abstract: More Math Minutes is an action research study, set in a high school in the southwestern United States, designed to examine the effects of collaborative peer-group learning for low-performing Algebra I and low-performing Algebra II students. This study is grounded in Social Cognitive Theory and Constructivist Theory including Bandura’s self-efficacy theory and Vygotsky’s theory of proximal development. Participants are comprised of 20 low-performing Algebra I students as the peer-learners and 20 low-performing Algebra II students as the peer-teachers participating in a peer tutoring intervention. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected through pre- and post-self-efficacy questionnaires, pre- and post-mathematics knowledge assessments, semi-structured student interviews, photo-voice, and observations. A concurrent mixed methods design was used to analyze both types of data simultaneously. Results identified the experimental peer-teachers mathematical performance was impacted more than that of the peer-learners. Students were also more motivated to learn mathematics and to seek assistance from peers. The peer-teachers had a significant increase of self-efficacy for self-regulated learning and acknowledged learning occurred for both the peer-teachers and the peer-learners as a result of the peer instruction intervention. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2018

A globalização dos mercados trouxe, para o cenário brasileiro, impactos políticos, socioecônomicos e culturais enfatizando a figura de um homem, denominado cidadão do mundo. Devido às próprias limitações humanas, em um mundo em que as mudanças são constantes, esse cidadão tem como característica ser um eterno aprendiz. A universidade, locus de produção de identidade do país e cuja função social é formar indivíduos neste novo contexto global, se encontra em um dilema existencial: pesquisa e ensino; a superação dessa dicotomia poderá derivar de novas relações humanas na formação do sujeito-coletivo que constrói sua identidade através das possibilidades de diversidades do mundo que o circunda. Estando na aprendizagem, para a aquisição de conhecimentos ou o desenvolvimento de habilidades e atitudes pelas experiências educativas, o papel do docente como mediador em organizar estratégias (métodos e técnicas de ensino) para que o discente conheça e crie a cultura. O objetivo desta pesquisa é mapear a tipologia e freqüência de métodos de ensino em disciplinas de formação profissionalizante em engenharia de produção. Identificar, através de um estudo teórico e revisão bibliográfica, os tipos e métodos mais utilizados no ensino superior do curso de engenharia de produção, bem como as vantagens, limitações e habilidades desenvolvidas segundo a utilização adequada dessas técnicas. No estudo de caso, se analisam os métodos de ensino e as competências necessárias nas disciplinas profissionalizantes do curso de engenharia de produção mecânica da escola de engenharia de São Carlos cujos métodos de coleta foram através de questionário para os discentes e entrevistas junto aos docentes. Embora haja uma variedade de técnicas socializantes que deveriam atender aos objetivos específicos de cada disciplina, os avanços tornam-se despercebidos pela descrição da técnica. Ao menosprezar a conduta e observação docente (dimensão técnica/ética/política), durante o processo, o docente abdica de sua autoridade no processo de ensino/aprendizagem; as limitações, como a aula expositiva tradicional (centrando o conhecimento no professor), têm se tornado fonte de estagnação, desfavorecendo a amplitude do desenvolvimento do potencial humano e fazendo com que o discente não se torne co-autor de seu processo de aprender a aprender, pois limita sua fonte de investigação, criatividade e anseio de desafio. / The market globalization brought political, socieconomic and cultural impacts for the brazilian setting, emphasizing the figure of a human being, denominated citizen of the world. Due to human own limitations, in a world that every change is constant, this citizen has a feature that is to be an eternal learner. The university, locus of the production of the identity of a country, whose social role is to develop individuals in this new global context, is in an existential dilemma: research and education; the transcendence of this dichotomy can originate from new human relations in the development of the collective subject that builds his/her identity through the possibilities of the diversity of the world that surrounds him/her. During the apprenticeship, for the acquisition of knowledge or the development of skills and attitudes by educative experiences, the role of the academician as a mediator in organizing strategies (methods and teaching techniques) so that the student can know and create the culture. The goal of this research is to map the typology and the frequency of teaching methods in professionalizing development in production engineering, to identify through a theoretical study and a bibliographic review, the most used kinds and methods in the university teaching in production engineering course, as well as the advantages, limitations and skills developed according to the adequate use of these techniques. When studying a case it is analyzed the teaching methods and the necessary competences in the professionalizing disciplines in the mechanical production engineering course from São Carlos school of engineering, whose data assessment methods were quizzes for the students and interviews with the academicians. Although there is a variety of socializing techniques that should correspond to the specific goals of each discipline, the advances become unperceived by the description of the technique. When despising the academician\'s behavior and observation (technical/ethic/politic dimension) during the process, the academician resigns his/her authority during the teaching/learning process; the limitations like the traditional expositive classes (focusing on the professor\'s knowledge) have become a source of stagnation, disfavoring the range of the development of the human potential, acting in order that the student isn\'t the co-author of his/her learning to learn process, because they limit his/her investigation source, creativity and desire for challenge.

In line with international developments, the Department of Education in South Africa (SA) recognises environmental education as a key vehicle to respond to the national and global environmental crisis (DoE, 2001, P. 3). For this reason, the post-1994 education provision sought to infuse environmental education into the new curriculum called Curriculum 2005. The White Paper on Education and Training (RSA, 1995) perceived environmental education as a means to a better quality of life for all people and argued that it should be integrated at all levels of the SA Education and Training system. The White Paper further stated that “environmental education, involving an inter-disciplinary, integrated and active approach to learning, must be a vital element of all levels and programmes of the education and training system, in order to create environmentally literate and active citizens and ensure that all South Africans, present and future, enjoy a decent quality of life through the sustainable use of resources” (RSA, 1995, P. 22). How have the schools responded to this challenge by the new integration policy? How is the environmental learning provided for in the primary school curriculum across SA? What resources exist to make environmental policy workable in schools, and how are these resources mobilised and organised to promote learning? These and other questions formed the basis for the present inquiry An Opportunity to Learn (OTL) study was conducted to explore how one primary school in SA provides OTL about the environment. The main aim of the study was to understand the manner in which teachers integrate environmental learning in the school curriculum. A qualitative research approach was used as a mode of inquiry for this study. Interviews, classroom observations and document analysis were used as data collection methods. The findings of the study suggest that Sechaba Primary School has managed to integrate environmental learning in its curriculum through the help of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other stakeholders. The research concluded by arguing that OTL about the environment appear to be enhanced where there are strong connections between the schools and NGOs. Specifically, the following set of recommendations was documented: First, local leadership and agency are required to pursue the various opportunities and resources to build the school’s capacity for environmental learning. Schools should be encouraged to designate and support local leaders to take responsibility for driving the integration of environmental learning into their curriculum. Such integration is too important and maybe too demanding to be left to individual teachers independently in their own classrooms. Second, converting the latent capacity and/or physical and intellectual infrastructure for environmental learning into real OTL about the environment for the students will continue to remain a challenge for some of the teachers while others have managed the integration in some exemplary fashion. Opportunities for teachers to observe each other, plan together and work collaboratively on issues of integration should be created at school and district level. Third, it is critical that all teachers undergo in service training regarding the implementation of environmental education, and such training should provide teachers with enough time to learn. One of the major limitations of the Department of Education’s programme of implementation of the new environmental learning policy has been the inability to provide teachers with enough time to learn and implement the new ideas of the revised national curriculum statement. Finally, it is important to reiterate the importance of providing adequate resources for implementation of environmental learning from the Department of Education. Having said that, however, the case of Sechaba has demonstrated how such resources can also be mobilised from elsewhere outside the system. Encouraging beneficial partnerships between schools and NGOs may in itself be a valuable resource to encourage many primary schools in SA for whom government resources in this field continue to remain inadequate. / Dissertation (MEd (Curriculum and Instructional Design and Development))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

During our education time, we have heard on several occasions how the high changing rate in the society also influences the education area. That changing process mainly originates from the transform that a school underwent, i.e. the decentralization meaning a delegation of responsibility from a national to local government and the particular school. The main idea that started a changing process goes under the slogan “a school for everyone”. The new school was created by the newest teaching plan where the individualization of each individual student is a main point on the agenda. A countless number of analyses of Lpo 94 during our education have given us a reason to reflect over how this individualization should take place. The ambition to find an answer on that question led us to start from a couple of questions at issues that foremost handles children’s different ways to learn as well as the design of the teaching supervision in contrast to today’s teaching plan and the newer research within the chosen subject area. The aim of this work is thus to analyze and understand the contents of four different teaching supervisions within biology as a subject area and to try to appoint whether requirements on varied education from Lpo 94 is obeyed. Our answer on how to achieve requirements on individualization from Lpo 94, during this work, is to apply a varied education with a number of senses and intelligences as a frame of reference. Our conclusion and thus the result of our analysis is that the teaching supervisions deficiently reach the requirements that involve varied education in Lpo 94. The degree deficiency varies between different teaching supervisions.

Hispanic students make up 12% of the enrollment in Utah elementary and secondary schools but only 3.4% of the enrollment at Utah's colleges and universities, according to Alemán and Rorrer (2006). The intervention Latinos in Action (LIA) seeks to increase high school completion and college graduation rates among emergent bilingual Latinos by involving them as paraprofessional literacy tutors for younger Spanish-speaking students. This dissertation, written in article-ready style, reports on two studies of the program. Study 1, a survey of 128 high school students, found that those involved in the service and literacy program scored higher than their bilingual Latino peers who were not involved on two dimensions of high school engagement: level of education desired and feelings that school contributed to increased self-understanding. Study 2, a coding analysis of 200 LIA student journals, demonstrated a high level of reflectivity across three emerging themes: satisfaction with the tutee's progress, growth in leadership and social skills, and increased drive for school success. Implications for educators and program administrators are discussed. Although intended for separate publication, the studies inform each other in important ways. For example, the qualitative finding in Study 1 that LIA students more than their non-LIA peers view school as important to their self-understanding correlates with the qualitative finding in Study 2 that 80% of LIA journal writers employed self-reflective language to describe experiences in LIA—indicating perhaps that elements of the program prompt the kind of thinking and communication that enhances understanding of self. Similarly, the new confidence and determination to succeed in school expressed by LIA journal writers supports the Study 1 finding that LIA students target higher levels of post-secondary education than do their non-LIA peers. Specific journal entries provide a window into how that growth in ambition comes to be. Within the hybrid dissertation format, Appendix A provides a literature review linking both studies. Appendix B gives detailed coding methods for Study 2. Appendix C combines the findings of both studies in a general discussion.

Although many studies have pointed out the limitations of applying more advanced technology in educational settings (Collins & Halverson, 2018; Fedorov & Levitskaya, 2015; Kozma, 1994), some studies have shown media technology enhances essential educational outcomes (Gardner, 1993; Hew & Cheung, 2010; Jensen & Konradsen, 2018; McLellan, 1994; Merchant, Goetz, Cifuentes, Keeney-Kennicutt, & Davis, 2014) and that more immersive media technology can help people to perceive events through media technology better (Bracken & Lombard, 2004; Lombard, Biocca, Freeman, IJsselsteijn, & Schaevitz, 2015; Lombard, Ditton, Grabe, & Reich, 1997; Lombard, Lee, Sun, Xu, & Yang, 2017; Lombard, Reich, Grabe, Bracken, & Ditton, 2000). These current debates lead to a question of whether providing immersive experiences can help to achieve higher goals of education and what is the psychological processes behind it. The main purpose of this dissertation is to help people exploring these debates by providing more understanding of the psychological processes behind the motivation to learn in higher education when students have more immersive media experiences. Therefore, the role of presence and information processing in HMD VR (Head Mount Display Virtual Reality) on motivation to learn were tested and analyzed with a mixed-method study incorporating a lab experiment and in-depth interviews. Theoretic backgrounds and assumptions of Risk Information Seeking Processing (Kahlor, 2007; Stern & Fineberg, 1996) and Social Cognitive Theory (Ambrose, Bridges, DiPietro, Lovett, & Norman, 2010; Bandura, 1982) were deployed in the study design to see whether and how HMD VR can help transformative learning (Dewey, 1938; Mezirow, 1997; Middleton, 2014; Provident et al., 2015; Stipek, 2002; Taylor, 2007). Results revealed HMD VR increased students’ Motivation To Learn significantly. The increased level of Motivation To Learn in the HMD condition was also observed in the in-depth interviews. The results support these studies that suggested the association between interactive experiences and enhanced learning outcomes (Ang & Rao, 2008; Hew & Cheung, 2010; Kaufmann, Schmalstieg, & Wagner, 2000; Martín-Gutiérrez, Mora, Añorbe-Díaz, & González-Marrero, 2017; Moreno, Mayer, Spires, & Lester, 2001; Steinberg, 2000). The results also support the effectiveness of creating more immersive learning environments under the Social Cognitive Theory framework (Bandura, 1977; Miltiadou & Savenye, 2003; Rotter, 1990) but with limited support under the Risk Information Seeking and Processing framework (Kahlor, 2007; Stern & Fineberg, 1996). These results demonstrated the relationships between presence and MTL identifying how cultural experiences trigger social responses when people make associations in their higher-order cognitive processes, suggesting para-reality interaction. In addition to the theoretic contribution, the implications of this study provide helpful suggestions and insights to create and use HMD VR content to create transformative learning experiences for students. / Media & Communication

After implementing a statewide standardized testing program in 1998, the Virginia Department of Education realized that some schools were making great gains in student achievement while other schools continued to struggle. The Department conducted a study to identify the practices used by schools showing improvement. Six effective practice domains were identified. The current study was a follow-up to the research conducted by the Virginia Department of Education. A questionnaire measuring the six effective practice domains: (a) curriculum alignment, (b) time and scheduling, (c) use of data, (d) professional development, (e) school culture, and (f) leadership was administered to teachers in 148 schools in Virginia; 80 schools participated. Two questions guided the study: (1) How frequently do schools use the Virginia Department of Education effective practices, and (2) what is the relationship between the use of the effective practices and school pass rates on the 3rd grade 2005 Standards of Learning (SOL) reading test? Descriptive statistics, linear regression, and discriminant function analysis were applied to explore the relationships between the predictor variables (percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch and the use of the effective practices) and the criterion variable (school pass rate on the 2005 SOL 3rd grade reading test). Academic culture and the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch accounted for significant amounts of the variance in school pass rates. The remaining five effective practice measures were not related to school pass rates. The measures may have affected the results. In most cases, one person was used as the proxy for the school, and this person may have provided a biased assessment of what was happening in the school. / Ed. D.

Due to the internationalisation of higher education, the use of English at higher education institutions has become widespread. Today an increasing number of students participate in courses with the local language as medium of instruction but with textbooks in English. These have been called parallel-language courses, because they are expected to facilitate learning disciplinary discourse in two languages: the local language and English. This thesis reports an exploration of Swedish students' reading and learning from English textbooks in parallel-language courses. The overarching aim was to investigate the relationship between the students' Swedish and English reading habits and reading proficiency, their academic biliteracy, and incidental learning of subject-specific terminology in English from reading. The study also set out to identify pedagogical solutions to facilitate students' reading and learning from reading in English. The investigation comprised four studies which utilised a variety of methods and approaches, both qualitative and quantitative. Participants were Swedish and British students of biology and Swedish students of English. The results show that many Swedish students are capable of reading and learning from texts in Swedish and English without experiencing serious difficulties, although additional support is required for the learning of English terminology. The findings also indicate that some students' difficulty when reading in English is not due to poor English language proficiency, but rather a range of other factors such as weak general literacy skills, low motivation, low subject and vocabulary knowledge, note-taking strategies, slow reading speed, and time. For some students, learning is also rendered difficult by their self-perceptions and beliefs about reading and learning. Based on my findings, I propose a range of practices for EAP and subject teachers to adopt in order to improve reading and learning in parallel-language courses. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Submitted. Paper 4: Submitted.</p><p> </p>

Šiandienos pedagogui keliamas labai svarbus uždavinys - sukurti tokį mokymosi procesą, kuris skatintų moksleivių mokymąsi. Europos Sąjungos dokumentuose akcentuojamos perėjimo į mokymąsi visą gyvenimą galimybes laiduojančios kompetencijos, svarbiausia pripažįstama - mokėjimo mokytis kompetencija. Pastarųjų metų tyrimai rodo, jog besimokantieji mokymosi mokytis kompetencijos stokoja. Darbo tikslas: Ištirti Utenos vyresniojo mokyklinio amžiaus mokinių mokėjimo mokytis kompetencijos tobulinimo veiksnius. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Apibrėžti mokėjimo mokytis kompetencijos vietą profesinių kompetencijų struktūroje. 2. Atskleisti pagrindinius subjektyvius mokėjimo mokytis kompetencijos kaitos veiksnius. 3. Ištirti objektyvius mokėjimo mokytis kompetencijos veiksnius ugdymo sistemoje. 4. Ištirti mokinių požiūrį į mokėjimo mokytis kompetencijos veiksnius. 5. Atskleisti mokytojų požiūrį į mokėjimo mokytis kompetencijos veiksnius. Darbe naudoti šie tyrimo metodai: Mokslinės literatūros ir norminių aktų apžvalgos analizė; Anketinė vyresniųjų klasių mokinių ir pedagogų apklausa; Statistinė empirinių duomenų analizė. Tyrimo imtis. 204 respondentai: 54 pedagogai ir 150 vyresniųjų ( X – XII ) klasių mokinių iš trijų Utenos miesto gimnazijų. Pagrindinės išvados ir tyrimo rezultatai: 1. Profesinė kompetencija – mokėjimas mokytis priklauso kognityvinių kompetencijų grupei, kurios pagrindiniai aspektai yra savo paties mokymosi proceso organizavimas ir jo valdymas, grindžiamas žiniomis, įgūdžiais... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Nowadays a teacher faces an extremely important task to develop such learning process which should encourage the students to learn. The EU education documents emphasizes competences ensuring the possibilities for life long learning, the ability to learn is admitted to be the most important one. Recent researches show learners’ lack of competence to learn, therefore, the work analyses basic factors improving students’ competence of learning abilities to learn. The Aim: To investigate factors improving senior students’ competence of learning abilities to learn in Utena town. Objectives: 1. To define the place of competence of students’ learning abilities to learn in the structure of professional competences. 2. To reveal basic subjective factors influencing the changes in the competence of learning abilities to learn. 3. To investigate objective factors influencing the competence of learning abilities to learn in the education system. 4. To investigate students’ attitude towards the factors of competence of learning abilities to learn. Methods used: The analysis of science literature and the survey of standard acts; questionnairing teachers and senior students; statistics analysis of empiric data. Sampling. 204 respondents (54 teachers and 150 (X – XII forms) students) from three gymnasium schools in Utena town. Main results and conclusions: 1. Professional competence, the ability to learn, belongs to the group of cognitive competences whose main aspects are organization and... [to full text]

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le domaine de la didactique du français langue seconde. Elle concerne les causes de la réussite ou de l'échec de l'apprentissage du français par des étudiants chinois en France. Plus précisément, elle prend appui sur la perception de la réussite ou de l'échec d'apprentissage parmi ce public dont l'effectif ne cesse de croître et au sein duquel de nombreux individus éprouvent de grandes difficultés à apprendre la langue du pays d'accueil. Afin d'interroger les causes des sentiments de réussite ou d'échec dans l'apprentissage, trois hypothèses sont posées : le sentiment de réussite ou d'échec est conditionné par l'adaptation à la nouvelle culture d'apprentissage/enseignement ; certains traits de personnalité favorisent l'apprentissage de la langue ; la motivation des apprenants a des conséquences sur leur investissement et sur leur utilisation de stratégies dans l'apprentissage du français. Cette étude tend à montrer que le sentiment de réussite ou d'échec d'apprentissage résulte d'un cumul d'expériences émotionnellement positives ou négatives. Elle fait apparaître certains des facteurs qui facilitent ou empêchent l'apprentissage du français par des étudiants chinois en France. Par exemple, l'adaptation à la culture d'enseignement française favoriserait l'apprentissage et induirait chez l'apprenant un sentiment de réussite. Parmi les facteurs qui seraient susceptibles d'engendrer un sentiment d'échec, l'introversion empêcherait l'acquisition de compétences dans le domaine de l'expression orale et l'absence de contacts réguliers avec le français dans la vie quotidienne affaiblirait la motivation d'apprentissage. / This PhD. dissertation aims to contribute to research in teaching French as a second language. It analyzes the reasons why Chinese students in France succeed or not in learning French. More precisely, it is based on the perception of success or failure in learning French among a population whose numbers are growing and in which many individuals find it very difficult to learn the language of the host country. In order to examine the reasons for the feeling of success or failure in learning, three hypotheses are postulated: the feeling of success or failure is determined by the adaptation to the new culture of learning/teaching; certain personality traits promote language learning; learners' motivation has some consequences on their use of strategies in learning French. This research aims to show that the feeling of success or failure in learning results from the synthesis of experiences with positive or negative emotion. It also shows some of the factors that facilitate or hinder French learning by Chinese students in France. For example, adapting to the French culture of teaching would encourage learning and bring about learners' feeling of success. Among the factors that are likely to generate the feeling of failure, it appears that introversion prevents the acquisition of speaking skills and lack of regular contact with the French language in everyday life weakens motivation to learn.