The current paper analyzes the constructivist discourse as the guideline on quality of the learning and teaching process. We start from the acknowledgement that constructivism has not arisen in educational view as a secondary element, but as central factor in educational policies implemented in the 1990s. The constructivist ideary is seen as impregnated with a negative perspective of teaching work, once it is shown as a novelty in education by resuming the principles of Escola Nova , which focuses learning and teaching process on the learner and the teacher is a mere mediator in this process. The theoretical and methodological foundation of this investigation is the Discourse Analysis of French trend, whose core concepts are the ideology and discourse. In this viewpoint, discourse is seen as process, as movement of meanings, which dialogues with other discourses. The linguistic materiality of our corpus is constituted by some discursive sequences taken from printed material devised for continuous formation of teachers in Brazil PROFA and Pró-Letramento through partnership between the Ministry of Education and town halls. From our analysis, we conclude that the official discourse insists on establishing a close relation between the constructivist practice and the quality education, thus using seduction and alienating strategies. / No presente trabalho analisamos o discurso construtivista como norteador da qualidade do processo de ensino e aprendizagem. Partimos do entendimento de que o construtivismo não surge no cenário educacional como elemento secundário, mas como elemento central da política educacional implantada a partir dos anos de 1990. Concebemos o ideário construtivista como impregnado de uma visão negativa sobre o trabalho docente, pois ao se apresentar como o novo em educação, retoma alguns postulados da Escola Nova, centrando o processo de ensino e aprendizagem no aluno e considerando o professor como um simples mediador desse processo. Utilizamos como base teórico-metodológica de nossa investigação a Análise do Discurso de Linha Francesa, cujos conceitos nucleares são ideologia e discurso. Nessa perspectiva, entendemos Discurso como processo, como movimento de sentidos, o qual dialoga com outros discursos. Nosso corpus de análise se constituiu, em sua materialidade lingüística, por algumas seqüências discursivas extraídas de materiais impressos, destinados à formação continuada de professores de todo o Brasil PROFA e Pró-Letramento por meio de parcerias entre o Ministério da Educação e Prefeituras. Depreendemos, a partir de nossa análise, que o discurso oficial insiste em estabelecer uma estreita relação entre a prática construtivista e a educação de qualidade, utilizando, para isso, estratégias de sedução e de alienação.

A compreensão dos aspectos determinantes da qualidade educacional é uma tarefa difícil. Existe grande controvérsia na literatura acerca de quais variáveis de fato impactam na qualidade do ensino, principalmente no que se refere aos insumos escolares. O tamanho da turma tem estado no centro do debate, pois normalmente é considerado uma variável mais fácil de manipular. Porém, existe grande dificuldade em se mensurar o efeito do número de alunos por classe na proficiência dos mesmos. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o impacto do tamanho da classe no desempenho dos alunos de escolas públicas estaduais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Para tanto, utiliza-se os métodos de Variáveis Instrumentais e Regressão com Descontinuidade para explorar uma variação exógena na regra de organização das turmas no ano de 2007. Os resultados obtidos mostram que não há evidência de impacto estatisticamente significante da política de “enturmação” na proficiência dos alunos. / Understanding the key determinants of educational quality is a difficult task. There is no consensus in the literature about which variables actually impact the quality of education, especially when the investigation involves school inputs. The class size has been the key variable in the debate, because it is usually considered easier to manipulate. However, there is great difficulty in measuring the effect of the number of students in a class on their achievement. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of class size on students’ performance in public schools in the state of Rio Grande do Su. Therefore, it was used the Instrumental Variables and Regression Discontinuity Design methods to explore an exogenous variation in the rule of organization of classes in the year of 2007. The results show that there is no evidence of statistically significant impact of the policy called "enturmação" on students’ achievement.

A compreensão dos aspectos determinantes da qualidade educacional é uma tarefa difícil. Existe grande controvérsia na literatura acerca de quais variáveis de fato impactam na qualidade do ensino, principalmente no que se refere aos insumos escolares. O tamanho da turma tem estado no centro do debate, pois normalmente é considerado uma variável mais fácil de manipular. Porém, existe grande dificuldade em se mensurar o efeito do número de alunos por classe na proficiência dos mesmos. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o impacto do tamanho da classe no desempenho dos alunos de escolas públicas estaduais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Para tanto, utiliza-se os métodos de Variáveis Instrumentais e Regressão com Descontinuidade para explorar uma variação exógena na regra de organização das turmas no ano de 2007. Os resultados obtidos mostram que não há evidência de impacto estatisticamente significante da política de “enturmação” na proficiência dos alunos. / Understanding the key determinants of educational quality is a difficult task. There is no consensus in the literature about which variables actually impact the quality of education, especially when the investigation involves school inputs. The class size has been the key variable in the debate, because it is usually considered easier to manipulate. However, there is great difficulty in measuring the effect of the number of students in a class on their achievement. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of class size on students’ performance in public schools in the state of Rio Grande do Su. Therefore, it was used the Instrumental Variables and Regression Discontinuity Design methods to explore an exogenous variation in the rule of organization of classes in the year of 2007. The results show that there is no evidence of statistically significant impact of the policy called "enturmação" on students’ achievement.

A compreensão dos aspectos determinantes da qualidade educacional é uma tarefa difícil. Existe grande controvérsia na literatura acerca de quais variáveis de fato impactam na qualidade do ensino, principalmente no que se refere aos insumos escolares. O tamanho da turma tem estado no centro do debate, pois normalmente é considerado uma variável mais fácil de manipular. Porém, existe grande dificuldade em se mensurar o efeito do número de alunos por classe na proficiência dos mesmos. O objetivo deste estudo é investigar o impacto do tamanho da classe no desempenho dos alunos de escolas públicas estaduais no estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Para tanto, utiliza-se os métodos de Variáveis Instrumentais e Regressão com Descontinuidade para explorar uma variação exógena na regra de organização das turmas no ano de 2007. Os resultados obtidos mostram que não há evidência de impacto estatisticamente significante da política de “enturmação” na proficiência dos alunos. / Understanding the key determinants of educational quality is a difficult task. There is no consensus in the literature about which variables actually impact the quality of education, especially when the investigation involves school inputs. The class size has been the key variable in the debate, because it is usually considered easier to manipulate. However, there is great difficulty in measuring the effect of the number of students in a class on their achievement. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of class size on students’ performance in public schools in the state of Rio Grande do Su. Therefore, it was used the Instrumental Variables and Regression Discontinuity Design methods to explore an exogenous variation in the rule of organization of classes in the year of 2007. The results show that there is no evidence of statistically significant impact of the policy called "enturmação" on students’ achievement.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-07-25T20:15:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 armindaaparecidadeoliveira.pdf: 1182815 bytes, checksum: 09808833bafa2c5798f149e0367f01ad (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-07-25T20:52:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 armindaaparecidadeoliveira.pdf: 1182815 bytes, checksum: 09808833bafa2c5798f149e0367f01ad (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-25T20:52:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 armindaaparecidadeoliveira.pdf: 1182815 bytes, checksum: 09808833bafa2c5798f149e0367f01ad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-26 / A presente dissertação foi desenvolvida no âmbito do Mestrado Profissional em Gestão e Avaliação da Educação (PPGP) do Centro de Políticas Públicas e Avaliação da Educação da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (CAEd/UFJF). O caso de gestão estudado analisa como está sendo desenvolvido o trabalho do Gerente Pedagógico, suas atribuições, dinâmica gerencial e toda a organização que estrutura suas atividades. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa é analisar a ação do Gerente Pedagógico em Belo Horizonte, considerando, para isso, suas atribuições, possibilidades, limites de atuação e as características da política educacional preconizada pelo município. Os objetivos específicos são: descrever a política educacional e as funções do Gerente Pedagógico em Belo Horizonte ; investigar a percepção dos Gerentes Pedagógicos e da Secretaria Municipal de Educação quanto ao modelo descentralizado de gestão adotado no município; mapear o impacto da estrutura física e de recursos humanos no trabalho desenvolvido pelos Gerentes Pedagógicos; investigar as dificuldades no exercício das atribuições, desde o ingresso na função, até a organização cotidiana das atividades, identificar como a Secretaria Municipal de Educação percebe o trabalho desenvolvido e propor ações para o aprimoramento da política que organiza o trabalho realizado pelos Gerentes Pedagógicos. Para tanto, por meio de um estudo de caso, realizou-se uma pesquisa de campo e análise documental. Concluiu-se que seja necessário reestruturar a ação do Gerente Pedagógico, uma vez que sua atuação se demonstra difusa, sem parâmetros de avaliação das ações desenvolvidas, com necessidade de redefinição de suas atribuições, assim como da política de implantação deste Cargo. Frente a isso, o Plano de Ação Educacional (PAE) apresenta por objetivo a proposição de ações articuladas para ajustes no desenho das funções desenvolvidas pelo Gerente Pedagógico. / This work was developed under the Professional Master in Management and Education Assessment (PPGP) of the Center for Public Policy and Federal University of Education Evaluation of Juiz de Fora (CAEd / UFJF). The case study looks at how management is being developed the work of the Pedagogical Manager, its responsibilities, management dynamics and the whole organization structure their activity. The overall objective of this research is to analyze the action of the Pedagogical Manager at Belo Horizonte, considering for this, its functions, possibilities of operation limits and characteristics of educational policy advocated by the municipality. The specific objectives are to describe educational policy and functions of the Pedagogical Manager at Belo Horizonte; investigate the perception of Pedagogical Managers and the Municipal Department of Education as decentralized management model adopted in the municipality; map the impact of physical infrastructure and human resources work done by Pedagogical Managers; investigate the difficulties in carrying out assignments from the entry into office before the daily organization of activities, identify how the City Department of Education realizes the work and propose actions to improve the political that organizes the work done by the Pedagogical Managers.To this end, through a case study, we carried out a field survey and document analysis. It was concluded that it is necessary to restructure the action of the Pedagogical Manager , as its performance is demonstrated diffuse , without parameter assessment of actions taken, in need of redefinition of his duties , as well as the implementation of policy of this office. Faced with this, the Education Action Plan (PAE) presented aims to propose joint actions for adjustments in the design of functions developed by the Pedagogical Manager.

Increased investment in education to build capacity and quality is essential if the world is to meet its ambitious targets on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education. There are 258 million school aged children out of school, of which 98 million are in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Low-income countries are experiencing dramatic growth in their populations and have severe limitations on their ability to fund the required infrastructure development. The financing gap is estimated to be US$ 1.8 trillion to achieve SDG goals (Education Commission, 2016). Low-Cost Private Schools (LCPS), accessible to children from poor families, are growing rapidly in SSA to fill this gap. This study is focused on the potential to increase the use of innovative financing to improve capacity and quality for LCPSs. Most innovative finance schemes utilise some form of a School Development Loan to achieve greater investment in capacity and quality of education. The study evaluates the effect of School Development Loans on several indicators which have been directly associated with capacity and quality, using data from Ghana and Uganda, countries estimated to need a combined 5 million new seats for children by 2023 (7% of their combined population) to account for population growth. Capacity indicators include the Number of Students enrolled in the school and the Number of Classrooms available for use. The indicators of school quality were Pupil Teacher Ratios (Lower), the Number of Washrooms, the Number of Washrooms Dedicated to Girls and the Number of Extracurricular Programmes Offered by the school. The study leveraged pairwise correlation and regression analysis to identify the most directly linked indicators, followed by a mean difference analysis. The study finds that schools taking out School Development Loans have more classrooms, higher enrolment, greater amounts of washrooms and extracurricular activities on offer, indicating that School Development Loans increase both capacity and quality at LCPSs. Despite the encouraging findings, it is early to assess whether the significance of the increase over time. The study recommends a fully coordinated Randomised Control Trial (RCT) for further research, where data is collected prior to the school receiving its first loan and again at the conclusion of the loan.

The educational changes that have been taking place in South Africa have seen the emergence of the new curriculum, the NCS, 2002 Policy. The process of implementing the new curriculum has created several challenges that ultimately had an impact on the performance of the public schools learners in the Limpopo Department of Education, particularly in Vhembe District. The new curriculum with its new pedagogical approach, a particular way of teaching methodology, the OBE focuses on the achievement of the outcomes. That on its own suggested the need for drastic changes in the teaching approach that educators have to apply. <p0> It is through this need for change that the Department of Basic Education suggested the training and development framework that provide capacity building of educators. The curriculum advisors were identified as trainers of the educators towards the effective implementation of the new curriculum. This move was needed to build a workforce that is capable, skilled, productive and committed to provide quality education to the South African public. However, the training and development that was provided did not take place without some challenges. The challenges identified were from both the perspectives of educators and the department. The analysis of all the problems that the study has identified and critically evaluated is a testimony that training and development alone cannot be the only solution to the challenges identified in measuring educator performance on curriculum delivery. As a result, overemphasis of training and development may overshadow other responsibilities that the Limpopo Department of education should take, such as the effective provision of resources. It is against this background that the study proposed an inclusive and balanced training and development framework. This is a conceptualised training and development framework that takes note of all the inputs that both the educators and the department make towards the effective achievement of the desired outputs after these inputs shall have been processed. For good management and administration to be achieved by the Limpopo Department of Education, it depends on a well-structured strategic plan that has been informed by the vision and mission of the department which in this study is the achievement of quality education. This approach will then mean the effective application of the basic values and principles that govern public administration in order to achieve good governance. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

The advent of democracy has witnessed radical changes in the demographic constitution of the learner population in schools. Many teachers now encounter classes that comprise learners from diverse racial, ethnic, religious and language backgrounds. How do these teachers ensure quality education in such a class of diverse learners? Accordingly, this research study set out to explore quality and diversity in a class of diverse learners with particular emphasis on the role of the teacher. The meta-theoretical paradigm that directed it was a combination of constructivism and interpretivism. The methodological paradigm employed a qualitative mode of inquiry and various sampling techniques to select the participants. Convenience sampling was used to select three schools, two classes per school and five learners per teacher, while purposive sampling were used to select two teachers per school. A mix of instruments was used to collect the data, such as semistructured interviews, observations, field notes and a researcher journal. Findings from this study were fivefold. First, the training that teachers received with regard to diversity is insufficient and does not prepare them to teach a class of diverse learners. Second, the role of the teacher is complex and requires them to fulfil more than one role at a time; even though some roles are neglected, the majority of teachers focus on the role of facilitator. More emphasis should be placed on the importance of the roles and how they can contribute to quality in education. Third, teachers must follow an asset-based approach in a class of diverse learners. By using difference as a resource and an asset, teachers will be able to encourage open class discussions, involve learners in the lesson, keep their attention and use this to promote their understanding about complex topics and terms. Fourth, teachers have to make certain adjustments to their teaching style to accommodate diverse learners. It is important for all teachers to examine their own attitudes towards teaching diverse learners in order to provide the best education possible. Finally, certain quality assurance methods are in place at schools, but just how appropriate they are is debatable. New approaches must be developed and utilized to meet the needs of the current social context in South Africa to ensure that quality teaching takes place at schools. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

In the world today, thousands of humans in developing countries live in metropolises anddepend on garbage for their livelihoods. In Cairo, waste has been taken care of by aChristian minority group called the ‘Zabaleen’.This Bachelor thesis was conducted in Cairo and financed by a Minor Field Studyscholarship in August-October 2012. It focuses on Egyptian citizens’ attitudes towards asustainable recycling system and their attitudes towards the traditional garbage collector‘Zabaleen’. I used focus groups as the main source for collecting data and the technique ofshowing photographs to create a dialog among the participants. The focus groups have led to dynamic and useful discussions that this study is based upon. In conclusion, onecommon attitude that was met in the study indicates the frustration of how dirty the streetsof Cairo are. People all said they wanted a clean Egypt but they felt that no one from thegovernment wanted to put their finger on the solution to this problem.

Education in South Africa is a key concern because the South African education system is underperforming compared to many other developing countries despite the large capital investment made by the South African government and its private sector. South African children are routinely underachieving and rate not only among the worst in the world, but often among the worst in the Southern African region and in Africa as a whole. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore whether Public-Private Partnership (PPP) is a suitable model for improving the quality of education in South African rural communities.The objective of the study was answered in a two-phase approach. The first phase developed an understanding of the challenges that prevents the delivery of quality education in South African rural communities with experts in education. The second phase determined the suitability of PPP to improve the quality of education in South African rural communities and the critical success factors for implementing PPP in education from interviews with PPP practitioners.The findings of the study revealed that PPP is a suitable model to improve the quality of education in South African communities and a PPP framework was proposed by the researcher that indicates the benefits of implementing PPP, the critical success factors of PPP and the barriers of PPP in education. The study also highlighted conditions that must be met to achieve quality education in South African rural communities through PPPs.The research concludes by making recommendations to both the government and the public sector in light of the findings of this research. Limitations for the study were highlighted and other variables to be researched that are important to further understanding of PPP as a model to improve the quality of education in South African rural communities were suggested. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted