This content analysis assesses the insight facilitating capacity of some very common inquiry-based writing activities (featured in today's mainstream first-year college composition texts). It accomplishes that assessment by using three language-based insight facilitating methods--one centered on metaphor, another on opposition, and the other on paradox--as evaluative lenses. The position of this study is that these methods--advanced by widely published scholars in the fields of science, psychology and business as effective insight facilitators--can shed light on development opportunities (where insight facilitation is concerned) in the design and protocol of the writing activities selected for analysis. The outcome is ultimately a comparison of sorts drawn between key insight facilitators at work in the proven methods and comparable features capable of eliciting insight in the writing activities. While the analysis aims to show just how effectively insight facilitation is prompted in the selected writing activities, it also--through its evaluative lens--suggests ways the activities could more effectively do so.

The theoretical part describes the basic knowledge of management, positions and operations of manager, motivation, and motivation to learn. At the same time it sets up the foundation for practical section. In the practical part are mentioned the objectives of work, research questions, research data and data processing procedures. In the practical part analyzes the motivation of students through a questionnaire survey.

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Poor mathematics performance in South African schools is a major concern (Reddy et al., 2014) and learners’ opportunity to learn is one of the concepts that needs to be explored in schools (Dowd, Friedlander & Guajardo, 2014). Several authors (Gür, 2009; Ebert, 2017; Rohimah & Prabawanto, 2019) state that learners believe that trigonometry is difficult and abstract compared with the other topics of mathematics. Opportunity to learn (OTL) is defined as the degree to which learners during instruction get exposed to the content of the mathematics intended curriculum (Reeves & Muller, 2005). The term “mathematical tasks” refers to classwork problems, homework problems, projects, investigations and assignments. These tasks play a vital role in effective teaching and learning. Learners’ OTL was explored according to the types and nature of tasks selected by the teacher, and the pedagogical approach and strategies used by teachers and the influence of these two aspects on the time spent on tasks and learner engagement. This study therefore aimed to answer the research question about the extent to which mathematics tasks provided Grade 10 learners an opportunity to learn trigonometry. A two-part conceptual framework was used: the first part focused on the task selection in terms of its nature and cognitive demand and the second part focused on the teacher-specific factors such as teachers’ approaches and strategies. The influence of these two parts on the implementation of the tasks by the learners in terms of time-on-task and learner engagement was then described. A qualitative approach was followed, and a descriptive case study was conducted with two Grade 10 mathematics teachers from two formerly disadvantaged public schools in Gauteng Province. A qualitative research approach was used in which document analysis and classroom observations served as data collection techniques. A deductive analysis approach was implemented. The study revealed that teachers mainly gave learners recall-type and routine procedure questions involving pure mathematics, which according to CAPS’ cognitive demands, are classified as lower order thinking tasks. There was a lack of higher order mathematics tasks that could have provided the learners with and OTL trigonometry effectively. The study further revealed that both teachers’ approaches were dominated by a teacher-centred approach where the focus was on the teachers and where teachers mainly used direct teaching as teaching strategy where learners were directed to learn through memorisation and recitation techniques. Although, due to the small sample, the study’s results cannot be generalised, I believe that the findings will contribute to pre- and in-service teacher training, where teachers come to realise the importance of appropriate mathematics tasks to contribute to learners’ OTL. Moreover, the study’s findings highlight the need to engage the four cognitive levels, namely knowledge (20%), routine procedures (35%), complex procedures (30%), and problem solving (15%) in the types of tasks. The value of teachers’ choices regarding the teaching approaches and strategies used should never be under-estimated. Future research could possibly build on this study by examining the implementation of tasks to enhance learners’ in-depth understanding of trigonometry. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / MEd / Unrestricted

Abstract  There is increasing use of technology in the education system, such as computers, and different programs learners can use to study vocabulary. In this study, the goal was to find out if pupils in secondary education learn new vocabulary more efficiently when handwriting or typing on a computer. To study the matter, firstly, a recall and recognition test was conducted followed by a word acquisition test. Finally, two group interviews were performed to find out if there was an agreement between pupils’ understanding of how they learn most efficiently, by typing or by handwriting, and the results of this study.  The study departs from the theory that learners acquire new vocabulary more efficiently when writing by hand since the motor process of handwriting increases activity in the brain, which possibly makes learners remember better what they have written. In addition, we have considered the theory that young people who have lived their whole life with technology are more proficient in typing, rather than writing by hand and if that is the case, will it affect their motor memory? Finally, the theory that computer-assisted language learning makes vocabulary acquisition more efficient will be discussed through pupils’ own opinions from the interviews.  The result from this study shows that pupils in secondary education in Sweden, learn vocabulary in a foreign language more efficiently when typing on a computer rather than writing by hand. This is not in agreement with pupils’ thoughts, nevertheless, it is in accordance with their preferences.

This study uses qualitative methods to investigate the use of writing in a content course for elementary education majors in which writing was considered an important part of mathematical learning. The study differs from previous studies by investigating the role of writing in the everyday instructional activities, rather than investigating writing as a separate mathematical activity. An analysis of the instruction and class discussions that took place in this class reveals that components of writing that were addressed implicitly and explicitly in classroom instruction were developed simultaneously with conceptual understanding, suggesting a much stronger and more integral relationship between writing and learning than the relationship that has been hypothesized by previous research. Furthermore, specific ways in which the class was structured seemed to support the development of students' written explanations. Appropriate explanations of particular concepts were modeled by both teacher and students, and explanations of mathematical concepts were developed gradually in a relatively consistent progression that paralleled the development of the concepts themselves. The findings of this study contribute to the field of research by helping to describe the relationship between writing and learning and by illuminating some of the ways in which both student learning and student writing are affected by classroom instruction.

In this qualitative study, I explored teacher beliefs and practices about struggling adolescent readers. I chose to study 3 middle school 7th- and 8th-grade English teachers based on purposeful and convenience sampling through principal recommendation. My data consisted of interviews, observations, and documents to understand what teachers believe about struggling adolescent readers and what teachers of struggling middle school students do during instruction. I created the interviews and observation protocols and analyzed the data using the How People Learn Framework (Darling-Hammond & Bransford, 2005; National Research Council, 2000). Findings suggest (1) negative extrinsic motivation was used to boost student assessment performance, (2) the lack of foundational reading skills can cause problems through adolescence, (3) discussion strategies were used to assist struggling adolescent readers, (4) teachers had strong opinions about data walls, and (5) positive relationships with and between students were beneficial. These findings suggest implications for teachers and school leaders.

Learning of threshold concepts in engineering science courses such as statics has traditionally been a difficult and critical juncture for engineering students. Research and other systematic efforts to improve the teaching of statics in recent years range widely, from development of courseware and assessment tools to experiential and other "hands-on" learning techniques. This dissertation reports the findings from a multi-year, dual-institution study investigating possible links between short writing assignments and conceptual knowledge development in statics courses. The theoretical framework of the study draws on elements from cognitive learning theory: expertise, procedural and conceptual knowledge development, and conceptual change. The way that students approach learning in statics with regard to procedural and conceptual knowledge is explored qualitatively, and the relationship between the writing assignments and conceptual knowledge development is examined using a mixed-methods approach. The results show that students approach learning in statics with varying emphasis placed on procedural and conceptual knowledge development and that a student's learning approach influences their perception of the written problems and the ways that they utilize them in learning. Thus, they provide evidence that the learning approach of students may be an important factor in the success of interventions designed to improve conceptual knowledge in statics. Increases in conceptual knowledge as a result of completing the written problems are also empirically supported though limited by problems with data collection. Areas for future work in light of these findings are identified. / Ph. D.

This study examined the relationships between opportunity to learn (OTL), science engagement, and science achievement in students' middle school level. This study used the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) data from the 2003 wave. The data were analyzed using structuring equation modeling and hierarchical linear modeling. It was hypothesized that students' engagement in science is a mediator between opportunity to learn and science achievement. Moreover, class and school level variability was also examined since the organization of the data was nested. The study examined the effects of OTL on students' emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement in science and subsequently on science achievement controlling for family socioeconomics status. The results of structural equation modeling supported some theoretical formulations of the conceptual model, and showed significant effect of OTL factors on students' science engagement, especially the behavioral engagement. Furthermore, science emotional and cognitive engagement showed positive effects on science achievement, but the effect of behavioral engagement on science achievement was complex. Detailed exploration and discussions were included in this study. The findings from hierarchical linear models suggested that students' science achievement was not only related to students' engagement, but also varied by class and school level OTL factors. The study had both theoretical and practical significances, providing valuable insights for the pedagogy of science. / Ph. D.