Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

The aim of this study was to conduct a thorough theoretical study on the relevant aspects involved in knowledge management and organizational learning, and thence assess the level of organisational learning within the ferrometallurgical industry. From the outcomes of the assessment, recommendations to improve the state of affairs were to be made. Knowledge can be defined as actionable information. The creation, acquisition, sharing and leveraging of knowledge in today's industries are critical. Knowledge is now termed the fourth productive resource, and some authors claim, with some justification, that the widespread knowledge within a company is the only source of sustainable competitive advantage. With this in mind, it is obvious that companies need to nurture knowledge creation and effective utilisation thereof in order to meet organisational goals. Knowledge can be codified if it is explicit, but needs to be transferred using personalisation if it is tacit. Implicitness of tacit knowledge further confounds the issue. Knowledge management practices underpin the process of organisational learning. The level of organisational learning within the ferrometallurgical industry in South Africa was assessed, using a survey questionnaire obtained from the Harvard Business School. The results show that the industry lags behind the medians in the ten constructs measured, and much work will be required to significantly improve the situation. Key areas of concern are in the areas of psychological safety, time for reflection, education and training, and collection of information. As a consequence, a practical strategy for improving the state of knowledge management and organisational learning in the ferrometallurgical industry was developed. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The aim of this study was to conduct a thorough theoretical study on the relevant aspects involved in knowledge management and organizational learning, and thence assess the level of organisational learning within the ferrometallurgical industry. From the outcomes of the assessment, recommendations to improve the state of affairs were to be made. Knowledge can be defined as actionable information. The creation, acquisition, sharing and leveraging of knowledge in today's industries are critical. Knowledge is now termed the fourth productive resource, and some authors claim, with some justification, that the widespread knowledge within a company is the only source of sustainable competitive advantage. With this in mind, it is obvious that companies need to nurture knowledge creation and effective utilisation thereof in order to meet organisational goals. Knowledge can be codified if it is explicit, but needs to be transferred using personalisation if it is tacit. Implicitness of tacit knowledge further confounds the issue. Knowledge management practices underpin the process of organisational learning. The level of organisational learning within the ferrometallurgical industry in South Africa was assessed, using a survey questionnaire obtained from the Harvard Business School. The results show that the industry lags behind the medians in the ten constructs measured, and much work will be required to significantly improve the situation. Key areas of concern are in the areas of psychological safety, time for reflection, education and training, and collection of information. As a consequence, a practical strategy for improving the state of knowledge management and organisational learning in the ferrometallurgical industry was developed. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

This study investigates two vocabulary exercises where the participant students receive an assigned set of words to put into sentences, one being a more traditional written exercise, the other being an exercise where students make a vlog using the assigned words. Two upper secondary school classes in Sweden participated in the experiment, including responding to a Likert attitude questionnaire. The hypothesis used in this paper is derived of Pegrum’s third category, of higher integration between school and everyday life, and that this would lead to better results for the students who completed the vlogging exercise. The two participating classes were each divided into two group halves, and each group half received one written exercise and one vlogging exercise – consequently each class half acted as a control group for the other half. The responses gathered were divided into three categories, ‘Correct’, ‘Undetermined’, and ‘Failed’. The results disprove that the vlogging exercise offers a significant improvement over the traditional written exercise, and thusly confirms the No Significant Difference phenomenon.

摘 要 本研究主要是藉由探討台灣企業在面臨「轉型升級壓力」而必須做經營策略調整時，經由本研究所建構的理論模型與實際個案間的檢證研究突顯出「企業學習能力」在企業轉型升級與策略選擇過程中的關鍵地位。 本研究以創造台灣最高經濟產值貢獻的資訊科技(IT)產業之個案廠商為對象，探究其「企業學習能力」對「企業轉型升級策略」選擇的影響，以及「目標產業的知識特質」、「企業學習能力」、「企業轉型升級壓力」三者間的關聯性。本論文的研究方法是以對個案的資料文件做深度探究的內容分析法為主，選取國內具代表地位的二家資訊硬體大廠為研究對象，嘗試對其「企業學習能力」與「企業轉型決策過程」作系統性的探索。 本研究歸納分析所得到的研究發現如下： 【研究發現一】取得「企業學習能力」的實證觀察指標。 【研究發現二】「企業轉型升級壓力」的大小會影響「企業轉型升級策略選擇」。壓力愈小時，企業選擇「攻勢」之轉型升級的機會就愈大；反之，則企業選擇「守勢」之退守退出的機會就愈大。 【研究發現三】「企業學習能力」的強弱會影響「企業轉型升級策略的選擇」。企業學習能力愈強時，則企業選擇「攻勢」之轉型升級的機會就愈大；反之，則企業選擇「守勢」之退守退出的機會就愈大。 【研究發現四】「企業學習壓力數學關係式」的發現實證了「企業學習能力」與「目標產業知識特質」和「企業轉型升級壓力」之間，存有簡單的「數學關聯」。 【研究發現五】「企業轉型升級策略選擇」的決策關係式。 因此，本研究認為企業在做轉型升級的決策時，千萬不要忽略企業本身的「學習能力」是否能承載「目標產業的知識特質」？建議企業宜在所欲朝向轉型升級之「目標產業的知識特質」下，考量企業本身的「學習能力」強弱，評估本身「企業轉型升級壓力」的大小，最終對「企業轉型升級策略」做出合乎自身最佳利益的理性選擇。此外，本研究亦建議企業或可藉由參考「企業學習能力系統-SOFA模型」來規劃建構或是強化自身的「企業學習能力」，以因應未來無窮的變局與挑戰！ / Abstract This research is conducted by exploration and explanation between theoretical model and case studies to prove the key role of the enterprise’s learning ability (ELA) in the procedure of the enterprise’s transformation and the option of strategy. The researcher selected cases from information technology industry which contributed most to Taiwan economic growth in recent years to explain the influence of ELA on selecting the strategy of transformation and to explore the relevance among the characteristics of objective industrial knowledge, ELA and the pressure of enterprise transformation. This thesis applied content analysis to explore the documents from two big enterprises of information hardware , trying to systematically study their learning ability and to find out how they make a decision of transformation. According to the analyses of these two cases, the study has got the following conclusions： 1.The collection of empirical indexes of enterprise learning ability (ELA). 2.The pressure of enterprise transformation will influence the option of transformation strategy. The smaller the pressure is , the bigger the chance for the enterprise choosing aggressive way to transform would be. On the contrary, the bigger the presser is , the bigger the chance for the enterprise choosing conservative way to withdraw would be. 3.The performance of ELA will influence the option of enterprise transformation strategy. The stronger the ELA is , the bigger the chance for the enterprise choosing aggressive way to transform would be. On the contrary, the weaker the ELA is , the bigger the chance for the enterprise choosing conservative way to withdraw would be. 4.The formula of enterprise learning pressure proves the existence of simple mathematical relevance among ELA, the characteristics of objective industrial knowledge and the pressure of enterprise transformation. 5.The decision-making formula of the option of enterprise transformation strategy. As a result , this research indicates that an enterprise making transformation decision should never neglect the fact whether its ELA could undertake the characteristics of objective industrial knowledge or not . This research suggests that enterprises facing transformation pressure from the characteristics of objective industrial knowledge had better take their learning ability into consideration , and finally make a rational choice of transformation strategy to meet their best needs. In addition , this research recommends that enterprises might use “Enterprise Learning Ability System (ELAS)” i.e. “SOFA model” to construct or strengthen their learning ability in order to cope with countless challenge in the future.

Les nouvelles technologies ont beaucoup modifié l’apprentissage en général et l’apprentissage des langues en particulier. Cela, à son tour, a changé les représentations et les rôles traditionnels des acteurs impliqués dans l’acte d’apprentissage : apprenants et enseignants. Cette recherche décrit l’apprentissage à distance du français mettant au point l’apprentissage du FLE au Pakistan via Internet et les problèmes liés à cette nouvelle approche d’apprentissage en autonomie qui requiert la modification des rôles des apprenants ainsi que des enseignants en suggérant des stratégies à utiliser afin d’autonomiser et responsabiliser les apprenants habitués à une méthode d’apprentissage traditionnel qui est différente de celle utilisée dans l’apprentissage de la langue française en ligne / The technology of information and communication has revolutionized the teaching in general and teaching of language in particular. This in its turn has altered the traditional concepts of roles attributed to the actors involved in the act of learning and teaching. This research work describes the distance learning especially online learning of French language in Pakistan using Internet and the problems related to this new approach of autonomous learning that requires the modification of roles and duties of both the learner and the teacher focusing on strategies to be used in order to make the learners get used to a method of learning that is totally different from traditional learning and to make them take responsibility of their learning.

Intermediate calculus bridges secondary school and advanced university mathematics courses. Most mathematics education research literatures indicated that the conceptual knowledge in intermediate calculus has challenged first year undergraduate mathematics and science learners to a great extent through the lecture method. The content knowledge attained by them has been tremendously decreasing. Negative attitude exhibited by students toward calculus was highly influenced by the lecture method used. Generally, students have not looked at the learning of all mathematics courses offered in universities as normal as other courses. Due to this lack of background conceptual knowledge in learners, they have been highly frustrated by the learning of advanced mathematics courses. Taking the understanding of teaching and learning challenge of conceptual knowledge of calculus into consideration, Ethiopian public universities have been encouraging instructors to devise and implement active learning methods through any professional development training opportunity. The training was aimed to enhance learners’ content knowledge and attitude towards calculus. This is one of the main reasons for the motivation of this study that experimental group learners were allowed to be nurtured by the lecture method in their mainstream class, and then also the active learning intervention method integrated with GeoGebra in the mathematics laboratory class. Only conventional lecture method was used to teach the comparison group in both the mainstream and mathematics laboratory class. The purpose of the study was to explore the Gambari and Yusuf (2016) stimulus of the jigsaw co-operative learning method combined with GeoGebra (JCLGS) on statistics and chemistry learners’ content knowledge improvement and change of their attitude towards calculus. The post-positivism mixed methods tactic was used in a non-equivalent pre- and post-test comparison group quasi-experimental design. The population of the study was the whole freshman mathematics and science degree program learners of two public universities in Ethiopia in 2017. Samples of the size 150 in both the experimental and comparison groups were drawn utilizing two-stage random sampling technique. A questionnaire using a Likert-scale on attitudes and an achievement test were sources used for data collection. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics conducting an independent samples t-test and a Two Way ANOVA for repeated measures using SPSS23. Each of the findings on content knowledge, conceptual knowledge, and procedural knowledge development produced through the TWO-Way ANOVA, respectively as F(1,148)=80.917; 𝜂2=.353; p<.01, F(1,148)=106.913; 𝜂2=.419; p<.01, and F(1,148)=7.328; 𝜂2=.047; p<.01, revealed a statistically significant difference between the treatment and comparison groups from pre-test to post-test. These findings show that the experimental group participants were highly beneficial in developing their content knowledge and conceptual knowledge through the active learning approach and technology-based learning strategy using Vygotsky’s socio-cultural learning theory. The JCLGS learning environment representing Vygotsky’s socio-cultural learning theory modestly influenced the procedural knowledge learning of the experimental group learners’. Although the lecture method affected the comparison group students’ knowledge development in calculus during the academic semester, the impact was not comparable to that of the active learning approach and technology-based learning strategy. The major reason for this was the attention and care given to the active learning intervention integrated with GeoGebra by the researcher, data collectors, and research participants. Overall findings showed that the active learning intervention allowed the experimental group students to considerably enhance their conceptual knowledge and content knowledge in calculus. Learners also positively changed their opinion towards calculus and GeoGebra. The intervention was a group interactive environment that allowed students’ to be reflective, share prior experience and knowledge, and independent learners. As a matter of fact, educators are advised to model such a combination of active learning approach and technology-based learning strategy in their classroom instructional setting and practices. Consequently, their learners will adequately benefit to understand the subject matter and positively change their opinion towards university mathematics. / Mathematics Education / Ph. D. (Mathematics, Science and Technology Education)