published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Education / Master / Master of Education

The end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994 triggered unprecedented changes in the country's institutions including the school. In the city of Durban one such change was the influx of Zulu-speaking pupils into previously "Indian" and "White" schools in their quest to learn through the medium of English only. The majority of these students are less proficient in English and therefore find it difficult to participate in classroom activities. Drawing on questionnaires, interviews and personal observations of classroom interaction, this study reports on one teaching method, peer tutoring, that some teachers at Southlands Secondary use to attend to the communicative needs of these students. In particular, the study reports on how peer-tutoring works at this school, what its benefits are to the learners, what the learners' attitudes are toward this teaching method, and what its implications are for the English-only argument. The study shows that contrary to the English-only argument, using the students' native tongue, Zulu, in an English-only classroom can assist rather than impede ESL learning. Peer tutoring not only contributes to the academic development of Zulu-speaking pupils and fosters friendships and meaningful contacts between Zulu-speaking and Indian pupils, but it also provides the latter with opportunities to learn Zulu and to appreciate the language as a resource in an English-only environment. It is hoped that this study, which is very much pilot in nature, will help highlight issues that can become the subject of more detailed studies in this field. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1999.

Volunteer literacy tutors are key actors in one-on-one adult learner-tutor relationships, although few studies have examined tutors' role in literacy provision. This study had two objectives: to describe and analyse how McGill Students for Literacy tutors understand literacy and how they behave toward their learners and toward their organization, and to understand why many tutors distance themselves and their match from the organization. 18 McGill Students for Literacy tutors participated in semi-structured interviews with the researcher in this organizational case study. The hypothesis states that tutors choose autonomy from the literacy organization because of certain beliefs related to their attitudes as volunteers and to the organization's focus on individualized learning. These beliefs are: one-on-one instruction succeeds where classroom-based instruction has not, individual attention compensates for lack of training, good-will is better than good training, and volunteer activities can be justified on the basis of perceived need rather than demonstrable progress.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / There is currently a strong emphasis on the teaching of Physical Sciences in the school system. The National Department of Education has established Dinaledi schools to address this situation to increase the number of learners taking Physical Sciences as one of their school subjects and to also increase the number of passes in the subject. Furthermore, Physical Sciences learners struggle to understand certain scientific concepts and develop alternative ideas about these concepts that have a negative influence on further development of other integrated science concepts. The thesis proposes the importance of developing concept mapping to enhance the teaching of topics in a Physical Sciences classroom. The research focused on the chemical equilibrium in a Grade 12 Physical Sciences tutoring classroom. This happened in a group setting, with learners enrolling with the specific aim of improving their marks for Physical Sciences as one of the important gateway subjects for entrance to tertiary education. The research focused on their prior knowledge of the topic and how they understood the topic. Using social constructivism as underpinning theoretical framework, and conceptual change theory, learners were taken through a process to identify and rectify their alternative ideas on chemical equilibrium. In this, perspective learning is seen as a social process in which learners actively participate and contribute with their understanding and arguments. The research was carried out in a science tutoring classroom and focused on three groups from secondary schools in the Paarl Valley, Drakenstein area, Western Cape, South Africa. The groups were taught and observed in the science tutoring classroom with special attention to data collection in order to capture their thinking and work on the topic. Data were collected by means of concept mapping, where each learner completed a minimum of three or maximum of four concept maps. Within each concept map, learners connected key concepts of the topic with one another. Each concept map identified the learner‟s prior knowledge as well as any alternative ideas created by using existing frameworks. Data were analysed using a rubric to determine each concept map‟s quality. Conclusions were that learners became actively involved in the process of concept mapping as well as learning. There were no definite differences between higher performing and lower performing learners. As for the enhanced teaching aspect, alternative ideas were identified quickly using the concept maps; these were centred on the individual learner, and were not general.

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Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-04-24T12:28:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Luciana Andréa Afonso Sigalla.pdf: 1991431 bytes, checksum: 4de1b944bf0af8da4869356fab76208b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-24T12:28:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luciana Andréa Afonso Sigalla.pdf: 1991431 bytes, checksum: 4de1b944bf0af8da4869356fab76208b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-03-16 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This research, of a qualitative approach, had as a general objective to analyze the practice of peer tutoring performed in the Professional Master´s degree in Education: Education of Educators (Formação de Formadores - Formep), at the university PUC-SP, based on the perceptions of its participants, tutors and tutees of the Program. The specific objectives were: (1) to investigate whether this tutoring shows characteristics of a space not only collective, but also collaborative to work and education; (2) to identify the possible contributions of this practice to the research participants and (3) to identify the weaknesses of the tutorial and (4) to make suggestions for its improvement. The defended thesis is that the practice of peer tutoring at Formep is characterized as a collective-collaborative space of work and education, mutual learnings generator (of concepts, skills, relationships and attitudes), which can contribute to the academic and professional trajectories of the subjects involved, whoever they are; tutors and tutees of the Program, in the interactions which they establish among themselves. The theoretical foundation of the research is based on studies on adult learning (PLACCO; SOUZA, 2006); peer learning (DURAN; VIDAL, 2007; FRISON, 2012); collective-collaborative work (BOAVIDA; PONTE, 2002; FIORENTINI, 2004, FORTE, 2009; IMBERNÓN, 2009); fundamental learnings in life and work (DELORS et al., 2006); mediation, social interaction and zone of imminent development (ZID) (VIGOTSKI, 2007, 2009). The research had the participation of 30 subjects, being 13 tutors and 17 tutees, whose data were produced in discussion groups and in interviews. Data analysis was inspired by the Prose Analysis approach (ANDRÉ, 1983) and gave rise to seven analytical categories. Among the main discoveries, the following are highlighted: (1) the collective-collaborative aspect of the practice of academic tutoring at Formep; (2) the contributions of the tutoring, together with the academic monitoring, for the education of researchers, university teachers and supervisors of academic researches, in the case of tutors; (3) the contributions of the tutoring to the development of necessary skills in the post-graduation courses, such as defining a research topic, searching information in databases, preparing a bibliographic review, producing and reading academic texts, in the case of tutees; (4) the importance of interaction with advanced peers to enhance the reflexive and metacognitive capacities of tutors and tutees; (5) the importance of dialogue, negotiation and sharing of ideas, doubts and difficulties in education processes, in higher education. The analysis of the data allows us to affirm that the objectives of the research were reached and that the thesis defended was confirmed / Esta pesquisa, de abordagem qualitativa, teve como objetivo geral analisar a prática de tutoria acadêmica entre pares realizada no Mestrado Profissional em Educação: Formação de Formadores (Formep), da PUC-SP, a partir das percepções de seus participantes, tutores e tutorados do Programa. Os objetivos específicos foram: (1) investigar se a referida tutoria apresenta características de um espaço não apenas coletivo, mas também colaborativo de trabalho e formação; (2) identificar as possíveis contribuições dessa prática aos participantes da pesquisa e (3) identificar os pontos frágeis da tutoria e (4) apresentar sugestões para seu aprimoramento. A tese defendida é de que a prática de tutoria acadêmica entre pares realizada no Formep caracteriza-se como um espaço coletivo-colaborativo de trabalho e formação, gerador de aprendizagens mútuas (de conceitos, habilidades, relações e atitudes), que pode contribuir com as trajetórias acadêmica e profissional dos sujeitos envolvidos, quais sejam, tutores e tutorados do Programa, nas interações que eles estabelecem entre si. A fundamentação teórica da pesquisa está pautada em estudos sobre: aprendizagem do adulto (PLACCO; SOUZA, 2006); aprendizagem entre iguais (DURAN; VIDAL, 2007; FRISON, 2012); trabalho coletivo-colaborativo (BOAVIDA; PONTE, 2002; FIORENTINI, 2004; FORTE, 2009; IMBERNÓN, 2009); aprendizagens fundamentais na vida e na atuação profissional (DELORS et al., 2006); mediação, interação social e zona de desenvolvimento iminente (ZDI) (VIGOTSKI, 2007, 2009). A pesquisa contou com a participação de 30 sujeitos, sendo 13 tutores e 17 tutorados, cujos dados foram produzidos em grupos de discussão e entrevistas. A análise dos dados foi inspirada na abordagem Análise de Prosa (ANDRÉ, 1983) e deu origem a sete categorias analíticas. Dentre os principais achados, destacam-se: (1) o caráter coletivo-colaborativo da prática de tutoria acadêmica realizada no Formep; (2) as contribuições da tutoria, em conjunto com a monitoria, para a formação de pesquisadores, docentes universitários e orientadores de trabalhos acadêmicos, no caso dos tutores; (3) as contribuições da tutoria para o desenvolvimento de habilidades necessárias na pós-graduação, tais como delimitar um tema de pesquisa, buscar informações em bancos de dados, elaborar uma revisão bibliográfica, produzir e ler textos acadêmicos, no caso dos tutorados; (4) a importância da interação com pares avançados para a potencialização das capacidades reflexiva e metacognitiva de tutores e tutorados; (5) a importância do diálogo, da negociação e do compartilhamento de ideias, dúvidas e dificuldades em processos formativos, no ensino superior. A análise dos dados permite-nos afirmar que os objetivos da pesquisa foram alcançados e que a tese defendida foi confirmada

Recent developments in technology have increased the potential uses of electronic peer feedback. Because both computer-mediated and traditional peer review modes have their own strengths, some researchers have suggested that these two different modes can be used together; however, this combination mode of peer review has not been widely investigated. This study examines the impact of combining electronic commenting using editing features of Microsoft word and a course management system (Moodle) with face-to-face interaction as a two-step peer review process and compares this with a more traditional mode (pen-and-paper commenting and oral talk). It investigates students’ perceptions and attitudes toward these different modes of peer review and examines whether there are differences in the types of peer feedback given and the use of peer feedback in students’ subsequent revisions. Adopting a case study approach, both qualitative and quantitative data—students’ written and electronic texts (draft, peer feedback, and revisions), transcriptions of oral interactions, and pre-, mid-, post-stage interviews— were collected from eight ESL sub-degree students in Hong Kong. The results revealed that the majority of participants preferred the combination mode of peer review because it merged some of the most useful features of e-feedback and oral talk. In terms of feedback, students in both the combination group and the traditional group liked to receive revision-oriented comments; however, their preferences for feedback on their own writing were not always consistent with the types of comments they actually provided. The findings also indicated that the combination mode was more effective in terms of number of comments and different types of feedback provided. It was found that there was a complex relationship between different aspects of peer feedback, including area (global versus local), function (evaluation, question, explanation, suggestion, and alteration), and medium (written, electronic, and oral). Oral responses and comments on the Moodle forum focused more on global evaluation and suggestions, while large amounts of written comments and e-feedback generated by the editing features were corrections for surface level errors. With respect to revisions, both groups made a similar total number of changes to their texts but changes from the combination group included more frequent direct use of peer feedback, whereas a larger percentage of self-initiated changes were made by the traditional group. In addition, this study shows how other individual factors influence the efficacy of peer review, including relationship between peers; students’ attitudes and stances; motivation, and participation; (mis)match between writer’s expected feedback and reviewer’s comments and students’ prior experiences with peer response. This study has demonstrated the considerable benefits of using both electronic and face-to-face peer feedback in a combination mode and shed light on the changing roles of the instructor, students and technology in the twenty-first century writing classroom. This study has also yielded a number of pedagogical insights to help teachers to effectively implement new technologies when planning to use peer response in their writing classrooms. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Dojo de Programação é uma atividade dinâmica e colaborativa inspirada em artes marciais onde é possível praticar programação, especialmente técnicas relacionadas a métodos ágeis. Os métodos de ensino atuais tratam todos os alunos da mesma forma. Cada pessoa tem uma história, experiências, habilidades, conhecimentos. Raramente as particularidades de cada indivíduo são respeitadas. Buscamos verificar qual a influência do Dojo de Programação como atividade de ensino a fim de promover a interação entre os alunos. O Dojo de Programação oferece os recursos necessários para ensino acadêmico de programação de computadores? Para responder a questão foram realizados questionários com leigos e participantes ativos de Dojo de Programação, participantes espontâneos de grupos de Dojo de Programação e participantes compulsórios de alunos que participaram de Dojo de Programação em aula de disciplina regular de especialização na Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná. Foram realizadas entrevistas com especialistas organizadores de encontros de Dojo de Programação. Pontos positivos, como a participação dos alunos e negativos, como o fato de não ser uma atividade adequada para apresentação de assuntos teóricos, foram ponderados. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a atividade pode ser utilizada de forma complementar em disciplinas de programação de computadores a fim de aumentar a participação dos alunos e permitir ao professor conhecer as dificuldades e facilidades de cada aluno individualmente. / Coding Dojo is a dynamic and collaborative activity inspired by martial arts where you can practice programming, especially techniques related to agile methods. The existing teaching methods treat all students the same way. Each person has a story, experiences, skills, knowledge. Rarely the particularities of each individual are respected. The purpose of this research is to verify the influence of the Coding Dojo in teaching agile practices. The Coding Dojo offers the required resources to academic teaching computer programming? To answer the question surveys were conducted with novice and active participants of Coding Dojo, also spontaneous participants in groups of Coding Dojo and students who attended compulsorily in a Coding Dojo during a class of a regular discipline of one specialization course in Federal Technological University of Paraná. Interviews were conducted with experts organizers of meetings of Coding Dojo. Strengths, such as student participation and weaknesses, as not being a suitable practice for presenting theoretical contents were considered. The obtained results suggest that the activity can be used complementary in computer programming disciplines to increase student participation and allow the teacher to know the difficulties and facilities of each student individually.