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China is one of the largest outward foreign-direct-investors (OFDIs) and is rapidly internationalising. There are numerous studies about the internationalisation of Chinese MNCs, in particular their development, determinants, motivations and performance. Many scholars in international business argue that one of the major reasons for firms from emerging markets such as China to invest in developed economies is to assimilate new knowledge and resources; exploring learning by Chinese MNCs in the developed countries is therefore significant. However, there is little research about Chinese MNCs learning abroad and even fewer studies on the processes of learning. This thesis analyses these processes and the motivations of Chinese OFDI in the UK and explores how their subsidiaries learn, exploit knowledge, develop capabilities, and how they transfer knowledge and capabilities to the headquarters (HQs). In order to explore the learning of Chinese subsidiaries in the UK, it is crucial to understand the nature and motives of their OFDI to ensure the existence of learning in these firms. This dataset includes the largest survey (30 respondents) of Chinese subsidiaries in the UK and qualitative interviews with 40 employees in 15 subsidiaries and seven HQs of Chinese MNCs. Based on the resource-based view of the firm, absorptive capacity, knowledge transfer and Andersson, Forsgren and Holm’s (2001) processes of capabilities development in a MNC, a conceptual framework is developed, which guides data collection and analysis: this is then revised, based upon the study’s findings. This new framework suggests a unique process of capabilities development within a Chinese subsidiary and their HQs, two different learning circles. The longer learning circle presents Chinese subsidiaries exploiting new knowledge to develop capabilities and transfer the new capabilities to the HQs. The shorter learning circle shows Chinese subsidiaries sometimes transferring unexploited information and knowledge to the HQs. Whilst HQs develop capabilities through directly absorbing new knowledge created by subsidiaries, HQs also inhibit subsidiaries from collecting knowledge useful in developing new capabilities. Therefore, the learning and knowledge transfer in the subsidiaries is mainly based on the HQs’ interests and requests; thus under-utilising the absorptive capacity of subsidiaries. There are other important findings. The scope of learning in subsidiaries is restricted by the scope of their operations, especially in human resources, sales and marketing. There is also dissonance between the intent to learn and the actions of learning, which arises from the majority of these Chinese MNCs not having formal and systematic approaches towards learning, knowledge exploitation and knowledge transfer.

Given Sociologys central concern with social interaction, the complexity, pace and intensity of social modernization creates a tremendous theoretical burden for investigating the modern social dynamic. Furthermore, three core themes are foundational to a sociological perspective concerned with intersubjectivity: social action, social order and social change. In this research, a Habermasian discursive approach to the study of the modern social dynamic holds significant potential for examining and critiquing Sociologys grounding issues or themes. My research presents the best case for using a Habermasian approach to understanding and theorizing family within contemporary pluralistic societies. By design, I did not utilize or focus upon the extensive secondary literature critical of Habermas thought and writing. Accordingly, Habermas social philosophy provides the theoretical framework for addressing three sociological problems: understanding the communicative basis of the social dynamic, interconnecting family with larger social formations, and studying Canadian families empirically.<p>In order to address these problems, a communicative sociological perspective is used to analyze each of Sociologys three focal themes: the discursive interlinking of social interaction through consensus formation (Chapter Two); the moral and legal nature of a communicatively produced solidarity for creating and maintaining social order (Chapter Three); and the communicative foundation of social change and emancipation within both private and public spheres of social life (Chapter Four). Prima facie evidence was found for the relevance of a Habermasian perspective through an empirical analysis of concordant familial relationships within Canada using the General Social Survey. Logistic regression reveals a distinct but complex profile of Canadian married couples who engage in democratic discourse as they construct a common family life-project together.<p>Habermas theory of communicative action and discourse theory reconstruct the normative basis for establishing and maintaining peaceful, cooperative and consensual relationships with both proximal and distal others. Through the use of everyday language to reach understanding and agreement within our communicative sociations with others, we have the capacity to establish egalitarian forms of family life and friendly forms of global coexistence. Habermas social philosophy provides a communicative lens through which to better understand, assess and address the conditions, problems and potentials of modern social life, whether at the level of family or global society. On the one hand, the discursive nature of communicative sociation reveals the fertile but fragile nature of the internal connection between Sociologys focal themes, between solidarity and justice, between ethical and moral life, between social and functional integration, between morality and law, and between family and system. On the other hand, our communicative practices have a productive force capable of establishing, reproducing and renegotiating new ways of accomplishing goals and meeting needs, new solidarities and responsibilities, and new motivations and attitudes.<p>According to a Habermasian approach to the sociological perspective, democratic discourse enables the voice of the other to be heard, respected, and considered. A communicative sociological approach therefore points to the relational structures which underlie our action coordinating practices. These relational structures emphasize the importance of a democratic relational dynamic, engendered by solidarity and justice, which can be characterized as an intact intersubjectivity. Democratic discourse therefore enables the consensual coordination of social interaction(s) with an other or others ethically and morally, within family and society, even under the pervasive and intensive constraints of a globalized market economy in need of effective moral-political governance.

The purpose of my study is to illumine the aesthetic learning process significant in the preschool. Focus has been on allowing educators in different preschools to answer questions valid the use of aesthetic learning processes. I chose to do my study using an opinion poll and a literature review.   The result shows that the preschools use aesthetic learning processes and according to the educator’s aesthetic learning process is a very important tool for education in the preschool.  The notable in this study is that the educators have different views of what aesthetic means. The first view is that you only work with aesthetic subjects. The other view about aesthetic learning process is that it is about gathering theoretic knowledge’s with help of aesthetic activities. Furthermore in the result you can see that the aesthetic learning processes are not getting the time that is needed. Instead of letting the children get the whole knowledge the educators must have short teaching elements where they often use activities that they are comfortable with and also knows how long time it takes. It is important not to interrupt the aesthetic learning processes too early. The children must take part of the entire education, where reflections and interpretation of the result is listed. As all education in the preschool, aesthetic learning process require their own rhythm and tempo. It is important that all children participate in the aesthetic learning from their own conditions. In order to obtain the positive effects of aesthetic learning in the preschool it requires that the aesthetic learning process can be given place in the education and that the educators challenge their self and the children in different aesthetic activities.

Given Sociologys central concern with social interaction, the complexity, pace and intensity of social modernization creates a tremendous theoretical burden for investigating the modern social dynamic. Furthermore, three core themes are foundational to a sociological perspective concerned with intersubjectivity: social action, social order and social change. In this research, a Habermasian discursive approach to the study of the modern social dynamic holds significant potential for examining and critiquing Sociologys grounding issues or themes. My research presents the best case for using a Habermasian approach to understanding and theorizing family within contemporary pluralistic societies. By design, I did not utilize or focus upon the extensive secondary literature critical of Habermas thought and writing. Accordingly, Habermas social philosophy provides the theoretical framework for addressing three sociological problems: understanding the communicative basis of the social dynamic, interconnecting family with larger social formations, and studying Canadian families empirically.<p>In order to address these problems, a communicative sociological perspective is used to analyze each of Sociologys three focal themes: the discursive interlinking of social interaction through consensus formation (Chapter Two); the moral and legal nature of a communicatively produced solidarity for creating and maintaining social order (Chapter Three); and the communicative foundation of social change and emancipation within both private and public spheres of social life (Chapter Four). Prima facie evidence was found for the relevance of a Habermasian perspective through an empirical analysis of concordant familial relationships within Canada using the General Social Survey. Logistic regression reveals a distinct but complex profile of Canadian married couples who engage in democratic discourse as they construct a common family life-project together.<p>Habermas theory of communicative action and discourse theory reconstruct the normative basis for establishing and maintaining peaceful, cooperative and consensual relationships with both proximal and distal others. Through the use of everyday language to reach understanding and agreement within our communicative sociations with others, we have the capacity to establish egalitarian forms of family life and friendly forms of global coexistence. Habermas social philosophy provides a communicative lens through which to better understand, assess and address the conditions, problems and potentials of modern social life, whether at the level of family or global society. On the one hand, the discursive nature of communicative sociation reveals the fertile but fragile nature of the internal connection between Sociologys focal themes, between solidarity and justice, between ethical and moral life, between social and functional integration, between morality and law, and between family and system. On the other hand, our communicative practices have a productive force capable of establishing, reproducing and renegotiating new ways of accomplishing goals and meeting needs, new solidarities and responsibilities, and new motivations and attitudes.<p>According to a Habermasian approach to the sociological perspective, democratic discourse enables the voice of the other to be heard, respected, and considered. A communicative sociological approach therefore points to the relational structures which underlie our action coordinating practices. These relational structures emphasize the importance of a democratic relational dynamic, engendered by solidarity and justice, which can be characterized as an intact intersubjectivity. Democratic discourse therefore enables the consensual coordination of social interaction(s) with an other or others ethically and morally, within family and society, even under the pervasive and intensive constraints of a globalized market economy in need of effective moral-political governance.

The research began by examining professions, both historically and as they are today. It went on to investigate the nature of professional practice and professional competence. In particular, it attempted to throw fresh light on how professional competence is acquired and maintained. The research consisted of an extensive literature study and empirical work which included in- depth interviews with practitioners from 20 different professions. This was followed by a series of larger-scale postal surveys across six of these. The chosen professions ranged from traditional ones, including the Church, the Bar and Medicine, to newer professional-type occupations, such as Training, Personnel Management and Information Technology Consultancy. A total of 80 people were interviewed and a further 372 completed survey questionnaires. Following a review of existing models of competence, a new, 'provisional model of professional competence' was developed. This drew on a number of earlier models and related concepts, and was influenced by both reflective practitioner and competence based approaches to professional development. The new model was exposed to expert and academic criticism through a series of conference and journal papers, comments being received from a total of 70 people. The model was also tested empirically, after which a revised version was developed. The empirical stage of the research had a number of strands, in addition to being used for testing the model. It examined the nature of modem professions and tested the validity of certain characteristics traditionally associated with professions - altruism, autonomy, self- regulation, etc. It also examined the nature of professional practice and tested the validity of two competing epistemologies - 'technical-rationality' and 'knowing-in-action' (reflective practice). It investigated how professional competence is acquired, examining the contribution made by both formal development programmes and various kinds of informal experience to which practitioners are exposed. It sought to identify the conditions and environments that are important to professional learning, especially in early practice. Finally, it looked at how professionals maintain their competence through personal learning and continuing professional development (CPD). Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed throughout. Analysis of results led to the identification of 12 general learning processes or 'learning mechanisms'. These formed the basis of a taxonomy which was used to classify the range of informal learning experiences and events reported by respondents. Outputs from the research included: "a new model of professional competence; "a taxonomy of informal professional learning methods; "a proposed new (or modified) epistemology of professional practice; "a proposed new paradigm of professional development, together with a linked self- development paradigm; an exemplar professional development model; and "a number of practical suggestions for improving professional development programmes. The research has contributed to knowledge by throwing new light on the nature of both professional practice and professional competence, and providing insights into the ways in which people become effective in their professional roles

Submitted in fulfilment of part of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Technology in the Faculty of Management Sciences at Durban University of Technology, 2007 / The South African small business sector, particularly the manufacturing industries, such as textile, clothing, and automotive industries, are not considered internationally competitive. This shortcoming is seen in the context of liberalizing and transforming the South African economy, and the threat of foreign competition such as China. This study takes a systems view of the problems that are facing small businesses in South Africa, drawing on historical, theoretical and empirical sources within a proposed framework for small business international learning. The various elements in the framework include international competitiveness challenges facing small businesses, which, the author argues, create tension for survival within small businesses; the limited role of the small business support regime in South Africa; and the role of Foreign Direct Investment through Transnational Corporations (TNCs). Therefore, this study investigates the international learning processes of small businesses and develops a new theoretical model to illustrate and elucidate interventions to strengthen international learning processes of these small businesses. Methodology The manufacturing sector was chosen as the ideal sector for this study since it contributes significantly to the GDP and levels of employment of a country, and is at the receiving end of new production methodologies and technologies and other competition dynamics. This sector, at a small business level, is currently experiencing international competitiveness challenges in South Africa. The methodology followed an initial exploratory, qualitative approach followed by a formal, empirical, quantitative approach. The research questionnaire met the quality criteria as established through content validity, criterion related validity, and reliability criteria. This questionnaire was administered to a sample of 300 out of a population of 800 manufacturing small firms in Durban, using an unrestricted random probability sampling method. A total of 255 completed questionnaires were returned, and the results were expressed at the 95% confidence level with a confidence interval of 0.05. Results and Discussions From the correlation analysis of the level of importance and extent of implementation of international learning processes, four international learning processes, whose implementation can be enhanced by an improvement in the importance of international competitiveness challenges and support, were extracted. These international learning processes include increased learning activities on management, sales and marketing, finance, and also the image of small businesses. Through the consolidation of the results of the correlation analysis, a theoretical model for the identification and development of international learning processes was created. Conclusion From the small business practice and policy point of view, this study s findings suggest that the international learning processes of small businesses confronted by international competitiveness challenges in transforming developing economies can be strengthened by applying the theoretical model developed in this study. From the government, TNCs, and small businesses perspective, this study s findings also suggest that the establishment of linkage programmes and enhancement of learning activities, which revolve around the identified international learning processes as established in the theoretical model, will enable the attainment of international competitiveness of small businesses. This study, therefore, proposes the implementation, in the short-term, of information and linkage support at sector level that addresses the enhancement of the identified international learning processes; and the implementation, in the longterm, of a grand-scale small businesses and TNCs linkage programme in line with the premise provided in the theoretical model.

Title: Making learning visible in a preschool setting- A qualitative study of how teachers work and evaluate how children’s learning can be visualized                          Term: Autumn 2015                                                      Author: Emelie Persson and Annelie Westerlund Mentor: Maria Rosén The objective of this study is to examine how two departments at a preschool work specifically to visualize children’s learning processes, both from a Child Perspective and from the Children's Perspective. The purpose is to investigate questions concerning how teachers follow up and visualize the children’s learning process and how preschool teachers evaluate to what extent children's learning processes should be made visible. The study is qualitative and ethnographically inspired. We have conducted participating observations in order to examine how teachers follow up and visualize children’s learning processes. In addition to this we have made unstructured interviews to examine how preschool teachers evaluate how children's learning processes are visualized. The theoretical starting point we used is Dewey’s Pragmatism which is based on the assumption that children's learning emerge out of their own experiences and interests. The result shows that the pre-school teachers follow up and visualize the children's learning processes in different ways. They incorporate different steps of the process and they structure the environment by having materials easily accessible to the children in order to make learning processes based on children’s interests possible. The teachers act as role models when it comes to vocal expression and through active dialogues they create opportunities for the children to reflect on what they’ve learnt. The teachers also actively work to allow the children to express their thoughts and opinions, and to integrate these into the learning process. The most prominent result of the study showed that the teachers’ interaction with the children were shown by their attendance, responsiveness, commitment, as well as to their showing an interest in the children’s many different worlds of experiences.           Keywords: Pre-school, learning processes, children's learning  Nyckelord: Förskola, lärprocesser, barns lärande

Self-efficacy is individuals' judgments regarding their capabilities to carry out future tasks or challenges. These judgments of capability are related to important learning behaviours such as effort and persistence, performance, and choice of career path. In order to support students' continued engagement with and learning of mathematics, it is important to consider how students make sense of their mathematical experiences as well as the relationship between students' mastery experiences and mathematics self-efficacy. In this thesis I address important gaps in the literature in regard to the conceptualisation of the self-efficacy construct, the relationship between self-efficacy and mathematics performance, the stability and change of self-efficacy when learning new topics in mathematics, and self-efficacy development over a series of lessons in mathematics across cycles of self-efficacy and mastery experiences. The thesis included two phases of data collection and analysis. The first phase involved students in grades 5, 8, and 9 (N = 756) and included measures of students' self-efficacy and national test performance. The second phase involved students in grades 6 and 10 (N = 181) and included repeated measures of students' self-efficacy and mastery experiences from a series of lessons in mathematics, when students were introduced to new topics. I analysed the data using different methods, including confirmatory factor analyses to investigate the structural validity of my measures, and structural equation models to investigate stability and change over time, and relationships between constructs. Major findings from the analysis include the following: students considered levels of difficulty when appraising their experiences in mathematics and when forming their self-efficacy; students' test performance predicted their self-efficacy one year later, but not the other way around; the mean-level of students' self-efficacy grew significantly across lessons when students were introduced to new topics, even as the rank-order of their self-efficacy remained highly stable; and there was a reciprocal relationship between students' self-efficacy and their mastery experiences, where substantial effects from both constructs on gains in the other construct remained stable across a sequence of lessons in mathematics. The findings have important implications for how we conceptualise self-efficacy, mastery experiences, and their relationship over time. Furthermore, the findings from my thesis have implications for teacher practice. In order to support adaptive self-efficacy, teachers need to consider the experiences students have with mathematics, not just the skills they learn. If teachers themselves gain knowledge about how individual students make sense of their mathematical experiences, they can support students' appraisals of these experiences, and prevent maladaptive cycles from occurring. In short, students need support not just to develop their mathematical skills, but also to develop adaptive appraisals of their mathematical experiences, in order to form self-efficacy beliefs that are reflective of each student's potential to learn mathematics.