This study focussed on teacher training in the context of distance education. It investigated the impact on practice of an English methodology course offered by Unisa’s Department of English Studies at certificate level. The unit of analysis was a group of eight student teachers registered for the module ACEEN26 Teaching English: General Principles offered by Unisa’s Department of English Studies. This module aims to help students to understand the approaches that underpin Outcomes-based Education (OBE) and how these translate into practice in the English First Additional Language (FAL) classrooms. To investigate the participants’ classroom practices, the study adopted an open and inductive approach aimed at gauging their thinking with regard to teaching, learning, assessment and how these understandings reflected OBE practices. The aim was to determine how the eight students made sense of this phenomenon given their own epistemologies within the unique contexts in which they worked. Data collection consisted of a mix of lesson observations, in-depth audio-taped interviews and analysis of documents. The interview was the main data-gathering technique. All these instruments were supplemented by field notes based on informal observations which were entered in a reflective journal. The picture that emerged was of teachers who worked under demanding conditions as they tried to implement complex and sometimes contradictory policies and were constantly under the pressure of policy demands. Their practices were, to a large extent, inconsistent with the OBE approach to teaching and learning. Although they gained some theoretical surface knowledge from the course, the students’ practice remained traditional because of two main reasons emanating from the findings: their inability to internalise the theory to make it an integral part of their mental repertoire and the negative impact of disabling contextual factors.The study constituted an evaluation of the course and therefore fed directly into the whole concept of dialogue and student support which are necessary prerequisites for success in distance education. As a teacher educator, this research was also a way of illuminating my teaching practices through practical research that simultaneously informs the field of teacher education. Based on the training needs identified, a re-contextualised curriculum for the ACE English programme was proposed. This proposed new programme reflects my stance that instead of continuing to focus on pouring resources into dysfunctional schools, we should concentrate on the lowest denominator in the system — the teacher. / Educational Studies / D. Litt. et Phil (English)

This study focussed on teacher training in the context of distance education. It investigated the impact on practice of an English methodology course offered by Unisa’s Department of English Studies at certificate level. The unit of analysis was a group of eight student teachers registered for the module ACEEN26 Teaching English: General Principles offered by Unisa’s Department of English Studies. This module aims to help students to understand the approaches that underpin Outcomes-based Education (OBE) and how these translate into practice in the English First Additional Language (FAL) classrooms. To investigate the participants’ classroom practices, the study adopted an open and inductive approach aimed at gauging their thinking with regard to teaching, learning, assessment and how these understandings reflected OBE practices. The aim was to determine how the eight students made sense of this phenomenon given their own epistemologies within the unique contexts in which they worked. Data collection consisted of a mix of lesson observations, in-depth audio-taped interviews and analysis of documents. The interview was the main data-gathering technique. All these instruments were supplemented by field notes based on informal observations which were entered in a reflective journal. The picture that emerged was of teachers who worked under demanding conditions as they tried to implement complex and sometimes contradictory policies and were constantly under the pressure of policy demands. Their practices were, to a large extent, inconsistent with the OBE approach to teaching and learning. Although they gained some theoretical surface knowledge from the course, the students’ practice remained traditional because of two main reasons emanating from the findings: their inability to internalise the theory to make it an integral part of their mental repertoire and the negative impact of disabling contextual factors.The study constituted an evaluation of the course and therefore fed directly into the whole concept of dialogue and student support which are necessary prerequisites for success in distance education. As a teacher educator, this research was also a way of illuminating my teaching practices through practical research that simultaneously informs the field of teacher education. Based on the training needs identified, a re-contextualised curriculum for the ACE English programme was proposed. This proposed new programme reflects my stance that instead of continuing to focus on pouring resources into dysfunctional schools, we should concentrate on the lowest denominator in the system — the teacher. / Educational Studies / D. Litt. et Phil (English)

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2016-09-01T21:02:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Valmir Alves Ventura.pdf: 3298811 bytes, checksum: 15d1e14ae8cc68eef2e5840c2f85b5b1 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-01T21:02:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Valmir Alves Ventura.pdf: 3298811 bytes, checksum: 15d1e14ae8cc68eef2e5840c2f85b5b1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-26 / This thesis aimed to investigate and respond how the learning mediates the process of strategic entrepreneurship (SE) in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of high organic growth. As the adopted theoretical foundation, the SE was set as the organizational ability to develop simultaneously, on the one hand, the opportunity-seeking (exploration) strategies (OSS) prospecting strategies opportunity and more radical innovations, preparing the structure, organizational culture and operations, unstructured or routinely to generate sources of future competitive advantage, and moreover, advantage-seeking (exploitation) strategies (ASS) and more incremental innovations aligned with key business skills and opportunities identified in previous periods, a more structured and regular manner by means of known routines to generate competitive advantage in the short and medium term. The study is featured with a inductive qualitative research, based on multiples cases studies of six high organic growth of SMEs, operating in different segments, and located in four states. As the main procedure of data collection, there were semi-structured interviews with managers and employees. And as an accessory procedure, direct observation, focus interviews and collecting documentary evidence were carried out. The study took place in three phases. At first, indications of SMEs characterized as high organic growth were given by entities such as Endeavor, CIETEC / USP and PROINE / UFG. It is observed that these companies account for 1.5% of operating in the market. In the second part, there was the collection of data to find what were the actions and organizational strategies adopted in each case. In the third part, it was executed the analysis of data of the multiples cases based on the theories, concomitant with their field validation. As the main result of this thesis, it was identified that mediate learning in the SE process in high organic growth SMEs happens in an evolutionary and systemic manner, for four interdependent phases, Stimulation, Emancipation, Integration and Overrun. In phase 1, the entrepreneurial leadership provides the opportunity for employees to experience challenges and expand their cognitive abilities for the sake of personal and organizational development. This leadership transforms the environment of tension in positive stimulus and creates a learning culture that, systemically, spreads from anywhere in the organization. In phase 2, the employees acquire greater autonomy because they share the same environment in the search for solutions to organizational problems. In phase 3, the equity in the interaction with the social environment and the relevance of the objectives integrating the team, generate belloging and soften possible differences. In phase 4, the knowledge of limits, capabilities and organizational challenges creates resilience, which systemically, feeds back and strengthens the system. Mediation of learning is complex, built incrementally, and their maturity does not depend on a pre-set exact point, because it is subject combination of mechanisms and mediation elements. The mechanisms that interact and permeate the four phases are: conditioning factors of learning, strategies for prospecting and exploitation, organizational (culture, structure and operations) and types and levels of learning. Studies like this can contribute grants to small organizations, medium and large to stimulate an entrepreneurial leadership, reduce organizational stress and create a culture of learning, in order to implement effectively and balance the PSO and CARS to generate growth and wealth for organizations. / Esta tese objetivou investigar e responder como a aprendizagem media o processo do empreendedorismo estratégico (EE) em pequenas e médias empresas (PME) de alto crescimento orgânico. Conforme fundamentação teórica adotada, definiu-se EE como a capacidade organizacional de desenvolver simultaneamente, de um lado, estratégias de prospecção de oportunidade (EPO) e inovações mais radicais, preparando a estrutura, cultura organizacional e operações, de forma não estruturada ou rotineira, para gerar fontes de vantagem competitiva futura, e por outro lado, estratégias de aproveitamento de vantagem competitiva (EAVC) e inovações mais incrementais, alinhadas às competências empresariais essenciais e às oportunidades identificadas em períodos anteriores, de forma mais estruturada e regular, por meio de rotinas conhecidas, para gerar vantagem competitiva em curto e médio prazos. O estudo é caracterizado com uma pesquisa qualitativa, indutiva baseada no estudo de casos múltiplos de seis PME de alto crescimento orgânico, atuantes em diferentes segmentos, e localizadas em quatro estados brasileiros. Como procedimento principal de coleta de dados, realizaram-se entrevistas semi-estruturadas com gestores e colaboradores, e como procedimento acessório, realizaram-se observação direta, entrevistas focais e coleta de dados documentais. A pesquisa ocorreu em três fases. Na primeira, por meio de entidades como Endeavor, CIETEC / USP e PROINE / UFG, obteve-se indicações de PME, caracterizadas como de alto crescimento orgânico. Observa-se que essas empresas correspondem a 1,5% das atuantes no mercado. Na segunda, realizou-se a coleta de dados de modo a constatar quais eram as ações e estratégias organizacionais adotadas em cada caso. Na terceira, efetuou-se a análise dos dados dos múltiplos casos à luz das teorias, concomitante com sua validação em campo. Como principal resultado desta tese, foi identificado que a mediação da aprendizagem no processo do EE em PME de alto crescimento orgânico ocorre de forma evolutiva e sistêmica, em quatro fases interdependentes, Estimulação; Emancipação; Integração; e Superação. Na Fase 1, a liderança empreendedora propicia a possibilidade aos colaboradores de vivenciarem desafios e ampliarem suas capacidades cognitivas em prol do desenvolvimento pessoal e organizacional. Essa liderança transforma a tensão do ambiente em estímulo positivo e cria uma cultura de aprendizagem que, de forma sistêmica, dissemina-se a partir de qualquer ponto da organização. Na Fase 2, os colaboradores adquirem maior autonomia por compartilharem o mesmo ambiente na busca por soluções dos problemas organizacionais. Na Fase 3, a equidade na interação com o meio social e a pertinência dos objetivos integram a equipe, geram pertencimento e amenizam possíveis diferenças. Na Fase 4, o conhecimento dos limites, capacidades e desafios organizacionais gera resiliência, que de forma sistêmica, retroalimenta e reforça o sistema. A mediação da aprendizagem é complexa, construída de forma incremental, e sua maturação não depende de um ponto exato pré-definido, pois está sujeita a combinação dos mecanismos e elementos de mediação. Os mecanismos que interagem e permeiam as quatro fases são: fatores condicionantes da aprendizagem, estratégias de prospecção e de aproveitamento, organizacionais (cultura, estrutura e operações) e tipos e níveis de aprendizagem. Estudos como este podem contribuir com subsídios às organizações de pequeno, médio e grande portes para estimularem uma liderança empreendedora, reduzirem a tensão organizacional e criarem uma cultura da aprendizagem, de modo a aplicarem com efetividade e equilíbrio as EPO e as EAVC a fim de gerar crescimento e riqueza para as organizações.