Educational researchers, practitioners and policymakers agree that quality of leadership and learning influence the quality of education. In the context of Ghanaian basic schools, previous research has shown that the Leadership for Learning (LfL) framework, an educational theory and practice, has improved the leadership capacities of education stakeholders as well as the quality of teaching and learning. However, the processes which lead to such improvements have not yet been studied. This study aimed to contribute to research on LfL by analysing the processes that accounted for the successful incorporation of the LfL principles. This in-depth case study was conducted in two successful LfL schools in the Central Region of Ghana. It engaged multiple stakeholders and gathered data through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and document analysis. Intra- and inter-case analyses were conducted to understand each case in its own terms as well as to identify areas of convergence and divergence between them. The findings reveal that despite the ubiquity of household poverty, youth unemployment, and paucity of infrastructure, stakeholders recreated structures, reoriented attitudes, developed self-efficacy, and deployed creativity. It has been found that stakeholders were able to come to a shared and contextualised understanding of the LfL principles. This engendered collaboration, co-ownership of the leading, teaching and learning activities, and their successful institutional absorption. Put differently, the successful incorporation of the LfL principles was driven by four practices: the stakeholders understood the principles based on their contextual realities; believed in their understanding; taught what they believed in; and practised what they taught. These findings are of practical relevance for policymakers and practitioners. Policymakers need to appreciate the importance of context in understanding and incorporating policy initiatives. Practitioners need to reorient their attitudes and practice, collaborate, form communal beliefs, and recognise, appreciate and harness their internal human capital to succeed. Further research is needed to understand the impact of communication technology - television soap operas, mobile phones and social media on leading, teaching and learning.

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Teisinis ugdymas yra reikšmingas bei būtinas elementas, kad visuomenė išauklėtų teisingą, moralų, pareigingą ir dorovingą ţmogų. Ţmogus galės visapusiškai išreikšti save kaip dorovingą pilietį tik tada, kai jis ţinos ne tik savo teises ir pareigas, bet kartu supras ir gerbs įstatymus, kitų ţmonių teises ir laisves. Mokykla ir yra ta institucija, kuri padės įgyti pagrindinių teisinių ţinių. Tačiau, kad minėta įstaiga išugdytų dorovingą pilietį vien ţinių perteikimo nepakanka. Todėl būtina teisinio ugdymo pamokose įgyvendinti, realizuoti refleksyvųjį mokymą, kuris gali padėti pasiekti kokybiškesnių mokymo rezultatų įsigilinant ne tik į perteikiamas ţinias, bet ir į save, į savo jausmus, stebint savo veiklą, pasiekimus. Todėl refleksyviojo mokymo principų realizavimas teisinio ugdymo pamokose yra aktuali tema. Paţymėtina, refleksyvus mokymas yra plačiai tirtas suagusiųjų mokyme. Tačiau kaip refleksyvus mokymas gali būti realizuojamas bendrojo lavinimo mokyklose, teisinio ugdymo pamokose nėra tirta. Darbo tema bei tyrimo objektas – refleksyviojo mokymo principų realizavimas teisinio ugdymo pamokose bei tuose dėstomuose dalykuose, kuriuose integruojamos teisinio ugdymo atskiros temos. Darbo tikslas – ištirti refleksyviojo mokymo principų realizavimą teisinio ugdymo pamokose bei tuose dėstomuose dalykuose, kuriuose integruojamos teisinio ugdymo atskiros temos. Atsiţvelgiant į darbo tikslą, formuluojama hipotezė – refleksyviojo mokymo principų realizavimas teisinio ugdymo pamokose... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Legal education is a significant and essential element in order the society would bring up a fair, moral, responsible and truthful person. A person will be able to comprehensively express oneself as a moral citizen only when one will know not only one‟s rights and duties, but also will understand and respect laws, rights and freedoms of other people. School is such an institution, which will help to acquire the main legal knowledge. However, just imparting the knowledge is not enough for the mentioned institution to raise a moral citizen. Therefore, during legal education lessons it is essential to implement, realize reflective teaching, which may help to reach more qualitative teaching results, seeing not only into the imparted knowledge, but also to oneself, one‟s feelings, observing one‟s activity and strides. Consequently, realization of reflective teaching principles in legal education lessons is a relevant topic. It should be noted that reflective teaching has been widely studied in adult education. However, it has not been studied yet how reflective teaching may be realized in general education schools, legal education lessons. The subject of the thesis and the research object is realization of reflective teaching principles in legal education lessons. The aim of the thesis is to analyze realization of reflective teaching principles in legal education lessons. In consideration of the aim of the thesis the hypothesis has been formulated – realization of reflective... [to full text]

This study is predicated on the belief that there does not now exist, nor will there ever exist, any single theory of learning that is broad enough to account for all types of learning yet specific enough to be maximally useful in practical application. Perhaps this dichotomy is the reason for the apparent gap between existing theories of learning and the practice of instructional design. As an alternative to any supposed grand theory of learning—and following the lead of prominent thinkers in the fields of clinical psychology and language teaching—this study proposes a shift toward principles. It presents a principle-based conceptual framework of learning, and recommends use of the framework as a guide for creating domain-specific theories of learning. The purpose of this study was to review theories of learning in the behavioral, cognitive, constructive, human, and social traditions to identify principles of learning local to those theories that might represent specific instances of more universal principles, fundamentally requisite to the facilitation of learning in general. Many of the ideas reviewed have resulted from, or been supported by, direct empirical evidence. Others have been suggested based on observational or practical experience of the theorist. The ideas come from different points in time, are described from a variety of perspectives, and emphasize different aspects and types of learning; yet there are a number of common themes shared among them regarding the means by which learning occurs. It is hypothesized that such themes represent universal and fundamental principles of learning. These principles were the objective of the present study. They have been sought through careful review and analysis of both theoretical and empirical literature by methods of textual research (Clingan, 2008) and constant comparative analysis (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). By way of textual research a methodological lens was defined to identify general themes, and by way of constant comparative analysis these themes were developed further through the analysis and classification of specific instances of those themes in the texts reviewed. Ten such principles were identified: repetition, time, step size, sequence, contrast, significance, feedback, context, engagement, and agency. These ten facilitative principles were then organized in the context of a comprehensive principles-of-learning framework, which includes the four additional principles of potential, target, change, and practice.

<p>Video games are very popular among children in the Western world. This study was done in order to investigate if video games had an effect on 49 Swedish students‟ comprehension of English words (grades 7-8). The investigation was based on questionnaire and word test data. The questionnaire aimed to measure with which frequency students were playing video games, and the word test aimed to measure their word comprehension in general. In addition, data from the word test were used to investigate how students explained the words. Depending on their explanations, students were categorized as either using a “video game approach” or a “dictionary approach” in their explanations.</p><p>The results showed a gender difference, both with regard to the frequency of playing and what types of games that were played. Playing video games seemed to increase the students‟ comprehension of English words, though there was no clear connection between the frequency with which students were playing video games and the choice of a dictionary or video game approach as an explanation.</p>

Video games are very popular among children in the Western world. This study was done in order to investigate if video games had an effect on 49 Swedish students‟ comprehension of English words (grades 7-8). The investigation was based on questionnaire and word test data. The questionnaire aimed to measure with which frequency students were playing video games, and the word test aimed to measure their word comprehension in general. In addition, data from the word test were used to investigate how students explained the words. Depending on their explanations, students were categorized as either using a “video game approach” or a “dictionary approach” in their explanations. The results showed a gender difference, both with regard to the frequency of playing and what types of games that were played. Playing video games seemed to increase the students‟ comprehension of English words, though there was no clear connection between the frequency with which students were playing video games and the choice of a dictionary or video game approach as an explanation.

This study explores the challenges faced by high school science learners when they use English language as a medium of instruction in a South African context. Questionnaires were administered and focus group interviews were conducted with both science learners and science educators. Results indicated that learners are challenged in a number of ways when English is used to teach science especially if English is not their home language. Both learners and educators prefer to be taught and teach science respectively in English though ideally learners would like to be taught in their home languages. To overcome these challenges a home language scientific register should be drawn to cater for all learners’ home language, learners should also be proficient in English or language of science instruction. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

This qualitative study examines an asynchronous online course from a private university utilizing a template model for all online courses to provide students with consistent navigation and course structure throughout their degree program. The asynchronous online courses are purposely created using three criteria of quality course design: navigation is intuitive, information is chunked, and instructions are written clearly. A two-part usability test was conducted with three internal and three external participants. The two-part usability test focused on course navigation and examined the signaling, segmenting, and coherence principles applied to course content page layouts. Transcripts from the usability tests and observational field notes were coded through an iterative process in Nvivo. Through emic and etic coding, seven main categories were identified: user experience, cognitive load, multimedia learning principles, page design and layout attributes, course navigational attributes, course attributes and information, and participant navigational behavior. The findings for first-day navigation, general navigational behaviors, and perceptions of design elements used to implement the signaling, segmenting, and coherence principle are discussed. Course design recommendations for creating a positive usability experience and suggestions for future research are provided.

This study explores the challenges faced by high school science learners when they use English language as a medium of instruction in a South African context. Questionnaires were administered and focus group interviews were conducted with both science learners and science educators. Results indicated that learners are challenged in a number of ways when English is used to teach science especially if English is not their home language. Both learners and educators prefer to be taught and teach science respectively in English though ideally learners would like to be taught in their home languages. To overcome these challenges a home language scientific register should be drawn to cater for all learners’ home language, learners should also be proficient in English or language of science instruction. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

Early childhood education (ECE) teachers often lack the experience and skills to provide children with supports necessary to foster academic and social skill development. Professional development can improve ECE teachers' skills, but ECE trainers often lack understanding of adult learning principles, known as andragogy. Knowles' conceptual framework of andragogy was used to explore the knowledge and use of andragogical principles of 8 ECE trainers selected via criterion-based purposive sampling. The research questions focused on ECE trainers' knowledge and use of andragogical principles. Three cases, each consisting of 2 or 3 live professional development trainings for early childhood educators, were used in this study. Data sources included (a) observations of ECE trainings, (b) semi-structured interviews with ECE trainers, and (c) content analysis of ECE training materials. Thematic analysis revealed that although participants were not formally trained in andragogy and were unfamiliar with the associated verbiage, most had a strong grasp of andragogy and used andragogical principles to drive the development and presentation of their training materials. The 3 main themes that emerged were (a) lack of training/background in andragogy, (b) training strategies employed, and (c) training design. Findings from this study provide an original contribution to the limited existing research on the professional development of early childhood educators and expand the existing body of research on andragogy. This study contributes to social change by revealing that trainers may benefit from formal andragogical training, which may then improve the education provided by ECE teachers to young children.