This research investigates the primary student teachers' music education in England and Turkey. It is aimed to determine the generalist PGCE and specialist B.Ed students' attitudes and confidence towards primary music teaching before and after their teacher education courses. Similarly it investigated the 3(^rd) and 4(^th) year generalist student teachers' attitudes and confidence towards primary music teaching. Pre and post course questionnaires, interviews and informal observations were used for the study in England and a single questionnaire was applied to Turkish students. Factor analysis was used to construct a valid post-course questionnaire, which was also used to interpret some of the findings. English students' attitudes towards music teaching are based on three factors: (I) confidence in pedagogical content knowledge, (II) beliefs about value of music, (III) enjoyment of teaching music. Turkish students' responses on attitude statements created four factors: (I) confidence in content of music, (II) teaching role and beliefs to the value of music, (III) confidence in pedagogy, (IV) enthusiasm for music teaching. Turkish students tended to separate their pedagogical confidence from their subject knowledge confidence, whereas these aspects were merged for English students. In contrast to the Turkish teacher education course, the PGCE course increased students' confidence in their pedagogical knowledge and in creative activities at the end of their course. 3(^rd) year Turkish students were more confident in their musical and teaching knowledge and had more positive beliefs about the value of music education than the 4(^th) year students. Lack of time for music teaching practice and class management problems were shown as the main obstacles to the development of students' confidence to teach music further. The main implication for Turkish courses is to give more emphasis on pedagogy and creative activities for the education of students and English students should be given more chance to teach music during their teaching practice. Key Words: primary music education, specialist-generalist student teachers, attitude, confidence, and teaching practice.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jan. 30, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of an Externship as the capstone experience of a Master's degree program in preparing seventeen teachers to be Mathematics Specialists. This formative evaluation was based on the teacher's perspective and was naturalistic in design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Data sources included a teacher survey, teacher interviews, writing prompts, teacher observations, and teacher final project presentations. This evaluation was designed to answer the question: Do the teachers feel that the requirements of this Masters' Degree Externship have prepared them for their role as a Mathematics Specialist? The success and effectiveness of the Externship was tied directly to the teachers chosen school-based experiences which were designed based on a mathematics needs assessment of their schools. Teachers were found to be involved in all five of the essential components of an externship as outlined in the theoretical framework — application, collaboration, reflection, expectations, and the cohort structure. In addition, teachers were found to integrate their leadership and teaching skills through the engagement of their school colleagues in the improvement of educational experiences for all students. Overall, the teachers felt that the experiences throughout the Externship adequately prepared them for their roles of a mathematics specialist; working effectively with stakeholders; working with issues around curriculum and instruction; planning and delivering professional development; and working as leaders within their schools. / Ed. D.

The roles of reading specialists differ from campus to campus throughout the study site due to varied implementations of Response to Intervention (RTI). To ensure that students were receiving consistent interventions based on their needs, the site needed to examine how and when instructional services were delivered to struggling students, as well as the role of the reading specialist in the process. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perceptions, experiences, and roles of reading specialists as the RTI framework was implemented at the elementary school level. This study was guided by Vygotsky's social constructivist learning theory, which holds that understanding is built through interactions, observations, and experiences. The research questions focused on the reading specialists' understanding of RTI, reading specialists' roles in RTI, challenges of implementing RTI, and professional development provided on RTI. Data were transcribed, categorized, open coded, and thematically analyzed. Member checks were used to strengthen the trustworthiness of the findings. Results revealed 5 major themes: understanding the RTI process, supporting struggling students, lack of funding and resources, collaboration/communication, and staff development. The findings can contribute to positive social change by leading administrators, instructional support teachers, and reading specialists to an increased understanding of the RTI process, and thereby improving RTI implementation procedures for struggling readers and subsequently increasing student achievement.

Abstract The economic activities between Taiwan and China have increased substantially in the last few years and many companies are now investing in China. This creates a great need for Taiwanese IT specialists to work in China. This study investigates the issues encountered by those specialists. The result shows that great cultural differences exist between Taiwanese and Chinese IT specialists. Furthermore, these differences lead to problems in mutual trust, work ethics, and values. As a result, to be successful in China, Taiwanese IT specialists are required to possess, in addition to IT know-how, a variety of knowledge in other domains such as finance and human resource management. Furthermore, while they typically encounter greater challenges in China than they normally do in Taiwan, they can also have a better sense of achievement at the same time. Finally, other issues such as leisure, personal safety, family support, and the desire for self-growth are important concerns of Taiwanese IT specialists who must work in Taiwan.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Computer Science and Information Systems / Master / Master of Philosophy

Bakalauro baigiamajame darbe atskleidžiama sveikatos priežiūros specialistų ir sveikatos problemų turinčių asmenų socioedukacinio bendravimo efektyvinimo prielaidos. Pirmoje darbo dalyje gvildenami tarpasmeninių ir tarpdalykinių santykių aspektai, apžvelgiami socioedukacinio bendravimo tipai, modeliai, analizuojami sveikatos priežiūros specialistų ir sveikatos problemų turinčių asmenų etinių santykių ypatumai, apibūdinamos tarpusavio santykių modelių ypatybės. Antroje darbo dalyje mokslinės literatūros teiginiams pagrįsti buvo atliktas tyrimas. Tyrimas buvo atliktas Biržų rajono pirminės asmens sveikatos priežiūros įstaigose. Tyrime dalyvavo 100 sveikatos problemų turinčių asmenų, bei 100 sveikatos priežiūros specialistų. Tyrimo objektas – specialistų, dirbančių sveikatos priežiūros įstaigose, bendravimo modelio kūrimo socioedukacinis aspektas. Tyrimo tikslas – atskleisti specialistų, dirbančių sveikatos priežiūros įstaigose, bendravimo modelio kūrimo socioedukacinį aspektą. / Assumptions of socioeducational intercourse effectiveness between healthcare specialists and persons having health problems are revealed in the final bachelor work. In the first part of the work aspects of interpersonal and interdisciplinary relations are examined, types and models of socioeducational intercourse are overlooked, peculiarities of ethical relationship between healthcare specialists and persons having health problems are anlysed and features of intercommunion models are defined. A research was done to justify propositions of science literature in the second part of the work. The research was done in primary healthcare establishments in Biržai region. 100 persons having health problems and 100 healthcare specialists took part in the research. The research object is socioeducational aspect of creating a communicative model of healthcare specialists. The research aim is to reveal the socioeducational aspect of creating a communicative model of healthcare specialists.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Tech.: Homoeopathy)--Durban University of Technology, 2008. xvii, 87 leaves / Homoeopathy is a scientific, reliable and natural system of medicinal therapy, which has been in existence for over 200 years. Recent years have shown a profound shift in health and medicine, increasing numbers of the public are opting for complementary and alternative(CAM) therapies. In South Africa the situation for CAM and homoeopathy in particular looks more favorable. The government, in the form of the department of health, has drawn up specific guidelines for the regulation of homoeopathy and other CAM therapies. Much closer liaison should exist between the Allied health professions council of South Africa (AHPCSA) and the Health professions council of S.A (HPCSA) with the aim of uniting strengths to the advantage of the South African public to achieve an integrated, holistic care (Prinsloo, 2005). OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to provide demographic data on the perceptions and interactions of Medical specialists in the greater Durban area toward homoeopathy. Their general knowledge of homoeopathy and their views and communication with homoeopathy have been assessed. iv METHODOLOGY A survey method in the form of a questionnaire was employed to investigate the perceptions and interaction of Medical specialists towards homoeopathy. The sample of Medical specialists was drawn from the medical pages of the Durban Telephone Directory. The data was analyzed by means of descriptive statistics using frequency tables and bar charts. The Pearson’s Chi-square Test was used on selected data. RESULTS One hundred and fifty completed questionnaires were returned for analysis out of the 344 sent out. This gives a response rate of 43.60%. CONCLUSION From this study one can conclude that Medical specialists know very little about homoeopathy, and it can be assumed that this lack of knowledge is a possible reason for the poor communication that currently exists between these practitioners and homoeopaths