Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Offshore education'

This research is at the intersection of strategic management, international business and internationalisation of higher education institutions (HEIs). It focuses on the managerial aspects of higher education institutions with offshore branch campuses. In the past couple of decades the number of offshore branch campuses established by HEIs - mainly universities - has increased dramatically, but most research carried out to date in this field has been anecdotal and the number of theoretical studies in this area is very limited. Thus, the aim of this research is to breach this gap by developing a theoretical framework that is capable of explaining the managerial aspects of foreign branch campus operations. The key research question in this study is how transnational higher education institutions (TNHEIs) strategically manage their offshore branch campuses. In order to address this question, the literature on TNHEIs with regard to managerial complexities is reviewed. By assimilating and reconceptualising this literature, a multidimensional framework is constructed, which encapsulates the most pertinent ramifications of managing an offshore branch campus. The framework has been constructed by drawing on a widely used paradigm in the international business discipline, known as the dichotomy of global integration versus local responsiveness (I-R dichotomy). It helps to portray the TNHEIs’ strategic positions and positional change strategies on three dimensions of curriculum, research activities and staffing.

Seismic mapping indicates that Lasuen Knoll offshore southern California is a pop-up structure in a restraining stepover of the Palos Verdes Fault. Dextral shear is apparently transferred southeast through a complex of faults in a linked shear zone to the Carlsbad Ridge and Coronado Bank faults.

Isochore maps of stratigraphic intervals indicate that Miocene extension occurred locally along the Palos Verdes Fault to the south of Lasuen Knoll during the Mohnian stage, and became more widespread during the Delmontian stage. Fanning of dips of Repettian stage strata onlapping Lasuen Knoll indicate that Lasuen Knoll began to form as a pop-up structure by the Early Repettian stage and has continued to uplift to Recent.

Lasuen Knoll is bounded to the north and south along the Palos Verdes-Carlsbad Ridge-Coronado Bank shear zone by transtensional zones. Tectonic models suggest that Lasuen Knoll forms a characteristic California Inner Borderland restraining bend or stepover.

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

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

This thesis presents an interpretative study of an Australian offshore education program in educational leadership conducted at Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province in China from 2002 to 2003. It is a study of the influence of international education on the conceptions of the participants in a particular context, where Chinese culture and Western cultures came into contact. The study is significant because it investigated a relatively new aspect of international education, offshore education, this time from the perspective of the participants. It explored the conceptions of learning and leadership brought by a group of Chinese educational leaders to the course and investigated the perceived influence of the course upon their conceptions and self-reported leadership practice. It employed a culturally sensitive approach which recognizes that a complex interaction between Chinese and Western cultures is occurring in the participants of this study. This interpretative study was inspired by the phenomenographic approach. Phenomenography is an approach to research that has been used to help understand the key aspects of the variations in the experiences of groups of people (Marton & Booth, 1997). The study examined the experiences and understandings about learning and leadership of Chinese leaders in an offshore program, a Master of Educational Leadership. The program was delivered in a flexible mode in three intensive teaching brackets of six subjects. The study employed a semi-structured and in-depth interview technique. Twenty participants were interviewed twice over a 12-month period. The study sought a better understanding of their conceptions by making a comparison between their perceptions prior to and after undertaking the course. Participants were from schools, universities and educational departments. Potential differences across the three sectors were also considered in the analysis. The findings showed that most participants developed more complex understandings of learning and leadership throughout the course. Comparison of conceptions prior to and after the course indicated an expanded range of conceptions. There was reportedly a movement towards more complex and diversified perspectives. Prior to the course, participants reported comparatively traditional conceptions of learning and leadership in quite a limited range. Learning experience and exposure to Western educational ideas and practices seems to have led participants to reflect on their inherited assumptions and to expand their conceptions. They generally increased their awareness of key aspects of variations in learning and leadership. This study identified a general shift from content/utilitarian-oriented learning conceptions to meaning/developmental-oriented conceptions after undertaking the course. There was also a shift from task/directiveorientated conceptions about leadership to motivation/collaborative-oriented leadership conceptions. Many participants reported that they expanded their leadership practice after the course. The findings also revealed some differences regarding conceptual and practice changes across the three sectors. The study contributes to understanding of learning and leadership in an international education context. The learning and leadership conceptions and self-reported practices are context and culture dependent. The study illustrates the tensions between different cultural forces in the process of teaching and learning. The methodology which explores the subjective understandings of participants renders more complex understandings of intercultural processes than cross-cultural comparisons which have been predominant in the educational leadership field in the past. The results highlight the need for appreciation of local contexts in designing international programs. The discussion questions the universal applicability and transferability of Western ideas, and also highlights the importance of critical reflection and adaptation on the part of educational practitioners from non-Western cultures. It highlights the potential for growth of change in both providers and recipients of international education as a result of very different cultures and traditions coming into contact. Intercultural dialogue and integration of educational ideas and practices are likely to come about when East meets West in an open and reflective dialogue.

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

Offshore programs have become increasingly popular in countries that are experiencing rapid economic growth and rising demand for higher education. There is no doubt that China is one of the largest markets for offshore programs. However, the offshore program market in China has become increasingly competitive. Currently, institutions from the USA, the UK, and Australia, to name just a few, are offering offshore programs ranging from the professional diploma level to higher degrees such as MA, MBA and PhD. Therefore, understanding how Chinese students select an offshore program is important for competing and surviving in this market place. This study examines the effects of image (i.e., country image and higher education image), attitude, subject norm and perceived behavior control (adopted from Ajzen's theory of planned behavior) in Chinese students' enrollment intentions towards offshore programs from Australia, the UK and the USA respectively. A total number of 1291 valid questionnaires were collected from China for this study. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method was used for data analyses and modeling. This PhD's several major findings have significant theoretical and practical implication. One of the major findings was that country image or its related higher education image doesn't have significant effect on an offshore program evaluation in China. This finding has contradicted most previous studies which suggested that country image had significant impact on whether a consumer purchases the products or brands from a foreign country. The difference between this study and the other country-image studies may be due to the fact that this study studied multiple factors besides country image, while the other studies looked at only the effect of country image on purchasing intention. Although country image or higher education image did not play any significant role in offshore program enrollments, this study found that the image of the partnering or local institution had a significant effect on enrollment intention. Because Chinese students are unfamiliar with a foreign country or their higher education system, they relied heavily on the local institution (e.g., its reputation and quality) to evaluate an offshore program. The findings with respective to image have challenged most previous studies on country image and open a new arena for looking at the effect of country image in behavioral intention. Practically speaking, these findings make universities rethink their offshore program strategies in foreign countries, particularly developing countries. Most university marketers from western countries emphasize on the characteristics of its own (such as the history of the university, the quality of research) when promoting its offshore program overseas. However, this study suggested that the focus should be placed on selecting a good and suitable local partner, as well as emphasizing the characteristics of the local partner. Other major findings were related to the Theory of Planned behavior. This study found that all three components of the TPB, namely, attitude towards the program, subject norm and perceived behavior control had significant effects on enrollment intention. This suggested that for predicting behavioral intention in educational program enrollment, the TPB is a very powerful model.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
O estudo partiu do diálogo entre as políticas públicas de meio ambiente e o referencial teórico crítico da educação e da justiça ambiental. Ancorada na filosofia da práxis, uma categoria central do materialismo-histórico, busca ir além dos aspectos teóricos. A pesquisa tem o objetivo de contribuir para o entendimento e melhoria dos processos complexos e contraditórios de implementação da educação ambiental como condicionante de licença de operação e produção da indústria de petróleo e gás no Brasil. Tais projetos mitigatórios são conduzidos e monitorados pelo órgão ambiental, mas devem ser implementados e executados pelos próprios empreendedores que causam os impactos socioambientais nas localidades. Em contrapartida, projetos de educação ambiental crítica e participativa, desenvolvidos compulsoriamente no licenciamento offshore, estão voltados para os grupos socioambientais impactados. Preconizam o fortalecimento e a integração desses grupos diante do Estado e do próprio empresariado e devem estimular participação em processos decisórios da gestão ambiental local. A tese a ser demonstrada é a de que, neste campo de disputas pelo uso e gestão do território, os PEAs em sua práxis educativa e enquanto política pública no âmbito do licenciamento, constitui-se em um instrumento em potencial na construção de cidadania política. Na busca por investigar a efetividade desses PEAs, implementados na maior bacia petrolífera do país, a bacia de campos, a pesquisa faz primeiramente um estudo documental e posteriormente um estudo empírico com os atores sociais participantes dos projetos. A pesquisa documental revelou que existiam cinco PEAs desenvolvidos entre os anos de 2010 e 2012: o Projeto Pólen e o NEA-BC (Petrobras); o PEA ObservAção (PetroRio, antiga HRT); o PEA FOCO (Statoil) e o QUIPEA (Shell). A pesquisa empírica foi feita nos municípios de São Francisco de Itabapoana, São João da Barra, Armação dos Búzios e Cabo frio, contemplados com 80% dos projetos desenvolvidos na região e percorreu 17 localidades dos municípios e foram realizadas 52 entrevistas. Esta etapa da pesquisa traz as motivações acerca dos projetos, opiniões sobre o processo formativo, as transformações práticas vividas pelos atores a partir das vivências nos projetos e aspectos da participação desses atores sociais dentro e fora dos PEAs. 70% dos entrevistados trazem as crenças nos projetos devido às: propostas, objetivos e metodologias (discussões participativas, encontros de comunidades) e à equipe de executores (com os quais os atores têm uma relação de afeto e admiração); 28% abarcam as descrenças: lentidão e subjetividade dos resultados; o não entendimento acerca da origem dos projetos (mitigatórios, compesatórios, etc); conflito nas relações entre os quilombolas e os empresários; gastos com os projetos e não com a comunidade. Outras categorias surgem: remuneração/contratação; Obtenção de uma sede para o projeto; a excelência no processo formativo (onde alguns métodos devem ser repensados); a interação e a articulação entre os projetos. O estudo também revelou que os participantes passaram a participar de instâncias da gestão pública de seus territórios. As questões são apontadas para que esses projetos possam ser aperfeiçoados, mesmo diante de todas as contradições, tensões e conflitos que isso impõe em uma sociedade desigual, reduzindo a natureza, a mercadoria e a relações precificadas.
This study originated from the dialogue between public environmental policies and the critical theoretical education and environmental justice references. Anchored on the praxis philosophy, a central category of historical materialism, aimed to go beyond the theoretical aspects. The research also aimed to contribute to the understanding and improvement of the complex and contradictory processes regarding the implementation of environmental educational programs, which are one of the demands to obtain the environmental license required for oil and gas exploitation in Brazil. Mitigating projects such as the one cited above, are conducted and monitored by the environmental agency, and must be implemented and executed by the companies whose activies cause social and environmental impacts on identified social groups. On the other hand, the participatory environmental education projects, compulsorily developed for licensing offshore focused on the impacted social groups. They stimulate, as one goal, the strengthening and integration of these groups on the State and the business itself and should encourage participation in decision-making on the local environmental management level. The thesis to be demonstrated is that on this field of contest for the territory usage and its management, the PEAs in their educational praxis and as a public policy in the licensing scope, can be stated as a potential tool for the citizenship policy construction. With the purpose of investigating the effectiveness of PEAs, implemented in the largest oil basin of the country, the Campos basin, the first step of the present investigation was an extensive survey on documents and the second step was an empirical approach with selected social actors participating in the the projects. The documents survey revealed that there were five PEAs developed between 2010 and 2012 in Campos basin: the Pollen Project and the NEA-BC (Petrobras); PEA OBA (PetroRio); PEA FOCO (Statoil) and the QUIPEA (Shell). The empirical research has been done in the municipalities of San Francisco de Itabapoana, São João da Barra, Buzios and Cabo Frio, awarded 80% of the projects developed in the region. The field research included 17 locations in the municipalities were 52 interviews were conducted. 70% of respondents cited they believed in the projects due to the proposal itself, the objectives and the methodologies, including participatory discussions, community meetings and the team of performers, with which, the actors demonstrated a relationship of affection and admiration. About 28% approached the disbelief due to slow and subjectivity of results; lack of understanding about the nature of the projects (mitigation, compensation nature, etc); conflicts in relations between social actors (Maroons) and entrepreneurs; spending resources on the projects and not on the communitys needs. Other categories were rised: remuneration / contracting; headquarters needed for the project; excellence in the informative/training process; the interaction and coordination between the projects. The study also confirmed that participants increased their participation within the public administration bodies on their territories. The issues are highlighted as a contribution for the improvement of these projects improvement, regardless all the contradictions, tensions and conflicts imposed by an unequal society, reducing the goods and the nature priced relationships.

O presente estudo traz para discussão as ações educativas destinadas aos trabalhadores, no âmbito do licenciamento ambiental das atividades de perfuração e exploração de petróleo e gás offshore - à luz dos referenciais teórico metodológicos de uma Educação Ambiental (EA) crítica. Muito embora as pesquisas em EA no Brasil tenham alcançado um elevado grau de maturidade, produzindo reflexões profícuas e embasando a elaboração tanto de diretrizes quanto instruções normativas; ainda hoje, importantes eixos de atuação e públicos de interesse específicos - a exemplo de trabalhadores alocados em unidades de perfuração, produção e embarcações de apoio - carecem de uma reflexão aprofundada que questione tanto o substrato epistemológico empregado quanto o tipo de práxis educativa que vem sendo construída. Neste sentido o estudo analisa o Projeto de Educação Ambiental dos Trabalhadores (PEAT) elaborado por duas grandes empresas de consultoria, sediadas no Rio de Janeiro, com o objetivo de avaliar em que medida seus projetos pedagógicos incorporam os princípios da EA instituídos pela Política Nacional de Educação Ambiental. Ademais são observados os pontos críticos (contradições) para a operacionalização do Projeto e o embate entre discursos antagônicos, que buscam a hegemonia material e simbólica do campo da EA, tomando por base a análise de discurso a partir de entrevistas realizadas com os principais atores envolvidos na elaboração do PEAT: empreendedor-consultoria-órgão ambiental. Como resultado observamos: (i) uma deficiência (por parte das consultorias) em incorporar os fundamentos teóricos da EA ao PEAT submetido para aprovação do órgão ambiental licenciador; (ii) uma inadequação das concepções metodológicas do PEAT, com consequentes advertências por parte do órgão ambiental e (iii) o engendramento de uma situação de incoerência na qual o órgão ambiental licenciador aprova um documento escrito (PEAT submetido) e desaprova as práticas educativas por este desencadeadas.
This study starts the discussion of educational actions designed for workers, under the environmental licensing process of exploration and production of oil and gas from the perspective of the theoretical methodological references of critical Environmental Education (EE). Even though research in EE in Brazilhas reached an elevated degree of maturity, producing fruitful reflections and providing basis for the elaboration of guidelines as well as normative instructions; even today, important areas of action and target publics of specific interests as is exemplified by workers allocated in drilling and production units and supply vessels lack a deeper reflection that questions not only the epistemological basis used but also the kind of educational praxis that is being constructed. In this way, this study analyses the Environmental Education Project for Workers (PEAT) elaborated by two large consulting companies, based in Rio de Janeiro, so as to evaluate in what way their pedagogical projects incorporate the principles of EE put forth by the National Environmental Education Policy. Critical points (contradictions) for the operationalization of the Project are also observed as well as the shock between conflicting discourses that look for material and symbolic hegemony in the EE field, by analyzing the discourse from interviews carried out with the main actors involved in the elaboration of the PEAT: the company consulting company environmental agency. As a result, we see: (i) a deficiency (on the part of the consulting companies) in incorporating the theoretical foundations of EE into the PEAT submitted for approval by the environmental agency responsible for the licensing process; (ii) inadequate methodological conceptions of the PEAT, with subsequent warnings from the environmental agency and (iii) the creation of a situation of incoherencies in which the environmental agency approves a written document (the submitted PEAT) and disapproves of the educational practices that this document propagates.

IT/IS Offshore outsourcing is defined as a commercial arrangement of transferring local ITIIS functions, assets, activities, products and services to a foreign contractor therefore removing new employment positions, replacing or displacing U.S. domestic IT/IS workers with those from other countries for financial or competitive advantage of the outsourcing client. This process of offshore outsourcing to overseas locations was perceived to have consequences on IT/IS student enrolment at U.S. universities. The objective of this study was to identify administrators' responses to reduced IT/IS student enrolments. The majority of ITIIS college administrators have concerns about offshore outsourcing, and is perceived to reduce student enrolments. Ninety-five percent of the universities experienced enrolment declines after the year 2000. The dotcom bubble burst, offshore outsourcing and media talk on lost jobs were the perceived main causes. Some universities have taken remedial steps; marketing IT/IS to high school students, getting the IT industry involved, and seeking government funding. The research questions for this study include: What are the concerns in U.S. universities due to IT/IS offshore outsourcing, in relation to interest and enrolment by students in IT/IS programs? What are the prevailing consequences of ITIIS offshore outsourcing on undergraduate training for IT/IS programs? What are the specific changes in ITIIS university programs that can be attributed to ITIIS offshore outsourcing? This study was conducted by running interviews with college administrators (Dean or Head of Department) in U.S. Universities. A total of twenty randomly selected universities voluntarily participated in this research. The interview transcripts were validated for content with the respondents through email feedback. The following are recommended actions; implementing curriculum reviews, redefining departmental marketing strategies for new students, advocating for government funding, advertisements in news media, and seeking IT industry plus professional organizations' assistance. It is recommended that IT/IS training be focused on offshore-proof skills. Some of the training skills include: bio-informatics, nano-technology, double majors, offshore business management, teamwork participation, forensic technology, security, and data mining. According to the department of labor and statistics, the projected job growth for IT/IS careers is excellent. Universities can leverage on this message and promote student interest

Over the past twenty years, high school students in China have been learning the British Columbia (BC) public curriculum in certified private offshore schools with the intention of attending post-secondary institutions abroad. This internationalization and privatization in the Chinese education system began after critical reforms that allowed non-state actors to own and operate schools or programs that offer foreign curricula and credentials. BC offshore schools (BCOS) are one of the foreign curriculum options available to students in China and are comprised of approximately 12,000 students in thirty-seven certified schools. These students then may become international students when they migrate abroad, often to Canada. Within this setting, this case study explores the perspectives and experiences of five female first-year university students who have just recently graduated from three different BC offshore schools. The theoretical framings of sociocultural theory, second language socialization, community of practice, and transnationalism help situate the perspectives of the students in this dynamic educational phenomenon. The primary data sources include semi-structured interviews at the beginning of their first and second semesters at a large BC university and participant responses to journal prompts through the semester, as well as publicly available BC educational documents. This study’s findings indicate that graduates of BCOS were prepared for undergraduate academic courses because of their socialization into foundational research skills, essay writing, lecture listening, and project-based assessments. The similarities between the BC and university curricula have helped these participants transition from high school to university as well as from China to Canada. Each participant revealed different challenges that they faced including systematic grammar knowledge, increased reading requirements, and socializing with Canadian peers. Overall, Chinese BCOS graduates are a dynamic, diverse, and under-researched population. Participants’ socialization into the learning environments in British Columbia offshore schools has helped them prepare and learn skills necessary for favourable experiences in university.
Graduate

A manifestation of the globalisation and internationalisation of higher education has been the growth of offshore programs conducted by Australian universities, especially in the Asian region. A concern with quality assurance and quality improvement has accompanied this trend. There have been relatively few studies about offshore programs from the viewpoint of academics. The prime purpose of this study, therefore, was to gain insights into the nature of quality academic work in offshore programs as conceptualised by academics. Through a deeper understanding of their perspectives, the researcher sought to determine the factors that participants identified as having crucial influences on the quality of their offshore work. A constructivist methodological perspective, with its underpinning ontological and epistemological position that reality is formed within a social construct and concepts are constructed by the researcher and participants, was chosen as the most appropriate match to both address the central research question, and to align with the stance of the researcher. A qualitative interview-based design was employed, the main objective of which was to gather and analyse detailed accounts from a purposeful sample of 16 lecturer level academics from Australian higher education institutions, who had taught in offshore programs in Hong Kong. The main data collection method was individual in-depth semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was utilised to unearth the themes in the data. The guiding conceptual frame for the research was informed by: concepts of academic work, internationalisation of higher education, and of quality, along with Schwab’s (1973) four commonplaces of education, and learning and cultural lenses. The findings and conclusions were supported by theoretical insights and verbatim interview extracts which highlighted the voices of participants. Three sets of factors were revealed: the contextual environment factors of contemporary academic work and notions of quality; the extrinsic factors of curriculum, student and institution; and the factors intrinsic to the academic. The confluence of these factors, interlinked through notions of learning, represented the conceptualisations of quality offshore academic work found in this study.

博士
國立屏東大學
教育行政研究所
104
The purpose of this study was to explore the recruitment of international student in Taiwan, and take offshore Taiwan education center(TEC) as a example. To analyze the operating results, and to investigate the current development of international student recruitment in Taiwan. To discuss TEC’s management strategies. And to Explore ways to improve policies and complementary measures for international student recruitment in Taiwan through analyzing management strategies for TEC. Methodologies of this study include in-depth interviewing, focus group and analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The participants in this investigation were experts, directors of TEC, educational administrators and staffs of Office of International Affairs in university.Data were collected through analyzing the transcripts of the focus group discussions and interviews. An AHP designed questionnaire was distributed to experts and analyzed by the Expert Choice11.5 software package. The conclusions of this study are as follows: 1.The management strategy of TEC should focus on clarifying objectives. 2.TEC’s objectives are focus on recruit international students, enhance the international prestige and being a platform for academic communication. 3.The primary operating model of TEC is to collaborate with local universities. 4.The primary course program of TEC is short-term Mandarin Chinese courses. 5.The recruitment strategies of TEC are focus on recruitment exhibition, enroll students in collaborate universities and illustration meeting. 6.The most important complementary measure for TEC is supports from government and university. This study addresses several suggestions. 1.Recommends educational administration competent authority. (1)To assist the contractor school’sadministrative operations and enrollment, and promoting school willingness to undertake. (2)Expanded cooperative education and industry-university cooperation model of the school and the industry, and establish long-term training mechanism. 2.Recommends that institutions of higher education. (1)To promote higher education of Taiwan and school characteristics as the main mission objectives. (2)Expand Chinese language education market, In the Chinese language features to attract international students studying in Taiwan. (3)Organized local recruiting exhibition and seminars to enhance the visibility of higher education. (4)Ensure higher education’s operating performance and output quality, and the importance of the issue of education opportunities fair.