京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(地域研究) / 甲第20734号 / 地博第225号 / 新制||地||83(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院アジア・アフリカ地域研究研究科アフリカ地域研究専攻 / (主査)教授 木村 大治, 准教授 安岡 宏和, 助教 佐藤 宏樹, 教授 市川 光雄 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Area Studies / Kyoto University / DGAM

Nkopane, Freddy Lehlohonolo, Student no 0215898Y, MSc, Science Education, Faculty of Science. 2006. / The National Curriculum Statement (NCS) highlights the extensive need for developing insights and respect for different scientific perspectives and a sensitivity to cultural beliefs, prejudices and practice in society. The study wais prompted by the fact that most learners have an African conception of lightning which in most cases is not in agreement with the conventional definition of lightning. The focus of this study was to identify the learners’ conceptions of lightning. Secondly it attempted to elicit, describe and assess the learners’ process of learning Western conception of lightning. And finally, it developed a model of teaching that can be used to help African learners accommodate the two conceptions without contradiction or hindrance. This research utilized qualitative research design to a large extent. A total of 33 participants responded to a questionnaire and 16 were interviewed. In response to question 1, learner’s mentioned that they believe that lightning is a result of witchcraft, it demonstrates the anger of ancestors or it is used by god to demonstrate his existence. These findings suggest that the learner’s African conception is a hindrance to the learning of science because learners’ cultural identity is often very different from the culture of conventional science. Learners experience a type of cultural clash whenever they attempt to learn science meaningfully. A substantial number of learners indicated that the African conception prohibits them from learning the western conception. Further findings suggest that learners do not challenge the validity of the conventional explanation of the origins of lightning. But they believe it is different to the African conception. In summary this research revealed that there is a strong need for educators to be sensitive and knowledgeable about the African learners’ way of thinking. It suggests a teaching model that is aimed at helping educators to deal with misconceptions instead of attempting to change a belief system.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between the “atoms first” and the “traditional” curricula. Specifically focusing on which curriculum better aligns to curricular expectations, leads to higher student success when students are grouped together, and when students are differentiated based on several factors. The main difference between the two approaches being the sequence of topics presented in the first semester general chemistry course. This study involves more than 9,500 general chemistry I and II students over 7 semesters with about half of them being taught using the “atoms first” approach. Student success was measured using the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) final examination scores and the final letter grades. Alignment to curricular expectations was determined via a qualitative review of textbooks written for each of the approaches. This showed that the “atoms first” approach better aligns to research supported best practices. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed to determine if there is a significant difference between the “atoms first” and the “traditional” curricula. The “traditional” approach was found to lead to higher student achievement for both measures of student success in both chemistry I and II courses. Lastly, multiple linear, multinomial logistic, and binary logistic regressions were run using all of the subgroups – gender, race/ethnicity, major, ACT composite, math ACT, overall GPA, and classroom size – as predictor variables to determine if any significant interactions between the curricular methods and the different subgroups existed. Results found that the relationship between gender, GPA, and classroom size groupings significantly impact student achievement in general chemistry. Specifically, the “traditional” approach lead to higher student success compared to the “atoms first” approach for males, females, below average GPA students, above average GPA students, and students in large classroom settings. However, there are several factors – final examination content, new teacher impact, teacher’s view of science, and withdrawal rate and timing – that need to be taken into account when implementing these findings. Overall, the results of this study provides a cautionary reminder of the many impacts affecting curriculum implementation and the importance of professional development and training during a curriculum transitional period.

Both in-situ and ex-situ giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), display shifts in bamboo species and part preference throughout the year. The effects of this shifting preference on gastrointestinal (GIT) microbiota were observed using traditional culturing methods to characterize normal GIT microflora from fecal samples and behavioral feeding data of adult male and female pandas over a fourteen-month period. Linear and quadratic fits were used to determine any significant relationships between the time of year and part preference on the GIT microflora (P<0.05). Significant values for time of year were observed with the linear fit in total aerobes (P-value=0.0368), streptococci (P-value=0.0120), and lactobacilli (P-value=0.0166) and quadratic fits in streptococci (P-value=0.0382) and Bacteroides spp. (P-value=0.0134) at á=0.05. Significant linear relationships were observed with part preference and lactobacilli and Bacteroides spp., P-values of 0.0028 and 0.0030, respectively, indicating that part preference and time of year may affect the flux of panda GIT microflora.

Nontraditional students continue to grow as a population in universities across North America. These individuals are characterized as twenty-five years of age or older, have taken time off from school, and usually hold a job outside of their school duties. With our increased immersion in online environments, many individuals earning an educational degree through online participation, and previous studies calling upon further research, we decided to investigate this line of research. Specifically, the present study seeks to understand the motivational factors seen between traditional and nontraditional students, with an emphasis on intrinsic motivation. The results suggest that nontraditional students are primarily motivated by intrinsic motivators, while traditional students are driven by intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. These findings are further examined in the discussion.

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Guanzhong narrow courtyard is a traditional architecture form of family house in Guanzhong area in China. This project will be dedicated to my grandmother.  She used to live in such house for decades. Although she has moved to city long ago, she is still missing the life in such narrow courtyard house. Unfortunately the old house has been teared down just like most of them in Guanzhong area. So I would like to design a new house for her and explore a way to translate the traditional architecture form into a modern building.

Den här studien syftar till att undersöka vilka strategier svenska kommuner använder för att motivera och legitimera besparingar som kommuniceras via pressmeddelanden eller officiella kommunnyheter. Det som analyseras är hur legitimeringar av besparingar representeras i kommunala pressmeddelanden, vilka röster och subjektspositioner som avbildas och hur sätts dessa i relation till varandra. Den syftar även till att undersöka på vilket sätt de legitimeringsstrategier och relationer bland subjektspositioner som identifierats i materialet bidrar till att reproducera maktstrukturer i samhället. Studien utgår från ett kritiskt  diskursanalytiskt perspektiv och baseras på pressmeddelanden och kommunnyheter  rån  sex svenska kommuner som behöver kommunicera besparingsåtgärder. Det teoretiska ramverket grundar sig  i  Webers  tre  typer  av  auktoritet:  traditionell,  laglig-rationell  och  karismatisk  auktoritet.  De  olika typerna av maktutövande  bygger på legitimitet och dess  rättfärdigande  egenskaper  stödjer  politisk dominans.  Studien  grundar  sig  även  i  Berger  och Luckmanns socialkonstruktionistiska syn på legitimering som en viktig faktor vid   konstruktion av verklighet. Utöver detta används legitimeringsstrategier från tidigare  legitimitetsteorietisk   forskningvägledande   vid  analysen   av materialet.  De  legitimeringsstrategier som observeras i materialet är rationalisering, exemplifiering, ansvarsutkrävande, moralisering, karismatisk legitimering och dramatiskt narrativ. Resultatet visaratt kommunernas ledning i sin diskurs prioriterar ekonomi framför välfärd och kan anses vara försvarare av den ekonomiska överordningen i samhället

The thesis argues that there is a common core conception of childhood in traditional African communities and that this understanding of childhood is different from the image of childhood in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Children‟s Charter. In order to successfully implement children‟s rights in Africa care must be taken to ensure that the cultural norms and values that inform the conception of childhood in Africa is accommodated. Failure to do this is problematic on at least two grounds. First, it increases the economic and social costs of implementing children‟s rights in many African communities. Second, implementing children‟s rights norms that are considered by some communities in Africa as alien without adopting those norms to the African context will continue to increase the resistance of local communities to children‟s rights. Such an approach will be seen as replacing local cultural values with alien cultural norms. This could result in multiple-lived experience for children, weakened family structures and support and, possibly, compromised cultural identities of children. To minimise these consequences, the thesis recommends the application of the norms in these two children‟s rights treaties in a context-and child-specific manner. It is further argued that a „universal pluralistic‟ theoretical framework will facilitate reasonable deference to local contexts that further the cause of children‟s rights and. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Centre for Human Rights / LLD / Unrestricted

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