Magister Artium (Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science) - MA(SRES) / Childhood obesity and its associated major health risk factors such as dyslipidaemia, type II diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, is a growing problem across the globe, with physical inactivity being considered a major contributing factor. At present it appears that we are losing the fight against inactivity and obesity in young people. According to some researchers we are raising the most sedentary and unhealthy generation in history. However, the existence of Physical Education in schools is under continuous threat. An overview of the literature on the global status of Physical Education highlights the nonexistence of the subject in many parts of the world especially in developing regions, while some national governments proposed either the removal of Physical Education from the curriculum or a reduced curriculum time allocation. Therefore, the overall aim of the study is to assess the current status of Physical Education in the Zambezi region of Namibia and to assess the attitudes of senior secondary school learners towards the subject. Quantitative and qualitative research approaches were used to obtain information about the official status of Physical Education in Namibia and the Zambezi region in particular; whether it is offered and taught; barriers (facilities; teacher qualifications; time-tabling, etc.) and learners' experiences, feelings, beliefs and perceptions on the status of the subject in the region. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used to gather the data. The study population consisted of all the PE teachers and Grade 11 and 12 learners from all 10 senior secondary schools in the Zambezi region. Learners' and teacher's responses to each item in the questionnaires were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences V22 (SPSS) software programme. The study was conducted according to ethical practices pertaining to human subjects, as specified by the Faculty of Community and Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the UWC. A lack of qualified teachers was found to be one of the factors that cause low status of Physical Education in schools in the region. The study further found that lack or shortage of facilities was established to be a major crisis in all schools across the Zambezi Region. The 'non-educational' status of Physical Education come forth when earners were accorded time to express their feelings by answering the questions: "Do you consider Physical Education to be an important subject at a school?" and "Do you consider Physical Education to be as important as other subjects like Mathematics?" The findings too revealed that learners felt Physical Education is not as important as Mathematics, because Physical Education is a non promotional subject with no examinations written, while Mathematics is a promotional subject with examinations. Physical Education was found to be offered to both boys and girls without discrimination based on gender or cultural background. Girls and boys differed on all items tested. Boys were found to be a lot more negative about Physical Education. The study further found that monitoring, supervising and inspection of Physical Education in schools were inadequate. There were no inspectors from the regional education offices to oversee whether the subject was being taught according to the national standards outlined in the curriculum. Both phases of the study found that the school curriculum's goals and objectives were clearly stated in some of the schools' syllabi, though it was not fully emphasised or given effect to in the implementation phases. This was also one of the factors contributing to the low status of Physical Education in schools in which learners established that the curriculum was uninteresting.

Self-regulation is necessary for success in any learning context, but for adult immigrants to the United States who are trying to learn English, it is critical. This qualitative research investigated 46 such learners enrolled in a blended English language course. Using Zimmerman’s 6 dimensions of self-regulation as a framework and data from observations, interviews, and reflexive journals, we attempted to understand and describe how these learners experienced self-regulation. We found that although these learners had strong desires to learn English, they lacked the self-regulation abilities that could bring their desires to fruition. They had difficulty transferring their desires to learn English into persistent motivation, effective goals, and management of time and physical environment so they could prepare for class and complete the online modules. They were more proficient in proactively using language learning strategies and creating a social network to which they could turn for help. However, in both of those areas, they did not evaluate their activities to see where they could improve. The results suggest that embedding self-regulation instruction into a language course could increase learner retention and academic success. When designing such instruction for these adult learners, designers should adapt their instruction to the type of access the students have, their culture and values, and the context of their lives.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the views of master trainers for life skills and the views of secondary school learners concerning the information they receive on HIV/AIDS. Master trainers are educators who were identified by the Department of Education to train groups of people and learners in various schools about life skills. Life skills can be described as the adaptive and positive behaviour that enables individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. My assumption was that there may be a relationship between how the messages are communicated and understood and adolescent behaviour. There may also be factors that contribute to a lack of change in behaviour - despite the information disseminated on HIV/AIDS. To reach out to young South Africans with effective prevention programmes has become a key to slowing the rate of HIV infection and ensuring a stronger future for the country (UNAIDS, 2006). This is done through awareness programmes in school-based life skills education, which is part of the life orientation programme. Knowledge of the views would be important to all people involved in the battle against the pandemic and may benefit, particularly, those educators who have been assigned the special role of disseminating HIV prevention messages. Learners receive messages from different sources, such as media, peers, parents and educators in various institutions. The problem is that despite the knowledge acquired through various programmes, learners are still unwilling to translate that knowledge into positive behaviour (low risk sexual behaviour). Girls are still falling pregnant and, therefore, it is very important to look at the messages learners get and how they understand them as this may have an influence on their behaviour. This research has used a qualitative approach to collect and analyse data. Semi-structured interviews were used because to obtain rich descriptive data that helped the researcher to understand the participants’ construction of knowledge and social reality (Maree et al., 2009).Two master trainers from each of the three identified secondary schools were interviewed. Group interviews were used for and learners. The study was conducted in Barberton in the Ehlanzeni region of Mpumalanga. The data was collected using a tape-recorder. Permission and consent was sought and obtained to collect data in the schools that were involved in the study. The data was analysed and several themes were identified. The messages that the learners received from the Life Skills programmes were perceived in different ways. The different sources of knowledge concerning HIV/AIDS that the learners accessed at the time contained conflicting messages. More emphasis was placed on the debate around the use of condoms, while there were other issues that needed attention, such as decaying moral standards, lack of parental support, peer influence and material needs - all factors that lead to risky sexual behaviour in teenage learners. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Many thousands of people with varying degrees of preparation teach English as a second or foreign language to many millions of people around the world. Some of these teachers are novice, volunteer teachers, who have not received any professional-level training. These novice teachers help to meet the demand for English teachers by often teaching for little remuneration or in non-ideal teaching conditions. These teachers can benefit from receiving training in how to teach English as a foreign language. Basic Training and Resources for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (BTRTESOL) is a program that is being created to provide training to these novice teachers on a wide variety of topics, including teaching various age groups. Research has shown that children learn language differently from adults. It is therefore important that teachers be aware of the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children and the teaching techniques that help children acquire language. Additionally, important differences exist between very young children (aged 3-7) and children (aged 7-11) that affect how they learn and how they should be taught. In addition to novice, untrained teachers, people who have been trained to teach English to adults may work abroad teaching English to children. They can benefit from additional training in educating children. In sum, training in the distinctive language learning needs of children will help all these teachers and their students to be more successful.

Increased numbers of low educated adults lacking basic first language literacy skills are moving to the United States making literacy an important individual difference to consider in the field of second language acquisition and ESL instruction (Tarone, Bigelow, & Hansen, 2009; Young-Scholten, 2013). Many of the materials and instructional approaches typically used in ESL classes assume students are literate in their first languages which is increasingly not the case. These learners may be affected by difficult life experiences such as interrupted schooling resulting from long sojourns in refugee camps. Chapter one of this Report will give readers an introduction to some of these low-literate learners, focusing on the background of a specific group of Somali learners at Kakuma refugee camp. Chapters two and three review research on the development of literacy skills and the efficacy of various approaches to teaching basic literacy skills. Special attention is paid to how first language literacy skills might affect an individual's acquisition of L2 literacy. Chapter four examines a pilot ESL course which taught low-literate adult Somali refugees at Kakuma refugee camp in northwestern Kenya and suggests introducing basic first language literacy skills into the ESL course curriculum. / text

As the number of immigrants and refugees grows in the US, the linguistic and cultural diversity that comprises the middle grades classroom continues to increase. Given the need for resources and specific attention to linguistic and cultural strategies for these populations, this three year ethnographic study examined the schooling experiences of young adolescent immigrant and refugee students in a small town located in a rural state. Historically a homogeneous area, this community recently became a multilingual/multicultural setting. I documented the schooling experiences of my participants utilizing ethnographic methods including participant observation, interviews, and document analysis. My data describe how immigrant and refugee students internalized middle grades organizational structures such as teaming and multiage grouping. The findings suggest much variability among the students’ experiences, ranging from little or no academic, emotional, and/or social support to such high levels of support that students felt ostracized and disempowered. The implications for researchers center on expanding the current research in middle grades best practice to include a new set of voices, while practical implications focus on creating a safe environment where immigrants can express themselves and feel comfortable asking for the level of support they need.

The purpose of this study was to provide an empirical test of the widely held belief that performance-based assessment provides a fairer picture of English-language learners' mathematical skills and knowledge than does a standardized assessment. Specifically, I compared the performance of 94 third-graders on the measurement subscale of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) mathematics test to their performance on a set of measurement reasoning and applications that was drawn from their third-grade hands-on science curriculum. Then, I present examples within the non-standardized testing setting where students were provided with real-time language-based accommodations as recommended by the research literature. Finally, I looked at how well these students' level of English language proficiency predicted performance on each of the two assessments. English proficiency level failed to predict FCAT performance. It did predict performance on the reasoning and applications tasks. These findings present a challenge to the conventional wisdom that performance-based assessments provide a less-biased picture of ELL's mathematical knowledge than do standardized tests.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of writing strategies in promoting 13-15 years old Chinese ESL learners’ writing ability. Two writing strategies I selected in this study are Julia's (in James 2000) 8-step writing strategy and Englert's (1991) POWER strategy. Both writing strategies are designed based on Hayes and Flower's (1989) theory of writing process but with different steps in guiding writing. According to their different functions, these two strategies can stand for two main kinds of writing strategies at present. The study included two questionnaires and two writing tests designed for fifteen Chinese students who were chosen randomly in grade 3 of a middle school. Through the analysis of these questionnaires, the students’ attitude to writing and the functions of writing strategies were collected in order to keep the two tests reliable and authentic. And then, the pre-test was used to evaluate these students' primary level of English writing; in the post-test, these students were divided into three groups: the first two groups received two writing strategies and the last one was no strategy group. The comparison of their writing results between the two tests were analysed. Both writing strategies groups in the post-test showed the effectiveness of the given writing strategies .   Two writing strategies were chosen for this study according to the research objects' English level and cognitive capability. And the fifteen research objects chosen in Chinese middle school represent the average level of Chinese ESL learners in writing. The analysis of their results in both tests focused on the content of their writings and writing elements, such as, vocabulary, grammar, organization. In the qualitative research of the study, the 8-step writing strategy is shown to be the more effective one for 13-15 years old Chinese ESL learners.

My study investigated the effects of two 50/50 and two 90/10 two-way dual language programs on the reading achievement of 76 English Language Learners (ELLs) from the end of third grade to the end of fourth grade. My study used both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative instruments included the Spanish Reading Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and the Reading Proficiency Test in English (RPTE) scores. Qualitative instruments included structured interviews with the two-way dual language program coordinators/administrators. The quantitative results of my study showed there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups on the Spanish Reading TAKS by the end of fourth grade. The 50/50 students did make statistically significant gain scores on the Spanish TAKS from the end of third grade to the end of fourth grade, but the 90/10 students did not make statistically significant gains. Both groups were performing above the State averages on scale score and passing rate on the Spanish Reading TAKS. On the RPTE, the results of my study showed there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups by the end of fourth grade. Both the 50/50 and the 90/10 students made significant gain scores on the RPTE from third grade to fourth grade. The 50/50 students made a greater gain on the RPTE than then 90/10 students did. Both groups of dual language ELLs had higher percentages of students in the advanced high rating than the State on the RPTE. The qualitative results showed that several elements were necessary to implement and maintain these two-way dual language programs. These elements included: planning, resources, parental support, qualified teachers, and supportive administrators.

This report will review some of the current and past literature on case-based learning and instruction, while also providing the reader with a background on the development of this particular learning strategy with implications for future research. The first two chapters will review case-based learning/instruction by examining its background and history, current uses, and benefits associated with its current uses in educational settings, as well as how these benefits may apply to younger learners. In chapter three, I have discussed some of the more well established discussion-based methods in K-12 education, specifically those most similar to case-based learning. This section is followed by suggestions for implementing case-based learning and instruction with younger learners. The report concludes with limitations associated with case-based learning and its implementation with younger learners. / text