This research study is a concept analysis of the Critical Cross-Field Outcomes (CCFOs). Legislation and related documentation such as SAQA Bulletins, respective Acts, and position papers of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) describe the CCFOs as one of the transformational tools utilised by the SAQA to ensure access, portability and lifelong learning. CCFOs express the intended results of education and training and underpin all learning processes, thus enhancing the learning process and contributing to the full development of an individual. CCFOs are generic and cross-curricular, they are not restricted to any specific learning context, but inform the formulation of specific outcomes in the individual areas of learning for all learners at all levels on the NQF. CCFOs should direct education, training and development practices, as well as the design and implementation of learning programmes. Learning materials should also be designed and utilised accordingly. Critical Cross-Field Outcomes are also referred to as soft competencies, personal competencies, thinking competencies and life competencies, which are the abilities that people need to be active, responsible and successful members of society. They provide the means to build a career and make the person more effective in executing a job. CCFOs should be developed during learning processes so that learners are able to deploy them when achieving work-related outcomes. Knowledge is of little value if it cannot be utilised in new situations or in a form very different from that in which it was originally encountered. Although knowledge is a necessary requirement in education, training and development, it is not sufficient for becoming an expert. What is needed is some evidence that the learners can do something with their knowledge, which implies that they can apply what they know to new situations and problems. The CCFOs are tools that the learner or facilitator can utilise to access knowledge and to develop new knowledge of purposeful objectives. The outcome of this research is a categorisation of underpinning competencies related to the CCFO statements that facilitators, proposers of qualifications, service providers and Education and Training Quality Assurance (ETQA) Managers can use to incorporate the CCFOs in the education, training and development initiatives. These competencies also serve as the starting point for the outcomes-based principle of designing back. These competencies can also be utilized as a benchmark for conducting competencies audits on the CCFOs. Selected competencies are to be implemented at all levels of the NQF in all the fields as identified by SAQA. / Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

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Hållbar utveckling behövs för att bidra till en hållbar framtid. Linneuniversitetet vill främja hållbar utveckling genom kursen lärande för hållbar utveckling. Syftet i den här studien är att utvärdera kursens effekt på integrering av kunskap om hållbar utveckling i yrkesrollen. Studien består av en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats. Studien är en tvärsnittsdesign med enkätundersökning. En enkätundersökning skickades ut till 79 kursdeltagare som genomfört kursen Lärande för hållbar utveckling. Studien fick svar från 33 kursdeltagare. Uppsatsen analyserar två hypoteser med tre stycken variabler. Resultatet visar att kursdeltagarna som svarat på enkäten hade förvärvat kunskap och kompetensutveckling efter genomförd kurs. Resultatet visar även att de flesta kursdeltagare hade integrerat sin projektplan delvis. Kursdeltagarna som delvis eller inte alls integrerat sin projektplan hade ändå integrerat hållbar utveckling. Studien visar även att de kursdeltagare som delvis eller inte alls integrerat sin projektplan fann organisatoriska hinder till att integrera hållbar utveckling.

Published Article / The Academic Planning Committee of the Central University Of Technology, Free State stated in April 2003 that academic success depends on academic institutions to create a learner-centred educational environment. In a learner-centred approach to the facilitation of learning, curriculum design, instruction and assessment focuses on what the learner should be able to do successfully. The mentioned Learner-centeredness is closely related to the principles of outcomes-based education (OBE). The purpose of this article is, therefore, to explore the feasibility of a learner-centred approach to the facilitation of learning in the context of Financial Accounting I, by considering the possible implementation of the four essential principles of OBE.

Published Aticle / The learners going through outcomes-based education (OBE) were expected to acquire skills which would help them to become critical thinkers, good workers and good citizens. However, this is not happening for learners in the Free State Goldfields' township schools, due to the unsuccessful implementation of OBE in these schools. The purpose of this study is to investigate why OBE is failing in the Free State Goldfields' township schools. In order to determine these reasons, a questionnaire was developed and administered on 183 educators from township primary schools in the Free State Goldfields. Focus group interviews were also conducted to confirm information collected through the questionnaire. Data collected was qualitatively analysed. It was found that the inadequate professional training received by educators, the poor home backgrounds of learners, illiteracy of parents, and a lack of adequate resources and facilities were the main reasons why the implementation of OBE was not succeeding in these schools. The re-training of the township school educators, the involvement of parents and the provision of resources may help to implement OBE more effectively in these schools.

Published Article / Service-learning is a relatively new teaching and learning method which has been implemented with success at national and international tertiary institutions. The identification and elucidation of the terms and processes that delineate the dynamic character of service-earning satisfactorily pose a particular challenge to researchers within the service-learning environment. Since a degree of confusion still exists amongst researchers and decision-makers regarding the distinguishing characteristics of service-learning as opposed to other forms of experiential learning, it is essential to indicate the specific position of service-learning within this environment.

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BACKGROUND:Researchers are finding limitations of currently available disease-focused questionnaire tools for outcome studies in complementary and alternative medicine/integrative medicine (CAM/IM).METHODS:Three substudies investigated the new one-item visual analogue Arizona Integrative Outcomes Scale (AIOS), which assesses self-rated global sense of spiritual, social, mental, emotional, and physical well-being over the past 24 hours and the past month. The first study tested the scale's ability to discriminate unhealthy individuals (n = 50) from healthy individuals (n = 50) in a rehabilitation outpatient clinic sample. The second study examined the concurrent validity of the AIOS by comparing ratings of global well-being to degree of psychological distress as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) in undergraduate college students (N = 458). The third study evaluated the relationships between the AIOS and positively- and negatively-valenced tools (Positive and Negative Affect Scale and the Positive States of Mind Scale) in a different sample of undergraduate students (N = 62).RESULTS:Substudy (i) Rehabilitation patients scored significantly lower than the healthy controls on both forms of the AIOS and a current global health rating. The AIOS 24-hours correlated moderately and significantly with global health (patients r = 0.50 / controls r = 0.45). AIOS 1-month correlations with global health were stronger within the controls (patients r = 0.36 / controls r = 0.50). Controls (r = 0.64) had a higher correlation between the AIOS 24-hour and 1-month forms than did the patients (r = 0.33), which is consistent with the presumptive improvement in the patients' condition over the previous 30 days in rehabilitation. Substudy (ii) In undergraduate students, AIOS scores were inversely related to distress ratings, as measured by the global severity index on the BSI (rAIOS24h = -0.42, rAIOS1month = -0.40). Substudy (iii) AIOS scores were significantly correlated with positive affect (rAIOS24h = 0.56, rAIOS1month = 0.57) and positive states of mind (rAIOS24h = 0.42, rAIOS1month = 0.45), and inversely correlated with negative affect (rAIOS24h = -0.41, rAIOS1month = -0.59).CONCLUSIONS:The AIOS is able to distinguish relatively sicker from relatively healthier individuals / and correlates in expected directions with a measure of distress and indicators of positive and negative affect and positive states of mind. The AIOS offers a tool for CAM/IM research that extends beyond a disease emphasis.

The United Kingdom has a long history of using outdoor activities as a vehicle for recreation, rehabilitation and education for people with disabilities. However, there has been little empirical research into the value placed on the experiences by those who organise the activities or by the participants. The Calvert Trust was one of the first organisations to specialise in outdoor activities for this population and through their three Centres is currently the largest provider of outdoor education for people with disabilities within the UK. Through four separate but linked research phases covering data collected between 2002 and 2013, the present study investigates the value of Calvert Trust programmes for both organisers and participants. The first phase involved the analysis of an existing data-set of post-course evaluation questionnaires (n=502) completed by visiting leaders of groups of participants (n=2,843) with a variety of disabilities who had attended one of the three Calvert Trust Centres. The activities and factors contributing to the perceived benefits of participation were identified, and visiting leader evaluations were compared with the internal reports on the same courses and participant groups completed by Centre instructors (n=702). There were differences in aims for the visits dependent on the sector of the respondent (education, recreation or rehabilitation) but an increase in confidence and independence were those most frequently reported outcomes across sectors. There was general agreement between visiting leaders and instructors as to the role of challenge, achievement and teamwork in delivering these benefits. The limitations of having respondents from only one Centre were addressed in the second phase of the research. This investigated post-course evaluation questionnaires from all three Centres returned both by visiting leaders (n=397) and participants (n=2,507). Comparisons were made across the Centres and differences were found to exist in the aims and domestic aspects of the provision reported on by the visiting leaders but not in aspects of the activity delivery. The participants, however, showed small but significant differences across the Centres in their reporting of development of communication skills, social skills, self-esteem and independence. A third research phase employed iterative email interviews with representatives from visiting organisations (n=17) and the Calvert Trust (n=17) to relate participant experiences to the aims of both the purchasers and providers. Both sets of informants saw participant recognition of personal ability as a key aim of the visit. Other frequently reported aims were to provide new social opportunities, develop interpersonal skills and increase confidence, but these had different relative weightings across informants. In the fourth phase of the research the direct voices of the participants on the value of their outdoor experiences was accessed through interviews with participants (n=23) and with a ‘significant other’ (n=18). Differences in the reporting of personal experiences were noted between those with physical and intellectual disabilities. A number of those with physical disabilities, and/or their ‘significant others’, considered that the outdoor education experience had made an important difference to the participant’s life that might have a long-lasting impact. Those with intellectual disabilities reported a positive experience that may have given them the confidence to take part in similar events, undertake more exercise or widen their social circle. A post-visit increase in independence was reported by a number of the ‘significant others’ for this latter group. The findings overall suggest that participation in the outdoor education courses at the Calvert Trust was generally a very positive experience, with outcomes valued by purchasers, by participants and by those with close knowledge of them. The principal reported benefits relate to themes of confidence, independence and realisation of personal ability. These are discussed in relation to the specific outdoor education programmes experienced and the impact that these may have on the everyday lives of participants with disabilities.

This thesis develops understanding in using outdoor adventure as a tool for learning for young people. It examines how adventure pedagogy may be applied in conjunction with classroom education to offer physical and visual means to enhance classroom theory. The core of the study was the examination of a local authority Adventure Team, identified by the Authority management as having strayed from its roots, although not perceived as ‘failing’. The researcher became insider-researcher to combine professional experience with research knowledge, envisaging this study as the pre-cursor to an action research team development project. The aims of the research were whether the Team was delivering the ‘learning’ mandated by its youth work location and whether it could strengthen its delivery. The study defines adventure, before exploring the underpinning concepts making up the elements of ‘The Adventure Team’ and its identity within the local authority. Literature advocates adventure as a powerful tool to develop social and emotional literacy, which dovetails into Government agendas on health and education. Although the study was undertaken prior to the current coalition Government, the principal agenda remains consistent with the previous regime. The Government at the time of the research promoted adventure as a means to help young people learn about the world in which they live, and the current Government has not rescinded this ambition. This work embodies learning as an interactive process whereby adventure can engage the individual on an agenda of personal and social awareness, as well as cognitive learning. Using case study as the research approach, data collection was achieved using interviews, participant observation and secondary data. The research found that the Team could achieve more by developing closer working relationships and by the Authority leadership being strengthened to offer greater direction and support. The framework of delivery was centralising the Team such that it had become isolated, with little governance and without partnerships to make the programmes as powerful as they could be. The conclusion is that the Team could fortify its delivery through alliances to provide visual and physical means to reinforce and support traditional learning, which enhances understanding. Informal learning helps young people to understand how they learn and how they can apply learning, which augments motivation and creates ownership of the learning. The research is a forerunner to at least two future research studies. Firstly an examination of the legacy of the ‘Learning Outside the Classroom’ Manifesto (2006) and secondly, an exploration of the influence of the coalition Government’s assumption of power on multi-agency partnerships, early intervention and targeted youth support, as was envisaged under the previous regime as the ‘Every Child Matters’ (2003) agenda. In addition to this, a book exploring how adventure can be used to address formal and informal learning as an ‘off the shelf’ resource to present activities and potential outcomes has enormous potential in the sustained delivery of outdoor learning as a valuable learning tool.