This paper focuses on peer reviewing as part of the writing process and as a pedagogical strategy that can help students develop their writing and critical thinking skills. To do so, it examines the extent to which peer reviewing can develop English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ ability to evaluate and reflect on their writing in upper secondary school. Moreover, this study investigates whether digital tools can help to facilitate the peer review process. By reviewing and synthesizing ten empirical studies from the period 2013-2020, the study found that students who engage in peer reviewing in writing develop critical thinking skills, self-regulation and evaluation. It further shows that there is a consensus between researchers regarding the usefulness of peer review in developing critical thinking skills. However, the findings indicate the importance of including guided peer review training before peer review activities. Furthermore, there is a strong indication that digital tools can help facilitate the peer review process if used appropriately. Digital tools help engage students in the peer review process since they are able to interact with each other’s texts online. Lastly, the findings of the study are in line with the Swedish national curriculum and the English syllabus for upper secondary school. Therefore, teachers in Sweden should consider the use of familiar digital tools to engage students in peer review to develop their writing and critical thinking skills.

Studiens syfte är att undersöka och skapa förståelse kring processerna för hur ledare lär sig vara ledare. Studien har som ambition att undersöka vad ledarna har lärt sig och hur dessa lärprocesser skett i ledarnas vardag. Nio stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med etablerade ledare inom olika branscher. En tematisk analys skildrade hur erfarenheter genom handlande i vardagen tillsammans med reflektion var de främsta processerna som ansetts avgörande för hur ledarna lärt sig vara ledare. Dessutom har villkor som viljan att leda och viljan att lära haft en central roll. Resultatet visade att förmågor som studien tolkar som mer mjuka värden har utvecklats över tid hos ledarna. Ledarna indikerar att personlig mognad, erfarenhet, reflektion och en vilja att lära varit bidragande till deras lärande och utveckling. / The purpose of the study is to investigate and create an understanding of the processes by which leaders learn to be leaders. The study also aims to examine what the leaders have learned and how these learning processes have occurred in the leaders' everyday lives. Nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with established leaders in various industries. A thematic analysis depicted how experiences through actions in everyday life together with reflection were the main processes considered decisive for how the leaders learned to be leaders. In addition, conditions such as the will to lead and the will to learn have played a central role. The result showed that abilities that the study interprets as softer values have developed over time in the leaders. The leaders indicate that personal maturity, experience, reflection and a willingness to learn contributed to their learning and development.

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In terms of assessment practices, in all facets of education there is a strong focus on assessment at the end of learning. New trends in the literature motivate for the continuous use of assessment strategies in classrooms, with a learner-centred approach. Many questions arise on this topic: When lecturers review their own higher education classroom assessment practices, what will be the extent of their discovery? Are they still inclined to do assessment after teaching and learning has taken place? Or are they moving towards continuous classroom assessment practices in line with the new trends? Is there still a place for classroom assessment at the end of teaching and learning? Should the one or the other be used or should there be a balance between the various strategies? With students perceiving assessment as being judgemental and oppressive and as the most political of all educational processes (Reynolds et al., 2000:268), how does the power struggle unfold in the classroom? By means of participatory action research I encouraged lecturers to reflect critically on their own classroom assessment practices. The lecturers engaged in critical discourses regarding their teaching, learning and assessment strategies and subsequently engaged in transformative actions resulting from their critical reflections. The aim of the research was to determine whether an emancipatory praxis had been developed and whether their reflections had brought about change and improved their classroom assessments. I wished to understand how the changes they had experienced were infused with theories of empowerment, emancipation and liberation. The nature of curriculum praxis of classroom assessment was investigated to determine the status of classroom assessment in a specific higher education context and to see how the balanced assessment system is reflected and how classroom assessment develops as an emancipatory praxis. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In terms of assessment practices, in all facets of education there is a strong focus on assessment at the end of learning. New trends in the literature motivate for the continuous use of assessment strategies in classrooms, with a learner-centred approach. Many questions arise on this topic: When lecturers review their own higher education classroom assessment practices, what will be the extent of their discovery? Are they still inclined to do assessment after teaching and learning has taken place? Or are they moving towards continuous classroom assessment practices in line with the new trends? Is there still a place for classroom assessment at the end of teaching and learning? Should the one or the other be used or should there be a balance between the various strategies? With students perceiving assessment as being judgemental and oppressive and as the most political of all educational processes (Reynolds et al., 2000:268), how does the power struggle unfold in the classroom? By means of participatory action research I encouraged lecturers to reflect critically on their own classroom assessment practices. The lecturers engaged in critical discourses regarding their teaching, learning and assessment strategies and subsequently engaged in transformative actions resulting from their critical reflections. The aim of the research was to determine whether an emancipatory praxis had been developed and whether their reflections had brought about change and improved their classroom assessments. I wished to understand how the changes they had experienced were infused with theories of empowerment, emancipation and liberation. The nature of curriculum praxis of classroom assessment was investigated to determine the status of classroom assessment in a specific higher education context and to see how the balanced assessment system is reflected and how classroom assessment develops as an emancipatory praxis. / MEd (Curriculum Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This diploma thesis deals with social competences of a teacher at primary school. The aim of the theoretical part of this thesis was to explore the area of the social competences in current professional literature and curricula, and to analyze the social competences of a teacher necessary to developing their optimal relationships with pupils, class as a social group, parents of students and colleagues. The emphasis was placed on the description of use of the social competences of a teacher in pedagogical interaction, educational communication, the management of the class and during resolving conflicts. Special focus was given to teacher self-reflection, the importance of which is that it is the social competence enabling and influencing the development of other skills. The aim of the empirical part of this thesis was to determine which of thirteen social competences of a teacher at primary school are considered to be the most important in pedagogical interactions for pupils, parents of students and the teachers. We also examined how primary school teachers themselves applied and reflected thirteen monitored social competences in the situation of conflict, which of the thirteen social competences they used when they were resolving the conflict and which of the competences they did not apply. Applying methods...

The complexity of mental development in humans together with human interaction in the social context presents itself to be a continued source of investigation and exploration. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is such a field of study in the discipline of psychology. Researchers emphasized the importance and value of emotional development ("soft-skills") equal to cognitive development (“hard-skills”). EI abilities are associated with key skills and competencies required for operating successfully in today’s organizations. This study focused on this theme specifically and tried to determine how EI training impacted on the success of the individual who fits the modern working profile and how emotionally intelligent employees are beneficial to organisational success overall. An ethnographic qualitative study (including an autoethnography) was performed on individuals of different participant groupings who completed the Neuro-Link EI Program. The aim was to assess if they showed increased growth in areas of EI, specifically addressed in the program namely self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social management. Findings indicated that EI training works with positive results. It was of great value to the individual having an immense impact on their personal lives. It further had a major positive impact on the group dynamics of individuals who attended the training. At companies where facilitators presented the program, EI training had a positive impact. A conclusion on the impact that such training had on the two companies whose staff members directly participated in this study, was not yet possible at the time of the study. The development of an awareness model for the promotion of EI training in the workplace is recommended. This may increase available knowledge regarding corporate EI training but also accelerates an emerging, but a too slowly growing movement. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Text in English / Exploring the Impact of Emotional Intelligence Training in the Workplace. The complexity of mental development in humans together with human interaction in the social context presents itself to be a continued source of investigation and exploration. Emotional Intelligence (EI) is such a field of study in the discipline of psychology. Researchers emphasized the importance and value of emotional development ("soft-skills") equal to cognitive development (“hard-skills”). EI abilities are associated with key skills and competencies required for operating successfully in today’s organizations. This study focused on this theme specifically and tried to determine how EI training impacted on the success of the individual who fits the modern working profile and how emotionally intelligent employees are beneficial to organisational success overall. An ethnographic qualitative study (including an autoethnography) was performed on individuals of different participant groupings who completed the Neuro-Link EI Program. The aim was to assess if they showed increased growth in areas of EI, specifically addressed in the program namely self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social management. Findings indicated that EI training works with positive results. It was of great value to the individual having an immense impact on their personal lives. It further had a major positive impact on the group dynamics of individuals who attended the training. At companies where facilitators presented the program, EI training had a positive impact. A conclusion on the impact that such training had on the two companies whose staff members directly participated in this study, was not yet possible at the time of the study. The development of an awareness model for the promotion of EI training in the workplace is recommended. This may increase available knowledge regarding corporate EI training but also accelerates an emerging, but a too slowly growing movement. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)