The present study is located within a broader problematic of how inequality is generated and legitimated within schools. It has as its centre of focus three Greek mathematics teachers who are seen as mediating forces between state curricular intentions and the learners. Having social justice as my primary motive for conducting this thesis research, I use the critical theoretic research paradigm as a guiding framework in order to investigate the teachers’ conceptions of the socio-political dimension of the assessment of pupil attainment in mathematics. Through an analysis of the socio-political role of educational assessment I argue that the investigated issue may be considered as a privileged window that can provide a broad perspective from which I can observe how the participants of this study are positioned with respect to the role of mathematics education in the reproduction of unequal class relations. To obtain answers to my assessment-related research questions, through a series of interviews I examine the teachers’ theoretical positions but in addition to that I observe their classroom cultures in the formation of which they play a protagonistic role. Through the teachers’ discourses and their annotated actions, I try to uncover the ways they respond to the contradictions and the dilemmas that might be posed to them by the given educational reality, as well as the tensions they might experience whenever they perceive the incompatibility of what they espouse and what they can achieve. Moving beyond the cognitive and psychological approaches that characterise most of research literature on teacher beliefs into the realm of ideology critique, I use Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis to depict teacher discourses as parts of social practices that are conditioned by social-historical factors and try to show what reproductive effects these discourses can have on social structures, sustaining them or contributing to their transformation.

Pakistani families with disabled children are among the most disadvantaged population groups in the UK. Previous research has indicated difficulties with accessing support services as well as problematic attitudes towards disability within the Pakistani community. As no substantial improvement in their situation was evidenced since early studies in the 1990s, a participatory action research study was undertaken with six Pakistani families to explore how an actionoriented, emancipatory approach could facilitate them to explore their support needs and how these might be met, in further depth. An occupational justice perspective was used to clarify how cultural and familial expectations influenced family members’ occupational balance and well-being. After an exploratory phase in which all family members were interviewed and family interactions observed in their own homes, three action research groups were formed for women, men and children respectively. Each group carried out their own action research around their chosen topic. Through participation in the project the participants gained important skills as well as a better understanding of their situation and how they could be more proactive in improving it. Furthermore, the fact that all family members were actively involved in the project helped them to start implementing changes in behaviour and communication at home. Key findings of the study were that the importance of faith in accepting the disabled child and dealing with negative community attitudes needs to be recognised and fostered; that the social model of disability needs to be more explicit about the influence of religion and culture on the lived experience of disabled people; that the central support need of parents is for practitioners to build up a supportive relationship with them as persons in their own right; and that (the lack of) belongingness had a very significant impact on the disabled child’s and their mothers’ well-being.

None available

Tribal traditions and practices are integral to iwi identity. From the past to the present, the biggest impact on iwi identity was colonisation and subsequent urbanisation. Urbanisation changed the foundation of identity largely due to the demographic rural-urban shift, effectively creating a distance physically and spiritually for Māori between their place of residence and their traditional tribal turangawaewae. Today a larger proportion of tribal members reside in the main urban centres of New Zealand and Australia. This phenomenon provides an ideal opportunity to explore how iwi identity is maintained in an urban setting – away from the traditional sites of cultural practice. The study, which focuses on Ngāti Awa members residing in Auckland, provided evidence that the foundation of an iwi identity is still heavily reliant on strong iwi-based whānau. The corollary is that, strengthening the tribal knowledge base of whānau residing in urban centres may require new or increased active participation in the customs and practices of their iwi. Regrettably, only three of the ten research participants had an in-depth knowledge of their whakapapa, histories and traditions. However, all the participants indicated the need to become more pro-active in creating and expanding on their knowledge base of iwitanga (including te reo). There was also acknowledgement that urban-based iwi marae and whānau wānanga can provide individuals with the opportunities to learn more about their iwi traditions (and thereby reinforce their sense of tribal identity). Encouragingly, each participant confirmed that identifying as Ngāti Awa was important to them, largely due to the sense of belonging and identity. The study concluded that the sustainability of iwi is reliant on iwi members supporting their iwi regardless of the location of their upbringing.

None available

Tribal traditions and practices are integral to iwi identity. From the past to the present, the biggest impact on iwi identity was colonisation and subsequent urbanisation. Urbanisation changed the foundation of identity largely due to the demographic rural-urban shift, effectively creating a distance physically and spiritually for Māori between their place of residence and their traditional tribal turangawaewae. Today a larger proportion of tribal members reside in the main urban centres of New Zealand and Australia. This phenomenon provides an ideal opportunity to explore how iwi identity is maintained in an urban setting – away from the traditional sites of cultural practice. The study, which focuses on Ngāti Awa members residing in Auckland, provided evidence that the foundation of an iwi identity is still heavily reliant on strong iwi-based whānau. The corollary is that, strengthening the tribal knowledge base of whānau residing in urban centres may require new or increased active participation in the customs and practices of their iwi. Regrettably, only three of the ten research participants had an in-depth knowledge of their whakapapa, histories and traditions. However, all the participants indicated the need to become more pro-active in creating and expanding on their knowledge base of iwitanga (including te reo). There was also acknowledgement that urban-based iwi marae and whānau wānanga can provide individuals with the opportunities to learn more about their iwi traditions (and thereby reinforce their sense of tribal identity). Encouragingly, each participant confirmed that identifying as Ngāti Awa was important to them, largely due to the sense of belonging and identity. The study concluded that the sustainability of iwi is reliant on iwi members supporting their iwi regardless of the location of their upbringing.

Text in English / Although research paradigms and philosophies are highly regarded as frameworks and guides for choices of methods, application thereof is not evident. One of the reasons for the relatively limited application is the complexity and understanding surrounding paradigms and philosophies, making it hard for scholars to determine their stances and implications. This study describes a model for automatically predicting peoples’ paradigm and philosophical stance, including meaning, and their impact on research by helping the user determine the paradigm and philosophical stance closest to their beliefs. Paradigm and philosophical attributes are automatically derived from a set of structured questions that use information matching techniques. The development of a model for Research Paradigm and Philosophy Index (RPPI) follows a two-phase approach. The first phase involves automatic extraction of key indicators from a composed database that utilises an indexing scheme with different philosophies and associated implications. The second phase applies a matchmaking technique that automatically draws information reflecting the user’s attribute. This type of technology exists, but mainly in the dating and career matching fields. None exists for research paradigm and philosophical stances. The prototype system was designed and implemented to serve as a proof of concept, and was developed in Angular, using the Visual Studio Code, and Java, using Eclipse. The database was created using MySQL. The prototype system was designed and implemented to serve as a proof of concept due to the Intellectual Property nature of the product. Usability testing was conducted and results show that the participants agreed the system was simple, straight-forward to use, quite user-friendly and easy to learn, with easy navigation through menu items. / Computer Science / M.Sc. (Computing)

Indigenous (Métis, First Nation, and Inuit) peoples and communities in Canada, especially in the prairies, continue to experience disproportionate levels of tuberculosis (TB) compared to the rest of the Canadian born population. This inequitable distribution of TB disease burden demands effective policy, program, and practice responses. These have so far failed to materialize, perhaps in part because of limitations in the approaches we have taken to understanding the issue. As well, these responses have largely been grounded in western scientific paradigms. Science is the search and the re-search for knowledge and this varies according to the perspectives and paradigms of the researcher(s) and stakeholders. In this project, the student researcher collaborated with the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan (MN-S) and two volunteer health researchers to adapt and ground a western paradigm and methodology (System Dynamics and Group Model Building) to a Métis research paradigm to understand experiences of tuberculosis (TB) among Métis people. Data collection took place in a 2-day Métis-adapted group model building (GMB) workshop. The outcome is a causal loop diagram with associated stories co-created by the team and the workshop participants. The workshop was evaluated using a storytelling and story listening method that explored the appropriateness of adapting GMB within a Métis research context. The approach was determined to be successful methodologically, and substantively new knowledge was created in our Métis community about the determinants of TB. This research was a journey of diversity, working at the intersection of knowledge systems to produce a new understanding of a health issue as complex as TB.

AI is a phenomenon that does not only manifest itself as a disruptive technology, but also entails a paradigmatic shift with conceivably unprecedented and unforeseeable consequences for society and the human condition. This technology with its components Big Data and Machine Learning/algorithms has evoked critical reactions because of ethical concerns that follow on the backwash of its ubiquitous and ever more expanding use. Whose voices are presently raised and what contributions can actually be expected from the information systems (IS) discipline – an academic field that is prone to scrutinize phenomena that emerge when the social and technological system interact? By reviewing a systematically defined selection of the latest IS research literature and analyzing the critical perspectives, this study displays current themes in the IS discipline concerning critique of AI. The accumulation and clustering of the results can provide an answer to the question of what themes appear in the critique of AI in the IS discipline and whether a critical standpoint towards detrimental effects of AI use in society is formed. Social critique, which has no longstanding tradition in IS research, would be necessary to succeed in offering a well-informed and science-based guidance on how to face AI as a society and with the human condition as a focal point.

This thesis explored teachers’ experiences in curriculum implementation in primary schools in the Vhembe district. Curriculum implementation prompts thinking and learning of new things in the teachers’ day-to-day workplace. Primary school teachers are pillars of strength in contributing to the children’s future success. The thesis presents a contribution to the knowledge of curriculum implementation at the school level through a case study and a qualitative research approach as it aimed to comprehend and describe teachers’ practices and experiences on the implementation of the curriculum, which is a social phenomenon that includes ideas, thoughts, and actions. The thesis takes an appropriate starting point in arguing that curriculum implementation prompts thinking and learning of new things in the teachers’ day-to-day workplace. The context of the argument is primary school teachers’ lived experiences in South Africa in the face of curriculum change. The researcher critically argues that South Africa is amongst many countries that experienced curriculum challenges and resorted to change and one of the changes was in the form of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) which signalled a shift in teaching approaches. In this new way of teaching, teachers seem lost and therefore apply traditional teaching methods. Teachers are expected to apply curriculum changes and develop new skills through qualification improvement, but it is questionable whether the challenges that the teachers themselves recognise as important are taken into cognisance. The researcher elaborated eight recommendations in relation to the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. Some of the recommendations are summarily as that education curriculum advisors from the Limpopo Department of Education be appointed to visit all schools to aid and assess the implementation. It is also recommended that the Department of Basic Education must retrain all primary school teachers for a week during school vacation. These recommendations are of paramount importance and the Limpopo Department of Education should consider them as a priority. As the government can intervene by funding the implementation of the CAPS in the training and reskilling of teachers. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / Ph. D. (Curriculum and Instructional Studies)