<p>The study&rsquo / s main starting premises is that there is a disjuncture between the rich educational engagements of these students in their environmental space and how their learning practices are framed, informed and positioned in the institutional space. My study is underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm in terms of which I set out to describe and understand the meanings that the student respondents assign to their learning practices when they are involved in discursive practices of speaking, knowing, doing, reading and writing. Qualitative research instruments: field notes, participant and non-participant observations and formal and informal interviews were used in order to answer my research question and achieve the desired research aims of this thesis. The findings are presented in a narrative format after deriving at categories and themes using narrative analysis. Finally, my research shows how these students are positioned in and by their lived spaces (whether environmental or institutional) in specific ways, and they, based on their own resources, networks and interactions, and by exercising their agency, actively construct their own spaces of learning. I describe these active constructions by these students as their &lsquo / conceptual space of learning&rsquo / to highlight the complex ways in which they go about to establish their learning practices in their lived spaces. The study provides an analysis of the basis upon which each of these four students go about constructing their learning practices.</p>

This thesis concerns technology use in distance educations and learning practices related to this use. The research was carried out over the period 2005 to 2009 in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and has been reported in 6 published papers. The research is situated within the field of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) and within this field e-learning. Education is important for development and for many students in developing countries distance education is often the only option to get educated. The research question is if the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in distance education can contribute to development, and if so, how? This question is explored through two case studies in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. A variety of data collection methods have been used: interviews, questionnaires, participant observations and document review. The research approach is interpretative and findings are analyzed using Structuration Theory. Initial findings showed that a major challenge for students was the change of learning practices that distance education required. Findings also showed that new constructive learning practices emerged through the use of ICT. For development to take place the learning practices of students are important. Students used to learning practices based on uncritical memorization of facts will not easily take initiatives for change, whereas students used to constructive learning practices will.  Notwithstanding the fact that most students found this transition challenging, it was found that by introducing technology into long-established transmission structures, changes towards constructive learning practices occurred. A major contribution of this thesis is to increase the understanding of how ICT in distance education can facilitate constructive learning practices. By arguing that constructive learning practices are conducive to societal change this finding also has implications for development. The thesis also makes a theoretical contribution by extending Structuration Theory’s applicability in demonstrating its explanatory power in settings where researcher and informants are geographically and socially distant.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The study's main starting premises is that there is a disjuncture between the rich educational engagements of these students in their environmental space and how their learning practices are framed, informed and positioned in the institutional space. My study is underpinned by an interpretivist paradigm in terms of which I set out to describe and understand the meanings that the student respondents assign to their learning practices when they are involved in discursive practices of speaking, knowing, doing, reading and writing. Qualitative research instruments: field notes, participant and non-participant observations and formal and informal interviews were used in order to answer my research question and achieve the desired research aims of this thesis. The findings are presented in a narrative format after deriving at categories and themes using narrative analysis. Finally, my research shows how these students are positioned in and by their lived spaces (whether environmental or institutional) in specific ways, and they, based on their own resources, networks and interactions, and by exercising their agency, actively construct their own spaces of learning. I describe these active constructions by these students as their 'conceptual space of learning' to highlight the complex ways in which they go about to establish their learning practices in their lived spaces. The study provides an analysis of the basis upon which each of these four students go about constructing their learning practices. / South Africa

Submitted by Noeme Timbo (noeme.timbo@metodista.br) on 2017-05-30T16:58:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 FernandRM.pdf: 1137422 bytes, checksum: 38f2c80a16247223b7be04502a17b2cc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-30T16:58:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FernandRM.pdf: 1137422 bytes, checksum: 38f2c80a16247223b7be04502a17b2cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Organizational learning studies aim to describe and analyze forms and reasons of knowledge creation, development and using in companies, and how these processes help an organization to generate value and competitiveness in their markets. Emphasis was given to organizational learning practices in order to determine initiatives made by companies to generate an learning favorable ambience, while knowledge management practices acts to support and complement organizational learning practices, since they’re related to activities developed in consulting companies, who were focus of this study and composed the cases here described. Discussion contained in this dissertation taken as basis an qualitative and interview-based approach, using content analysis and document analysis, with two cases analyzed individually and in a cross-sectional way, and was conducted between November 2016 and January 2017 in two big consulting companies, based in São Paulo city. When comparing perceptions and statements to the companies’ public documents and to literature-based references, it concludes that the identified practices aim to give workers a set of capabilities suited to their acting in organizations, using previous experiences, best practices mapping and knowledge transferring. Clients’ diversity of profiles and acting areas demand from studied organizations a workforce who simultaneously shows certain quality standards and singularities that gives advantages to these consulting companies and, consequently, to their clients. / O estudo da aprendizagem organizacional visa descrever e analisar as formas e motivos pelos quais ocorre a geração, aprimoramento e utilização do conhecimento dentro das empresas, e como tais processos as ajudam a gerar valor e competitividade em seus mercados de atuação. Foram enfatizadas práticas de aprendizagem organizacional, para determinar as iniciativas adotadas pelas organizações na geração de ambiência propícia ao aprendizado, enquanto as práticas de gestão do conhecimento suportam e complementam aquelas de aprendizagem organizacional, por estarem relacionadas à atividade das empresas de consultoria, alvo deste estudo e que compuseram os casos descritos neste artigo. A discussão realizada utilizou uma abordagem qualitativa baseada em entrevistas, análise de conteúdo e análise documental, com dois casos analisados individualmente e de forma cruzada, sendo realizada entre novembro de 2016 e janeiro de 2017 em duas organizações de consultoria de grande porte, localizadas na cidade de São Paulo. Ao comparar percepções e depoimentos colhidos com documentos públicos das organizações estudadas e referências constantes na literatura, concluiu-se que as práticas identificadas buscam proporcionar aos colaboradores um conjunto de capacidades adequado à atuação destes nas empresas, com aproveitamento de experiências anteriores, mapeamento de melhores práticas e transferência de conhecimentos. Os múltiplos perfis de clientes e suas áreas de atuação exigem das organizações estudadas um quadro funcional que apresente simultaneamente perfis padronizados de conhecimentos por cargo ou nível hierárquico, e especialistas em determinadas vertentes do conhecimento, para atingir padrões de qualidade e singularidade e oferecer um diferencial a estas organizações de consultoria e, consequentemente, seus clientes.

This thesis focuses on the adaptation of formal education to people’s technology- use patterns, their technology-in-practice, where the ubiquitous use of mobile technologies is central. The research question is: How can language learning practices occuring in informal learning environments be effectively integrated with formal education through the use of mobile technology? The study investigates the technical, pedagogical, social and cultural challenges involved in a design science approach. The thesis consists of four studies. The first study systematises MALL (mobile-assisted language learning) research. The second investigates Swedish and Chinese students’ attitudes towards the use of mobile technology in education. The third examines students’ use of technology in an online language course, with a specific focus on their learning practices in informal learning contexts and their understanding of how this use guides their learning. Based on the findings, a specifically designed MALL application was built and used in two courses. Study four analyses the app use in terms of students’ perceived level of self-regulation and structuration. The studies show that technology itself plays a very important role in reshaping peoples’ attitudes and that new learning methods are coconstructed in a sociotechnical system. Technology’s influence on student practices is equally strong across borders. Students’ established technologies-in-practice guide the ways they approach learning. Hence, designing effective online distance education involves three interrelated elements: technology, information, and social arrangements. This thesis contributes to mobile learning research by offering empirically and theoretically grounded insights that shift the focus from technology design to design of information systems.

Globale Themen benötigen adäquate Methoden des Unterrichts, um die tiefgreifende Vernetzung unserer Gesellschaft und ihr Wirken auf unseren sensiblen Naturhaushalt in Räumen moderner und flexibler Bildung greifbar werden zu lassen. Die vorliegende Staatsexamensarbeit untersucht dazu die Potentiale des Mysterys, dass an Vorwissen anknüpft, Strukturen herausarbeitet und der Lehrkraft ausreichend Freiräume lässt, Schülern auf dem Weg zum selbst erarbeitetem Wissen zu begleiten. Die Unterrichtsmethode ist in der 10. Klassenstufe eines Gymnasiums zu Dresden zu dem Thema globaler Klimawandel in die Praxis umgesetzt worden. Diese Erfahrungen sollten in die Bewertung der Methode im Hinblick auf ihren Nutzen und ihre Anwendbarkeit im Unterricht einfließen.

La thèse propose d’éclairer la compréhension de la mobilisation ou non d’élèves de seconde générale en sciences de la vie et de la Terre (SVT). Sa première partie rend compte de l’identification du rapport aux savoirs des SVT selon l’approche socio-anthropologique initiée par Charlot. Ces analyses reposent sur des données déclaratives recueillies par bilans de savoir et entretiens individuels et nous ont permis de caractériser cinq rapports aux savoirs des SVT d’élèves de seconde, en lien avec des degrés de mobilisation à apprendre les savoirs de cette discipline. Dans la deuxième partie sont examinées les relations entre les rapports des élèves aux savoirs des SVT et les pratiques d’enseignement et d’apprentissage relatives à l’apport sanguin aux organes. Les analyses des pratiques sont réalisées à partir d’un corpus de vidéos des séances et des documents annexes (fiche de préparation, documents d’élèves et entretiens) dans le cadre de l’action didactique conjointe. Les résultats montrent d’une part, que les rapports aux savoirs des élèves peuvent être envisagés comme déterminants de l’action conjointe et d’autre part, que les pratiques d’enseignement pourraient contribuer à la non évolution voire l’accentuation des phénomènes participants aux processus de mobilisation ou non constitutifs des rapports aux savoirs des élèves. / This thesis examines why some students in grade 10 are engaged in studying biology and geology and others are not. First, from “bilans de savoirs” and interwievs, five kinds of students’ relationships to biology and geology knowledge are defined using Charlot’s approach. Each kind of students’relationship to knowledge is associated to a particular level of commitment to study biology and geology. Then, the links between teaching and learning practices and relationship to biology and geology knowledge are examined in the case of blood supply to organs using the Joint Action Didactic Theory. The study is based on classroom videos, interviews and work paper. Our findings show that relationships to knowledge partially determine the didactic joint action and that teaching practices have an influence on the non-evolution of relationships to knowledge.

The aim of the study was to investigate the changing role of the secondary school principal in building sustainable communities. It is supposed that communities that are not sustainable affect secondary schools. The focus is on how the secondary school principal should go about building, sustaining and uplifting the school community. The direct and indirect involvement of secondary school principals in community issues, could contribute to sustainability within the community, which gradually becomes a reality. The task of the secondary school principal is realised through the results of effective educative teaching and learning practices. Through literature study it was found that the role of the secondary school principal in enhancing sustainable communities would contribute to the upliftment of communities. The qualitative approach was successful in obtaining information about how the changing role of the secondary school principal in building sustainable communities is viewed. Recommendations were made concerning research findings for stakeholders and officials to note. / Educational Studies / M.Ed(Education Management))

The aim of the study was to investigate the changing role of the secondary school principal in building sustainable communities. It is supposed that communities that are not sustainable affect secondary schools. The focus is on how the secondary school principal should go about building, sustaining and uplifting the school community. The direct and indirect involvement of secondary school principals in community issues, could contribute to sustainability within the community, which gradually becomes a reality. The task of the secondary school principal is realised through the results of effective educative teaching and learning practices. Through literature study it was found that the role of the secondary school principal in enhancing sustainable communities would contribute to the upliftment of communities. The qualitative approach was successful in obtaining information about how the changing role of the secondary school principal in building sustainable communities is viewed. Recommendations were made concerning research findings for stakeholders and officials to note. / Educational Studies / M.Ed(Education Management))

Le rappel du récit est l’une des manières les plus efficaces d’évaluer la compréhension en lecture (Denhière, 1979). Pourtant, au 2e cycle du primaire (entre 8 et 10 ans), il s’agit d’une pratique peu favorisée. Il en va de même pour l’utilisation de la littérature jeunesse, qui est de faible importance en contexte d’évaluation de la compréhension en lecture (Lépine, 2017). La présente recherche a pour objectif de créer un dispositif didactique visant à enseigner et à évaluer la compréhension en lecture par l’entremise de tâches de rappel de texte à partir d’albums jeunesse diversifiés. Pour ce faire, les étapes de la recherche-développement du modèle ADDIE (Peterson, 2003) ont été appliquées Il s’agit, dans un premier temps, de l’analyse et de l’identification des besoins. Dans ce cas, il fallait d’abord décrire les recherches relatives au rappel du récit et à la compréhension en lecture par l’utilisation des albums jeunesse. Puis, les tâches proposées aux élèves dans les manuels scolaires ainsi que les pratiques déclarées des enseignants en ce qui a trait à l’enseignement et à l’évaluation en lecture ont été analysées. Ensuite, la conceptualisation du dispositif a été réalisée en établissant les critères de sélection des œuvres les plus pertinentes pour faire partie du dispositif didactique. La grille qui en a résulté a d’ailleurs été évaluée par une experte en littérature jeunesse. Puis, le développement du dispositif didactique a consisté en l’élaboration du contenu du dispositif, de son organisation et du choix des albums. Enfin, la phase de mise à l’essai a eu lieu dans deux classes du 2e cycle du primaire durant l’année scolaire 2020-2021, pendant la pandémie mondiale de Covid-19. Les résultats démontrent que le rappel du récit est une tâche complexe à évaluer, mais qu’elle permet aux enseignants de bien cibler les forces et les défis de leurs élèves. De plus, l’utilisation de la littérature jeunesse, dans ce contexte, a été fort apprécié, car les albums ouvrent la porte à diverses avenues pédagogiques, telles que les situations d’écriture et l’interdisciplinarité. Les retombées envisagées de cette recherche sont de mettre à la disposition des enseignants des pratiques d’enseignement et d’évaluation plus diversifiées qui rendent compte de la compréhension en lecture des élèves ainsi que l’avancement des connaissances liées aux pratiques des enseignants du primaire. / Retelling is one of the most effective methods to teach and evaluate reading comprehension (Denhière, 1979). However, it is not commonly used in 2nd cycle elementary school classes (between 8 and 10 years old). Furthermore, picture books are seldom used to assessreading comprehension (Lépine, 2017). The purpose of this study is to create a didactic device for teaching and evaluating reading comprehension through retelling tasks and different types of picture books. To do this, the ADDIE (Peterson, 2003) model has been chosen to guide and assess every step of this design experiment research. The first step wasto analyze and identify needs by describing the most relevant studies that have been released about retelling and reading comprehension through the use of picture books. Student tasks and teaching habits of elementary teachers have also been described. Then, the design of the device has been elaborate by establishing the criteria for the selection of the picture books that will be relevant for the didactic device. These criteria has been validated by an expert in youth literature. Subsequently, the content and organization of the device has been completed and the picture books had been chosen. Finally, the didacticdevice has been tested in two 2 nd cycle elementary classrooms during 2020-2021 pandemicschool year. The results show that retelling is a complex task to assess, but that it allows teachers to properly target the strengths and challenges of their students. In addition, the use of youth literature in this context was greatly appreciated because the picture books open the door to various pedagogical avenues, such as different writing situations and interdisciplinarity. Expected benefits of this research are to provide teachers with more diversified teaching and evaluation practices, which reflect the real reading comprehensionof students as well as the advancement of knowledge related to the practices of teachers inelementary school.