This study on consciousness raising in foreign language vocabulary learning and reading took place in a reading comprehension course for university students in Finland. The aim was to find out what kind of changes in vocabulary and reading strategies and related matters the students underwent during the course and to investigate what support the course can give to the changes. The data were collected during a three-week course where I acted as a teacher and a researcher, and through interviews five months after the course. The course offered the students consciousness raising possibilities in the form of teacher-led sessions, group work and questionnaires. These activities form the main source of the data. Two mature students were selected under closer scrutiny. The transcribed data were analysed in four ways to 1) specify the perceived changes in vocabulary and reading strategies and in related matters, 2) to establish a link between the teacher-led consciousness raising and the changes, 3) to illuminate the importance of reflection in the change and 4) to investigate the support of group work to the changes in strategies of finding out word meanings. The findings of the study support the view that classroom learning does not take place in a vacuum. Both case study students showed changes in their perceptions about the reading process and about their ways of dealing with vocabulary. They also showed changes in their perceptions of themselves as learners. Both students, for example, articulated increasing confidence in themselves as language learners. It is likely that the teacher-led consciousness raising in the classroom and, in particular, the group work helped the learners reflect on their background and learning and, thus, change. The findings also indicate that the students' perceptions of the benefits of consciousness raising lasted at least until five months after the course. This study gave evidence that the two active learners subjectively perceived consciousness raising as beneficial. Future studies need to pay attention to the link between consciousness raising and the possible increase in proficiency. It is also important to study students whose participation in the course is not as active as that of the two case study students in this study.

In the capitalist democracy, universities have been increasingly controlled by the state, which rewards generative, rather than disseminative practice. Universities have attempted to maximise income generation by increasing student numbers, and in many instances, reducing staff numbers. In the last fifty years, there have attempts to increase participation in higher education by diverse gender, racial and class groups. Since the 1980s, the disjunction between school and university education has been widening. University graduates are expected to be critical thinkers, who have high-level competancies when joining the workforce. Consequently, the lecturer is confronted with an increasingly large and diverse group of students and the increasingly complex task of teaching knowledge and skills that are relevant in an ever-changing world. The current study evaluated the practices of teaching and learning in higher education in South Africa through the examination of four successive cohorts of First Year Health Sciences learners who registered for Psychology between 2000 and 2003. A unique interpretation of L.S. Vygotsky’s ontological and epistemological framework was presented in terms of the practices of higher education in South Africa at the beginning of the Twenty-First century. Vygotsky’s conflictual model of development in which the historical (what knowledge and skills have been acquired) and the social (critical thinking in Psychology) are inextricably linked, provided the foundation of this dialectical historical materialist analysis. The teaching practices had two parts, namely tasks and tools, and social interaction. Students were positioned, not as customers, but as learners who were required to learn a specific set of knowledge and skills in order to develop understanding. A post-hoc analysis was conducted on all forms of semiotic mediation and social interactions between the lecturer and the large group of students. The cultural tasks (learning outcomes and essay tasks) and tools (problem-solving strategies for the essay tasks, the general and specific lecture outlines, lecture notes, case studies and challenge questions) were analysed in terms of Bloom’s taxonomy of educational objectives. Naturalistic observations of interactions between the lecturer and a large group of students were also analysed in terms of the gender and racial characteristics of participating students and the verbal and non-verbal behaviour of the lecturer. The iii students’ cognitive and affective perceptions of all the cultural tasks and tools were analysed, and viewed in relation to the constructions of the lecturer. Matches, or shared practice, between the lecturer and the students related to the structure of the process of learning; the use of examples that relate to “real” life; the Resourcepack as a tool for the navigation of the learning process and the valuing of the interactive dialogue between the lecturer and the students. The mismatches between the lecturer and the students primarily concern the dialectic between knowledge and skills in the development of understanding. For students in the First Year of higher education, understanding is conceptualised as the reproduction of knowledge and the application of that knowledge to a concrete experience. A surprising finding in the current study was that no significant differences were found between the sociohistorical variables (gender, race and degree) concerning the cultural tasks and tools. The current study also proposed a unique method of conducting large class lecturerstudent interactions. The evidence from both the lecturer and the students supported the use of the small group learning techniques in the large classes. What makes the current study’s use of the small group method is the importance placed on a hierarchy of dialogues between the lecturer and the students in which adult guidance is of central importance. This adult guidance is dependent upon certain characteristics of the facilitation by the lecturer. The shortcoming of this particular method of conducting large classes is that dominant and subordinate groups of learners still existed in the large class. However, representivity of the subordinate groups was achieved. In addition, the students did not relate the use of the method to increased understanding of the concepts in the course. The current study also proposed a unique definition of participation in which multiple forms of activity are present.

This study follows a Vygotskian approach to investigate the influence and relatedness of several "scaffolding" behaviors for mother-infant dyads of both typically developing infants and infants with disabilities and how early intervention may influence the dyads through the home visiting process. For this primarily low-income sample, maternal participation during play did not enhance the infants' play. The relation of infant level of play with maternal education, income, and the maternal involvement variables of level of play and use of scaffolding varied with the disability status of the infant. Home visitor support of mother-infant interaction did not appear to influence maternal involvement during play, except that mothers of infants with disabilities whose home visitors spent more time with just the infant played at a higher level.

The thesis presents the analytical process and the findings of a study on: lecturers teaching practice with first year undergraduate mathematics modules; and lecturers knowledge for teaching with regard to students mathematical meaning making (understanding). Over three academic semesters, I observed and audio-recorded twenty-six lecturers teaching to a small group tutorial of two to eight first year students, and I discussed with the lecturers about their underlying considerations for teaching. The analysis of this thesis focuses on a characterisation of each of three (of the twenty-six) lecturers teaching, which I observed for more than one semester. I chose the teaching of three experienced lecturers, due to diversity in terms of ways of engaging the students with the mathematics, and due to my consideration of their commitment to teaching for students mathematical meaning making. The distinctive nature of the study is concerned with the conceptualisation of university mathematics teaching practice and knowledge within a Vygotskian perspective. In particular, I used for the characterisation of teaching practice and of teaching knowledge the notions tool-mediation and dialectic from Vygotskian theory. I also used a coding process grounded to the data and informed by existing research literature in mathematics education. I conceptualised teaching practice into tools for teaching and actions with tools for teaching (namely strategies). I then conceptualised teaching knowledge as the lecturers reflection on teaching practice. The thesis contributes to the research literature in mathematics education with an analytical framework of teaching knowledge which is revealed in practice, the Teaching Knowledge-in-Practice (TKiP). TKiP analyses specific kinds of lecturer s knowing for teaching: didactical knowing and pedagogical knowing. The framework includes emerging tools for teaching (e.g. graphical representation, rhetorical question, students faces) and emerging strategies for teaching (e.g. creating students positive feelings, explaining), which were common or different among the three lecturers teaching practice. Overall, TKiP is produced to offer a dynamic framework for researcher analysis of university mathematics teaching knowledge. Analysis of teaching knowledge is important for gaining insights into why teaching practice happens in certain ways. The findings of the thesis also suggest teaching strategies for the improvement of students mathematical meaning making in tutorials.

Submitted by admin tede (tede@pucgoias.edu.br) on 2018-10-08T17:51:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ANDREA JARDIM PORTELLA REZENDE.pdf: 1836247 bytes, checksum: 46d555f99636b08244338d489996a7d5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-08T17:51:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ANDREA JARDIM PORTELLA REZENDE.pdf: 1836247 bytes, checksum: 46d555f99636b08244338d489996a7d5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-08-30 / This study, related to the research field of Education Theories and Pedagogical Processes, examines the incidence of theoretical and methodological principles and of curriculum guidelines based on Vigotski‟s body of work on the pedagogical practice of teachers working in the early years of elementary education. Such an examination focused on the Pedagogical Plan implemented in Goiânia, Brazil, in 2009 (GOIÂNIA, 2009) and on pedagogical guidelines drafted for the Municipal Education Network from 2009 to 2016. It aims to shed light on the following issues: a) possible correspondence between the Plan‟s principles and curriculum and pedagogical guidelines and Vigotskian notions concerning education and teaching; b) relations between such principles and guidelines and teachers‟ effective teaching practices; c) the movement from the drafting of the Plan towards its forms of implementation and appropriation by teachers – including obstacles and setbacks –, as well as the actual conditions for teaching practice and for the Plan‟s effective implementation. This study involved qualitative research, which included analysis of the Plan and of curriculum guidelines, and field research through classroom observation and interviews conducted at two of Goiânia‟s municipal schools that work with Cycle 1, i.e. the literacy level.Results show a general correspondence between the Plan‟s formal content and Vigotski‟s basic notions of education and teaching, even though the documentary analysis suggests that some of these notions have been reinterpreted to justify specific demands of the Municipal Education Department (Secretaria Municipal da Educação – SME), such as implementation of school cycles. As regards the Plan‟s effective enactment in schools, however, the collected data from classroom observations show that Vigotski‟s ideas are seldom referred to in teachers‟ work. Furthermore, curriculum guidelines and pedagogical procedures have been more often used to fulfil the objective of implementing the proposed Plan and of obtaining immediate results (LIBÂNEO, 2014, 2016), in accordance with a functionalistpragmatic worldview,than to meet the educational goals outlined by the Vigotskian conceptswhich comprise the theoretical framework of the 2009 Plan. Lastly, results indicate the need for the SME to further invest in continuing education initiatives and better working conditions for teachers, in case it intends to continue pursuing a pedagogical plan grounded on the culturalhistorical theory. / Este trabalho, inserido na Linha de Pesquisa Teorias da Educação e Processos Pedagógicos, investiga a incidência, na prática pedagógico-didática de professores dos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, de princípios teóricos e metodológicos e orientações curriculares baseados nas ideias de Vigotski, tais como indicados na Proposta pedagógica implantada em 2009 (GOIÂNIA, 2009) e em documentos de orientação pedagógica para a Rede Municipal de Ensino no período de 2009 a 2016. Buscou-se elucidar as seguintes questões: a) a possível correspondência entre os princípios e as orientações curriculares e pedagógicas da Proposta e as ideias de Vigotski sobre educação e ensino; b) as relações entre esses princípios e orientações e o trabalho docente efetivo realizado pelos professores; c) o movimento entre a formulação da Proposta, as formas de implantação e de apropriação pelos professores, incluindo os entraves e contratempos desse movimento, bem como as condições reais para a atuação dos professores e a efetivação da Proposta pedagógica. Para este trabalho, foi realizada pesquisa qualitativa envolvendo análise documental da Proposta e das orientações curriculares e também pesquisa de campo, por meio de observação de aulas e entrevistas, em duas escolas municipais de Goiânia no Ciclo I, em que se dá a alfabetização. Constatou-se, de modo geral, correspondência entre o conteúdo formal da Proposta pedagógica e os conceitos básicos de Vigotski sobre educação e ensino, ainda que a análise dos documentos sugira que alguns desses conceitos passaram por uma reinterpretação para justificar demandas específicas da Secretaria Municipal da Educação (SME), como, por exemplo, a implantação de ciclos de escolarização. Todavia, em termos de efetivação da Proposta na escola, os dados apontam que as ideias de Vigotski aparecem pouco no trabalho docente, nas situações observadas em sala de aula. Constatou-se, além disso, que as orientações curriculares para as escolas e os procedimentos pedagógicos vêm servindo muito mais para atender à finalidade de execução do currículo instrumental e de resultados imediatos (LIBÂNEO, 2014, 2016), conforme a visão de mundo de cunho funcionalista-pragmático, do que aos objetivos de ensino encontrados nas ideias de Vigotski, base de sustentação teórica da Proposta pedagógica de 2009. Ademais, chama a atenção a necessidade de haver mais investimentos por parte da SME em ações de formação continuada e de assegurar melhores condições de atuação profissional dos seus professores, se for projeto da Secretaria dar continuidade à Proposta pedagógica fundamentada na teoria histórico-cultural.

This study investigated the effects of Dynamic Assessment (DA) training on the mediational strategies of experienced teachers of French as a foreign language. Moreover the strategies that mediators used for students at different levels of language experience were investigated. Last the ways in which mediators manifested mediational sensitivity, reciprocity and management was examined. Four mediators underwent DA training that exposed them to the theoretical underpinnings of DA as well as sound DA procedures. To determine the effect of this training, the way in which the mediators conducted their mediation was compared from pre-DA training to post-DA training. Three of these four mediators worked with 12 students of French as a foreign language at different levels of language learning experience. Their interactions were recorded, transcribed and analyzed. The results of this study show that the DA training did indeed have an affect on the way in which mediators conducted their mediation with students. Also there seems to be a difference, however minute, in the way that mediators mediate students possessing different levels of language experience. The implications of this study suggest that mediators would have benefitted from more robust DA training as well as an increased field experience with DA. Second students should also be trained in DA procedures so that they may be able to better participate in the dialogic activity that occurs during mediation. Third more foreign language practitioner focused definitions of DA and cognition, within a Sociocultural Theory framework, are offered. It is believed that more accessible definitions will facilitate DA's use in the foreign language classroom.

Qatar’s education system has recently been subjected to a process of deep structural reform. One of the beliefs which underpins this reform is the assumption that learner-centred pedagogy is more effective than traditional teacher-centred pedagogy. However, there is limited empirical evidence from a Qatari classroom context regarding the effectiveness of using learner-centred pedagogies. This lack of empirical evidence extends to the teaching of English as a foreign language. This study employed Vygotskian sociocultural theory as a lens to investigate the effects of working collaboratively on learners’ longer-term performance of two grammatical structures, the simple past passive and the present continuous passive, as well as the cognitive processes involved. Interventionist dynamic assessment was used to quantify the linguistic performance of male Arabic undergraduate EFL learners (N = 52) three times (pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest) over a 12-week period. In-between the pretest and the posttest, six form-focused treatment tasks were administered. The experimental group (n = 20) completed the treatment tasks collaboratively; the comparison group (n = 16) completed the treatment tasks individually; and the control group (n = 16) did not complete the treatment tasks. In addition, the genetic method was employed to trace the linguistic development of four participants in the experimental group. These four participants were audio-recorded as they collaboratively completed each treatment session. Mood’s median test (Mood, 1954) found a pretest to posttest statistically significant difference (M = 7.70, df = 1, p = 0.01) between the performances of the experimental and control groups for the structure of the simple past passive which is moderate to large in size (Cramér’s V = 0.46). However for both target structures, no statistically significant difference was found between the experimental group and the comparison group, suggesting that the treatment condition of working collaboratively was not more effective in promoting learners’ linguistic development than the treatment condition of working individually. Additionally, the descriptive statistics revealed high levels of individual variation. Of the four participants who were audio-recorded, the journey of one learner is presented. This data was analysed using a microgenetic approach with LREs (Swain and Lapkin, 1995, 1998, 2002) as the unit of analysis. The microgenetic analysis shows how working collaboratively provides learners with access to a shared cognitive space. Within this space, they can employ language as a cognitive tool to access other-regulation from their peers and deploy their own self-regulatory strategies. The experience of an individual was explored within the context of the linguistic gains made by the collective to whom he belongs. Thus, even though the statistical analysis of the results suggests that working collaboratively is not more effective in facilitating learners’ linguistic development than working individually, the process of language learning has been connected to the outcome of language learning through the results of the descriptive statistics and the microgenetic analysis. This study contributes to a better understanding of: the types of pedagogies that may be effective in a Qatari undergraduate context, why collaborative learning can be effective, how knowledge which is initially social can take on a psychological function, and how the Vygotskian sociocultural methodologies of the genetic method and dynamic assessment can be integrated into an SLA design.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-08-24T14:49:22Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Julia Oliveira Osorio Marques_.pdf: 1525914 bytes, checksum: cc4201589412414b4a2c61e5f2004925 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-24T14:49:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Julia Oliveira Osorio Marques_.pdf: 1525914 bytes, checksum: cc4201589412414b4a2c61e5f2004925 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-26 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / FAPERGS - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul / Estudar o silêncio implica considerar o que está além das palavras obviamente enunciadas e trazer à tona a não-insignificância do silêncio em sala de aula de língua adicional (LA). Partindo-se do pressuposto de que interagimos com o mundo de forma mediada e de que precisamos aprender para que possamos nos desenvolver, este estudo baseia-se na teoria vigotskiana no que se refere à aprendizagem. Com esse intuito, utiliza-se o viés da perspectiva sociocultural para relacionar o silêncio a contextos de construção de conhecimento em LA. Para isso, neste estudo, de natureza qualitativa, interações entre alunos de inglês como LA foram observadas e analisadas em uma universidade do sul do Brasil durante a realização de tarefas colaborativas. Para análise de dados foram analisados protocolos verbais sob a ótica da teoria sociocultural. Este trabalho visa problematizar os possíveis sentidos, influência e, em especial, as funções do silêncio na aprendizagem de LA. Com base na literatura, optou-se por categorizar as funções do silêncio como: cognitiva, interativa e social. A função cognitiva do silêncio está relacionada a questões internas, intra-relacionais, como escolhas lexicais e planejamento semântico; a função interativa do silêncio está ligada à conexão micro-relacional entre os interlocutores, como proximidade e evitação de face; e a função social do silêncio tem a ver com questões macro-relacionais, como estilos pessoais, questões de gênero social e afirmação de identidade cultural. Neste estudo investiga-se como as participantes explicam o uso do seu silêncio no contexto de sala de aula de LA durante a realização de uma tarefa colaborativa; como as participantes explicam o silêncio da sua interlocutora na interação em sala de aula de LA durante a realização desta mesma tarefa colaborativa; e quais as funções de silêncio observadas pela pesquisadora durante essas interações. Assim, almeja-se auxiliar professores de línguas e demais profissionais da Linguística Aplicada a refletirem sobre o ensino/aprendizagem de maneira mais ampla, enxergando as interlocuções em aula de modo mais global, incluindo o silêncio, para que se possa oferecer novas contribuições no que se refere a processos de construção de conhecimento. / Studying silence means to consider what is beyond obviously enunciated words and bring up its non-insignificance in additional language (AL) classrooms. Departing from the presupposition that we interact with the world in a mediated way and that we need to learn in order to develop, this study is based on the Vygotskian theory in terms of learning. Therefore, the Sociocultural Theory view is used to associate silence to contexts of AL knowledge building. In this study, of qualitative nature, interactions between students of English as an AL were observed and analysed in a university in the South of Brazil during the realization of collaborative tasks. For data analyses verbal protocols from the sociocultural theory were used. This paper aims to problematize the possible meanings, influence and, especially, the functions of silence in AL learning. Based on the literature, the silence functions were categorized in three major groups: cognitive, interactive and social. The cognitive function of silence is related to intra-relational, internal questions, such as lexical choices and semantic planning; the interactive function of silence is linked with the micro-relational connection between interlocutors, such as proximity and face avoidance; and the social function of silence has to do with macro-relational questions, such as personal style, gender and cultural identity affirmation. It is studied how the participants explain the use of their own silence in the AL classroom context during the realization of a collaborative task; how the participants explain their interlocutor’s silence in interaction in the AL classroom during this same collaborative task; and which functions of silence were observed by the researcher during these interactions. Thus, it is aimed to help language teachers and other Applied Linguistics professionals to reflect about teaching/learning in a broader sense, looking at the interactions in AL classrooms in a different manner, including silence, so that new contributions to the processes of knowledge building can be offered.

The process of choosing the exemplary teacher in the Military School of Santa Maria aims to honor the teacher (civilian or military) who is outstanding among the others every school year. The choosing of this exemplary teacher occurs at two opportunities: first, the students in every grade individually and in secret vote for a teacher; later, the other teachers and school administrators choose, also in a secret vote, one of the seven names proposed by the students. This research aimed to analyze the process of choosing the exemplary teacher in the Military School of Santa Maria (CMSM), considering the effects on the other teachers through their beliefs. To do so, there was a description of the orientations for the pedagogical practice which are suggested by the System to understand the Military School of Santa Maria in terms of teachers work; it was built a profile of an exemplary teacher for teachers and students of the Military School of Santa Maria; and there was a compilation and an analysis of the beliefs of the teachers of the Military School of Santa Maria about the process of choosing the exemplary teacher. This research, which is built on a qualitative and quantitative model, is based on Vigotski (2007) and Barcelos (2001, 2004, 2006), who grant fundamental importance to the social interaction for the development of the individual; and also on Pimenta (2009), Mizukami (1986) and Cunha (1989), who approach topics related to the professional identity of the teacher, to the teaching approaches and to the profile of a good teacher . For the data collection, questionnaires given to students and CMSM teachers were used, as well as interviews with the teachers. The results showed that the students have their own criteria to choose a teacher, it can be affection or not, but mainly, they are related to the teacher s didactic work, and also showed that the other teachers choose because of affinity and empathy towards the workmate. It was perceived that the practice of choosing an exemplary teacher of CMSM affects positively the teachers, but mainly negatively the chosen ones as well as the ones not chosen as the exemplary teacher. Thus, it is believed that these negative effects can eventually be minimized, once the choosing process gets adjusted and discussed. / O processo de escolha do professor padrão do Colégio Militar de Santa Maria tem o objetivo de homenagear o professor (civil ou militar), que se destaca entre os demais a cada ano letivo. A escolha do professor padrão ocorre em dois momentos: primeiro, os alunos de cada série, por voto individual e secreto, escolhem um professor; posteriormente, o corpo docente e os gestores de ensino escolhem, por um voto secreto, um dos sete nomes propostos pelos alunos. A presente pesquisa teve por objetivo analisar o processo de escolha do professor padrão do Colégio Militar de Santa Maria (CMSM), considerando seus efeitos sobre os professores através das suas crenças. Para isso, foram descritas as orientações da prática pedagógica prescritas pelo Sistema para compreender o Colégio Militar de Santa Maria no que diz respeito ao trabalho do professor; foi construído o perfil de professor padrão para professores e alunos do Colégio Militar de Santa Maria; e levantadas e analisadas as crenças de professores do Colégio Militar de Santa Maria sobre o processo de escolha do professor padrão. Esta pesquisa, de cunho quantitativo e qualitativo, está fundamentada em Vigotski (2007) e Barcelos (2001, 2004, 2006), que conferem fundamental importância à interação social para o desenvolvimento do indivíduo; e em Pimenta (2009), Mizukami (1986) e Cunha (1989), que abordam questões relativas à identidade profissional do professor, às abordagens de ensino e ao perfil de bom professor . Para a coleta de dados, foram utilizados questionários aplicados aos alunos e professores do CMSM e entrevistas com os professores. Os resultados mostraram que os alunos têm seus próprios critérios para escolher um professor, sejam de caráter afetivo, mas, principalmente, de atuação didática do professor, e que os professores escolhem pela afinidade e empatia com o colega. Constatou-se que a prática de eleger um professor padrão do CMSM afeta positiva e, principalmente, negativamente tanto os professores escolhidos, como os não escolhidos como padrão . Acredita-se, em razão disso, que esses efeitos negativos poderão ser minimizados, à medida que seja discutido e ajustado o processo de escolha.

This dissertation presents a study of the scientific practices of the circle of Vygotsky’s closest collaborators and students during the decade of the 1930s-and including the early 1940s (until Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union and the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in 1941). The notion of Vygotsky Circle is introduced in this work and is explicitly distinguished from a traditional—yet frequently criticised—notion of “the school of Vygotsky-Leontiev-Luria”. The scientific practices of the Vygotsky Circle are discussed here as the unity of a) social and interpersonal relations, b) the practices of empirical scientific research, and c) discursive practices of the Soviet science—more specifically, the “Stalinist Science” of the 1930s. Thus, this study analyzes the social and interpersonal relations between the members of the Vygotsky Circle and the evolution of this circle in the social context of Soviet science during the decade of 1930s; various practices of empirical scientific research conducted by the members of the Vygotsky Circle were also overviewed. Finally, discursive practices of the Soviet scientific “doublespeak” were discussed and illustrated with several examples borrowed from publications of the time.