The aim of this study is to investigate a number of class teachers' thoughts on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) in early literacy learning. The study has been conducted as a qualitative study, interviewing five teachers with the help of an interview guide. Three central questions were posed. What perception do the teachers have about the use of ICT in their tuition? What perception do the teachers have about the pupils' literacy learning in teaching with ICT tools? What perception do the teachets have about teaching and learning by means of ICT when it comes to pupils with reading and writing difficulties/dyslexia? The overall theoretical basis of the study is Vygotskij's sociocultural theory. In conclusion, the result of the study is as follows.Most class teachers feel that the training they have undergone in ICT education was adequate, but they also call for skill development.Most teachers believe that the use of ICT tools provide opportunities to adapt their teaching to pupils' knowledge level. The teachers' opinion is that ICT in teaching is useful for pupils' progress in early literacy learning.Most teachers also believe that ICT tools in teaching can be of some help for pupils with reading and writing difficulties/dyslexia.One obstacle in helping these pupils is lack of time.Therefore, the majority of the teachers hand these pupils over to special education outside the classroom.

Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka hur fortbildning på ”Complete Vocal Institute”, CVI, påverkar och bidrar till sångpedagogers undervisningssätt. Bakgrundskapitlet ger en kort beskrivning av den fortbildning på ”Complete Vocal Institute” som informanterna i studien har gått. Vidare följer en presentation av komplett sångtekniks (CVT:s) grundare Cathrine Sadolin, hur CVT växte fram samt av metodens innebörd och funktion. Därefter presenteras tidigare forskning inom ämnesområdet och närliggande områden samt studiens teoretiska utgångspunkt.   Studien utgörs av kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra sångpedagoger som fortbildat sig genom CVI:s treåriga utbildning som berättigar till undervisning i CVT. I resultatet presenteras analysen av pedagogernas berättelser kring hur fortbildningen har påverkat och bidragit till deras undervisningssätt. Det framkommer att pedagogerna har tillgodogjort sig flera pedagogiska verktyg och förhållningssätt genom fortbildningen. Bland dessa kan nämnas CVT:s sångtekniska terminologi, olika undervisningssätt samt förhållningssättet att alltid låta undervisningen utgå från elevens smak och motivation. I det avslutande diskussionskapitlet lyfts valda aspekter ur resultatet fram och diskuteras i relation till det sociokulturella perspektivet på lärande samt till tidigare forskning. Aspekter som diskuteras är bland annat pedagogernas berättelser kring verktyget att undervisa utifrån olika undervisningssätt samt det pedagogiska förhållningssättet att ge ansvaret till eleven. / The aim of the present study is to explore how training at Complete Vocal Institute, CVI, affects and contributes to singing teachers way of teaching. The background chapter gives a brief description of the training course at CVI, followed by a presentation of the founder of Complete Song Technique (CVT), Cathrine Sadolin, how the technique evolved and its described meaning and function. Previous research in related fields is presented and the chapter concludes with the socio-cultural perspective, which form the basic understanding of this study. The study consists of four interviews with four singing teachers who have participated in a three-year training course at CVI, to become certified CVT-teachers. The result presents the analysis of the teachers' stories about how this training has influenced and contributed to their teaching methods. It appears that they have gained several educational tools and approaches through CVI including the CVT's vocals technical terminology, different teaching methods and a pedagogical approach to always let the student's taste and motivation constitute the base for learning. The concluding discussion highlights selected aspects of the results, which is discussed in relation to the socio-cultural perspective on learning and previous research. Aspects discussed include the teachers' emphasis on the importance of using five described different techniques as pedagogical tools as well as the approach of giving students responsibility for their learning process.

Literature study on piano technique, which consists mainly of piano pedagogues' empirical considerations, indicates the existence of common strategies/theories regarding the development of a piano technique. A meaningful and scientifically grounded piano-technical orientation is one of the major factors during the first few months of piano tuition and provides a basis for the development of an advanced piano technique. The majority of beginner piano courses use the adjacent, legato five finger method. The researcher identified six beginner courses, which were analysed in order to measure their presentation of a well-structured piano-technical development against the recommendations of well-known piano pedagogues/author~ in this field. During this process, demerits in the sequence, structure and presentation of the basic movements in piano playing were found. In most instances the use of the bigger levers are not addressed at all. All the levers and their specific movements should be addressed from the very first lesson. A logical motoric and educational process is to concentrate on the bigger levers (giving the support), which perform slower and easier movements, and then move on to the smaller levers, which perform faster and more complicated movements. All theoretical information in the beginner books studied is properly explained and presented in a very structured manner. The researcher is, however, concerned about the fact that there is not enough structure in the sequence of teaching and developing the basic technical movements in the beginner piano courses using the adjacent, legato five finger method. The connection between sound and movement is not made. Authors in the field of piano technique emphasize the fact that the movements the beginner is taught during the first lessons provide the technical foundation for the rest of his/her life. To address demerits in the structure, presentation and discrepancy in the sequence of learning the basic movements, the researcher compiles exercises for the beginner. These exercises concentrate on specific movements and results in sound recommended by well-known authors in the field of piano technique. In addition the researcher strives to explain the movements as clearly as possible and illustrates them with photographs and pictures. / Thesis (DMus (Performing Arts))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Music / unrestricted

This study explores the development and implementation of a tuition policy at the ‘single dedicated distance education institution in South Africa,’ which is the University of South Africa. The discussion focuses specifically on ‘how different stakeholders participated in the development and implementation of the Unisa tuition policy’. In this context, the author contends that the development and implementation of an institutional tuition policy is influenced by various factors relating to the determination of the roles to be played by various stakeholders in the process. A broader consideration is whether or not and how tuition policy development and implementation influence teaching and learning in distance education. The perspective taken in this study necessarily includes the different acts and policy documents that focus on the development of the higher education sector in South Africa, which consequently influence the practice and experience of distance education. The main findings of the study concur with the notion that there is contention in terms of Unisa tuition policy development and implementation, which leads to a measure of reluctance to implement the policy. Furthermore, the implementation has not been as effective as it might have been, and this defeats the purpose of the policy, which is to promote effective teaching and learning in distance education. The data derived from the investigation partly support this study’s concern that the development and implementation of this policy depend on participants’ and stakeholders’ mental models. The findings also show that the contention regarding the determination of roles in the development and implementation has negative impacts on the effectiveness of teaching and learning at Unisa, which may not be very obvious to the stakeholders involved. Crucially, it was also found that the stakeholders could not separate their institutional roles and positions from their roles in policy development and implementation. It is in the context of these findings that the author recommends that policy development and implementation for effective teaching and learning should critically define the institutional roles of those engaged in policy development and implementation in a distance education institution such as Unisa. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

This diploma thesis tries to analyze the system of tertiary education financing in the Czech Republic. First part analyses tertiary education as an economic good. The following part shows the main problems of the current financing system in the Czech Republic and through empirical research and many international comparisons proves the importance of changes. It introduces one way how to solve the current state -- income-contingent repayment schemes -- which can work efficiently in case of properly parameter settings. The last part brings the general principles of the reform of higher education in the Czech Republic.

Diploma thesis is primarily concentrated on the problem of implementation of the tuition fees at public and state universities. There are solved many issues in the thesis, e.g. evaluation of the positive and negative arguments of tuition fees at public universities, actual problems of the Czech tertiary educational system, student's costs, their opinions about the tuition fees, the connection of education and the question of human capital and its influence on different areas. There is mentioned the view on education as an investment into the human capital in the thesis. It is connected with the topic of costs and benefits that brings the investment. The main goal of the work is to analyze if the implementation of tuition fees at public universities is reasonable.

The thesis is focused on fair tuition fees. It tries to explore more profoundly all the possible factors, which could be considered as important during the measuring benefits of higher education. Among these factors we can find p.e. Labour market success rate, unemployment and income level of graduates in employment. The other main theme of this thesis is the current situation concerning the funding of higher education in the Czech Republic and other EU countries. The issue of tuition fee is currently very actual and it is clear that proper financial cost analysis of studies and the possibilities of measuring return on investment in tertiary education are more than important. Therefore I present existing possibilities to measure return on investment and also to the following possibilities how to include and use the unemployment rate of graduates.

This thesis deals with the description and analysis of the system of higher education funding in the Czech Republic and in selected EU countries. First, it focuses on the meaning and conception of the education, then the education is analyzed in the view of the public goods theory. The next section of the thesis characterizes the higher education system, analyses its funding and compares these systems within selected countries. The final part focuses on the presentation and evaluation of prepared changes in the higher education law, then applies gained knowledge and suggests possible changes to the funding system in the Czech Republic.

The main aim of dissertation thesis is to estimate, how much affects the investment on human capital (tertiary education) economic benefits. Thesis includes results about internal rates of return and also some estimation based on Mincer function. Results are compared with OECD Education at A Glance publication. Thesis works with models of tuition fees and progressive personal income tax.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur demokratiundervisningen i svenskämnet beskrivs i aktuell forskning. Studien har genomförts som en systematisk litteraturstudie där studiens två forskningsfrågor har haft huvudrollen, nämligen frågan om vilken roll demokratiundervisning har i svenskämnet och frågan om hur lärare och elever ser på demokratiuppgiften. För att besvara frågorna har nio publikationer som innehåller svar på frågorna tagits fram via databassökningar och kedjesökningar. Studien påvisar fyra roller som demokratiundervisningen har i svenskämnet. En roll handlar om att eleverna ska ges möjligheten att uttrycka sina idéer, uppfattningar och tankar tillsammans med andra och bli lyssnade till och tas på allvar. En annan roll beskrivs som rätten till språket och handlar om att eleverna lär sig att läsa och skriva. En tredje roll gäller rätten till mångkulturalitet och elevernas möjlighet att se sig själva som en del av hela värden. Den fjärde och sista rollen som tas upp är rätten till kritiskt tänkande och källkritik som ska leda eleverna till att kunna gallra bland information. Några lärarröster som kommer fram i forskningspublikationerna påvisar vissa organisatoriska förhållanden som leder till problem i demokratiundervisningen medan andra påtalar att eleverna saknar kunskap för att vara med och bestämma. I de få elevröster som kommer till tals i forskningen framkommer att eleverna vill påverka och medverka på skolan genom klassråd och elevråd, men de upplever att deras förslag inte visas någon större hänsyn. Slutsatsen av studien är att ny forskning behöver göras om hur demokratifrågorna hanteras i praktiken, och särskilt behövs forskning om demokratiundervisning för elever i grundskolan.