Students in middle school often have limited opportunities to think for themselves even though they actively participate in practical activities. The purpose of this study is to illustrate how the didactic model Interaction can be used as support by teachers to provide students with conceptual prerequisites for thinking scientifically in inquiry-based work. A didactic modeling has been done where we have used exemplification inspired by action research as a research approach to show how Interaction in combination with a socio-cultural perspective on learning can be used as support for planning, implementation, and evaluation of inquiry. The teaching design was carried out in two full cycles and one initiated cycle to exemplify how we have relied on the model for didactic design and analysis. In total, 18 students participated divided into two cycles. The teaching content was chemical solutions. Data was collected as a basis for evaluating the design through audio recordings that were transcribed and analyzed with the support of Interaction. The result exemplifies how the model supported in making visible which concepts could be relevant to introduce to the students to think scientifically about what they observed. It thus made conceptual alternatives visible and enabled reflection on which concepts we wanted to introduce and when, to support students' scientific thinking. A conclusion of the study is that the exemplification shows how Interaction can support reflection on which conceptual prerequisites one wants to provide students in inquiry-based activities. Therefore, it is a didactic tool that can support teachers in becoming more conceptually active in teaching to make students more active in scientific content. / Elever i mellanstadiet får ofta lite utrymme att tänka själva även om de deltar aktivt i görandet i praktiska aktiviteter. Syftet med denna studie är att exemplifiera hur den didaktiska modellen Växelverkan kan användas som stöd av lärare för att ge eleverna begreppsliga förutsättningar för att tänka naturvetenskapligt i det undersökande arbetet. En didaktisk modellering har gjorts där vi använt exemplifiering med inspiration av aktionsforskning som forskningsansats för att visa hur Växelverkan i kombination med ett sociokulturellt perspektiv på lärande kan användas som stöd för planering, genomförande och utvärdering av undersökande arbete. Undervisningsdesignen genomfördes i två hela cykler och en påbörjad för att exemplifiera hur vi tagit stöd av modellen för didaktisk design och analys. Sammanlagt deltog 18 elever fördelat på två cykler. Undervisningsinnehållet var kemiska lösningar.  Data samlades in som underlag för att utvärdera designen genom ljudinspelning som sedan transkriberades och analyserades med stöd av Växelverkan. Resultatet exemplifierar hur modellen gav stöd för att synliggöra vilka begrepp som kunde vara relevanta att introducera för eleverna för att tänka naturvetenskapligt kring det de observerade. Därmed synliggjorde den begreppsliga alternativ och möjliggjorde reflektion kring vilka begrepp vi ville introducera och när, för att stödja elevernas naturvetenskapliga tänkande. En slutsats av studien är att exemplifieringen visar hur Växelverkan kan vara ett stöd för att reflektera kring vilka begreppsliga förutsättningar man vill ge eleverna i undersökande aktiviteter. Den är därför ett didaktiskt verktyg som kan stödja lärare i att bli mer begreppsligt aktiva i undervisningen i syfte att göra eleverna mer aktiva i det naturvetenskapliga innehållet.

Research has it that students in institutions of higher learning the world over evidence stifled critical thinking dispositions in their studies. Some researchers in countries like the United States of America have come up with findings about critical thinking dispositions peculiar to their contexts and hence not universally applicable. Factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions of students in Zimbabwean institutions of higher learning had not been studied per se. This research focuses on factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions of third year students at Morgenster Teachers’ College in Zimbabwe. Both the qualitative and the quantitative research approaches were employed in this research. Focus group interviews and questionnaires were used to generate data. Third year students at Morgenster Teachers’ College were studied. The research findings reveal that the factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions in the students are individualistic, structuralistic, socio-cultural and political. In this study, it is recommended that the lecturers can alleviate the effects of the factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions by exposing students to critical thinking situations. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Philosophy of Education)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Arlete Alves dos Anjos.pdf: 12496567 bytes, checksum: 70ca3b66ce24a121e0667c6ffa908679 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-05-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research aims at investigating the senses-and-meanings of teachers from different areas of the curriculum on the Proposta Curricular [Curricular Proposal] and the Cadernos do Professor e do Aluno [Teachers and Students Notebooks] material that is published and distributed by the São Paulo State Education Department as well as their use in the classroom. This study is based on the Socio-Cultural-Historical Theory (Vygotsky, 1934/1998-2001; 1934-1991) and discusses the following key theoretical constructs: teaching-learning and development (Vygotsky, 1934-2001, Newman and Holzman, 2002), emotions (Vygotsky, 1926/2004; 1934-1998; Aguiar, 2001), senses-and-meanings (Vygotsky, 1925-2004; 1934-2001; Aguiar, 2001/2006, Lessa, 2011), language (Vygotsky, 1934-2001, Lacoste, 1998). The study is also based on the concepts of prescribed work and accomplished work (Amigues, 2004; Souza-e-Silva, 2004); local and global knowledge (Canagarajah, 2005), practical and instituted types of knowledge (Souza-e-Silva, 2008, Schwartz, 2007) and on official documents that guide the English teachers practices in the educational context (São Paulo, 2008; Brasil, 1998). Public school teachers from different areas namely: Languages, History and Mathematics - took part in this research. The research methodology used was the interpretive methodology (Moita Lopes, 1996; Erickson, 1986, among others), and data collection was carried out by means of audio recorded interviews - the initial interview was semi-structured (Rizzini, Castro and Sartor, 1999). For data analysis and interpretation, the category of senses-and-meanings was used. Results obtained reveal that the Curricular Proposal meets the expectations of teachers in terms of the content established for all the school years. The research also revealed that teachers renormalize the methodological guidelines prescribed in the above cited Notebooks. In order to carry out these renormalizations, the teachers support their actions on their local knowledge and their professional experience. In summary, one can say that the teachers senses-and-meanings about the Notebooks Proposal are built on the dialectical relationship that is established between that which is prescribed and their own pedagogical practices / O objetivo desta pesquisa é investigar os sentidos-e-significados de professores de diferentes áreas sobre a Proposta Curricular e os Cadernos do Professor e do Aluno prescritos pela Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo e sua realização em sala. Este estudo está ancorado na Teoria Sócio-Histórico-Cultural (Vygotsky, 1934/1998-2001; 1934-1991) e discute os seguintes pressupostos teóricos centrais: ensino-aprendizagem e desenvolvimento (Vygotsky, 1934-2001, Newman e Holzman, 2002), emoções (Vygotsky, 1926/2004; 1934- 1998; Aguiar, 2001), sentidos-e-significados (Vygotsky, 1925-2004; 1934-2001; Aguiar, 2001/2006, Lessa, 2011), linguagem (Vygotsky, 1934-2001, Lacoste, 1998). Apoia-se também, nos conceitos de trabalho prescrito e trabalho realizado (Amigues, 2004; Souza-e- Silva, 2004); saber local e global (Canagarajah, 2005), saberes práticos e instituídos (Souza-e- Silva, 2008, Schwartz, 2007) e nos documentos oficiais que orientam a prática dos professores no contexto educacional (São Paulo, 2008; Brasil, 1998). Participaram desta pesquisa, professores de diferentes áreas da rede pública de ensino, a saber: Línguas, História, Matemática. A metodologia de pesquisa utilizada foi a interpretativista (Moita Lopes, 1996; Erickson, 1986, dentre outros) e a coleta dos dados foi feita por meio da áudiogravação de entrevistas, sendo a entrevista inicial semi-estruturada (Rizzini, Castro e Sartor, 1999). Para a análise e interpretação dos dados foi utilizada a categoria sentidos-esignificados Os resultados obtidos com base na análise dos dados revelaram que Proposta Curricular atende as expectativas dos professores no que se refere ao estabelecimento de conteúdos para todos os anos. A pesquisa revelou também que as professoras renormalizam as orientações metodológicas prescritas nos Cadernos do Professor e do Aluno. Para realizarem essas renormalizações, as professoras se apóiam em seus saberes locais e sua experiência profissional. Concluindo, pode-se dizer que os sentidos-e-significados dos professores sobre a Proposta e os Cadernos são construídos e reconstruídos a partir da relação dialética que se estabelece entre o que é prescrito e as suas próprias práticas pedagógicas

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Research has it that students in institutions of higher learning the world over evidence stifled critical thinking dispositions in their studies. Some researchers in countries like the United States of America have come up with findings about critical thinking dispositions peculiar to their contexts and hence not universally applicable. Factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions of students in Zimbabwean institutions of higher learning had not been studied per se. This research focuses on factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions of third year students at Morgenster Teachers’ College in Zimbabwe. Both the qualitative and the quantitative research approaches were employed in this research. Focus group interviews and questionnaires were used to generate data. Third year students at Morgenster Teachers’ College were studied. The research findings reveal that the factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions in the students are individualistic, structuralistic, socio-cultural and political. In this study, it is recommended that the lecturers can alleviate the effects of the factors that stifle critical thinking dispositions by exposing students to critical thinking situations. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Philosophy of Education)

Teknikämnet är i ständig förändring i och med den snabba teknikutvecklingen, medan klassrummets utseende i princip inte har förändrats sedan 1840-talet. Därför lär inte det traditionella klassrummet vara anpassat för teknikämnet och dess undervisning idag. Syftet har varit att undersöka, analysera och utforma förslag på hur teknikklassrum kan utformas. Vidare var syftet att utvärdera förslagen med utgångspunkt i perspektivet att klassrummet ska främja projektbaserad undervisning. För att uppnå syftet genomfördes en litteraturstudie samt datainsamling bestående av intervjuer och fokusgrupper med lärare och elever. En fenomenografisk analys utfördes på empirin för att finna uppfattningar om vad som är viktigt vid utformning av ett klassrum. Analysen visade att den fysiska inomhusmiljön, möblering, material i klassrummet, inspiration för elever samt vad som finns i närheten av klassrummet, är viktigt att ta hänsyn till vid utformning av teknikklassrummet. Flexibilitet verkade vara den enskilt viktigaste faktorn att ta hänsyn till vid klassrumsutformning, därför behöver flexibilitet genomsyra alla kategorier. De fysiska miljöfaktorer som lärare ansåg påverkar projektbaserad undervisning var material, ljudvolym, estetik och elevernas placering. När ett klassrum ska utformas för att främja projektbaserad undervisning behöver skolan ta hänsyn till vilka typer av projekt klassrummet ska möjliggöra eftersom olika projekt kräver olika fysiska miljöer. Fem klassrumsförslag för teknikämnet utformades främst med hjälp av den fenomenografiska analysen. En utvärdering av klassrumsförslagen gjordes och enligt respondenterna passar två av förslagen, eller en kombination av dem, bäst för projektbaserad undervisning. / Technology is a Swedish school subject that is in constant change because of the rapid rate of technology development, while the classroom appearance, in principle, has not changed since the 1840s. Hence, the traditional classroom might not be suited for the subject of technology and its teaching. The aim has been to investigate, analyze and design proposals on how a classroom for the technology subject can be designed. Furthermore, the aim was to evaluate the proposals based on the perspective that the classroom should promote projectbased teaching. To achieve the aim, literature studies and data collection was conducted consisting of interviews and focus groups with teachers and students. A phenomenological analysis was conducted to find perceptions of what is important when designing a classroom. The analysis showed that the physical indoor environment, furnishings and materials in the classroom, inspiration for students as well as what is in the vicinity of the classroom are important to be taken into consideration when designing a classroom for the technology subject. Flexibility seemed to be the single most important factor to take into account in classroom design, therefore, flexibility needs to permeate all categories. The physical environmental factors that teachers thought influenced project-based teaching were material, sound volume, aesthetics and students' placement. When a classroom is to be designed to promote project-based teaching, the school needs to take into account what kind of projects the classroom should enable because different projects require different physical environments. Five classroom proposals for the technology subject were designed primarily using the phenomenological analysis. An evaluation of the classroom proposals was made and according to the respondents, two of the proposals, or a combination of them, are best suited for project-based teaching.

The academic challenges faced by pregnant and nursing students in Zimbabwe do not seem to attract the attention of scholars. This study focused on the educational challenges faced by pregnant and nursing adult learners at Morgenster Teachers‟ College, a tertiary education institution. Participants‟ perceptions of the academic challenges they faced were established through the use of a qualitative methodology in which the semi-structured interview was the dominant data collection method. Non-participant observation and document analysis were employed to complement the dominant method. The findings indicated that the academic challenges faced by mothering adult learners are related to physical problems, social relationships, inadequate financial resources and administrative problems. The study revealed that such students develop strategies to alleviate some of the educational challenges they face. In view of the findings, recommendations are made to improve the learning environment of mothering students and for further research to address the problem. / M. Ed. (Adult Education) / Educational Studies

<p>Глобализација светске привреде довела је да је квалитет постао приоритетан фактор у борби са конкуренцијом за опстанак на тржишту. Квалитет се дефинише као скуп особина, карактеристика производа, робе, услуга, рада, изазивајући њихову способност да задовоље потребе и захтеве потрошача у складу са циљем и њиховим очекивањима. Због потребе привреде за радном снагом која ће бити компетента да производи производе који ће задовољити потребе и жеље купаца, све су израженији захтеви за квалитетом у стручном образовању. Основу за оцену квалитета образовног процеса чине образовни исходи који обухватају знања, способности вештие и ставове ученика који се стичу кроз формално образовање у школама. Квалитетно образовање не би требало посматрати као процес потрошње него као процес интгеракције између наставника и ученика. Образовање мора имати за циљ давање ученицима прилика за лични развој и поверење да ће се прилагодити новим ситуацијама да ће их променити ако то буду сматрали потребним. Образовање никад не може бити неутралан процес; увек ће бити базиран на вредности. Равнотежа између објективних чињеница и испитивање тих чињеница представља велик изазов за професионалног наставника (<a href="http://www.ei-ie-org">www.ei-ie-org</a>).</p><p>На квалитет образовних исхода средњег стручног образовања утичу разни фактори међу којима су: наставници са својим компетенцијама, менаџмент школа, наставни планови и програми, материјални ресурси.</p><p>За истраживање утицаја поменутих фактора, констурисан је упитник за директоре, наставнике, ученике, родитеље и привреднике којим је вршено прикупљање податак у узорку. Смањење количине података вршено је помоћу факторске анализе у SPSS Statistics 17, односно, извршили смо издвајање најмањег броја фактора који добро представљају међувезе у скупу променљивих из помоћ:</p><p>- анализе главних фактора (Кајзеров критеријум),</p><p>- факторизације слике (дијаграм одрона,&nbsp; engl.scree тест),</p><p>- паралелне анализе (користећи програм MONTE CARLO PCA for PARALLEL ANALYSIS),</p><p>- оцене прикладности података за факторску анализу (Бартлетов тест сферичности и Кајзер-Мајер-Олкинов-КМО показатељ адекватности узорка).</p><p>У обради података и доказивању галавне и помоћних хипотеза &nbsp;коришћене су основне статистичке методе:</p><p>1. дексриптивна статистика,</p><p>2. непараметарски тест:</p><p>-Колмогоров-Смирновљев тест нормалности дистрибуције</p><p>-HI квадрат тест</p><p>3. графички приказ резултата статистичке обраде.</p><p>Резултати истраживања су показали да квалитет средњег стручног образовања зависи од наставног кадра, менаџмента школа, модуларних наставних планова и програма и материјалних ресурса. Да квалитет средњег стручног образовања утиче на повећање нивоа производње, доказ је изведен на основу резултата истраживања које је проведено међу привредницима.</p><p>Даља истраживања у области квалитета средњег стручног образовања треба усмерити на: компетенције наставника, компетенције менаџмента, корелације опремљености школа са успехом ученика, утицај модуларних наставних планова и програма из појединачних предмета, смањење оптерећења ученика, сарадње школе и предузећа на утврђивању програмских садржаја практичне наставе, мотивације наставника и менаџмента школа за квалитетан рад и постизање резултата којима ће бити задовољни сви корисници.</p> / <p>Globalizacija svetske privrede dovela je da je kvalitet postao prioritetan faktor u borbi sa konkurencijom za opstanak na tržištu. Kvalitet se definiše kao skup osobina, karakteristika proizvoda, robe, usluga, rada, izazivajući njihovu sposobnost da zadovolje potrebe i zahteve potrošača u skladu sa ciljem i njihovim očekivanjima. Zbog potrebe privrede za radnom snagom koja će biti kompetenta da proizvodi proizvode koji će zadovoljiti potrebe i želje kupaca, sve su izraženiji zahtevi za kvalitetom u stručnom obrazovanju. Osnovu za ocenu kvaliteta obrazovnog procesa čine obrazovni ishodi koji obuhvataju znanja, sposobnosti veštie i stavove učenika koji se stiču kroz formalno obrazovanje u školama. Kvalitetno obrazovanje ne bi trebalo posmatrati kao proces potrošnje nego kao proces intgerakcije između nastavnika i učenika. Obrazovanje mora imati za cilj davanje učenicima prilika za lični razvoj i poverenje da će se prilagoditi novim situacijama da će ih promeniti ako to budu smatrali potrebnim. Obrazovanje nikad ne može biti neutralan proces; uvek će biti baziran na vrednosti. Ravnoteža između objektivnih činjenica i ispitivanje tih činjenica predstavlja velik izazov za profesionalnog nastavnika (<a href="http://www.ei-ie-org">www.ei-ie-org</a>).</p><p>Na kvalitet obrazovnih ishoda srednjeg stručnog obrazovanja utiču razni faktori među kojima su: nastavnici sa svojim kompetencijama, menadžment škola, nastavni planovi i programi, materijalni resursi.</p><p>Za istraživanje uticaja pomenutih faktora, konsturisan je upitnik za direktore, nastavnike, učenike, roditelje i privrednike kojim je vršeno prikupljanje podatak u uzorku. Smanjenje količine podataka vršeno je pomoću faktorske analize u SPSS Statistics 17, odnosno, izvršili smo izdvajanje najmanjeg broja faktora koji dobro predstavljaju međuveze u skupu promenljivih iz pomoć:</p><p>- analize glavnih faktora (Kajzerov kriterijum),</p><p>- faktorizacije slike (dijagram odrona,&nbsp; engl.scree test),</p><p>- paralelne analize (koristeći program MONTE CARLO PCA for PARALLEL ANALYSIS),</p><p>- ocene prikladnosti podataka za faktorsku analizu (Bartletov test sferičnosti i Kajzer-Majer-Olkinov-KMO pokazatelj adekvatnosti uzorka).</p><p>U obradi podataka i dokazivanju galavne i pomoćnih hipoteza &nbsp;korišćene su osnovne statističke metode:</p><p>1. deksriptivna statistika,</p><p>2. neparametarski test:</p><p>-Kolmogorov-Smirnovljev test normalnosti distribucije</p><p>-HI kvadrat test</p><p>3. grafički prikaz rezultata statističke obrade.</p><p>Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da kvalitet srednjeg stručnog obrazovanja zavisi od nastavnog kadra, menadžmenta škola, modularnih nastavnih planova i programa i materijalnih resursa. Da kvalitet srednjeg stručnog obrazovanja utiče na povećanje nivoa proizvodnje, dokaz je izveden na osnovu rezultata istraživanja koje je provedeno među privrednicima.</p><p>Dalja istraživanja u oblasti kvaliteta srednjeg stručnog obrazovanja treba usmeriti na: kompetencije nastavnika, kompetencije menadžmenta, korelacije opremljenosti škola sa uspehom učenika, uticaj modularnih nastavnih planova i programa iz pojedinačnih predmeta, smanjenje opterećenja učenika, saradnje škole i preduzeća na utvrđivanju programskih sadržaja praktične nastave, motivacije nastavnika i menadžmenta škola za kvalitetan rad i postizanje rezultata kojima će biti zadovoljni svi korisnici.</p> / <p>Globalization of the world economy has brought about the fact that the quality is a<br />priority factor in the competition for the survival on the market. The quality is defined<br />as a collection of features, characteristics of products, goods, services, work, which challenges their capacities to meet the needs and the demands of the consumers in accordance with the goal and their expectations.<br />Because of the needs of the economy for labour forces, that are competent to produce products which would meet the needs and desires of buyers, the demands for the quality in the vocational education have become prominet. The assesment of the quality of the educational process is based on the educational results which comprise knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes of students, which are required<br />through formal education in schools. A high quality education should not be viewed<br />as a process of consumption but as a process of interaction between teachers and students. The educational goal should be to provide opportunities for the students for their personal developement and for boosting their confidence that they would be able to adjust to new situations, and that they would be able to change such situations, if necessary. The education can never be a neutral process; it is<br />always based on values. The balance between objective facts and the examination of these facts represents a big challenge for a professional teacher (www.ei-ie.org).<br />The quality of educational results in the secondary vocational education is affected by<br />various factors, some of which are: teachers with their competences, management of<br />schools, educational curricula and programmes, material resources. For the purposes of research of the impacts and of the abovementioned factors, a questionnaire was designed for schoolmasters, teachers, students, parents and businessmen, through which a collection of data in the sample was<br />made. The reduction of the quantity of the data is conducted by means of factor analysis in SPSS Statistics 17, i.e., the extracting of the smallest number of factors was done, which represents well the interrelations in the collection of variables by means of: Analysis of major factors (Kajzer&#39;s<br />criterion), Factorization of the picture (screen test), Parallel analyses (programme used: Monte Carlo PCA for Parallel Analysis), The assessments of the adequacy of the data for the factor analysis (Bartlet test of specification and Kajzer-Majer-Olikin -<br />KMO indicator of the sample adequacy) For the data processing and in proving the main hypothesis as well as the auxilliary hypotheses, two basic statistical methods were used:<br />1. Descriptive statistics<br />2. Non-parameter test:<br />1. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test of the normality of the distribution<br />2. HI-square test<br />3. Graphic representation of the results of the statistical processing.<br />The results of the research have shown that the quality of the secondary vocational education depends on the teaching staff, school management, modular educational curricula and programmes and material resources.<br />For the fact that the quality of the secondary vocational education affects the increase of the level of production, the evidence was deducted on the basis of the results of the research which was conducted among businesmen. Further researches in the area of the quality of the secondary vocational education should be focused on: competences of teachers, competences of the management, correlation between the level of equipment of a school and the achievemtents of students, the impact of<br />modular educational curricula and programmes of individual subjects, reduction of the encumbrance of students, co-operation of schools and companies on defining the content of the programme of practical education, motivation of teachers and of the management of schools for a high qulity work and for achieving results with which all the beneficiaries will be satisfied.</p>

This research thesis set out to better understand the professional knowledge bases of Western teachers working in offshore education in Indonesia. This research explored what two groups of Western teachers said about the students they taught, their own role, professional and social identity, the knowledge transmitted, and their pedagogical strategies whilst teaching offshore. Such an investigation is significant on a number of levels. Firstly, these teachers were working within a period of rapid economic, political, cultural and educational change described as 'New Times' (Hall, 1996a). Secondly, the experiences of teachers working in offshore education have rarely been reported in the literature (see Johnston, 1999). A review of the literature on teachers' professional knowledge bases (Shulman, 1986a, 1986b, 1987; Turner-Bisset, 1997, 1999) concluded that, in general terms, teachers draw on three main interrelated and changing knowledge bases: knowledge of content, knowledge of teaching processes and knowledge of their students. This review also explored the notion that teachers had an additional knowledge base that was in a continual state of negotiation and closely related to the aforementioned knowledge bases: teachers' knowledge of their own and students' pedagogic identities (Bernstein, 2000). A theoretical framework appropriate to exploring the overarching research problem was developed. This framework drew on models of teachers' knowledge bases (Elbaz, 1983; Shulman, 1986a, 1986b, 1987; Nias, 1989; Turner-Bisset, 1997, 1999), the sociology of knowledge (Bernstein, 1975, 1990, 1996, 1999, 2000), and notions of pedagogic identity (Bernstein, 2000). This framework theorised the types of knowledges taught, categories of teaching process knowledge, and the range of pedagogic identities made available to teachers and students in new times. More specifically, this research examined two case studies (see Stake, 1988, 2000; Yin, 1994) of Western teachers employed by Australian educational institutions who worked in Central Java, Indonesia, in the mid-to-late 1990s. The teacher participants from both case studies taught a range of subjects and used English as the medium of instruction. Data for both case studies were generated via semistructured interviews (see Kvale, 1996; Silverman, 1985, 1997). The interviews focused on the teachers' descriptions of the learner characteristics of Indonesian students, their professional roles whilst teaching offshore, and curriculum and pedagogic design. The analyses produced four major findings. The first major finding of the analyses confirmed that the teacher participants in this study drew on all proposed professional knowledge bases and that these knowledge bases were interrelated. This suggests that teachers must have all knowledge bases present for them to do their work successfully. The second major finding was that teachers' professional knowledge bases were constantly being negotiated in response to their beliefs about their work and the past, present and future demands of the local context. For example, the content and teaching processes of English lessons may have varied as their own and their students' pedagogic identities were re-negotiated in different contexts of teaching and learning. Another major finding was that it was only when the teachers entered into dialogue with the Indonesian students and community members and/or reflective dialogue amongst themselves, that they started to question the stereotypical views of Indonesian learners as passive, shy and quiet. The final major finding was that the teachers were positioned in multiple ways by contradictory and conflicting discourses. The analyses suggested that teachers' pedagogic identities were a site of struggle between dominant market orientations and the criteria that the teachers thought should determine who was a legitimate teacher of offshore Indonesian students. The accounts from one of the case studies suggested that dominant market orientations centred on experience and qualifications in unison with prescribed and proscribed cultural, gender and age relations. Competent teachers who were perceived to be white, Western, male and senior in terms of age relations seemed to be the most easily accepted as offshore teachers of foundation programs for Indonesian students. The analyses suggested that the teachers thought that their legitimacy to be an offshore teacher of Indonesian students should be based on their teaching expertise alone. However, managers of Australian offshore educational institutions conceded that it was very difficult to bring about change in terms of teacher legitimisation. These findings have three implications for the work of offshore teachers and program administrators. Firstly, offshore programs that favour the pre-packaging of curricula content with little emphasis on the professional development and support needs of teachers do not foster work conditions which encourage teachers to re-design or modify curricula in response to the specific needs of learners. Secondly, pre-packaged programs do not support teachers to enter into negotiations concerning students' or their own pedagogic identities or the past, present and future demands of local contexts. These are important implications because they affect the way that teachers work, and hence how responsive teachers can be to learners' needs and how active they can be in the negotiation process as it relates to pedagogic identities. Finally, the findings point to the importance of establishing a learning community or learning network to assist Western teachers engaged in offshore educational work in Asian countries such as Indonesia. Such a community or network would enable teachers to engage and modify the complexity of knowledge bases required for effective localised offshore teaching. Given the burgeoning increase in the availability and use of electronic technology in new times, such as internet, emails and web cameras, these learning networks could be set up to have maximum benefit with minimal on-going costs.

The academic challenges faced by pregnant and nursing students in Zimbabwe do not seem to attract the attention of scholars. This study focused on the educational challenges faced by pregnant and nursing adult learners at Morgenster Teachers‟ College, a tertiary education institution. Participants‟ perceptions of the academic challenges they faced were established through the use of a qualitative methodology in which the semi-structured interview was the dominant data collection method. Non-participant observation and document analysis were employed to complement the dominant method. The findings indicated that the academic challenges faced by mothering adult learners are related to physical problems, social relationships, inadequate financial resources and administrative problems. The study revealed that such students develop strategies to alleviate some of the educational challenges they face. In view of the findings, recommendations are made to improve the learning environment of mothering students and for further research to address the problem. / M. Ed. (Adult Education) / Educational Studies