Psychologists have examined the effects of numerous variables on classroom performance, but little research exists to demonstrate how specific teaching techniques, specifically the provision of printed presentation notes (such as presentation slides), affects student perception of responsibility. This study sought to discover the impact that providing presentation slides for use during lecture would have on students’ performance, as well as their perceptions of personal responsibility. In order to determine the effects of provided presentation notes on performance and perceived responsibility, this study examined the self-efficacy and locus of control of students assigned to either take their own notes or to use provided presentation materials in addition to their own notes, should they choose to take notes of their own. It was expected that the participants in the notesprovided condition would score better on the exam, and feel more responsible for their learning and performance, than those in the no-notes-provided condition. Additionally, the provision of notes was expected to have a greater positive effect on performance in those students with an external locus of control and/or low academic self-efficacy. It was also expected that students provided with printed notes would take better notes than those who were not provided with the printed notes. The results showed that neither performance nor responsibility were affected by condition. However, higher academic self-efficacy had a positive impact on exam score. Additionally, higher academic self-efficacy and a more internal locus of control were positively correlated with personal responsibility for learning and performance. The provision of printed presentation material did not have a direct effect on note quality, but did correlate negatively with the number of questions left blank on the exam. In addition, the number of questions left blank on the exam was negatively correlated with exam score. These results suggest that providing students with printed presentation materials may lead to fewer skipped exam questions and, potentially, better academic performance.

In this thesis, the aim was to attain a deeper understanding according to the students meaning of learning related to their own responsibility and independence within a framework of an educa¬tional programme. An empirical study with an ethnographic approach was carried out during one term of a nursing programme that uses the PBL-approach. Based on observations, conversations, inter¬views and documents, three narratives were formulated. One describes the phases students experience in the planned curricula. Periods characterised of chaos, uncertainty and a heavy workload, alternate with periods of ‘cosmos’, optimism, curiosity and satisfaction. The second narrative is about students' learning objectives while realising that they have to make choices and decisions on their own to succeed. A dialectic driving force emerging from frustration and stimulation, chaos and cosmos, results in questions about what to learn and how to act. The third narrative describes how students handle these questions. The narratives reveal two dimensions. One concerns how the students form attitudes about the relevance of learning objectives and how they go about learning a knowledge base necessary for their future profession. The other dimension takes as its starting point the fact that students try to manage their learning situation taking into consideration the framework of the educa¬tional programme. These dimensions were further analysed using theoretical references. The first dimension was analysed from the perspective of teacher/learner control and a didactic analysis of the meaning of an educational setting. The second dimension was analysed on the basis of phenomenographic learning theory. As regards responsibility and independence there seems to be a point in abandoning the concept of self-directed learning. Instead of emphasising self, the interaction between people, the individual and the educational framework and the interaction with content, are found to be fundamental. This interaction includes communication, dialogue and active participation in all the parts of a learning situation. Based on the results of this study, I claim that the driving force in student-centred learning is the dialectic relation between frustration and stimulation, chaos and cosmos. This stimulates the students to engage in the teachers' traditional didactic ques¬tions concerning an educational programme: what are we going to study, how and why, and what are the objectives? The students' conduct as regards independence, vis à vis dependence, are related to a dialectic relationship between the prerequisites provided by the educational frame¬work and the students' interpretation and ability to use them. Expressions of responsibility and independence emerge as choices and decisions concerning the didactic questions, initiative, activity, search for opportunities to reflect and co-operate and self-confidence. The opposite, dependence, is characterised by strategies for “survival”. The students plan their learning situa¬tion so that the examinations and assignments can be successfully tackled, and the learning situation takes on features of a surface approach. I believe that further insights into learning in student-centred education can be found in the two dialectic relationships described above.

Huvudsyftet med denna undersökning har varit att undersöka och jämföra lärares och elevers uppfattningar av lärares arbete med elevinflytande i engelska A-undervisningen på gymnasiet. Det andra syftet har varit att beskriva hur den nya ämnesplanen för engelska (Gy 2011) förändrats vis-a-vis ämnesplanen och kursplanerna för engelska (Gy 2000) och vad dessa förändringar kan få för effekt på lärares fortsatta arbete med elevinflytande i engelskundervisningen. Undersökningen genomfördes med utgångspunkt i följande huvudfrågeställningar: (1) hur förhåller sig lärare respektive elever till begreppet elevinflytande samt (2) vilka förändringar återfinns i de nya styrdokumenten för engelskundervisningen i Gy 2011 och hur kan det påverka lärares arbete med elevinflytande? Metoderna som tillämpats i undersökningen har varit kvalitativa semi-strukturerade intervjuer med lärare och elever, en enkätundersökning som riktades till elever och en jämförande textanalys av ämnesplanen för engelska Gy 2011 och Gy 2000. Dessa tre metoder valdes med utgångspunkten att kunna triangulera och på så vis jämföra det insamlade datamaterialet. Analysen av datamaterialet har gjorts med koppling till styrdokument, teori och tidigare forskning med anknytning till ämnesområdet. Resultatet av undersökningen visade på att lärares och elevers uppfattningar av elevinflytande i många avseenden är lika. Både lärare och elever uppfattar att elevinflytande handlar om att påverka, vara delaktig och valmöjligheter. Vidare uppfattar lärare och elever att ett verkligt inflytande innebär att eleverna både känner och faktiskt har möjlighet att påverka undervisningen. Lärarens roll när det gäller elevinflytande i engelskundervisningen är att vara lyhörd och öppen för elevernas förslag. Elevens roll är att aktivt kunna förmedla sina förslag och synpunkter till läraren. När det gäller lärares arbete med elevinflytande i engelskundervisningen så framgick det av svaren att det till största delen är hur arbetet ska genomföras som eleverna har möjlighet att påverka medan vad arbetet ska innehålla till större delen väljs utifrån alternativ som styrs av lärarens tolkning. Textanalysen av den nya ämnesplanen (Gy 2011) visade på att styrdokumentet innehåller förändringar vad gäller struktur, kommunikation, elevperspektiv och ansvar. Under rubriken "Centralt innehåll" i kursbeskrivningarna finns ett krav som ger utrymme för ökat elevinflytande. Vissa av lärarna var dock inte säkra på att det skulle generera ett ökat elevinflytande då de menar att lärarens tolkning fortfarande är utgångspunkten. / The primary aim of this study has been to examine as well as compare teachers’ and students’ views on student influence in English teaching (English A) at upper secondary school. The secondary aim of the study focused on describing how the new English curriculum (Gy 2011) have changed vis-à-vis the previous English curriculum (Gy 2000) and what impact these changes might have on teachers approach to student influence in English teaching. The study was carried out with the following research questions in mind: (1) how does teachers and students interpret student influence and (2) what kind of changes can be found in the new English curriculum (Gy 2011) and how might these changes affect teachers’ approach to student influence? The applied methods in this study have been qualitative semi-structured interviews with teachers and students, a survey aimed at students and a comparative textual analysis of the two curricula, Gy 2011 and Gy 2000. In order to triangulate the collected data, these three methods were chosen. The data analysis is based on the two curricula, theory and previous research connected to the specific subject area. The results of the study indicated that teachers’ and students’ interpretations of student influence were in many ways similar. Teachers as well as students think of student influence as participation, being involved in the decision-making process and being able to choose between options. In addition, teachers’ and students’ definition of a veritable influence is that students both feel that they have an opportunity to shape their English education and that they actually have an opportunity to shape their English education. The role of the teacher, when it comes to student influence in English teaching, is to be perceptive and open-minded to students’ suggestions. The role of the student is to voice his or her opinions and give suggestions to the teacher. In regard to how teachers are working with student influence in their English teaching, answers from the interviews and the survey indicated that students mainly have an opportunity to influence how the classroom activity can be carried out. The content of the classroom activity is still the teacher’s prerogative. If the students are given choices, these choices have usually been framed by the teacher. The results of the textual analysis of the new English curriculum (Gy 2011) showed that changes have taken place in the new curriculum in areas such as structure, communication, student perspectives and student responsibility. A requirement in the new curriculum was found that could lead to more student influence.  However, some of the teachers were not really sure that it could generate more student influence. In this regard, they highlighted the authority of a teacher’s opinion.

Using Bean and Metzner's conceptual framework related to non-traditional student attrition, the responsible use of Federal Pell Grants was studied by examining the retention and academic performance of college-credit seeking students in a public college in Florida that predominantly offered two year degree programs. Also analyzed were differences between Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients among various demographic categories. Chi-square tests of independence indicated that statistical significance existed between Pell Grant recipients and non-recipients in retention rates from fall to spring terms, as well as in the demographic variables of academic performance, gender, ethnicity, age group, residency, and credit hours achieved. Only the variable of ethnicity showed a medium practical effect size, with all the other variables indicating a small to no practical effect size.