The uptake and use of digital technologies continues to increase in schools throughout the world. In many schools the uptake and use of digital technologies takes place in One-to-One (1:1) initiatives in which teachers and students have their own laptops. In this thesis the uptake and use of digital technologies is studied from the student, teacher and school leader perspectives in order to through this gain knowledge regarding the conditions for Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) and educational change in K-12 schools. In the Unos Umeå research project the uptake and use of digital technologies in two schools, an upper secondary school and a compulsory school, was studied. A research design involving a case study approach (Yin, 2003, 2009) was used to study a 1:1 initiative. The methods of data collection were surveys, interviews and classroom observations. To explore, identify and describe conditions for TEL and educational change the data collected were used to map the initial expectations regarding the uptake and use of digital technologies from the start of the initiative as well as to follow the development of teaching and learning activities related to the uptake and use of digital technologies in the 1:1 classroom over a period of two years. The Ecology of Resources Model (Luckin, 2010) was used as a theoretical framework including the use of the concept of filters. Regarding the conditions for TEL, the results show that the uptake and use of digital technologies provides possibilities for new forms of teaching and learning in the 1:1 classroom. Students reported increased motivation, engagement and variation in schoolwork. Teachers described new forms of teaching as well as possibilities for collaboration, sharing of materials and continued professional development. For school leaders possibilities were found in collaboration, administrative support and follow-up of students and teachers, creating a unified vision of the work with digital technologies, and collaboration and sharing within the schools as an ecology of resources. The challenges seen from the student, teacher and school leader perspectives were related to use, technical support and optionality. If the possibilities are to be achieved, there is a need for continued professional development for teachers and school leaders. Further, clear directives through policy will be of importance. In the short term, the practical implications of the uptake and use of digital technologies, specifically in 1:1 initiatives, seem to be strongly connected to sustainability in schools. In the long term, if sustainable conditions for TEL and educational change in the 1:1 classroom can be created and upheld, the practical implications may for example be teachers’ improved skills to integrate a thought-through student use of laptops in their teaching practices and an increase in equality of digital competence between students, between schools and between classrooms in the same school.

Today’s increasing information supply raises the needfor more effective and automated information processing whereindividual information adaptation (personalization) is onepossible solution. Earlier computer systems for personalizationlacked the ability to easily define and measure theeffectiveness of personalization efforts. Numerous projectsfailed to live up to the their expectations, and the demand forevaluation increased. This thesis presents some underlying concepts and methodsfor implementing personalization in order to increase statedbusiness objectives. A personalization system was developedthat utilizes descriptions of information characteristics(metadata) to perform content based filtering in anon-intrusive way. Most of the described measurement methods forpersonalization in the literature are focused on improving theutility for the customer. The evaluation function of thepersonalization system described in this thesis takes thebusiness operator’s standpoint and pragmatically focuseson one or a few measurable business objectives. In order toverify operation of the personalization system, a functioncalled bifurcation was created. The bifurcation functiondivides the customers stochastically into two or morecontrolled groups with different personalizationconfigurations. Bygiving one of the controlled groups apersonalization configuration that deactivates thepersonalization, a reference group is created. The referencegroup is used to measure quantitatively objectives bycomparison with the groups with active personalization. Two different companies had their websites personalized andevaluated: one of Sweden’s largest recruitment servicesand the second largest Swedish daily newspaper. The purposewith the implementations was to define, measure, and increasethe business objectives. The results of the two case studiesshow that under propitious conditions, personalization can bemade to increase stated business objectives. Keywords:metadata, semantic web, personalization,information adaptation, one-to-one marketing, evaluation,optimization, personification, customization,individualization, internet, content filtering, automation. / <p>QCR 20161027</p>

The One-to-One project is initiated in schools across the country but there is no research on how it affects the students' physical work environment and health from a holistic perspective. Both national, public and private schools face a need to develop the work environment, especially for the students, as the school implements the One-to-One PCs. The study aims to investigate the impact of One-to-One computers on students’ physical and mental health in a work environmental perspective in a secondary school. This study examines: How does the introduction of One-to-One PCs affect mental and physical work environment for pupils in an upper secondary school with vocational training? The study was conducted as a quantitative survey of students at a Swedish secondary school. The result includes that students feel the school work is not geared towards working with a computer as a tool, and that there is a lot that can be done regarding school environment. The study discusses aspects of pupils' health and changes that could improve the school environment.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Government and Public Administration

Attrition rates among applied music students accelerate as young people progress through adolescence. Once disengaged from music participation in the teenage years, disinterest tends to persist throughout adulthood. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the teaching practices of applied music teachers as they worked with teenagers at a talent development level referred to as second phase (Bloom, 1985), which is typically reached in adolescence. The study investigated teaching and learning behaviors in the lessons, teachers’ management of para-instructional decisions (such as monitoring students’ progress and recommending students for collegiate-level study), and teachers’ strategies for influencing, motivating, and nurturing students. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit six classical guitar, harp, and piano teachers. Data collected from music lesson observations, semi-structured interviews, and documents were analyzed typologically for occurrences of predetermined categories of instructional behaviors and inductively for emergent themes. The study revealed several findings. Verbal directives and questions, positive approbations, and playing models dominated the teachers’ behavior. The teachers accommodated individual learning styles and empowered their students by providing them with decision-making opportunities. The teachers’ pedagogies were systematic and goal driven, with refined tone and strategies for lifelong music making among the pedagogical foci. Musical analysis was integral to the teaching, as it served to deepen students’ intellectual understanding of the music and support their memorization during performances. The teachers prescribed exact practice routines, which most of them provided in written form. The findings suggest that in light of the voluntary nature of applied music study in adolescence and the many activities competing for students’ time, a chief concern of the teachers was to influence and motivate their students to continue their participation in music lessons. The teachers accomplished this by utilizing six categories of teaching strategies, some of which could involve decisions contrary to their own musical preferences and pedagogical inclinations. The strategies’ synergy maximized the facilitation of positive student experiences, particularly those associated with public performance. These experiences seemed to fulfill students’ drive for independence, satisfy their need for recognition, and boosted their motivation to work towards achieving higher proficiency levels. / 2024-03-31T00:00:00Z

One-to-one mobile technology integration is the goal of increasing numbers of school districts each year, and many factors exist to consider when measuring success. The research problem for this qualitative study focused on one of the critical components for measuring success: the need for effective teacher professional development. The purpose of this study was to examine (a) principles and practices to facilitate the integration of one-to-one mobile technologies into professional learning experiences, and (b) the perceptions of technology instructional coaches regarding changes in teachers' practice and attitudes following professional development. The conceptual framework included Knowles's theory of andragogy and Koehler and Mishra's TPACK framework. In two rounds, 19 interviews were conducted with 13 technology instructional coaches. Thirteen coaches were interviewed in round one and from that data six high level coaches were identified for a second round of interviews. The data from both interview rounds were analyzed and coded to identify themes and categories. The key findings revealed that effective one-to-one mobile technology integration requires supportive leadership; building culture and relationships; instructional design with standards and frameworks; building collaborative, job-embedded teacher agency; and personalized learning with differentiated delivery. All stakeholders could use the key results to make informed decisions for planning and implementing professional learning opportunities. This study may affect positive social change by enhancing how technology is integrated into teaching and learning through increased teacher engagement in professional learning.

<p>Priestley's One-to-One CBT programme is intended to reduce criminal recidivism. Data were collected from 1484 programme rounds in Sweden. 776 of these cases contained the data necessary for this study and were used in the analyses. The data included pre- and postprogramme test scores on areas addressed in the programme. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the tests or background data of participants have predictive properties for dropout and recidivism and whether test scores differ between sub-groups. To do this, t-tests and logistic regression analyses were performed. There were significant improvements on all scores post-programme. Only age predicted completion, with older participants being more likely to complete the program. Several variables were found to have predictive properties for recidivism. The most potent predictor for nonrecidivism was programme completion. The study finds a relation between some of the tests measuring psychological change, and recidivism. This partly supports the theory behind the programme.</p><p> </p>

Priestley's One-to-One CBT programme is intended to reduce criminal recidivism. Data were collected from 1484 programme rounds in Sweden. 776 of these cases contained the data necessary for this study and were used in the analyses. The data included pre- and postprogramme test scores on areas addressed in the programme. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the tests or background data of participants have predictive properties for dropout and recidivism and whether test scores differ between sub-groups. To do this, t-tests and logistic regression analyses were performed. There were significant improvements on all scores post-programme. Only age predicted completion, with older participants being more likely to complete the program. Several variables were found to have predictive properties for recidivism. The most potent predictor for nonrecidivism was programme completion. The study finds a relation between some of the tests measuring psychological change, and recidivism. This partly supports the theory behind the programme.

La present tesi realitza un seguiment del primer any d’implementació del projecte eduCAT1x1 a la demarcació educativa de les Terres de l’Ebre, on durant el curs 2010/2011 s’ha generalitzat un model basat en la completa digitalització de les aules d’Educació Secundària Obligatòria (incorporació de pissarres digitals interactives, distribució d’un microportàtil a cada alumne, generalització dels llibres digitals, connexió de les aules a la xarxa, etc.). Aquest seguiment focalitza especialment en els aspectes relatius a la infraestructura, a la competència digital de l’alumnat i a l’aprofitament al si d’una de les assignatures; i està previst realitzar-lo amb tres Instituts d’Ensenyament Secundari públics de la demarcació. Pel que fa a la implementació, es detecten mancances pel que fa a les infraestructures, a la qualitat dels materials educatius digitals i a les possibilitats de compartició, a la productivitat de les tecnologies i a la formació del professorat; pel que fa a la competència digital de l’alumnat, es constaten mancances en relació a la seva capacitat de fer servir les TIC per a l’aprenentatge; i finalment, pel que fa a l’aprofitament a l’assignatura de Llengua Castellana, atès el baix aprenentatge de la competència comunicativa, es detecta un greu problema curricular i un escàs rendiment de la innovació aplicada. Una vegada analitzada la implementació, es formulen diferents propostes de millora adreçades a millorar la realitat d’eduCAT1x1. / This Ph. D. report presents the explanation of the the first eduCAT1x1 project year implementation in the educational demarcation of Terres de l’Ebre (Tarragona), during the school year 2010/2011, where it has been generalized a model based on the complete Secondary Education classrooms digitization (incorporating interactive whiteboards, microlaptops for each student, digital books, connecting classrooms to the Internet, etc.). This report focuses particularly on matters relating to infrastructure, the students digital competence and the improving within one of the subjects, and it has been developed in three public high schools from our area. Regarding the implementation issue, we have found weaknesses in terms of infrastructures, the quality of digital educational materials, the possibilities of knowledge sharing and teacher training options; regarding the students digital competence, we’ve shown clear shortcomings in relation to their ability to use ICT for their own learning; and, finally, regarding the real improving within the Spanish language subject, it is very clear the low level of communicative competence learning, so we’ve detected a serious curricular problem among others. Once exposed the implementation process, we formulate several learning improving proposals in the context of this eduCAT1x1 project.

As teacher turnover and the demands for accountability and student achievement persist, the need to hire and retain quality teachers becomes increasingly vital. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between participation in Cross Career Learning Communities (CCLC), a type of Professional Learning Community (PLC), and teacher retention in participating Network for Enhancing Teacher-Quality (NET-Q) schools in a southeastern state. One-to-one exact matching was used to match 251 teachers in CCLC groups to 251 control teachers on eight variables including both system and individual level variables. Results showed a ten percent significant difference between the retention percentages within the state public school systems favoring CCLC teachers, χ2(1) = 21.17, N = 502, p < .05, with a medium effect size of h = .4. For teachers participating in CCLCs, a secondary research question asked if there were any differences in teacher retention in schools that had mandatory participation versus those that had voluntary participation. No significant difference was found between participation types and teacher retention. Furthermore, no significant difference was found in the attrition rates between the novice and the veteran teachers participating in the CCLCs. Based on a question from the NET-Q survey, the percentage of teachers indicating that their participation in CCLCs positively influenced their decision to continue in teaching, estimated at 31%, was statistically significant. This study extends the research on one particular type of PLC to teacher retention. The findings of this study may aid school leaders in better understanding how they can address and impact teacher retention in teaching and in their school buildings. Suggestions for future research and implications for policies addressing teacher support and retention are discussed.