Universities should strive to educate students by applying new learning environments where students are given the opportunity to explore the world of education by the use of mobile devices. These technologies and mobile devices are already second nature to them and applying these devices in a learning environment will improve the students’ learning experience. It is sensible to make use of these new technologies to get students attention, since students will find learning interesting and more enjoyable. Students’ attitude towards a mobile learning environment and learning with mobile devices has already received much attention in existing literature. This study aimed to determine whether South African, University students will welcome the use of mobile devices during their studies, especially in the field of Taxation. The study also focussed on students’ attitudes towards using e-books instead of the hardcopy textbooks during their studies and during open-book assessments. This longitudinal study made use of two questionnaires to obtain the feedback on students’ perception on what they believe mobile learning to be, their acceptance and willingness to engage with a mobile learning environment and to determine whether their attitudes towards mobile learning have change over two academic years. Furthermore, statistical analysis of the data was done to determine whether a significant difference exists between the responses between male and female students. The results indicated that more males are interested in using mobile technologies for educational purposes, however, it is not significant. It was concluded that students, when given the opportunity, are interested to engage with a mobile learning environment. It was lastly concluded that no significant change in acceptance and willingness of engaging with a mobile learning environment exists over two academic years. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lmchunu2014 / Taxation / unrestricted

The number of new graduates greatly affects the existence of any profession and for the nursing profession this rings very true. However, in this caring and nurturing profession many undergraduate nursing students indicate that they consider leaving the profession due to exposure to intra-professional violence. Intra-professional violence may take many forms, is perpetrated by different individuals and have negative effects on patients, staff and institutions therefore it should be identified and managed. In South Africa it has, so far, been a topic which has not received much attention. Purpose Determine the presence of intra-professional violence experienced by undergraduate nursing students in South Africa and then create an awareness of intra-professional violence to eliminate the occurrence thereof. Design A quantitative, non-experimental, explorative and descriptive design was used. Methods The data was collected by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed to undergraduate nursing students at nine NEI in South Africa. Findings Although characteristics of oppressed group behaviour are present in undergraduate nursing students it to a low extent. Undergraduate nursing students are experiencing intra-professional violence in the clinical learning environment from different perpetrators. The most likely perpetrator is the registered nurse. The intra-professional violence does cause stress but are deemed controllable according to the undergraduate nursing students. Furthermore the results show that the presence of stress results in an increased control of intra-professional violence. The most likely coping mechanism for intra-professional violence is to do nothing. Conclusion The findings correlated with international results and indicate that intra-professional violence is experienced by undergraduate nursing students in South Africa. Oppressed group behaviour is a contributing factor, but is not the sole cause. Undergraduate nursing students do need education about intra-professional violence and engaging coping mechanisms. Clinical relevance If intra-professional violence is controlled, interpersonal relationships can improve. This would create an environment in which learning can be promoted and undergraduate nursing students will be able to develop their clinical skills with confidence. Furthermore, attrition will decline and nursing shortages can be countered. / Dissertation (MCur)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Nursing Science / unrestricted

The purpose of the study was to investigate early childhood educators' understandings and beliefs about the role of the early childhood learning environment. In particular, this study was conducted in four Reggio Emilia inspired Canadian childcare and preschool classrooms in order to examine how the fundamental principles of the Reggio Emilia approach were interpreted within a Canadian context. Semi-structured interviews were employed with ten educators to investigate their knowledge, experiences, and beliefs about the learning environment. The data sources included interview notes, audiotapes, and photos of the classroom environment without any child/adult present. The teachers’ beliefs about the role of the learning environment were reflected in materials, aesthetics, and documentation. First, the participants believed that children need to have access to a wide range of materials to stimulate and support their play. Second, several participants stressed the importance of creating the sense of well-being that an aesthetically-pleasing and well-kept classroom provides. Finally, the concept of making learning visible requires a number of participants to collect the children’s works and experiences in as many types of media as possible. The findings suggest that such an interpretation of environment is highly dependent on teachers’ and other adults’ views of development; that variations in practices may reflect cultural differences in both beliefs about, and expectations for, their children. In order to move beyond traditional rituals and responsibilities associated with the early childhood setting, more extensive research in early childhood environments is needed. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

No description available.

The study employed a qualitative multiple case study approach to investigate second-grade students’ perceptions of their classrooms’ physical learning environment. Data were collected through interviews, participant-generated photographs, and observations. Participants in the study were 16 students in four classrooms in three school districts. A physical learning environment tool, Assessing the Pillars of the Physical Environment for Academic Learning (APPEAL), developed by Evanshen and Faulk and published in 2019, was used to select classrooms to participate in the study. According to the scale, the top-scoring classrooms were more learner-centered (more constructivist) than the lowest-scoring (more traditional) classrooms. Generally, participants believed that classroom physical learning environments that were best for them were meaningful, offered easy access to resources and materials, and provided active learning and social engagement opportunities. Both physical and emotional comfort were important to participants. There were more similarities than differences between the participants’ perceptions in the classrooms that scored highest on the APPEAL and the classes that scored lowest. The findings suggested that young children’s perceptions of the environment can be influenced by their experiences or contexts and their differences. The results encourage teachers of young children to think about their students as actively affected by their environment and challenge them to design classroom physical learning environments that support the diverse needs of students within these spaces.

No description available.

The aim of this qualitative research was to gain an in-depth understanding of how teachers of toddlers (aged 25-36 months) described sound and music learning opportunities and experiences provided to children in their learning environments. In this research, teachers were asked how their personal and professional experiences with sound and music influenced their planning of toddlers’ sound and music learning opportunities. The design of this study was in-depth interviews of six toddler lead teachers in three childcare sites. Data were gathered through photographs, planning documents, and in-depth interviews using a university IRB-approved video conferencing program. Findings showed that all participants valued the significance of sound and music and considered them to be sources of enjoyment and appreciation. However, participants provided sound and music learning opportunities based on their individual interpretations of sound and music. These interpretations were informed by their personal experiences with sound and music and their childcare sites' underlying philosophy and curricula. The findings of this study have relevance for various stakeholders, including early childhood educators, music teachers, school administrators, policymakers, and researchers, as they address issues related to sound and music teacher preparation, specifically in terms of providing consistent sound and music experiences for toddlers, designing optimal sound and music learning environments for them, and developing comprehensive curricula to provide a variety of opportunities for sound and music exploration.

This qualitative thesis brings attention to a phenomenon that is largely neglected in the world of higher education: the faith-intellect relationship. The main purpose of this multiple-case study is to provide a rich description of what a highly spiritually strengthening learning environment in higher education looks and feels like to those participating. In essence, the researcher provides a vicarious experience for the reader. A learning environment that fosters spiritually strengthening experiences for the students is one in which the student-teacher interactions are of high quality and in which the attributes possessed by both the professor and students are manifest through those interactions. The researcher discusses the role the professor and students play, separately and together, in developing such an environment. These findings contribute to the small amount of research already done on the topic of spirituality in higher education. The researcher presents vignettes of four cases in which a spiritually strengthening experience was shared by its participants, offers suggestions about application in academic contexts that extend beyond the four studied, and concludes by proposing areas for potential research in the future. Regardless of subject discipline and religious affiliation, this thesis provokes thought and offers hope for all faculty and administrators concerned with the holistic development of the student.

A lot of time in school consists of verbal communication. That may result in stress and loneliness for students who stutter. Many schools neither have staff with knowledge about stuttering nor about how to meet the needs of these students. Without this knowledge teachers do not know how to create a good learning environment in relation to stuttering. We need to find out about the hinders that both students and teachers might encounter, as well as the possibilities, in order to find out about what a suitable pedagogy might look like when it comes to stuttering.The aim of the study is to reach knowledge about how schools proactively can offer a learning environment that makes it easier for students who stutter, both educationally and socially.To get a picture of the problem area the following questions were asked:1) What experiences do students and teachers have about possibilities and hinders that students who stutter meet in school?2) What do students and teachers think a suitable learning environment in relation to stuttering would look like?The theories used in the study consists of relational perspectives between the individual and the surrounding environment. Focus is set on relations with other people, but also on relations between the individual and the surrounding environment itself. Interpersonal treatment, collaboration and communication are included in the study, as well as theories about stuttering.The study is a mixed methods study and was carried out using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Interviews and questionnaires were used and data were collected from two different groups; students and teachers.The data of the experiences and thoughts of the students and teachers show both hinders and possibilities. One student might prefer one way which another student may reject. It becomes clear that there is no solution that fits all. The same goes forteachers. In some areas they agree, in others not. Communication and collaboration between students and teachers are needed in order to create a good pedagogy in relation to stuttering. The needs and thoughts of the student should show the path. To be able to offer a suitable pedagogy, the emphasis need to be set on personal relations and adjustments in the surrounding environment, but also on knowledge about stuttering.Through this study schools might find support in how to offer suitable possibilities for students who stutter. The study focuses on what might be important for teachers to think about when trying to meet the needs of these students. It also focuses on different adjustments that might be suitable. In relation to stuttering, the Swedish Education Act is discussed. Furthermore the study focuses on the risks of loneliness and bullying of students who stutter and how schools could work proactively against that.Implications within Special Education: Educators need to gain more knowledge about stuttering. They also need knowledge about the different strategies that students might use to avoid speaking in front of others. Teachers in special education could play a vital role when it comes to offering more possibilities for students who stutter. First the teachers in special education need to gain knowledge about stuttering and one solution is that they get that possibility during their education. If universities and teacher training colleges offer education about stuttering, the teachers in special education could in turn train the teachers in schools. Collaboration between teachers in special education and speech and language therapists is another possible way of improving teachers´ knowledge about stuttering.

The failure to staff the nation’s classrooms with highly qualified teachers, especially those in disadvantaged schools, is a problem in American education. Novice teachers who begin teaching in urban, low-income, diverse schools leave the field of education at alarmingly high rates. Schools are not being provided with the teachers they deserve; new teachers are especially ill-prepared to meet the needs of students in high-need urban settings. In return, these lowincome schools are not retaining sufficient numbers of the teachers they do recruit. A teacher’s performance has a tremendous impact on a child’s learning and academic journey. Teacher preparation programs need to increase effectiveness by preparing teachers who perform at a proficient level or higher from the first day they step foot in the classroom. Preservice teachers must have an understanding of how to teach effectively through the use of pedagogical knowledge and culture. Universities can assist prospective teachers to simultaneously learn content and pedagogy through training. The revolving door of teachers leaving impoverished communities must stop. Students are not in warrant of substitute teachers, unqualified or uncertified novice teachers year after year. Teacher preparation programs have a vital role in shaping initial levels of teacher commitment. One way to build this bridge between preparation of teachers for urban or diverse settings is to consider new options for teacher preparation. While teacher preparation programs can offer theories and pedagogies of practice, the use of a virtual reality (VR) environment permits teacher preparation to provide preservice teachers with varied experiences in order to prepare them for a high-need urban setting. This fully immersive environment could allow preservice teachers to create an environment that best supports the needs of their learners, iii strengthening knowledge gained in coursework to examination in the field. A traditional teacher preparation program cannot offer this understanding of pedagogy in a consistent and constant format. It is the obligation of schools and colleges of education to improve teacher education programs. Universities need to prepare culturally responsive educators who can effectively perform in the urban classroom. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact a simulated learning environment had on preservice teachers’ classroom performances as measured by onsite and virtual observations. Pedagogies of practice are described through categories of personal connections, life experiences, engagement and assessment of prior knowledge as demonstrated in reflective writing of preservice teachers who participated in a simulated learning environment versus those who did not. The researcher proposed the use of a VR to provide an expanded view to preservice teacher preparation within a simulated classroom. It was hypothesized this scaffolding of learning beyond typical textbook learning would deepen the knowledge of the preservice teacher, leading to effective performance within a high-need urban setting. A mixed-methods approach of the embedded experimental design was used for collection of both qualitative and quantitative data. The Chi-square Test of Independence, supported by Fisher’s Exact Test and Cramer’s V used to analyze data measured on a nominal scale for the experimental group and control groups. Data analysis showed a significant difference in teacher indicators in three of the four observations. Specifically the preservice teachers (experimental group) who participated in the simulated learning environment related and integrated the subject matter with other disciplines and life experiences and reviewed previous class material before instruction more often than the control group. Key words in context (KWIC), word count and iv content analysis were used to identify themes through language as demonstrated in the reflective writing. Underlying patterns were used to form relationships between performance in the urban classroom after participation in a simulated learning environment, followed by reflective writing in the categories of personal connections, life experiences, engagement and assessment of prior knowledge. The preservice teachers in both the experimental and control groups exhibited many of the teacher behaviors needed in a high-need urban setting through their reflective writing. However, the intervention of TeachLivE™ continued to be an outlier, which not only strengthened the preservice teachers’ reflections but performance in the classroom. The simulated learning environment offered the preservice teachers in the experimental group a medium to learn through doing. Exposure to the tools and methods in TeachLivE™, followed by reflective writing, provided opportunities to improve pedagogies of practice, impacting preservice teacher’s performances in the urban setting. Future research recommendations based on continued observations to gather further data of the study, improvement of performance over time, and an expanded observational group are presented. Academic achievement of the students in the participant’s classrooms who took part in TeachLivE™ in order to analyze whether the variable of TeachLivE™ impacted preservice teacher performance in the urban classroom could be measured. Finally, faculty mentors at the university could design professional development opportunities for novice teachers in TeachLivE™, assisting in coaching and self-reflection of lessons taught, working towards understanding of content and pedagogy. Reflection afterward would be collaborative between novice teachers and faculty mentors based on observations. Scaffolding novice teachers learning while in a simulated environment can be motivating and effective in learning gains.