At ABCD High School, students with disabilities (SWDs) pass state-mandated English High School Assessments (HSA) at a lower rate than do their nondisabled peers, even with remediation. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers' perceptions of appropriate remediation for preparing SWDs for the English HSA. The theoretical foundation for the study was based on social constructivism with an emphasis on individual experiences. The 3 key research questions investigated how teachers perceive their role in the delivery of remediation, how they describe the remediation program, and what factors they say influence their ability to remediate SWDs effectively. Data were collected from observations of remediation instruction (n = 12), individual interviews of English teachers (n = 6), and school documents pertaining to remediation. A qualitative data analysis was conducted with constant comparison and open, axial, and selective coding in order to identify emergent themes and sub-themes. Findings indicated inadequacies in instructional materials, teachers' poor understanding of student disabilities, a lack of formal teacher training, scheduling problems, difficulty motivating students, and a lack of collaboration among colleagues. The creation of teacher professional development workshops was recommended to study various disabilities and to share strategies for improving remediation of SWDs. Implications of positive social change include improved teacher buy-in regarding SWDs, a more cohesive learning community, and an openness to innovative strategies of remediation, leading to greater instructional effectiveness.

Outdoor education is considered to be a recent teaching approach and method in a general educational framework, which is related to learning through authentic places and different direct experiences. However, the learning process within the educational system in Cyprus is mainly based on traditional models of teaching. Despite that fact, a modified society established the necessity for a new educational curriculum, which was implemented in 2010. Thus, the current research is focused on a curriculum-related study on outdoor learning and teaching, based on experiential learning in primary schools in Cyprus. Specifically, the focal point is on teachers’ perceptions regarding the status of experiential learning within the Greek language curriculum and the possibilities of implementing outdoor language activities, in order to enhance students’ learning. Through a qualitative approach, this research included analysis of the data extracted from ten semi-structured synchronous online interviews with primary teachers. The data were analysed thematically and summarized in five themes related to the connections between outdoor learning, experiential learning and language teaching. In particular, the relevant findings demonstrated that experiential learning is mainly presented on a theoretical base through the language curriculum and that outdoor language activities, although they can enhance the implementation of more efficient lessons, are limited. The results reveal primary teachers’ basic knowledge on the field of outdoor education, as they additionally noted some important barriers of outdoor learning, such as time limitations, lack of support and the traditional way of thinking. Thus, they pointed out the necessity of applying significant changes that will support the new Greek language curriculum and its basic principles. Additionally, the teachers acknowledged several benefits of outdoor language teaching mainly related to the students’ personal and social development. The above findings contribute to the current limited scientific knowledge, concerning the practice of outdoor education in primary level in Cyprus. To conclude, the results of the specific study are focused on the perceptions of the ten participants, so they cannot be generalized. Therefore, further research on the related field would be important for a wider investigation of outdoor language learning within the Cypriot educational system.

Den nya läroplanen för grundskolan 2011 uppmanar alla lärare i den svenska skolan att stärka ett entreprenöriellt förhållningssätt hos eleverna. Enligt regeringens Strategi för entreprenörskap inom utbildningsområdet ska entreprenörskap löpa som en röd tråd genom hela skolan. Medan en del forskning är gjord på gymnasienivå och utifrån ett elevperspektiv så finns det dock i dagsläget relativt få undersökningar angående grundskolan och lärarnas perspektiv. Förutsättningarna för införandet av entreprenöriellt lärande är oklara. En viktig förutsättning är dock att lärarna är bekanta med begrepp som entreprenörskap och entreprenöriellt lärande. Studien syftar till att undersöka hur lärare i moderna språk uppfattar begreppet entreprenöriellt lärande, och vilka möjligheter och hinder de ser med att tillämpa entreprenöriella arbetsformer i språkundervisningen. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer undersöks hur sju lärare i moderna språk med olika uppfattningar resonerar kring entreprenöriellt lärande i sina ämnen. Lärarna finner det viktigt att utveckla egenskaper hos elever såsom att våga, förmågan att ta initiativ och omsätta idéer till handlingar men de ser sig också ställda inför en del svårigheter med att tillämpa de nya metoderna. Ett intressant utfall var att lärarnas uppfattning av sina förutsättningar hänger ihop väldigt starkt med deras uppfattning av och förhållningssätt till EL. Studien visar att det krävs större satsningar och framförallt mer forskning och beprövad erfarenhet inom fältet. / The new curriculum for primary education 2011 calls on all teachers in Swedish schools to strengthen an entrepreneurial attitude in students. According to the government's Strategy for entrepreneurship in education, entrepreneurship should permeate the whole school system. While some research has been done at secondary level and from a student perspective, relatively few studies have investigated the issue from a teachers' perspective and at primary level. The prerequisites for the introduction of entrepreneurial learning are somewhat unclear. An important condition is, however, that teachers are familiar with concepts such as entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning. This study aims to examine how teachers of modern languages perceive the concept of entrepreneurial learning, and what opportunities and obstacles they see to the application of entrepreneurial work in language teaching. By using qualitative interviews, the study investigates how seven teachers of modern languages with different experiences of the methods reason about enterprise learning in their subjects. The teachers find it important to help their students develop such characteristics as daring, the ability to take initiatives and turn their ideas into actions, but they also find themselves facing some difficulties in applying the new methods. An interesting outcome was that the teachers’ perceptions of their conditions are closely connected to their perceptions of and attitudes towards enterprise learning. The study shows that greater efforts and most importantly, more research and documented experience is needed in the field.

This study produced a theoretically grounded model of professional development suited for supporting teachers in Hong Kong to embed Information and Communication Technologies into the Primary School Curriculum. The model was developed and tested over two years through an intervention based on participatory action research involving school staff and the researcher as a critical friend. The model was tested through the analysis of extensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of teacher behaviours and curricular documents. Teachers' beliefs and practices were found to change significantly during the first year of the project and were further refined during the second year. Leadership, collegial support, physical infrastructure, teacher self-efficacy, and technical knowledge were identified as the most important factors underpinning the successful implementation of the program. The model addresses these factors and has considerable potential to impact on educational practice involving ICT in the Hong Kong context.

The aim of the study is to investigate some teachers´and students´perceptions of how the teaching of the subject Swedish is designed to motivate the development of students´ language, reading and writing when one to one is used. The study has a the communicative relationally oriented perspective on teaching. The method that has been used to answer the purpose of this study is qualitative and is based on semi structured interviews with some teachers´and students´. The result of the study shows that computers should be seen as an important part of the teaching design to increase students motivation to schoolwork when teachers are forming the teaching. The computer can be seen as a motivational boost for both teachers and students in teaching, but above all, the study shows it facilitates in students´ language-, reading- and writing development. The teachers´ perception is that the major benefits of one to one teaching with computers lies in the ability to adapt for students in need of support. The teachers have different perceptions on how computers can be used in teaching. Nevertheless, they are based essentially on the same motivational factors to increase students motivation for schoolwork, wich are the same as they always have used. Both teachers and students have an idea that other factors appear to be as important as the computer in order for them to be motivated; the importance of the teacher, the importance of the teaching to be structured, and that the teaching is based on the interest of the students, that it feels relevant and can be related to, are also important motivational factors in one to one teaching with computers. / Syftet med studien är att undersöka några lärares och elevers uppfattningar om hur svenskundervisningen är utformad för att motivera eleverna i deras språk-, läs- och skrivutveckling i en-till-en-undervisning med datorer. Studien har sin teoretiska utgångspunkt i det kommunikativa relationsinriktade perspektivet på lärande. Metoden som använts är kvalitativ och för att besvara studiens syfte har semistrukturerade intervjuer med några lärare och elever genomförts. Resultatet visar att datorn bör ses som en viktig del i lärares utformande av undervisning när det gäller att öka elevers motivation till skolarbete. Datorn kan ses som motivationshöjande för lärare och elever i undervisning, men framförallt visar studien att den underlättar i elevers språk-, läs- och skrivutveckling. Lärarnas uppfattning är att de stora fördelarna med en-till-enundervisning med datorer ligger i möjligheten att anpassa för de elever som är i behov av stöd på olika sätt. Lärarna har olika syn på hur datorn kan användas i undervisningen. Trots detta utgår de från i stort sett samma motivationshöjande faktorer för att öka elevernas motivation till skolarbetet, vilka är samma som de alltid har utgått från. Såväl lärarna som eleverna har en uppfattning om att andra faktorer framstår som minst lika viktiga som datorn för att de ska bli motiverade; lärarens betydelse, vikten av strukturerad undervisning, samt att det man arbetar med utgår från elevers intresse, att det känns relevant och går att relatera till är även de viktiga motivationshöjande faktorerna i en-till-en-undervisning med datorer.

Syftet med studien var att utröna hur fem lärare i årskurs 1–3 resonerar om och uppfattar dokumentation av elevers talspråkliga färdigheter. Vilken form av dokumentation lärare beskriver sig använda i syfte att bedöma och följa upp elevers talspråkliga färdigheter och vilka ändamål med denna dokumentation lärare redogör för var de frågor studien syftade att besvara. Fem lärare i årskurserna 1–3 intervjuades på plats i sina respektive skolor. Intervjumaterialet transkriberades och analyserades utifrån analysmetoden innehållsanalys och Åsa Hirshs (2015) fem ändamål med IUP:er. Resultatet visar att lärare använder flera olika former för att dokumentera elevers talspråkliga färdigheter. Det ändamål med dokumentationen lärarna framhäver mest frekvent är att de nyttjar den som ett informationsbärande dokument för föräldrar och elever. Alla lärare lyfter fram minst ett dokumentationsändamål som inte omfattas av Hirshs (2015) typologier vilket bidrog till att tre nya dokumentationsändamål skapades. Därtill visar det sig att skriftliga anteckningar används utifrån flest antal ändamål medan elevskapat och nedskrivet material bara används för att engagera eleverna i bedömningen av sina kunskaper och observationsscheman bara för att informera om elevens nuvarande kunskaper.

abstract: Given the current focus on high-stakes accountability in America's public schools, this study examined teacher evaluation specific to physical education. This study revealed current teacher evaluation practices used in physical education, perceptions of school administrators related to the value of the physical education evaluation process, and the perceptions of the physical education teachers related to the value of the evaluation process. The first phase of this study was an interpretive document analysis study conducted on four separate teacher evaluation systems commonly used within the public school system to evaluate physical education teachers. Those four systems were: Marzanos teacher evaluation model, Danielson framework for teaching (FFT), Rewarding Excellence in Instruction and Leadership (REIL), and Teacher Advancement Program (TAP). A separate evaluation instrument specific to physical education created by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) was used as a comparative evaluation tool. Evidence suggests that two of the four teacher evaluation systems had a high percentage of alignment with the NASPE instrument (TAP 87.5%, FFT 82.5%). The Marzano teacher evaluation model had the least amount of alignment with the NASPE instrument (62.5%). The second phase of this study was a phenomenological approach to understanding administrators' and physical education teachers' perceptions to teacher evaluation specific to physical education. The participants in this study were administrators and physical education teachers from an urban school district. An informal survey and formal semi-structured interviews were used to reveal perceptions of teacher evaluation specific to physical education. Evidence from the administrator's informal survey and formal semi-structured interviews revealed four common themes: (1) "I value PE, but I live in reality" (administrators value physical education, but practice in reality); (2) "good teaching is good teaching"; (3) "I know my limitations, and I want/need help" (relative to teacher evaluation in PE); and (4) where's the training beef? Evidence from the physical education teacher's informal survey and formal semi-structured interviews revealed three common themes: (a) physical education is valued, but not prioritized; (b) teacher evaluation in physical education is "greatly needed, yet not transparent; (c) physical educators are not confident in their evaluator. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Physical Education 2014

Med utgångspunkt i att läroplanen (Lgr11) beskriver att skolans uppdrag är att främja eleverna att bli initiativtagande, ansvarstagande, självständiga och aktiva samhällsmedborgare (Skolverket, 2019). Studiens syfte är att synliggöra hur några utvalda, verksamma lärare uppfattar och implementerar critical literacy i praktiken genom sin undervisning. Detta genom att titta på hur lärarna arbetar med olika texttyper men också genom att granska hur critical literacy-aspekterna makt, genus, klass och etnicitet blir synliga i dessa lärares undervisning. Studiens syfte är att synliggöra hur några verksamma lärare uppfattar och implementerar critical literacy i praktiken. Med följande frågeställningar ämnas syftet uppnås:  1.     Hur beskriver de intervjuade lärarna att de arbetar med critical literacy i sin undervisning när de arbetar med olika texttyper? 2.     Hur beskriver lärarna att de arbetar med aspekterna makt, genus, klass och etnicitet utifrån ett critical literacy-perspektiv? Studien är kvalitativ med datainsamling gjord genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med sju verksamma lärare i årskurs F – 3. Lärarnas uppfattningar undersöktes utifrån en fenomenografisk ansats och analyserades genom en tematisk analys. Studien genomsyras av den sociokulturella teorin. Resultatet av studien pekar på att de intervjuade lärarna arbetar med få texttyper då endast berättande- och faktatexter användes i undervisningen. En central del av kriterierna för critical literacy handlar om att arbeta med flera olika texttyper. Genom lärarnas uppfattningar av aspekterna makt, genus, klass och etnicitet, landade studiens slutsats i att lärarna har bristfälliga kunskaper om fenomenet critical literacy. Därmed synliggjorde inte de deltagande lärarna i studien aspekterna enligt critical literacyperspektivet i sin undervisning. Trots bristfälliga kunskaper visar slutsatsen att lärarna arbetar kring makt, genus, klass och etnicitet i sin undervisning. / Based on the fact that the curriculum (Lgr11) describes how the mission of the school is to promote the pupils to take initiative, responsibility, to become independent as well as active citizens (Skolverket, 2019). The aim of the study was to make visible how a few selected, active teachers embrace and implement critical literacy in practice through their teaching. This through viewing in what way the teachers work with different kinds of texts but also through examining how the aspects of critical literacy; power, gender, class and ethnicity are made visible through the teaching of these teachers. The aim of the study is to make visible how active teachers perceive and implement critical literacy in practice through their teaching. With the following questions at issue the aim of the study should be reached: 1.     How do the participating teachers describe their critical literacy teaching when working with different types of texts? 2.     How do the teachers describe their work with the aspects; power, gender, class and ethnicity from a critical literacy perspective? The study is qualitative with data collection made through semi-structured interviews with seven active teachers in grade F-3. The perception of the teachers was examined on the basis of a phylogeographic approach, and later analysed by a thematic analysis. The study is permeated by the sociocultural theory. The result of the study points out that the interviewed teachers work with few kinds of texts as only narrative- and factual texts were used in teaching. A central part of the criterial for critical literacy is about working with different types of texts, not as few as presented. Through the perception of the teachers of the aspects power, gender, class and ethnicity, the study showed that the teachers have insufficient knowledge of the phenomenon of critical literacy. Therefor the aspects of critical literacy were not made visible by the participating teachers. However, despite poor knowledge next to obliviousness the conclusion just as well shows that the teachers work with power, gender, class and ethnicity in their teaching.

The aim of this study was to compare practices of assessment with theory. Three teachers on the upper secondary level in English were interviewed. This study contains three research questions, namely, how do teachers work with assessment? To what extent do teachers work with formative assessment in the subject English? In what way do teachers’ perception and experiences of formative assessment relate to current research in the field? The results indicate that formative assessment is an established method in the classroom, which differed from a collegial aspect since most collegial collaborations relate to summative assessment. Teachers used formative assessment to a varied extent and in various ways, which entail a high usage of mapping, defining goals, formal and interactive feedback from teacher to student. The results also indicate small or non-existent usage of peer-assessment, feedback from student to teacher and, self-assessment. The analysis showed that some perceptions between teachers were contradictive, but support from each viewpoint could be found in recent studies. Finally, the results of my study pointed to that formative assessment in practice and theory is a quite ambiguous research field. Some other interesting findings which were not a part of this study’s aim showed that all teachers mention how distance studies due to the coronavirus make summative assessment more challenging. In comparison to summative assessment, formative assessment can somewhat proceed as normal whereas teachers give students formal feedback, but the teachers highlight that the interactive part of feedback disappears. Teachers gave examples of interactive feedback as when students ask for and receive direct feedback in the classroom when working on a written assignment. Teachers reported that students perform better in oral production ever since school had to switch to digital learning, which is also another interesting finding. / Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka lärares bedömningspraktik för att kunna jämföra dessa med forskningsläget. Tre lärare i engelska på gymnasienivå intervjuades. Studien ämnar sig åt att besvara tre frågeställningar: hur arbetar lärare med bedömning? I vilken utsträckning använder engelsklärare sig av formativ bedömning? Vilka kopplingar finns mellan lärares uppfattningar av formativ bedömning och forskningsläget? Resultaten visar på att formativ bedömning är en etablerad metod på klassrumsnivå, däremot tillbringar lärarna ur ett kollegialt perspektiv huvudsakligen åt summativ bedömning. Lärare använde formativ bedömning i varierande grad och på varierande vis, det visade sig att lärare frekvent använder sig av kartläggning av elevers kunskaper, synliggörande av mål och formell samt interaktiv återkoppling från lärare till elev. Resultaten visar på att kamratbedömning, återkoppling från elev till lärare och främjande av egenbedömning används i mycket liten eller ingen utsträckning. Analysen påvisade att lärarnas uppfattningar skiljdes åt sinsemellan men det visade finnas belägg för varje synsätt i forskningen. Slutligen påvisar denna studie på att formativ bedömning i jämförelse av praktik och teori är tvetydig. Några andra intressanta resultat genererades från studien även fast det var en del av studiens syfte. Lärarna beskriver att distansundervisningen som råder på grund av coronaviruset försvårat den summativa bedömningen. I jämförelse med den summativa bedömningen, kan den formativa bedömningen fortsätta som normalt där lärare kan ge elever formell feedback men lärarna understryker att den interaktiva delen av feedback försvinner. Lärarna gav exempel på interaktiv feedback, ett exempel är när elever frågar och får direkt feedback i klassrummet när de arbetar med en skrivuppgift. Lärarna i denna studie beskrev även att elever presterar bättre i muntliga förmågor i engelska sedan undervisningen har skiftat till distansundervisningen, vilket också är en intressant iakttagelse.

This research study explored the impact of group music therapy at a school for intellectually impaired learners in Namibia. The research project generated qualitative data through individual interviews of two teachers at a school for intellectually impaired learners. Interviews were conducted with each teacher before and after participating in ten group music therapy sessions with their learners. The data was compared and discussed in terms of the teachers’ experience of the impact of group music therapy on (i) their perceptions of their learners and how this influenced their teaching approach, and (ii) their perception of music therapy as a profession. Results generated from the interviews indicated that, through participation in music therapy sessions, learners experienced and explored their individual capabilities through the medium of music. Teachers observed their learners’ potential in new areas and in this way obtained a more holistic view of their learners. As a result of noting learners’ diverse abilities, teachers also adapted their teaching approaches to work in a more learner-centred way. This complemented their classroom approach based on the Namibian educational policy of learner-centred education in which learners’ individual competencies are to be developed, requiring teachers’ sensitivity towards their learners’ needs and abilities. Findings of this study further indicated a more in-depth understanding of music therapy as an intervention by the teachers after participating in sessions with their learners. This suggests that first-hand experience provides an effective way of understanding the music therapy profession and the possibilities that it may hold in a special school for intellectually impaired learners. Findings further highlighted some challenges that may need to be overcome when implementing a music therapy programme in a special school. Copyright / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Music / unrestricted