The aim of this study has been to investigate how swimming-education is conducted in schools and if the PE-teachers feel that their knowledge about swimming is enough.Where and by whom is the swimming conducted? What role does the PE-teacher have during the swim practice? How does the teacher think their knowledge in swimming is compared to the criteria of swimming in the school? The method has been a qualitative interview-study, with teacher working in the years 4-6 in schools in Sweden. I made six semi-structured interviews that took between 15-25 minutes each to complete. The results showed that swimming is outsourced in all schools. Instead of being conducted by PE teachers it is conducted by staff working at the pools. One teacher was present at every swim practice and the other five teachers only joined at the swim-test. All teachers thought it was good that someone else took care of the swimming lessons, someone with knowledge and expertise. One teacher was worried about the planning of the lessons and that it felt like the teachers made it up as the lesson went. All planning was made by the staff at the pools, and by the end of year three in school they gave the PE-teacher a document that told them which students that could swim. That document decided if the children had to have extra-teaching in swimming or if they could wait and take the test in year six again. All PE-teachers said that they needed extra education in case they were to conduct the swim practise by themselves, and all teachers wanted more content knowledge in swimming. Five of the teachers said that they could go a course in swimming to increase their content knowledge. One problem noticed in earlier research and by our education minister (Ekström, 2021) is the time allocated for swimming. Time was noticed as a problem in the swim-practise in 1969 (LPO69b) and for me it is a mystery how nothing is happening. Another interesting finding is that when the swim-test is conducted the teachers look at different things. All teachers said that it was the 200 meter that was important and that is to be done to get a grade. Two teachers said that the technique in swimming did not matter, that if the students made it through the 200 meters it was enough. Two teachers said that they also could see other criteria in the curriculum and mentioned how the student’s movement was adjusted to different surroundings. With this study I want to give a picture of how swimming is conducted at six schools in Sweden. Some of the teachers I interviewed said that they had talked to other colleagues and that they were interested to be in this study as well. I did not have time to include more teachers, but if someone wants to extend research in this area there are a good possibility to get teachers to join since they are willing to help for my small, but important work.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has infiltrated society to the point of becoming essential to much of its everyday functioning. People rely on ICT to communicate, access information, and stay connected in an increasing globalised community. In many developed countries, ICT is now strongly featured in education for teaching and learning. In South Africa, as in other developing or partly developed countries, ICT use in education remains limited. This research was conducted to explore and understand how those South African science teachers who have access to ICT use it when they teach science. It was done to explain some of the reasons those teachers use ICT in the ways that they do, and to gain a better insight into the value that using ICT adds to both teaching and learning science. The research was designed as a mixed methods study, using both quantitative data collected from 267 Grade 8 science teachers in South Africa through the SITES 2006 teacher questionnaire, and qualitative data collected from three science teachers, all of whom taught science in a context of limited resources typical of a developing country. The data collected and analysed in this study showed that when science teachers have access to ICT for teaching and learning in classrooms typical of developing country contexts, they are able to use that ICT effectively to add value to teaching and learning. The greatest value is added when the teacher has a high technological pedagogical content knowledge. Secondly, at the level of the teacher, personal entrepreneurship is a key factor in a teacher’s ability to use ICT to add value to teaching and learning and to support the educational objectives based on 21st century learning objectives. Thirdly, teachers use the available ICT resources in a variety of ways but it seems that access to a personal computer, either laptop or desktop, in the classroom is a minimum requirement for ICT use in subject teaching. And lastly, the gap between ICT policy intentions as outlined in the South African e-Education White Paper (DoE, 2004b) and ICT practice remains large. There was no evidence from this study to suggest that the ICT policy intentions influenced practice at classroom level. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

Förekomsten av sociala medier och den stora mängden digital information som människor kommer i kontakt med kräver digital källkritisk kompetens så att informationen kan granskas och värderas. Bristfällig digital källkritisk kompetens bland människor kan få negativa konsekvenser både för individer och för samhället som helhet eftersom det riskerar leda till att människor fattar beslut på bristfälliga grunder. Skolan är en arena där elever kan utveckla digital källkritisk kompetens och därför är det viktigt att lärare som ansvarar för utbildningen själva behärskar digital källkritik.Examensarbetets syfte är därför dels att undersöka verksamma samhällskunskapslärares (i årskurserna 1–3) digitala källkritiska kompetens, dels att undersöka samt kartlägga lärares undervisning inom digital källkritik, samt ämnesinnehållets relation till kursplanen i samhällskunskap.Undersökningen baseras på intervjuer med sex verksamma samhällskunskapslärares muntliga beskrivningar gällande deras digitala källkritiska kompetens och gällande hur de arbetar med digital källkritik i undervisning. Lärarnas utsagor har analyserats utifrån begreppet pedagogical content knowledge (PCK), samt utifrån vidareutvecklingen till begreppet technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK), som inkluderar ämneskunskaper, pedagogiska kunskaper och tekniska kunskaper.Resultatet visar att lärarna i studien generellt sett verkar ha bristfällig digital källkritisk kompetens och upplever att de är i behov av kompetensutveckling. En slutsats är att detta kan få negativa konsekvenser för undervisningens innehåll och metodval, vilket i sin tur kan ha negativ inverkan på elevernas kunskapsinhämtning och framtida kunskaper. Ytterligare en slutsats är att bristfällig digital källkritisk kompetens kan få allvarliga följder för demokratin eftersom det riskerar leda till att människor fattar beslut på bristfällig information.

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Thesis (M. Ed. (Technology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The purpose of this research was to investigate how Technology teachers in Grade 9 create an effective learning environment for teaching the topic of ‘Structures'. Technology is a new subject in the South African curriculum, therefore, the creation of a learning environment conducive to learning about Structures as one of the themes in Technology is crucial. In the South African curriculum for Technology, the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), learners have to be taught about the following design process: Investigating, Designing, Making, Evaluating and Communication. Besides, learners need to know strengthening and the functions of Structures. The design process will ultimately lead learners into modern structural engineering where the aim is to create structures that are up to standard and operational, as they are in the real world. The design process for structures needs to take into consideration three main aspects: mechanical concepts, aesthetic concepts, and sustainable development, which are independent while interrelated at the same time. Modern structural engineering needs to coordinate humanity and natural development. Structures, in broad terms, relate to buildings, dams and bridges, therefore, for structures to be designed, they need architects and structural engineers. Structures have been part of humankind for shelter, storage, communication and to solve many human problems. The creation of a learning environment for teaching structures, which is the main focus of this research, was studied in relation to a constructivist learning environment, e.g. pre-conceptions, sensorial activation and the analysis of subject matter, in accordance with the Resource Theory. The Resource Theory calls them the ingredients believed to enhance learning, where a learning environment is created by physical facilities, human resources and fiscal resources. Studying technology using Resource Theory as the theoretical framework may give insight into the successful teaching of Technology as a subject in South Africa. Besides, the Resource Theory has characteristics of constructivist models like Education Reconstruction for Teacher Education (ERTE), which was used for studying science where learners’ preconceived knowledge, sensorial activation and subject matter analysis are considered as effective for creating a conducive learning environment. The Resource Theory vi emphasizes that physical resources, human resources and fiscal resources enhance an effective learning environment. The advantage of these constructivist models is that they represent the framework for an integrative approach to research on creating a learning environment for teaching topics such as Structures. The models firstly integrate sensorial activation; secondly, the empirical study of learners’ pre-conceptions; and thirdly, an analysis of the subject matter. When creating a learning environment for structures using the analysis of subject matter, sensorial activation and learners’ pre-conceptions, the pedagogical content knowledge for Technology teachers may also be successfully explored. Currently in some schools in South Africa, the topic of ‘Structures’ as one of the Technology themes, is taught in a general classroom with no equipment, materials and teachers’ lack of knowledge of the learning environment. Besides, the literature shows that there is no ordered environment earmarked for teaching and learning Technology. Some teachers are not able to teach effectively, as a result, there is no conducive learning environment for teaching the topic of Structures. This means that the learning environment in many schools in South Africa still leaves much to be desired. The main challenge is that teachers focus more on the curriculum and textbook’s sequencing of topics in teaching in a context of classrooms where practical tasks are not emphasised. In addition, teachers do not always have a clear understanding of the structure of the curriculum or the demands of the curriculum. Teachers need to be trained on how to integrate various resources, as the literature suggests, not only to follow textbooks as a way of sequencing their teaching. Owing to the above-mentioned gaps a study was needed to investigate how Technology teachers create an effective learning environment for teaching the topic of Structures. A qualitative approach and case study design were used to find out how a learning environment for Structures is created in Bohlabela Circuit. The data were collected using unstructured questionnaires and document or observation sheet for planning documents. Two Grade 9 Technology teachers participated in the study. Since this study was about investigating the learning environment created by Technology teachers when teaching the theme Structures, the findings revealed that these teachers had a knowledge of what creating a learning environment is, but it was not vii clear if they practiced this in their classrooms. They seemed to have a knowledge of the essence of prior knowledge, resources and content knowledge of Structures. The study recommends that curriculum advisors at Circuit level need to intensify workshops and visit Technology teachers in schools to check whether they have artefacts made by learners using the Design Process. Furthermore, observation during teaching is necessary, monitoring the effectiveness of teaching and learning of making Structures. The importance of this study is that the findings may be helpful to technology curriculum designers, teachers and learners, since workshops may be conducted in a proper way. Resources need to be coupled with teachers’ content knowledge of structures and strategies for instruction. Key concepts: Creation of learning environment; Content knowledge; Constructivists learning environment; Pedagogical content knowledge; Resource Theory; Sensorial activation; Structures; Technological pedagogical and content knowledge.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Jacqueline D. Spears / There is a growing concern that the number of students graduating with a STEM major in the U.S. is insufficient to fill the growing demand in STEM careers.  In order to fulfill that demand, it is important to increase student retention in STEM majors and also to attract more students to pursue careers in those areas.  Previous research has indicated that children start losing interest in science at the elementary level because science is taught with a focus on learning vocabulary and ideas rather than learning through inquiry-based techniques.  A factor that affects the quality of science education at the elementary level is the preparation of elementary teachers. Many elementary teachers feel unprepared to teach science because they lack adequate content knowledge as well as the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching the subject.  Previous studies of teacher preparation in science identified some areas with which pre-service teachers need assistance.  One of these areas is understanding children’s ideas of science. To address that issue, this dissertation investigates whether the use of an instructional approach that teaches physics phenomena along with an understanding of how children think about the physical phenomena promotes changes in students’ knowledge of children’s ideas and use of those ideas in instructional and assessment strategies.  Results indicated that students who were explicitly exposed to knowledge of children’s ideas more often incorporated those ideas into their own microteaching and demonstrated higher levels of sophistication of knowledge of children’s ideas, instructional strategies, and assessment strategies that incorporated those ideas.  This research explores an instructional model for blending physics content and pedagogical content knowledge.

Because of the highly complex expectations of new nursing graduates "nursing education needs teachers with a deep nursing knowledge who also know how to teach and conduct research...in order to address the specific educational demands of teaching the complex practice of nursing" (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2010, p. 6). Currently, the educational requirement for a nurse educator in a university setting is a doctoral degree, preferably a PhD. However, Cronon(2006) emphasized that "many PhD recipients are ill prepared to function effectively in the settings in which they work...particularly those related to teaching" (p. 5). The purpose of this study was to document the perceptions of experienced nurse educators both prepared, and currently preparing at the doctoral (PhD) level, to understand to what extent PhD work prepared them for their role in the delivery of nursing education. A case study approach was selected, using a constructivist paradigm. Data were collected from ten participants at three sites of a university school of nursing using three semi-structured interviews. Primary data were supplemented by institutional foundation documents and a field journal. Four themes emerged from the data as follows: the ambiguities associated with the interpretation of the term nurse educator influenced how a nurse educator described their role; doctoral (PhD) education enhanced approaches to thinking in relation to increased breadth and depth of knowledge base, in addition to research capabilities; the PhD credential was found to be indicative of research credibility both within and across the disciplines and enhanced the potential for funding opportunities; and doctoral (PhD) education did not support the pedagogical aspects, specifically formal teaching preparation, of the nurse educator's role. While this study provided insight in understanding how doctoral (PhD) education supported experienced nurse educators in their roles, it identified issues that impacted on how these nurse educators enacted their roles. These issues included both a disconnection and a perceived inequality between research and teaching, in addition to a marked variation in the interpretation of the scholarship of teaching. Among the implications of this study on theory are its contributions to understanding the experiences of nurse educators in relation to their doctoral (PhD) education as supporting their roles in the delivery of nursing education. Among the implications of this study for research is the need to investigate how doctoral (PhD) education could better support the pedagogical aspect of nurse educators' roles, or whether other doctoral (EdD) education might be more effective in providing this pedagogical foundational knowledge. Additional implications of this study for research are to identify ways in which thinking, research, and practice could function collectively, rather than as separate entities. Among the implications for practice are a greater understanding of the teacher-scholar model in relation to the components of discovery, integration, application, and teaching (Boyer, 1990), and how learning organizations and communities of knowledge could facilitate this deeper understanding.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction / Jacqueline D. Spears / There is a growing concern that the number of students graduating with a STEM major in the U.S. is insufficient to fill the growing demand in STEM careers.  In order to fulfill that demand, it is important to increase student retention in STEM majors and also to attract more students to pursue careers in those areas.  Previous research has indicated that children start losing interest in science at the elementary level because science is taught with a focus on learning vocabulary and ideas rather than learning through inquiry-based techniques.  A factor that affects the quality of science education at the elementary level is the preparation of elementary teachers. Many elementary teachers feel unprepared to teach science because they lack adequate content knowledge as well as the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching the subject.  Previous studies of teacher preparation in science identified some areas with which pre-service teachers need assistance.  One of these areas is understanding children’s ideas of science. To address that issue, this dissertation investigates whether the use of an instructional approach that teaches physics phenomena along with an understanding of how children think about the physical phenomena promotes changes in students’ knowledge of children’s ideas and use of those ideas in instructional and assessment strategies.  Results indicated that students who were explicitly exposed to knowledge of children’s ideas more often incorporated those ideas into their own microteaching and demonstrated higher levels of sophistication of knowledge of children’s ideas, instructional strategies, and assessment strategies that incorporated those ideas.  This research explores an instructional model for blending physics content and pedagogical content knowledge.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, School of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, in partial fulfilment of the award of Master of Science (M.Sc) in Science Education. 6 November 2017. / The gap between theory and practice in education remains a persistent problem identified by some researchers as today’s “Achilles heel of teacher education”. The experience in science education is no different. Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) has emerged as a theoretical construct that offers science education practitioners a framework to bridge the theory-practice divide because of its ability to transform content knowledge. However, little is known about how the complexity of classroom practice influences PCK acquired by pre-service teachers from structured courses. The purpose of this study was to illuminate pre-service teachers’ PCK as it develops from a point of reasoning about teaching a specific topic into classroom delivery. This study was performed as a qualitative case study of 23 final year pre-service science teachers. It was located in a methodology class that had a specific objective to develop PCK in core topics of science. The students were exposed to an explict intervention on developing PCK in teaching stochiometry then placed in various High Schools around Johannesburg during teaching experience. Data collected was largely during their placement in schools. It consisted of qualitative data such as lesson plans, audio recordings of classroom teaching and self - analysis reports submitted after the teaching experience. Analysis was based on a qualitative in-depth method for identification of evidence of teaching segments illustrating pedagogical transformation. These are segments where there is evidence of two or more topic specific components of PCK defined as Topic Specific Content Knowledge (TSPCK). These were called TSPCK episodes. The TSPCK episodes identified in lessons plans and in recorded lessons were analysed for identificaton of components present and the nature of interactions. These were turned into pictorial TSPCK MAPS. The analysis of pre-service teachers’ views on TSPCK were analysed through a combination of open statements and a science teacher belief tool. The findings indicated that TSPCK episodes identified in lessons plans experience an authentic expansion, blossoming into a cluster of episodes which still carried out the original intention. In some cases the intention could be seen through a similar TSPCK episode in some cases the component sequence and identity had changed. Furthermore, pre-service teachers showed positive awareness of their own level of teacher development and credited their development to the TSPCK framework. Recommendations in this report include promotion of the implementation of the TSPCK framework in Initial Teacher Education, particularly in the methodology courses with reference to classroom complexity. / LG2018