Current literature on teaching research methodology in the social sciences points to the changing nature of our world in terms of its complexity and diversity and how this affects the way in which we search for answers to related problems. New ways of approaching research problems that relate to the demands of practice need to be explored, which is in contrast with the ‘either-or’ world we coach our students for, that is to be either qualitative or quantitative researchers. Also, educational policy reform in South Africa has sought to address the issue of real-life relevance of curricula, and specifically, reformists have turned to proponents of Mode 2 knowledge to inform initiatives for change. This means that tertiary institutions will have to adjust the way in which they deliver education to future generations of South Africans. The aim of this study was to map the content of undergraduate research methodology courses at South African universities and to explore the beliefs held by some academics that inform the way in which these courses are constructed. Critical theory allowed the researcher to search for unequal distributions of power and is defined in this study in its oppressive role, that is, its productive ability to bring about inequalities and human suffering. As some critical social theorists embrace specific, and at times divergent, methodologies, a pluralistic approach, based on Habermas’ idea of the relative legitimacy of all theories and methods, was used to. The study revealed that there is a heavy reliance on the methods that are traditionally linked to the positivist paradigm. It also revealed that alternate paradigms focusing on philosophies that dictate the use of qualitative methods are increasingly included in methodology courses and juxtaposed against or used to supplement positivist approaches to research. As academics may struggle to let go of traditional paradigms, they may find a compromise in presenting both. By acknowledging the limitations of past curricula, academics actively seek to change these discourses, but by doing so they may be instituting new hegemonies. One of the findings of this study is thus that distinctions about the content of research courses are being made on a methodological level instead of also acknowledging the epistemological and pragmatic grounds for making choices. Moreover, it is argued that the consensus achieved regarding the curriculum for a research course is the result of conversations held between academics in an ideal speech situation that excludes other significant voices. The lecturers' dominance over the students is maintained in the dialogical activities that they undertake with colleagues that confirm their position of authority in academic society. Students recognise this authority and consent to it. It is proposed that the way forward for curriculum construction lies in establishing academic communities of practice that should be viewed as the type of university that Habermas would advocate: where academics need to share power and be open to the challenges that they face such as negotiating what is accepted as knowledge. / Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Psychology / unrestricted

The thesis deals with the professional competencies of teachers of nursery schools. The theoretical part focuses on contemporary education of nursery school teachers and its history in the Czech Republic with an emphasis on professional competencies. Besides defining the concept of professional competence and their various concepts. Czech education preschool teachers is contrasted with the situation in Europe. The main aim of the research part of the thesis is to describe the differences between differently educated teachers of kindergartens within the conceptualization of professional competencies. The investigation is specifically compared how teachers assess the importance of professional competence and adequacy of their development in the initial training. The survey includes pilot study and private research. Pilot study includes data collection questionnaires and structured interviews for the four case studies with differently educated preschool teachers. Own research is realized in the form of questionnaires with different educated preschool teachers and structured interviews with experts on preschool education. Further analysis was carried out educational plans of selected institutions that educate future teachers of pre-primary. The benefit of the pilot study is especially significant...

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Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt mit dem Change Management-Methodenbaukasten einen konzeptionellen Ansatz vor, mit dem die hochschulweite E-Learning-Integration aus Perspektive des Marketings und der Organisations- bzw. Personalentwicklung professionalisiert werden kann. Dabei werden sowohl die einzelnen Elemente als auch die theoretischen Grundlagen des Konzeptes, welche sich aus der Akzeptanz- und Organisationsforschung herleiten, detailliert dargestellt. Der Change Management-Methodenbaukasten ist ein wertvolles Werkzeug, um zukünftigen Change Management-Aktivitäten systematisch und strategisch zu planen und umzusetzen. Damit wird ein wichtiger Beitrag zur Ausbreitung des E-Learning an Hochschulen sowie zur Gestaltung des Lehr- und Lernkultur-Wandels geleistet.

Die Plattform „eXperience based training“ unterstützt fallstudienbasierte Lehrformen an Hochschulen. Dozierende können ihr Wissen über den Einsatz von Fallstudien in der Lehre auf der Plattform gegenseitig teilen und erhalten Zugriff auf ein breites Spektrum an Lehrmaterialien. Die Ausbildung an den Hochschulen soll durch den Einsatz von Fallstudien interessant und praxisnah sein. Didaktisch aufbereitete Fallstudien sind geeignet, Studierende im Unterricht zu aktivieren, vernetztes ganzheitliches Lernen zu fördern und eine höhere Behaltensquote zu erzielen.

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CHARLES UNIVERSITY IN PRAGUE FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Institute of Sociological Studies Department of Public and Social Policy Michaela Ditrych Lenc A Reflection of Capacity Development Concept in the Czech Development Cooperation Programme in Higher Education and Research - A Georgia Case Study Master's Thesis Prague 2017 Abstract The Master's thesis is concerned with a recently launched policy instrument called the programme placement of Czech students to developing countries whose aim is to enhance quality of higher education and research in Czech Republic's partner countries in the South. The programme, implemented in the framework of the Czech development policy, was introduced in 2012 as a complement modality to the government scholarship programme. The main aim of the thesis was to identify if the project implemented in Georgia within the programme placement had contributed to capacity development in higher education and research in that region. Based on the capacity development concept it was ascertained that the project had promoted development mainly of individual capacities and to a certain extent of organisational capacities as well. Even though the system level was taken into consideration during the implementation, significant system change has not been identified. Additionally, the project...

The thesis deals with the construction of inequalities in the access to the tertiary education with the special emphasis on entrance exams to the universities. The aim is to explore how the entrance exams as the gate to the universities are perceived by students - the actors who are the most affected by these inequalities in education, according to relevant research of these inequalities. The thesis studies how these actors perceive their position and situation within the entrance process, what situations (if any) are constructed as unequal by these actors, who is affected by such inequalities and how does he/she copes with them. The research question is seen from the perspective of interactionist constructivism and answered by applying methods of grounded theory and semi-structured in-depth interviews.

Over the past years, there has been a consistent call from Government and industry for South African tertiary institutions to deliver more graduates in the fields of science and technology. This, however, is no mean feat for universities, as the pool of prospective candidates delivers very few students with the necessary academic literacy abilities, and very few students who passed mathematics and science at the right levels to succeed in science higher education. This puts tertiary institutions under mounting pressure to accept students who are under-prepared and to support these students appropriately. The plight of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) institutions like the University of South Africa (UNISA) is even more desperate, as they are often left with those students who are either unable to gain entrance into, or to afford the study fees of, residential universities. These students are often in greater need for face-to-face interaction than are their counterparts at residential universities, yet they generally receive very little of this. The intervention examined and critiqued in this study is an attempt at raising the academic literacy levels of first-year students at UNISA in the fields of science and technology by means of a 60-hour face-to-face workshop programme. As its foundation, it uses the principles of collaborative learning and authentic material design. It also treats academic literacy abilities as interdependent and holistic. This study starts with a broad overview of the context. This is followed by a review of the literature. This review focuses on concepts such as collaborative learning, academic literacy, English for academic purposes, English for specific purposes and English for science and technology. Thereafter, a needs analysis is done in which students’ Test for Academic Literacy Levels (TALL) pre-test results, as well as a sample of their assignments, are examined. In addition, the workshops in this intervention programme are analysed individually. To determine the effectiveness of the academic literacy intervention, students’ pre- and post-TALL results are scrutinised, and a feedback questionnaire filled in at the end of the year is analysed. Subsequently, recommendations are made as to how the workshop programme could be improved. Findings show that the academic literacy intervention did improve students’ academic literacy levels significantly, though the improvement is not enough to elevate students from being considered at-risk. However, with fine-tuning the existing programme, the possibility exists that students’ academic literacy levels might be further improved. This calls for a careful examination of the areas in which students’ performance did not improve significantly. Student feedback indicated a positive attitude towards the entire intervention programme, as well as a marked preference for collaborative learning and face-to-face interaction. In the redevelopment of the current workshop programme, such preferences would have to receive attention, so as to integrate students’ wants, together with what they lack and what they need, in subsequent interventions. In conclusion, the limitations of this study are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research, as the current study must be seen as only the beginning of a process of action research that could lead to a sustainable intervention programme in future. Copyright / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Unit for Academic Literacy / Afrikaans / unrestricted

The aim of this research was to determine the factors that influence the participation of students from Sub-Saharan Africa at the undergraduate level of study in United States. A literature study was undertaken which defined the various aspects involved in pursuing undergraduate study in the United States as applied to international students at three types of institutions, namely: two-year community colleges, four year private colleges and four-year public colleges. Quantitative research was also undertaken, the results of which evolved from two surveys, one sent to a combined group of two-year, four-year private and public U.S. institutions and one sent out to Educational Advising Centers within Sub-Saharan Africa. The findings indicated that the primary constraints Sub-Saharan African students face are a lack of funding as well as an inability to access information. A comparison of the results of the two surveys was undertaken as well as recommendations for further research. / Educational Studies / M. Ed (Comparative Education)