This thesis is concerned with the presentation of a three year project investigating mainstream teachers' attitudes towards inclusion in one Local Educational Authority in the Southwest of England. The study used both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The first phase of the project involved a survey which indicated that educating students with significant disabilities in mainstream classrooms results in positive changes in educators' attitudes. Here, the study confirmed previous research, which reported that teachers show positive commitment after they have gained mastery of the professional expertise needed to implement inclusive programmes. Further, the survey highlighted the ý importance and effectiveness of substantial self-reflective critical professional development, which results in the acquisition of generic teaching skills necessary for meeting the needs of all children, as opposed to short term technical responses to specific needs. The qualitative phase of the project involved in-depth case studies of two individual schools which considered the whole issue of inclusion from a holistic perspective. The results of the qualitative phase indicated that there are distinctions to be drawn between integration (seen as "participation") and inclusion ("participation7' and "belonging") -this was further highlighted by students' personal accounts of bullying within the secondary school which described itself as "inclusive". The qualitative aspects of the study highlighted the conclusion that "inclusive practice" is seen more in terms of integration than inclusion -students have their specific learning needsw ell met within the schools,b, ut their personal needs are not well supported.T he results indicate that in order to achieve inclusion, schools must look to restructuring to support personal as well as social needs. Such restructuring is dependent on specific professional development (as indicated in the quantitative study) which supports the needs of learners within "inclusive" (holistic) frameworks. 4

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Prepared for: Dept. of Psychology. Bibliography: leaves 173-188.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xxi, 147 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 127-139).

In this study, our aim is to problematize the curriculum's core values through practical examples drawn from observations in children’s recreation centers. We want to examine the premises and common assumptions that are written up in the elementary school, pre-school and recreation center curriculum (Lgr11), in relation to current values on the ideal pupil and how these can be problematized. We do this by focusing on how children's acting space is limited by normative processes in the recreation center from a power perspective. Our empirical work consists of three excerpts in the Lgr11 values that we argue contains utopian premises and common assumptions; transferring basic values, articulate and convey, and from one generation to the next. We also point out two examples from the observations in a recreation center we have done for our B-level, where we indicate what we believe exemplifies the discrepancy we see between the school's practical activities and curriculum formulations. Through our theoretical framework consisting of conceptions in relation to age, power and democratic intentions, we have analyzed our material and found that the premises and common assumptions that are projected promote and maintain an asymmetric power relation in the relationship between teachers and students. The analysis also shows the importance of students' participation in values-oriented work, and the importance of discussing the meaning of the values that are put forward. / I detta självständiga arbete är vårt syfte är att problematisera läroplanens värdegrund genom praktiska exempel hämtade från observationer i fritidshemmet. Vi vill undersöka vilka premisser och förgivettaganden som uttrycks i Lgr11 gällande värderingar kring den ideala eleven och hur dessa kan problematiseras. Detta gör vi med fokus på hur barns handlingsutrymme begränsas via normativa processer i fritidshemmet utifrån ett maktperspektiv. Vår empiri består av tre utdrag ur Lgr11s värdegrund som vi menar innehåller utopiska premisser och förgivettaganden; överföra grundläggande värden, gestalta och förmedla samt från en generation till nästa, vilket vi kommer pröva med en teoretisk begreppsanalys. Vi redogör även för två exempel ur de observationer i ett fritidshem vi tidigare gjort till vår B-uppsats, där vi lyfter den diskrepans vi uppfattar finns mellan skolans praktiska verksamhet och läroplanens formuleringar. Genom vår teoretiska ram bestående av begrepp i relation till ålder, makt och demokratiska intentioner har vi analyserat vårt material och funnit att de premisser och förgivettaganden som uttrycks främjar och upprätthåller en asymmetrisk maktbalans i relationen mellan pedagoger och elever. Analysen visar även på vikten av elevers delaktighet vid värdegrundsarbete samt vikten av att diskutera innebörden i de värden som anses ska gälla.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:06:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VitoriaMASP_DISSERT.pdf: 1570944 bytes, checksum: 964a970322e331022c904a21a1a75035 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-07-31 / This study discusses the evaluation of the English language‟s learning developed in a public high school from Lajes-RN in 2011 starting from a qualitative evaluation proposal (SAUL 1988; CANAN, 1996; DEMO, 2008) aiming the production of knowledge about the evaluation process developed in the classes of English language involving the contributions from students. To diagnose and characterize the evaluation process of English language of the researched school, identifying the representations that students attributed to the evaluation, we have implemented the evaluation instruments suggested by students to perform the evaluation of language learning and allowed a reflection about the student‟s participation in the construction of the evaluation process of the English language, subject discussed by Sant‟anna (2002) and other theorists (CANAN, 1996; BRAZIL, 2002; PEREIRA, 2009). To conduct the research work, we use the qualitative approach with ethnographic basis, substantiate in authors like Bogdan, Biklen (1994), Mazzotti; Gewandsznajder (1998), Strauss, Corbin (2008) among others. The methodology was the action research (ANDR?, 1995; NUNAN, 2007; LANKSHEAR; KNOBEL, 2008) described as research of empirical basis which associates an action with a resolution of a collective problem, because in it, its researchers and employees are engaged in a cooperatively way (THIOLLENT, 1985). When we treat about the evaluation of English language‟s learning (ALMEIDA FILHO, 1993; SCARAMUCCI, 2009) practiced before and after the contributions made by the students of the second year of the refereed school, the study considers that high school students have a more critical and reflective conscience with regard to their evaluations, not just opining on the assessment of learning English but also about the assessment of other subjects from their scholar curriculum and so this research presents possibilities for performing the act of evaluation which consider the participation of students in decisions regarding this process, because we cogitate that when the teachers share the decisions with their students, teachers can add quality to the evaluation process / O presente estudo discorre sobre a avalia??o da aprendizagem de l?ngua inglesa desenvolvida em uma escola p?blica de ensino m?dio do munic?pio de Lajes-RN, em 2011, a partir de uma proposta qualitativa de avalia??o (SAUL, 1988; CANAN, 1996; DEMO, 2008), objetivando a produ??o de conhecimento acerca do processo de avalia??o desenvolvido nas aulas de l?ngua inglesa, envolvendo as contribui??es dos estudantes. Ao se diagnosticar e caracterizar o processo avaliativo de l?ngua inglesa da escola pesquisada, identificando as representa??es que os estudantes atribu?am ? avalia??o, implementaram-se os instrumentos avaliativos por eles sugeridos para a realiza??o da avalia??o da aprendizagem dessa disciplina. Esse fato possibilitou uma reflex?o sobre a participa??o discente na constru??o do processo avaliativo de l?ngua inglesa, assunto discutido por Sant‟anna (2002) e outros te?ricos como Canan (1996), Brasil (2002) e Pereira (2009). Para a condu??o do trabalho investigativo, fez-se uso da abordagem qualitativa de base etnogr?fica, fundamentando-se em autores como Bogdan e Biklen (1994), Mazzotti e Gewandsznajder (1998), Strauss e Corbin (2008), entre outros. A metodologia adotada foi a pesquisa a??o (ANDR?, 1995; NUNAN, 2007; LANKSHEAR; KNOBEL, 2008), descrita como uma pesquisa de base emp?rica que associa uma a??o a uma resolu??o de um problema coletivo, porque nela seus pesquisadores e colaboradores se envolvem de modo cooperativo (THIOLLENT, 1985). Ao tratar da avalia??o da aprendizagem de l?ngua inglesa (ALMEIDA FILHO, 1993; SCARAMUCCI, 2009) praticada antes e depois das contribui??es feitas pelos estudantes da segunda s?rie do ensino m?dio da referida escola, este estudo considera que os estudantes do ensino m?dio t?m uma consci?ncia mais cr?tica e reflexiva no que se refere a suas avalia??es, opinando n?o apenas sobre a avalia??o da aprendizagem de l?ngua inglesa, mas tamb?m de outras disciplinas do seu curr?culo escolar. Assim, esta investiga??o apresenta possibilidades para a realiza??o do ato avaliativo que considere a participa??o dos estudantes nas decis?es que concernem a esse processo, ao se cogitar que, quando compartilham decis?es com seus aprendizes, os docentes podem agregar qualidade ao processo de avalia??o

The large influx of international students to universities of the developed world, the increased use of Problem-Based method of teaching and learning in the field of Health Education and growing awareness of the need to accommodate varying learning styles in any classroom are the three factors that influenced this research. This study was designed to investigate the effect of learning styles and demographic differences on performance in Biology when taught using two different methods of teaching. One was the teacher-directed Traditional Teaching and Learning (TTL) and the other was the student-centred Problem-Based Learning (PBL). The preferred learning styles of all Foundation Studies (FS) Biology students over four academic years at RMIT were determined using the Paragon Learning Style Inventory (PLSI). These students were taught two selected topics in Biology by the researcher using the two different methods and their performance assessed by a written test at the end of each topic. Two instruments were developed to assess student participation in PBL. The first instrument Students' Participation in Group Discussions (SPGD) rating scale was designed for teacher evaluation of student participation in PBL group discussions while the second instrument the Student Self Evaluation (SSE) rating scale was for self-evaluation by stud ents. Individual interviews provided students' views and opinions about their learning styles and the two teaching methods. The analysis of data was predominantly conducted by quantitative methods, supported by qualitative analysis of the interview data. Effect size analyses were used to investigate differences in performance under the two teaching methods on the basis of demographic and learning style differences. Further probes were conducted to elicit any interactions among the demographic variables and the learning style traits in their effect on performance under the two teaching methods and a quantitative measure for interaction was derived using effect sizes. While results confirmed some of the trends displayed by learning style traits in other disciplines, a number of interactions among variables were found to affect performance in Biology as well as performance under the two teaching methods. Gender, age, prior qualification and the language of instruction of prior education had various levels of interactions with the introvert/extrovert, intuitive/sensing, thinking/feeling and perceiving/judging learning traits and affected performance in Biology to varying extents. However, it was found that international students from diverse backgrounds were able to cope with both methods of teaching though there was a definite preference expressed for the traditional teacher directed method. The conclusions from this study have resulted in a number of recommendations for Biology educators, FS administrators, authors and all practitioners of PBL. Several suggestions have opened new avenues for future research. These recommendations for pedagogy and suggestions for future research can improve the outcomes of Biology education as well as other disciplines in related fields. As a consequence of this study two new instruments have been developed to assess student participation in the group discussions of PBL. These could prove to be valuable assessment tools for practitioners of this methodology.

Students’ interactions can be an influential component of students’ success in an interactive learning environment. From a participation perspective, learning is viewed in terms of how students transform their participation. However, many of the seminal papers discussing the participationist framework are vague on specific details about what student participation really looks like on a fine-grained scale. As part of a large project to understand the role of student participation in learning, this study gathered data that quantified students’ participation in three broad areas of two student-centered introductory calculus-based physics classes structured around the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) philosophy. These three broad areas of classes were in-class learning activities, class review sessions that happened at the beginning of every class, and the informal learning community that formed outside of class time. Using video data, classroom observations, and students’ self-reported social network data, this study quantified students’ participation in these three aspects of the class throughout two semesters. The relationship between behaviors of students’ engagement in various settings of an active learning environment and (a) their conceptual understanding (measured by FCI gain) and (b) academic success in the courses as measured by exam scores and scores on out-of-class assignments were investigated. The results from the analysis of the student interaction in the learning process show that three class components, viz. the Review Session, Learning Activities, and Informal Learning Community, play distinct roles in learning. Students who come in the class with better content knowledge do not necessarily participate more in the learning activities of active learning classrooms. Learning Communities serve as a “support network” for students to finish assignments and help students to pass the course. Group discussions, which are facilitated by students themselves, better help students in gaining conceptual understanding. Since patterns of students’ participation do not change significantly over time, instructors should try to ensure greater participation by incorporating different learning activities in the active learning classroom.

The purpose of this study is to bring clarity and knowledge as to how two headmasters organise the development of their respective schools as well as how we as special educator can enable the students to take part in this development work. The methodology of this study – and theoretical preconditions are founded in a phenomenological perspective combined with educational organisation theory. The empiric data has been gathered through surveys as well as interviews with students and school administrators. The data is analysed and documented through identified quotes to find meaning and variation in the level of student participation. The result shows the students in the 9 th grade feel they have influence as well as taking part in the development of the schools. Simultaneously, the students inform that the implementation should happen at an early stage for the students to maintain an engaged interest in this. Furthermore, the study shows that the special educator profession at the school that took part in the survey is a strong and an important resource. / Syftet med föreliggande studie är att bringa klarhet och kunskap i hur två rektorer organiserar skolutveckling samt hur vi som specialpedagoger kan möjliggöra att eleverna blir delaktiga i skolans utvecklingsarbete. Studiens metodologiska – och teoretiska utgångspunkter grundar sig i ett fenomenologiskt perspektiv i kombination med pedagogisk organisationsteori. Empirin har samlats in genom enkäter samt intervjuer med elever och skolledare. Materialet har analyserats med utgångspunkt i identifierade citat för att finna meningsbärande enheter som syftet att finna variationer i fenomenet delaktighet. Resultatet visar att de tillfrågade eleverna i årskurs 9 känner att de har elevinflytande och delaktighet över skolutvecklingen. Samtidigt framhåller eleverna att implementeringen av utvecklingsförslagen måste ske i ett tidigt stadium för att eleven ska finna intresse för engagemang. Studien visar även att den specialpedagogiska professionen på de undersökta skolorna är stark och en viktig resurs.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:56:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marina Borges e Silva.pdf: 1217244 bytes, checksum: 81102e64ff510591cf2e4fadf79383f3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-07 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Considering that the category meaning is the one that allows us the approaching to the most typical aspects of the subject and that, by apprehending the elements of meaning, we approach the subjectivity, the present research had as objective to analyze the meanings that are attributed by the teacher to the participation of the students in the classroom activities. The theoretical methodological way that was adopted consists of the study of meanings attributed by the teacher to his activity, understood as product and producer of social and cultural conditions. When understanding that studying the teacher s meanings about his activity it s possible to approach to his subjectivity, that was taken as the object of this report. Theoretically based on the Social-Historical Psychology and on the contributions from Clínica da Atividade , we had, besides the interview, recorded in audiotape, two simple self-confrontation sessions, recorded in video-tape. The research was held at a private school in the city of São Paulo, with an Elementary school teacher who teaches for students in the third grade. In order to analyze the interview and the two simple self-confrontation sessions, an interpretative constructive process was held, according to the proposal of Núcleos de Significação . From this analysis on, it was possible to highlight elements of meaning constituted by the teacher about the students´ participation. The dilemma the teacher goes through when using the didactic material; the valorization of the individual learning to the detriment of that one which was built in group; the difficulty of working the different levels of knowledge with the objective of considering the class in its totality; the understanding about the learning is just possible after reaching certain levels of development; the understanding about the children being people essentially without attention and concentration, as unable to utter pertinent comments, as beings who, in order to improve themselves, must be adjusted and adapted through a strict discipline; the traditional conception of the development of the child and of the learning and the idea of, in the spontaneous playing moment, the participation of the students is possible and, on the contrary, in the moment of studying the curriculum contents, this participation is impossible are, among other factors, some elements of meaning that present implications about his way of dealing with the students participation / Considerando que a categoria sentido é a que nos permite a aproximação dos aspectos mais próprios do sujeito e que, apreendendo os elementos de sentido, nos aproximamos da subjetividade, a presente investigação teve como objetivo analisar os sentidos atribuídos pelo professor à participação dos alunos nas atividades em sala de aula. O caminho teórico metodológico adotado constituiu-se no estudo dos sentidos atribuídos pelos professores a sua atividade, compreendida como produto e produtora de condições sociais e culturais. Partindo-se do entendimento que ao estudar os sentidos do professor sobre sua atividade nos aproximamos de sua subjetividade, tomou-se a subjetividade docente como objeto dessa investigação. Com embasamento teórico na Psicologia Sócio-Histórica e nas contribuições da Clínica da Atividade, realizamos, além da entrevista, gravada em áudio, duas sessões de autoconfrontação simples, gravadas em vídeo. A pesquisa foi realizada em uma escola particular da cidade de São Paulo, com uma professora do 3º ano do Ensino Fundamental. Para a análise da entrevista e das duas sessões de autoconfrontação simples, foi realizado um processo construtivo interpretativo, conforme a proposta dos Núcleos de Significação. A partir dessa análise, pôde-se destacar elementos de sentido constituídos pela professora sobre a participação dos alunos. O dilema que a professora vive na utilização do material didático; a valorização da aprendizagem individual em detrimento daquela construída no coletivo; a dificuldade de e trabalhar os diferentes níveis de conhecimento, de forma a contemplar a classe na sua totalidade; a compreensão de que a aprendizagem só é possível após atingidos certos níveis de desenvolvimento; o entendimento das crianças como essencialmente desatentas e desconcentradas, como incapazes de tecer comentários pertinentes, como seres que, para se aprimorarem, devem ser ajustados e adaptados por meio de um disciplinamento rígido; a concepção tradicional do desenvolvimento da criança e da aprendizagem e a idéia de que, no momento do brincar espontâneo, a participação dos alunos é possível e que, ao contrário, no momento de estudo dos conteúdos curriculares, essa participação é impossível são, dentre outros, alguns elementos de sentido que trazem implicações sobre sua forma de lidar com a participação dos alunos

Department of Curriculum Studies and Education Management. / MEd