the development of teachers in line with their needs for deeper content knowledge and productive pedagogic strategies.

<p>The thesis deals with how<strong> </strong>technology as a school subject is presented to the pupils in the Swedish compulsory school at junior high school level. The main focus is on how teachers work with the subject matter in teaching, which is on the level of <em>the</em> <em>enacted curriculum</em>. The official documents established by the national school authorities,<em> the intended curriculum</em>, and <em>the hidden curriculum</em> are both of special interest in the study. The hidden curriculum refers to possible, but not intended consequences of the enacted curriculum for pupils’ understanding of technology as a school subject. </p><p><em>          </em>The empirical analysis of the study is based on a narrative analysis on the one hand and the variation theory on the other. The empirical data collection consists of data from:<strong> </strong>(a) interviews with five teachers and (b) a series of classroom observations, covering an entire section of each teacher’s course of the subject matter.</p><p>          The data from the interviews with these teachers indicated that they understood the concept of technology as<strong> </strong>human made artefacts aiming to satisfy practical needs. When it came to the understanding of technology as a school subject the teachers differed between understanding the aim of the subject as to: (1) practice craftsmanship, (2) prepare the pupils for future careers as engineers, (3) illustrate science, (4) strengthen girls’ technical self-confidence and (5) get the pupils interested in technology in order to become inventors in the future. <strong></strong></p><p>The data from the classroom observations indicated that the teaching presented in technology gave the pupils the opportunity to develop three specific capabilities: (1) evaluate and test functionality, (2) be precise and accurate and (3) construct, build and mount. The three capabilities were possible to develop when accomplishing tasks of practical character. Results also indicated that technology as a school subject was taught in different ways depending on the teachers’ educational background, the physical learning environment and the size of the school class. Variation theory was applied as a tool in the analysis of the data from the classroom observations, i.e. the teachers’ ways of working with the subject matter. The analysis indicated that the most frequently used pattern of variation was ‘contrast’.  Through the contrast-variation the teachers managed to contrast better or worse alternatives of constructing and using artefacts. It can be argued that this pattern of variation, ‘contrast’, is the proper pattern when pupils are working with limited or expensive material.<strong></strong></p><p>          The overall conclusion of the study is that teachers’ interpretations of current intended curriculum and their choices of subject matter and teaching methods affect which abilities the pupils are<strong> </strong>offered to develop in technology as a school subject. Based on the results of the study it can be argued that the education and the teaching of technology lacks realism and the result is that technology as a school subject may be experienced by pupils as not very important. It is obvious that the school subject technology, as well as teaching in technology, in the Swedish compulsory school, demands more attention from the national school authorities, in order to develop the pupils’ understanding that technology as a subject is related to the future development of society and social welfare.<strong></strong></p><p> </p>

Žemaitijos kolegija - tai moderni, pripažinta visuomenėje aukštoji mokykla, rengianti darbo rinkoje paklausą turinčius specialistus, besiorientuojanti į Žemaitijos regiono poreikius, įsiliejusi į Europos aukštojo mokslo sistemą, nuolat besimokanti ir besiremianti demokratinėmis tradicijomis, mokymo procese taikanti naujausias technologijas, plėtojanti mokslo taikomuosius tyrimus ir taikomąją mokslinę veiklą. Pagrindinė šio darbo problema: trūksta empirinių tyrimų, kurie atspindėtų būsimųjų pedagogų mokymosi motyvaciją skatinančius ir slopinančius veiksnius, pedagogines galimybes įtakoti studentų motyvaciją, atskleisti svarbius šių ryšių aspektus: lyčių skirtumus bei ryšį su mokymosi pažangumu. Šiame darbe siekta išsiaiškinti Žemaitijos kolegijos Telšių menų ir pedagogikos fakulteto būsimųjų pedagogų mokymosi motyvaciją, ją skatinančius ir slopinančius veiksnius. Uždaviniai: aptarti mokymosi motyvacijos teorinius aspektus, įvertinti būsimųjų pedagogų mokymosi motyvaciją, nustatyti studentų motyvaciją skatinančius ir slopinančius veiksnius, nustatyti studentų bendravimo su pedagogais ir mokymosi motyvacijos ryšį, įvertinti skirtumus tarp lyčių bei pažangumo. Darbe naudoti tyrimo metodai: mokslinės, pedagoginės, psichologinės, filosofinės su darbo tema susijusios literatūros analizė, parengtos anketos studentams ir dėstytojams, kurios leido išsiaiškinti būsimųjų pedagogų – kolegijos studentų – mokymosi motyvaciją, atlikta tyrimo duomenų statistinė analizė ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Zemaitija College is a modern school of higher education, recognized in public which prepares specialists necessary for labour market, oriented to the needs of Zemaitija region, joined to the European system of higher education, constantly learning and based on democratic traditions, applying new technologies during the process of studies, developing scientific applied researches and applied scientific activity. The main problem of this work: the shortage of empirical researches reflecting the promoted and suppressed factors of learning motivations of the future teachers, pedagogical possibilities to impact the motivations on students, to open the main aspects of these connections: the differences of sex and the connection with the learning achievements. With this work I have tried to find out the learning motivation and its promoted and suppressed factors of the future teachers in Telsiai Zemaitija College, in the faculty of Art and Pedagogy. The tasks: to discuss theoretical aspects of learning motivation, to evaluate the learning motivation of the future teachers, to set the connection of students’ relations with teachers, to evaluate differences between the sexes and achievements. The methods of researches used in the work: the analysis of scientific, pedagogical, psychological, philosophical literature associated with the topic of the work; prepared questionnaires both for students and lectures, which helped to find out the learning motivation of the future teachers -... [to full text]

The thesis deals with how technology as a school subject is presented to the pupils in the Swedish compulsory school at junior high school level. The main focus is on how teachers work with the subject matter in teaching, which is on the level of the enacted curriculum. The official documents established by the national school authorities, the intended curriculum, and the hidden curriculum are both of special interest in the study. The hidden curriculum refers to possible, but not intended consequences of the enacted curriculum for pupils’ understanding of technology as a school subject.            The empirical analysis of the study is based on a narrative analysis on the one hand and the variation theory on the other. The empirical data collection consists of data from: (a) interviews with five teachers and (b) a series of classroom observations, covering an entire section of each teacher’s course of the subject matter.           The data from the interviews with these teachers indicated that they understood the concept of technology as human made artefacts aiming to satisfy practical needs. When it came to the understanding of technology as a school subject the teachers differed between understanding the aim of the subject as to: (1) practice craftsmanship, (2) prepare the pupils for future careers as engineers, (3) illustrate science, (4) strengthen girls’ technical self-confidence and (5) get the pupils interested in technology in order to become inventors in the future. The data from the classroom observations indicated that the teaching presented in technology gave the pupils the opportunity to develop three specific capabilities: (1) evaluate and test functionality, (2) be precise and accurate and (3) construct, build and mount. The three capabilities were possible to develop when accomplishing tasks of practical character. Results also indicated that technology as a school subject was taught in different ways depending on the teachers’ educational background, the physical learning environment and the size of the school class. Variation theory was applied as a tool in the analysis of the data from the classroom observations, i.e. the teachers’ ways of working with the subject matter. The analysis indicated that the most frequently used pattern of variation was ‘contrast’.  Through the contrast-variation the teachers managed to contrast better or worse alternatives of constructing and using artefacts. It can be argued that this pattern of variation, ‘contrast’, is the proper pattern when pupils are working with limited or expensive material.           The overall conclusion of the study is that teachers’ interpretations of current intended curriculum and their choices of subject matter and teaching methods affect which abilities the pupils are offered to develop in technology as a school subject. Based on the results of the study it can be argued that the education and the teaching of technology lacks realism and the result is that technology as a school subject may be experienced by pupils as not very important. It is obvious that the school subject technology, as well as teaching in technology, in the Swedish compulsory school, demands more attention from the national school authorities, in order to develop the pupils’ understanding that technology as a subject is related to the future development of society and social welfare.