Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Additional advisors: Nataliya Ivankova, Foster Watkins, Martha Barber, Margaret Rice. Description based on contents viewed May 29, 2008; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 224-235).

Thesis (M.S.)--Rowan University, 2006. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2002. / Typescript (photocopy). "June 2002." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 325-340).. Also available via the World Wide Web.

The study was conducted to investigate whether the use of a wider range of teaching methods can improve the quality of environmental learning in five Zambian primary schools. Nine teachers from five schools were involved in the preliminary stage of answering of questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions about the use of dominant teaching methods and new teaching methods; while only four were involved in the observations of four lessons. The study is a contribution to the on‐going debate on the investigation of whether teaching methods used by teachers can be one of the factors that can influence the quality of education. Definitions of quality and educational quality in particular, are not easy to establish and no agreed upon framework for educational quality exists at present. This study reviews the debates on educational quality, and identifies three major paradigms or discourses on educational quality; and considers the human rights, social justice and capabilities approaches and educational quality frameworks as being relevant to environmental learning and education for sustainable development in the Southern African Development Community context. This, together with a review of research on teaching methods in environmental education, provides the theoretical framework for this study. Using action research and an interpretative methodological framework, a series of research activities were undertaken to generate research data because the study was investigating the teachers’ practice with a view to probe change and to analyse the findings. Nine teachers participated in the preliminary stage of answering questionnaires and focus group interviews reflecting on existing teaching methods. In stage two of this study, teachers went through a planning workshop during which they planned lessons using new preferred teaching methods. The third stage was lesson observations of planned lessons. The final stage was the reflection workshop during which the teachers shared their experiences with the use of new teaching methods. The teaching practices of teachers using the new teaching methods were the subject of further analysis. In order to find out how the use of a wide range of teaching methods can improve quality of environmental learning in primary schools nine teachers were observed teaching lessons with new teaching methods. The Nikel and Lowe (2010) fabric of dimensions of educational quality was adapted and used to find out if teachers included dimensions of quality in the teaching process. Additional socio‐cultural and structural quality dimensions, identified through a review of southern African research, were used to find out if teachers included contextualized regional dimensions of educational quality. This was done to investigate whether the process of teaching and learning was relevant to the learners. Teachers involved in the research reflected that when they used a wider range of teaching methods the result was that the learning opportunities for learners were enhanced and that the methods added value to their teaching, improving the quality of their teaching. The use of a wider range of teaching methods showed the presence of several indicators of dimensions of educational quality, as reflected in the quality analysis tool. Teachers indicated that the use of a wider range of teaching methods led them to include the socio‐cultural dimensions such as the use of local languages and structural dimensions such as informal seating arrangements or group work that they would otherwise neglect if they used the traditional narrow range of teaching methods. A wider range of teaching methods provided learners with an enjoyable learning atmosphere during the lesson. The research also identified that this study can be taken further through broader observations, and that the educational quality dimensions tool is useful for different levels of the education system, and that it has potentially productive uses in teacher education, particularly for observations during teaching practice.

One of the countries where the basic academic education is problematic to achieve is Tanzania. Despite the multiple attempts to increase enrolments and decrease dropouts through new partnerships and organizations, high level of drop out still occur in the country. Two research questions were composed in aim to understand why this drop out phenomenon still occur. First question: “Which individual/ collective factors contribute to that girls and boys in the age group between 7 and 13 drop out of  primary schools?” and the second question: “What differences are there in the drop out causes between two more “privileged” and one more “marginalized” school?”.  The answers to these questions were found through the field work in Babati Town Council, Tanzania. There primary data was gathered in form of semi-structured interviews with three headteachers from three different schools. Two privileged schools; Maisaka Primary School and Primary School Oyster bay, and one marginalized school; Kiongozi Primary School. Also interviews with nine parents/other guardians of dropouts were conducted. Gathered data was summarized in short case stories, narratives which later on were analyzed with in a theoretical framework. This theoretical framework consisted of six different theories. These theories are; Academic Mediation theory, General Deviance theory, Deviant Affiliation theory, Poor Family Socialization theory, Structural Strains theory and lastly a theory of Institutional Departure. The conclusion of the study is that, even though the schools are located in the same area a major difference in dropout rates and its causes are existing. At the marginalized school there is a high level of drop out and at more privileged schools no dropouts occur. Factors which play a major role for this existing difference are; childrens and parents commitment to school, family structure and background, family's socio-economic status, relationships in the family and of course quality of the school.

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyse teachers’ experiences of the transition from year 3 to year 4 in the Swedish compulsory school regarding the subject English. The study also concerned collaboration between teachers of English both within the same unit of the school system and between different units. Both questionnaires and interviews were used to collect the data and a total amount of 32 teachers from all over the country answered the questionnaires, 12 lower primary school teachers (years 1-3) and 20 upper primary school teachers (years 4-6). Three of the lower primary school teachers and eight of the upper primary school teachers also participated in a follow-up interview. The study revealed that the information passed on from lower primary school teachers to upper primary school teachers regarding the subject English differed greatly between different schools. The teachers’ experience of how well functioning the routines regarding meetings before the transition are also differed as well as how much attention the subject received during those meetings. Collaboration between teachers within the subject was found to be close to non-existent. This study shows the importance of functional and adequate routines and guidelines concerning the transmission of information about the pupils’ knowledge development to future teachers. The transition for and the continuous teaching of the pupils ease if sufficient information is passed on.

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No description available.

The UN Charter recognizes the right to culture as a human right and UNESCO mandates the preservation and enhancement of indigenous cultures – reflecting how the international community values cultural diversity. Ignoring the acculturating effects of education in foreign languages in indigenous societies comes in conflict with these mandates. Current research in the instructional languages of primary school education usually revolves around the learning advantages. But the focus on learning advantages has diminished the impact of instructional language on culture to relative oblivion, despite the acculturating effects visibly found in indigenous, multilingual, and pluralist societies; effects that threaten the existence of many indigenous cultures in the wake of globalization. As remarked by Ngugi Wa Thiong’o in his book titled The Future of African Literature, language is “a system of communication” and “the carrier of culture”, therefore, striking a balance between its role in education and culture is essential. Indigenous culture and language should not be sacrificed by education that seeks to educate for inclusion in a world viewed as a global; the latter representative of the western culture and English language. Therefore, a strategy is needed to use education systems both as carriers of indigenous cultures and participation in a global world. This topic requires continuous research. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of mother tongue at the primary school level in the preservation of culture. For this purpose, the relationship of Pukhtunwali culture with Pukhtu language was investigated. This qualitative study consisted of interviews with six primary school teachers teaching grade five social studies curriculum in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. The teachers were asked to share their perspectives on the role of Pukhtu language used as a medium of instruction at the primary school level in the preservation of Pukhtun culture in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa. Data analysis identified five themes that showed variations in the perspectives of teachers regarding the role of Pukhtu language in the preservation of Pukhtunwali if used as a medium of instruction in schools. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2013-10-09 13:35:40.547