Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 109 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-96).

Thesis (PhD(Education))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

A number of technologies have been in use in the science classroom; however, their effects on teacher instruction and student achievement also remain under researched (Parks & Slykhuis, 2008). In addition, there is a need to study leadership styles with regard to teachers implementing the use of online resources as core instructional materials. Thus, the concern of this transition, as mandated by Texas Senate Bill 6, from using textbooks in the classroom to online instructional materials, will have a profound impact on teaching and learning in the classroom. This study looked at the types of concerns teachers exhibit when going through this transition as well as the perceived principal leadership styles that facilitate, support, or hinder these concerns. An ex post facto, non-experimental quantitative methodology was used to conduct the study. Two valid and reliable evaluation instruments were used to gather data including Hall and Hord’s (2006) Stages of Concern Questionnaire and Burn’s (1996) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. Both of these surveys were administered to the identified sample of Texas middle school science teachers using an online science curriculum program to teach the state science standards as the primary instructional resource. A regression model and analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical model was employed to determine which specific stage of teacher concern, with regard to adoption, was significantly correlated to a principal leadership style or behavior. The findings suggest that while no significant correlation exists between a teacher’s specific stage of concern when focused on how the innovation influences one’s self or task of teaching, there is a significant correlation between perceived principal transformational leadership actions and the impact of the curriculum on team collaboration. In addition, a correlation was found between a teacher’s perceived transactional leadership style of his or her principal and the use of the online curriculum program’s effect with regard to student impact and adaptability concerns of the teacher. The outcome of the study provides a lens from which to view how different leadership styles of principals impact the way teachers relate, use, adapt, and implement new online curriculum systems as a primary resource to teach science in his or her classroom in Texas and how it directly effects student achievement. / text

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Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Natal, 2003.

While debates rage over the relevance and worth of school history, history has been one of the five compulsory subjects up to Ordinary Level in Zimbabwe. However, far away from the corridors of power, it is essential that research be conducted on what school history is for and what represents that which the learner of school history acquires through at least eleven years of school history studies in Zimbabwe. Using the concept of historical literacy as its framework, this study is an analysis of three Ordinary Level history textbooks in Zimbabwe to explore how historical literacy manifests itself in Zimbabwean school history textbooks. In a context of increased government concern over what and how school history should be taught, the study explains how the textbooks that were produced more than ten years ago can still be turned into resources for the propagation of patriotic history, which emerged in the last decade. While conceptualisations of historical literacy continue, I argue for multiple historical literacies, that is, historical literacy which actually takes different forms in different times, spaces and contexts. Thus, what is represented as historical literacy in Zimbabwean history textbooks is not necessarily what historical literacy is elsewhere. This research is a qualitative textual analysis which was conducted in an interpretivist paradigm. I employed historical discourse analysis, question analysis and visual analysis as the analysis methods. The analysis was conducted through an instrument created from the benchmarks of the conceptual framework. The study concluded that despite attempt to push for an activitybased curriculum, historical knowledge, especially the nationalist narrative, is still the dominant benchmark of historical literacy in Zimbabwean textbooks. As a result, the current textbooks can be used, not only for a state sanitised version of historical literacy, but also a version of political literacy. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

This study is based on a comparative qualitative analysis of religion textbooks in elementary schools. The aim is to investigate how Muslim women have been represented in religion textbooks used as educational material in Swedish schools, between the 1970s and the 2000s. This study rests on the social constructivist theory which implies that reality is what we make it. In order to do a comparative qualitative analysis, three deductive stereotypes have been applied: the oppressed, the submissive and the uneducated. However, an additional, inductive stereotype was identified during the analysis of the material: the independent. The text analysis showed that Muslim women were mostly represented as oppressed and submissive, having no right to their own opinions, lives or bodies and simply needing to be covered to get accepted by the Muslim society. However, it was also possible to conclude that similar representations of Muslim women could be found in textbooks from the 1970s and 2000s.

The purpose of this study was to gain understanding of orthodox Christianity in Swedish educational material. The aim was to compare the presentation of orthodox Christianity towards pupils before the new curriculum and after. With the help of an analytical approach by Bergström and Boreu ́s and the interpretation strategy by Quentin Skinner, I have studied material used in school for the subject religion. I have limited my educational material in one way. The material that I have chosen is produced from the year 2003 until 2012. The goal is to recognize how orthodox Christianity is presented to Swedish pupil ́s. The result will contain a discussion about the ways a specific religion is represented in school, what kind of picture is created for this religion and if there is a difference in these presentations in a period of time.

This essay is a study of  textbooks in religious education for middle school. Textbooks are for many, the first contact with religion and they contain a shorter description of different religions. The study is supported by theories of 'Islamofobi' by Mattias Gardell as well as oriental studies by Edward W. Said. The purpose of the study is to examine how textbooks describe islam and muslims' situation in Sweden. Four textbooks from 1992 until 2011 have been used in the examination. The purpose is also to investigate the differences and/or similarities between these texts. The survey was made by a qualitative content analysis. The result shows that confusing facts emerges regarding islam and muslims' situation in Sweden, as well as muslims' tend to be described as a homogeneous group. In more modern textbooks you will find that muslims' are described as a homogenous group less than before, but there are still parts of the texts which are very generalising.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1990. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 78-83). Also available via the Internet.