Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Teaching environment'

All developers understand the benefits of testing their code to ensure its functionality. Today’s market is moving further towards design principles where testing is a central or driving force during development. This puts a certain pressure on academia to supply these skills to their students.Recently the course II1302 Projects and project methods at the Royal Institute of Technology in Kista made a concerted effort to introduce the students of the course to these modern concepts. This thesis investigates how areas of testing can effectively be introduced to the students in the course, utilizing a tailored example that takes the area of testing into particular consideration and how to automate it via DevOps-tools provided by a cloud-based service. Further, it also makes an attempt to provide additional material to be used for teaching testing in conjunction with the example provided.The case study covers the development of an example application, meant to mirror a typical student project. It also covers how this was used for teaching the students about the testing areas considered. The covered testing areas include unit testing, integration testing and UI testing. With these given testing areas, the application and an associated learning module was developed for each area in question. Relevant standards, strategies and approaches was also identified for each of these areas.The thesis also presents important properties to take into consideration when developing similar examples in the future, based on the experiences obtained during the study. These include needs such as understandable by inexperienced students, applicability outside the course, adherence to established standards, tools that are simple to use and an architectural structure that allows for testing.Some improvements are also recommended: the students would benefit from learning software testing from an early stage of their studies. The content of the learning modules should also be brought to the students earlier in the course, so it can be applied in their projects at an early stage as well.Further research is also recommended to evaluate the suitability of using other cloud-based environments instead, and to evaluate the applicability of the learning modules for students of varying disabilities.
Alla utvecklare förstår fördelarna med att testa kod för att garantera dess funktionalitet. Dagens industri går i en riktning där testning spelar en central del av design under utveckling av mjukvara. Denna tendens lägger en viss press på högskolan att lära ut dessa erfarenheter till dess studenter.På senare tid har kursen II1302 Projekt och projektmetoder på Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan i Kista tagit en stor ansats för att introducera sina studenter inför dessa moderna koncept. Denna uppsats undersöker hur testningsområdet effektivt kan introduceras till studenterna inom denna kurs, genom att utnyttja ett egengjort exempel som har området i fokus, samt att automatisera detta via DevOps-verktyg tillhandahållna av molnbaserade tjänster. Dessutom görs även en ansats för att tilldela ytterligare material som kan användas för att lära ut testning av mjukvara i samband med det givna exemplet.Fallstudien omfattar utvecklingen av en exempelapplikation, som var avsedd att likna ett typiskt studentprojekt. Den täcker även hur denna användes för att lära ut de betraktade testningsområdena till studenterna. De täckta områdena av testning inkluderar enhetstestning, integrationstestning och testning av användargränssnitt. Med dessa givna testningsområden utvecklades både applikationen och dess associerade lärmoduler för vardera testningområde i fråga. Relevanta standarder, strategier och metoder var också identifierade för vardera av dessa områden.Denna uppsats presenterar även ett antal viktiga egenskaper att hålla i åtanke vid utveckling av liknande exempel i framtiden, baserat på erfarenheterna från studien. Detta inkluderar behov som tillgänglighet för mindre erfarna studenter, applicerbarhet utanför själva kursen, tillämpning av etablerade standarder, utnyttjande av lättanvända verktyg och en arkitektur som tillåter testning.Några förbättringar föreslås även: studenterna skulle gynnas av att lära sig om mjukvarutestning i ett tidigt skede av sina studier. Innehållet i lärmodulerna bör även presenteras för studenterna tidigare i kursen för att kunna appliceras i deras projekt.Ytterligare forskning rekommenderas även för att utvärdera andra lämpliga molnbaserade miljöer, samt för att utvärdera tillämpbarheten av lärmodulerna hos studenter med inlärningssvårigheter.

This study investigated the classroom environment in an underperforming mathematics classroom. The objectives were: (1) to investigate the classroom environment and identify influences upon it, and (2) to further explore those influences (i.e., teacher knowledge). This was completed using a diachronic case study approach in which data were gathered during lesson observations and coaching sessions. These data were analysed to describe and exemplify the classroom environment, then further described against forms of teacher knowledge. Conjectures regarding the importance of teacher knowledge of content were made which formed a base for developing a model of teacher planning and pedagogy.

Fifteen professionals in a variety of environmental occupations in the United States were interviewed in a structured, open-ended format. Job profiles were developed from the interviews. The philosophy of these environmental professionals is expressed in their own words and offers insights into influences upon career choice, professional training and personal fulfillment. In addition, environmental related career activity guides were developed to help students and their parents and teachers gain an awareness of the occupations available in this field.

The expansion of Built Environment Education into art programs is a relatively recent phenomenon but very timely. The need to develop in students an understanding of their living environment is urgent as they inherit a world that is experiencing the depletion of its resources and erosion of its ecological balance.
There is a fundamental need for more comprehensive curriculum planning in built environment education. The goal of this research is to develop a curriculum paradigm that can be used to create curriculum plans and instructional designs for built environment education as part of the art class in secondary schools.
The built environment content of this curriculum paradigm is based on the active investigation of the students' internal world with all its different perceptions and lived experience and how this affects their understanding of the greater built environment. Through a more intense investigation of the greater built environment, the students will then analyze the effect that this environment has on their own perceptions and living habits. By developing a more conscious understanding of the built environment, the students will be better equipped to make informed decisions on how to better adapt to or change their environment.
A guiding principle for the curriculum paradigm was to ensure that the introduction of a new subject area, such as built environment education, into art education curriculum involved processes of creativity and discovery along with self-reflective and participatory action for both the teacher and students. To be effective, the content material must not only be accessible through the traditional modes of academic literature research but also made valid through observation, reflection and interaction with the particular built environment of the teacher and students themselves.
Vigilance and active participation in the process of urban change are vital. These changes can only be effective and enduring if we acknowledge the capacity of the built environment to enrich our lives as private and communal beings.
One of the essential goals of this curriculum paradigm is to capture the excitement and potential that the built environment offers as a pervasive agent for understanding and celebrating constructed past, present and future.

Higher education continues to witness a significant increase in the demand for online courses delivered via the World Wide Web. Institutions are challenged to position and prepare faculty for successfully developing and delivering this increasing number of online courses from a distance. Becoming successful in the online classroom presents difficult and time-consuming challenges to the novice faculty member. Instructors who transition from the face-to-face classroom find that some characteristics, strategies and procedures carryover into the online classroom. The new teaching environment presents an evolving spectrum of possibilities for the online professor, a new paradigm for teaching and learning. This research provides a multi-dimensional case study of the online teaching persona of four successful undergraduate college professors. The literature presents mounting evidence of the growth and momentum of the online college education. Also, the literature presents evidence that multiple resources become necessary if best practices and strategies are to be successfully integrated into online courses. The research has found that a persona change occurs when the faculty member transitions from the face-to-face to the online classroom. Utilizing this foundation, this study adds to the literature and clarifies the online teaching persona, incorporated characteristics, and strategies used by four successful undergraduate professors in a large university setting in the southern United States. Using face-to-face interviews and (non-participant) class observation, this researcher determined the transitory nature of the online teaching persona of the four participants in the study. The study revealed the characteristics, methods and strategies that enable the online professor to successfully deliver undergraduate courses using the World Wide Web.
Ed.D.
Department of Educational Research, Technology and Leadership
Education
Curriculum and Instruction EdD

Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1999.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-58).
by Aaron T.T. Boyd
S.B.and M.Eng.

I have committed a significant period of time (in my case five years) to the purpose development of learning environments, with the belief that it would improve the self-actualisation and self-motivation of students and teachers alike. I consider it important to record and measure performance as we progressed toward such an outcome. Education researchers and practitioners alike, in the higher (university/tertiary) education systems, are seeking among new challenges to engage students and teachers in learning (James, 2001). However, studies to date show a confusing landscape littered with a multiplicity of interpretations and terms, successes and failures. As the discipline leader of the Information Technology, Systems and Multimedia (ITSM) Discipline, Swinburne University of Technology, Lilydale, I found myself struggling with this paradigm. I also found myself being torn between what presents as pragmatic student learning behaviour and the learner-centred teaching ideal reflected in the Swinburne Lilydale mission statement. The research reported in this folio reflects my theory and practice as discipline leader of the ITSM Discipline and the resulting learning environment evolution during the period 1997/8 to 2003. The study adds to the material evidence of extant research through firstly, a meta analysis of the learning environment implemented by the ITSM Discipline as recorded in peer reviewed and published papers; and secondly, a content analysis of student learning approaches, conducted on data reported from a survey of ‘learning skills inventory’ originally conducted by the ITSM Discipline staff in 2002. In 1997 information and communication technologies (ICT) were beginning to provide plausible means for electronic distribution of learning materials on a flexible and repeatable basis, and to provide answers to the imperative of learning materials distribution relating to an ITSM Discipline new course to begin in 1998. A very short time frame of three months was available prior to teaching the course. The ITSM Discipline learning environment development was an evolutionary process I began in 1997/8 initially from the requirement to publish print-based learning guide materials for the new ITSM Discipline subjects. Learning materials and student-to-teacher reciprocal communication would then be delivered and distributed online as virtual learning guides and virtual lectures, over distance as well as maintaining classroom-based instruction design. Virtual here is used to describe the use of ICT and Internet-based approaches. No longer would it be necessary for students to attend classes simply to access lecture content, or fear missing out on vital information. Assumptions I made as discipline leader for the ITSM Discipline included, firstly, that learning should be an active enterprise for the students, teachers and society; secondly, that each student comes to a learning environment with different learning expectations, learning skills and learning styles; and thirdly, that the provision of a holistic learning environment would encourage students to be self-actualising and self-motivated. Considerable reading of research and publications, as outlined in this folio, supported the update of these assumptions relative to teaching and learning. ITSM Discipline staff were required to quickly and naturally change their teaching styles and communication of values to engage with the emergent ITSM Discipline learning environment and pedagogy, and each new teaching situation. From a student perspective such assumptions meant students needed to move from reliance upon teaching and prescriptive transmission of information to a self-motivated and more self-actualising and reflective set of strategies for learning. In constructing this folio, after the introductory chaperts, there are two distinct component parts; • firstly, a Descriptive Meta analysis (Chapter Three) that draws together several of my peer reviewed professional writings and observations that document the progression of the ITSM Discipline learning environment evolution during the period 1997/8 to 2003. As the learning environment designer and discipline leader, my observations and published papers provide insight into the considerations that are required when providing an active, flexible and multi-modal learning environment for students and teachers; and • secondly, a Dissertation (Chapter Four), as a content analysis of a learning skills inventory data collection, collected by the ITSM Discipline in the 2002 Swinburne Lilydale academic year, where students were encouraged to complete reflective journal entries via the ITSM Discipline virtual learning guide subject web-site. That data collection included all students in a majority of subjects supported by the ITSM Discipline for both semesters one and two 2002. The original purpose of the journal entries was to have students reflectively involved in assessing their learning skills and approaches to learning. Such perceptions were tested using a well-known metric, the ‘learning skills inventory’ (Knowles, 1975), augmented with a short reflective learning approach narrative. The journal entries were used by teaching staff originally and then made available to researchers as a desensitised data in 2003 for statistical and content analysis relative to student learning skills and approaches. The findings of my research support a view of the student and teacher enculturation as utilitarian, dependent and pragmatically self-motivated. This, I argue, shows little sign of abatement in the early part of the 21st Century. My observation suggests that this is also independent of the pedagogical and educational philosophy debate or practice as currently presented. As much as the self-actualising, self-motivated learning environment can be justified philosophically, the findings observed from this research, reported in this folio, cannot. Part of the reason for this originates from the debate by educational researchers as to the relative merits of liberal and vocational philosophies for education combined with the recent introduction of information and communication technologies, and commodification of higher education. Challenging students to be participative and active learners, as proposed by educationalists Meyers and Jones (1993), i.e. self-motivated and self-actualising learners, has proved to be problematic. This, I will argue, will require a change to a variable/s (not yet identified) of higher education enculturation on multiple fronts, by students, teachers and society in order to bridge the gap. This research indicates that tertiary educators and educational researchers should stop thinking simplistically of constructivist and/or technology-enabled approaches, students learning choices and teachers teaching choices. Based on my research I argue for a far more holistic set of explanations of student and staff expectations and behaviour, and therefore pedagogy that supports those expectations.

Online education creates new demands on organization and structure in order to make use of its advantages with the technology for learning. Research in this area elucidates new possibilities with the computer as a medium, to individualize and make the learning more flexible. Meanwhile, the empirical study shows practical limitations, which affects the design of web-based teaching. As a result, we have started to develop a guideline, which describes these new possibilities and common problems with the new learning environment. We have structured the guideline by first defining the problem area and then giving recommendation or in some cases proposal of improving the technique. The purpose with the guideline is to illustrate and support teachers with knowledge and inspiration to make the design of this new form of education suitable in its practice.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
Teaching technical themes in the area of Computer Networks involves difficult concepts to be understood in the traditional educational way, i.e. statically. At the same time, technological advances have created many opportunities in education, requiring the development of new pedagogical practices that contribute to the process of teaching and learning. The creation of immersive virtual environments and the addressing of issues related to context-aware computing can support this process. For that, in this dissertation it was developed an immersive virtual environment for teaching Computer Networks that uses learner context information -e.g. technology, cognitive style, and quality of context-, while providing a significant learning from the integration and interaction between users and technology. To achieve the objectives of this study, an exploratory research with a case study was performed in order to verify whether the use of an immersive virtual environment can facilitate and/or improve the process of learning the discipline of Computer Networks. The construction of this environment, named TCN5, has as basis four main elements, these being,WampServer, OpenSimulator, Sloodle and UVLEQoC Moodle, which adds features from modules like U-SEA 2.0 and SEDECA 2.0, in addition to Bootstrap theme, applying QoC parameters and metrics about the information collected in the environment, aiming to ensure the suitability of the connection for the preferences and needs of the students. In order to verify the practical feasibility of the work and the usage of the environment through mobile devices, a case study was conducted, which showed that despite mobile technologies allow the realization of most of the proposed activities, there are still some technological limitations that make difficult the usage of such devices in the educational context. At the same time, a comparative analysis between different viewers for virtual worlds was performed, pointing out advantages and disadvantages by considering aspects of available resources for processing and supported file types. Finally, a non-experimental study was conducted, using a Pedagogical Architecture, which served as the basis for the use and evaluation of the environment by a group of 25 students from the Computer Networks discipline of Computer Science program at the Federal University of Santa Maria. The results obtained during the evaluation with students accomplished the desired expectations, achieving a rating of "Excellent" on the scale of the SUS usability test and a considerable increase in the average obtained in the elaboration of the conceptual maps after using TCN5, an indication that the environment helped, at least in part, to the construction of knowledge of this group, despite the limitations and difficulties encountered during its development.
O ensino de temas técnicos na área de Redes de Computadores envolve conceitos difíceis de serem entendidos na forma pedagógica tradicional, ou seja, de forma estática. Ao mesmo tempo, os avanços tecnológicos criaram diversas possibilidades na educação, exigindo o desenvolvimento de novas práticas pedagógicas que contribuam para o processo de ensino e aprendizagem. A criação de ambientes virtuais imersivos e o tratamento de questões relacionadas com a computação sensível ao contexto podem auxiliar nesse processo. Para isso, foi desenvolvido nesta dissertação um ambiente virtual imersivo para o ensino de Redes de Computadores que trata informações de contexto do aluno (e.g., tecnologia, estilo cognitivo e qualidade do contexto), proporcionando ao mesmo uma aprendizagem significativa, a partir da integração e interação entre usuários e tecnologia. Para atingir os objetivos deste trabalho foi realizada uma pesquisa exploratória com estudo de caso, a fim de verificar se a utilização de um ambiente virtual imersivo pode facilitar e/ou melhorar o processo de aprendizagem da disciplina de Redes de Computadores. A construção desse ambiente, denominado TCN5, teve como base quatro elementos principais, sendo esses, o WampServer, o OpenSimulator, o Sloodle e o Moodle UVLEQoC, que agrega as características tanto dos módulos U-SEA 2.0 e SEDECA 2.0 como do Tema Bootstrap, aplicando parâmetros e métricas de QoC sobre as informações coletadas no ambiente, com o objetivo de garantir que o contexto formulado esteja adequado às preferências e necessidades dos alunos. Para verificar a viabilidade prática do trabalho quanto à utilização do ambiente por meio do uso de dispositivos móveis foi realizado um estudo de caso, que demonstrou que apesar das tecnologias móveis permitirem a realização da maioria das atividades propostas, existem ainda algumas limitações tecnológicas que dificultam a utilização desses dispositivos no contexto educacional. Ao mesmo tempo, foi realizada uma análise comparativa entre os diversos visualizadores de mundos virtuais disponíveis, apontando vantagens e desvantagens, considerando aspectos de processamento, recursos disponibilizados e tipos de arquivos suportados. Por fim, foi realizado um estudo Não-Experimental utilizando uma Arquitetura Pedagógica, que serviu como base para a utilização e avaliação do ambiente por uma turma de 25 alunos da disciplina de Redes de Computadores do Curso de Ciência da Computação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. Os resultados obtidos durante a avaliação com os alunos atenderam as expectativas, alcançando uma classificação Excelente na escala do teste de usabilidade SUS, bem como um aumento considerável na média obtida na elaboração dos mapas conceituais após a utilização do TCN5, um indício de que o ambiente auxiliou, pelo menos em parte, na construção do conhecimento dessa turma, apesar das limitações e dificuldades encontradas durante o seu desenvolvimento.

Thesis (S.B. and M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1998.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 78-80).
by Nicholas J. Tornow.
S.B.and M.Eng.

At a technical post-secondary school in the Northeast United States, campus leaders lacked formative data of faculty skills and knowledge needed for instruction in a hybrid format involving both face-to-face instruction and on-line instruction. Therefore, the delivery of appropriate professional development (PD) programs for faculty whose duties include hybrid format instruction has not been provided. The purpose of this study was to identify the faculty experiences of teaching in a hybrid-learning environment, and their perceived PD needs to provide effective instruction in a hybrid-learning environment. This study explored vocational teachers' experiences and perceived PD needs related to teaching in a hybrid-teaching environment. Using Kolb's model of experiential learning, a qualitative case study design was used to sample 8 vocational instructors who met the criteria of teaching in the hybrid-learning environment in the medical assistant or the dental assistant programs. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews and were analyzed using axial coding. Themes emerging from the findings included the changing role of the instructor, concerns of plagiarism, faculty PD for teaching in a hybrid-learning environment, and practice using the learning management system (LMS). Findings based on themes indicated PD on the learning management system (LMS), and pedagogy to teach in the hybrid-learning environment is needed for the teachers. A white paper recommending initial on-going systemic PD for faculty teaching in the hybrid-learning environment was developed. Implications for social change are that faculties will become more knowledgeable instructing in the hybrid-learning environment, which will the development of hybrid teaching skills and better-prepared dental and medical assistant graduates who will provide improved care for clients.

Abstract This study is about preschool teachers' perceptions of biology teaching in preschool. The study examines three questions based on the purpose of the study that focus on preschool teachers 'perceptions of biology teaching in preschool, the child's perspective as a starting point in biology teaching and preschool teachers' reasoning about the importance of the outdoor environment as a learning environment for biology teaching. The study is based on previous research results that highlight preschool teachers' lack of subject knowledge and uncertainty in science teaching at preschool. In addition, both the preschool curriculum and research studies emphasize the child's perspective in teaching. Learning environment in the form of both indoor and outdoor environment in accordance with previous research studies is a contributing factor in children's learning and development. In this study, the learning environment is highlighted as an outdoor environment in the form of the forest, nature walks and the preschool yard. The study results are based on empirical data collected based on semi-structured interviews with six preschool teachers in two different municipalities in western Sweden. Interviews are then analyzed based on a phenomenographic methodological approach. The results show that preschool teachers' perceptions of the subject of biology and its teaching in preschool are mostly linked to nature, animals, plants, and the human body. The results also show in different ways where the preschool teachers take care of children's questions and perspectives and set it as a starting point in the planning of biology teaching. This is done by planning the teaching with the children where the children get a chance to talk about what they want to learn and do in preschool. Finally, the preschool teachers explained that the learning and teaching environment as an outdoor environment in the form of the forest, walks and the preschool yard has an important role in children's learning in biology.

Online learning environments are being increasingly utilised in academic settings, with many universities developing online and blended programmes (Adekola, 2016). The student experience, in relation to working with others, when studying online, has been widely researched (Garrison et. al, 2000, Kehrwald, 2008). The tutor experience has not (Arbaugh, 2014). There are now a generation of experienced online tutors, particularly in institutions who were quick to take up online delivery, who have developed expertise teaching online. Their experience and knowledge of practice can add to the research, and knowledge base, on effective online learning. This research observed the role of the online tutor, when utilising collaborative activities in their teaching. An ethnographic observation of online practice was drawn, using an iterative mixed-methods approach. Data from the online space was used to observe the participation patterns of over fifty tutors, and over eight hundred students. Fifteen tutors were then interviewed, ten of whom took part in a subsequent focus group. Taking a narrative approach to analysis, the data gathered painted a rich picture of collaborative online practice. Qualitatively different approaches were observed in tutor's facilitation of collaborative online tools. Tutors were observed to be situated within layers of context, online teaching being culturally situated and mediated by the digital technology utilised. Text-based communications reified dialogue, mediating the interactions between participants. Many of the face-to-face feedback cues which tutors utilised in their teaching were lost in the online environment. The setting was opaque, but at the same time mediated higher levels of disclosure. The online environment challenged traditional physical and temporal boundaries; the responsibility for establishing boundaries becoming that of the tutor, rather than the institution. Tutors drew on previous experiences; their participation was shaped by the situated nature of their practice and their own aspirations for the future. The observation drawn, of pedagogic collaboration, highlighted the social and cultural nature of online participation.

This study examines the role of teaching assistants (TAs) in a town situated in the North-East England between 2010 and 2012. I was motivated to carry out the research by one fundamental question “How do teaching assistants support teaching and learning and, in doing so help create an inclusive environment?” The aims of this holistic, qualitative study were to investigate and clarify, through the lens of teaching assistants, how learning was supported and inclusion facilitated. Using a qualitative approach to examine this question, the study includes a theoretical literature review and empirical field work. The fieldwork consists of semi-structured interviews with ten teaching assistants, employed in the town. Thematic analysis is used to then analyse and interpret the data collected. The research explores, clarifies, and advances our understanding of how, and to what extent, the teaching assistants support learning and inclusion. The findings from this study show that teaching assistants support learning in education. It also illustrates that the teaching assistants support an inclusive environment. The original contribution to our knowledge from this research is that, within the town in the North East of England, through the lens of the teaching assistants, they do support learning, development, inclusive education and social inclusion. The results, inferences and possible implications for managers, training of teaching assistants and for future research are discussed. The findings offer support for key arguments around the quality of leadership, how teaching assistants are deployed and the impact their training has on their role. They challenge many of the present views of teaching assistants, and the study suggests they have a positive impact on learning and inclusion. They indicate that there is a need for further research that accommodates the “voice” of the teaching assistants, supporting the social and emotional development and the inclusive learning environment.

In this decade, the drive to improve the quality of learning environments at all levels has gathered pace, and accountability of providers has become a byword, particularly in secondary and tertiary educational institutions. In this process of meeting societal needs, the teacher's role is crucial to the provision of optimal conditions for learning. Teachers' adaptation to the changing clientele and technologies of the 1990's, also demands their flexibility and preparedness to contemplate anew their role in the learning transaction. Gage (1963) posed three topical questions about teaching: how do teachers behave, why do they behave as they do and what are the effects of their behaviour? The information gained by examining three types of variables, is required to answer these questions, the most central to research on teaching, is teaching behaviour, or the process of teaching. Secondly, there are the causes or determinants of those behaviours or processes and finally, there are the effects or consequences of the teaching behaviours or processes (Dunkin,1986). This research into teaching behaviours, conducted in three institutes of Technical and Further Education in the A.C.T., seeks to determine the quality of teaching for adult learners and the nature of the learning environment in TAFE. The design of the study incorporates comprehensive multi-variate instruments and a triangulating approach to data collection. In particular, a factor analysis of student questionnaires evaluates the main factors operant in the classrooms of the selected tertiary environments. The nature of the teaching behaviours and the contingent learning climate, enabled further conclusions to be drawn about the implications of these behaviours for adult learners eg. teacher expectancies, not found hitherto evaluated in a tertiary context.

Teaching presence and its implications for the intellectual climate of an online classroom cannot be fully understood unless explored from the perspective of the instructors who experience it. Framed in the theoretical perspective of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model, this collective case study investigated the actions, intentions and perceptions of instructors with the intent of developing an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of teaching presence as it was established in a structured online learning environment. The experiences of selected successful instructors in this specific online context were explored to gain insight on how pedagogical choices influenced the establishment of an intellectual climate appropriate to the courses taught. Using semi-structured interviews as the main source of data, the study utilized the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method as an analytical tool to address concerns of rigor in the qualitative interpretation of experiential data. It was the goal of this study to gain an understanding of how teaching presence is established and the decision processes employed in doing so in order to make a contribution to the body of knowledge from a practical pedagogical perspective. Findings of the study provided insight into the following: Practices in Establishing Teaching Presence. Intentions of Instructors. Influence on Intellectual Climate. Nature of Teaching Presence. Overall, the collective case revealed that an active interest and passion for teaching and an understanding of relevance to the student encouraged student engagement, and inspired intellectual curiosity and a shared responsibility for the learning process. The findings show that the common goal of learning shared by instructor and student had its foundations in the creation of authentic relationships between instructor and students that extend beyond stated learning objectives and expected outcomes. The results of this study contribute to knowledge related to the nature of teaching presence and its role in setting an academic climate, addressing the overarching question of the study about how instructors establish teaching presence and inspire intellectual curiosity within the courses they teach. In addition, the experiences of the selected instructors helped provide a vocabulary with which to describe the shared pedagogies of instructors and served to catalog commonalities in actions and intent associated with setting an intellectual climate that met the requirements of academic rigor appropriate to the courses they taught.

Inclusive education came into the spot light with the World Conference on Special Needs Education: Access and Quality, held in Salamanca, Spain in June 1994. The problem investigated in this study is how teaching oral hearing impaired learners in an inclusive school affects the classroom practice of the mathematics teacher as teaching-and-learning expert. In this study, the term hearing impaired refers to learners with a bilateral, moderate to profound hearing loss who have hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. These learners communicate orally, in other words, they have developed spoken language and do not communicate using sign language. The study focused on the classroom practice of three teachers in three different phases, namely the Intermediate Phase (Grade 4-6), the Secondary Phase (Grade 7-9) and the Further Education and Training phase (Grade 10-12) and explored how they teach mathematics to Hearing Impaired (HI) learners in an inclusive school. A qualitative research approach was followed and the research design was an exploratory case study. The data was collected in an inclusive school that includes oral HI learners which was purposefully chosen due to its model of inclusion where oral HI learners attend the same classes and lessons as their hearing peers. Three data collection instruments were used, namely semi-structured interviews, lesson observations and documentation analysis. The data was analysed deductively according to the themes reflected in the conceptual framework. The conceptual framework was based on ten practices mathematics teachers should apply when teaching HI learners (Easterbrooks & Stephenson, 2006), but through the lens of the mathematics teacher as teaching-and-learning expert and the language factors in teaching mathematics to HI learners. The research revealed that not all teachers who teach at an inclusive school truly understand the concept of inclusion and that continuous training is a pre-requisite for inclusion to be successful.
Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
Science, Mathematics and Technology Education
MEd
Unrestricted

Thesis (Ph.D.)--George Mason University, 2009.
Vita: p. 203. Thesis director: Priscilla Norton. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 11, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 198-202). Also issued in print.

The purpose of this project was to develop a teacher friendly guide that would help teachers not only apply brain-based strategies in the classroom, but also to see results from transforming their classrooms into brain-based learning environments.

This research is based on the hypothesis that response-based approaches to teaching literature and an outcomes-based system of education (OBE) are conceptually incompatible. This thesis claims that reader response involves processes that cannot be accommodated pedagogically within a system based on pre-determined outcomes. Furthermore, the kind of assessment prescribed by OBE is inappropriate to the nature of reader response. The hypothesis is based on three main premises. The first is that each reader brings a highly individual and complex set of personal schemata to the reading of imaginative texts, and these schemata have a decisive influence on the nature of a reader’s response. This means that response during imaginative engagements with literary texts tends to be idiosyncratic, and therefore largely unpredictable. Because of this, it would be inappropriate for a teacher, working within an OBE system, to try to teach towards pre-selected outcomes and to attempt to ensure that these outcomes, based on responses to literary texts, are in fact achieved. The second premise is that readers’ imaginative engagements with literary texts are essentially hidden events, which even the individual reader cannot fully bring to the surface and articulate. Because they are complex, and to some extent inaccessible, it would be inappropriate to assess the processes of response in the form of tangible evidence that a particular kind of response has taken place, or an outcome achieved. The third premise is that responses need time to grow and develop and do not merely happen quickly and cleanly. Consequently, aesthetic response, already a complex and inaccessible process, has no clearly distinguishable beginnings or endings. It would therefore be inappropriate to try to pinpoint the exact nature and parameters of a particular response or fragment it into a discrete unit of competence or knowledge. A two-dimensional problem emerges. The first is a conceptual one: whether there is an inherent tension between encouraging response to imaginative literature on the one hand, and accepting the rationale for OBE, on the other. The second dimension of the problem is empirical: whether teachers of literature experience any tension of either a conceptual or a practical nature when following response based approaches within the OBE system of Curriculum 2005, and if so, what they do in order to cope. In exploring the conceptual problem, the argument of this thesis is supported by reception theory and reader response criticism. The former provides key theoretical principles and insights that illuminate the nature of aesthetic reading, while the latter describes and analyses the nature, extent and manifestations of response in educational contexts, underpinned by both reception theory and empirical research. Together they offer evidence that personal response is determined by a complex range of processes, and is the core activity in reading for aesthetic purposes. This thesis also examines the conceptual basis and the structure of OBE as interpreted in both Curriculum 2005 and the revised National Curriculum Statement. The purpose of this is to establish the extent to which the philosophy and modus operandi of these curricula are rooted in notions of competence, and the requirement that learners give tangible demonstrations of pre-determined outcomes being achieved. If it is found that the curricula do lean heavily on pre-determined outcomes in regard to competencies that must be demonstrated, it may be concluded that 1) reader response activities are incompatible with OBE in a South African context, and 2) the potential exists for such incompatibility to create obstacles to creative and effective literature teaching. This can lead to difficulties for the teacher, who will then have to adopt acceptable strategies to cope with the situation. These strategies may ultimately be to the detriment of the pupils, particularly if the teacher seeks a compromise between genuine response and the kinds of activities that would yield precise, palpable measures of attainment that can be easily demonstrated. Exploring the empirical dimension of the problem involves investigating the responses of both teachers and teacher trainers to the experience of promoting response-based literature teaching and learning in an OBE environment. In order firstly investigated whether the practitioners do encourage reading response as a core activity in reading for aesthetic purposes. The extent to which practitioners have a sound grasp of the conceptual issues relevant to this research is also investigated. Insight into such issues depends on teachers and teacher trainers understanding the nature of reader response, on the one hand, and the rationale and structures of the relevant OBE curricula, on the other. Whether, and to what extent, practitioners experience tensions through their awareness of conceptual incompatibilities is also investigated. It should be borne in mind that practitioners work in real contexts in which a variety of complex factors play a role in determining how they respond to pressures from the environment. It cannot therefore be expected that teachers and others involved in delivering the curriculum will be able to reflect on purely conceptual issues without being influenced to an extent by more practical or logistical considerations. However, this study argues that the extent to which they are able to identify the relevant factors that affect the conceptual underpinnings of their practice will determine the degree to which their responses support the argument of this thesis. Together, the empirical and the theoretical findings offer qualitative evidence that should illuminate the nature and extent of the problem.

Many Black boys become detached from their classrooms and disengaged from the learning process altogether. Irrelevant curriculum, systemic discriminatory K-12 experiences, and poorly staffed and resourced schools are among the various historical, educational, and socio-economic factors that contribute to the 31% drop out rate among Black students, particularly males. Those who drop out of school often experience unemployment, economic struggle, and in many cases, incarceration. In an effort to explore engaging instructional approaches that address the cultural needs of Black boys, a qualitative case study was conducted to explore the cultural responsiveness of Linked Learning. An emphasis was placed on identifying specific instructional strategies that impact the engagement levels and overall academic performance of Black boys.

A combination of interview, observational and documented data were collected with participants consisting of 10 Black, male high school students, 3 Linked Learning teachers, and 2 administrators. The following themes resulting from the data were evident within participants’ interview responses, observed behaviors and practices, and analyzed lesson plans and student work samples: (a) Caringclassrooms were critical to the success of Black boys, and (b) The Linked Learning promise positively impacted the academic experience of Black boys. An integration of two theoretical frameworks, Invitational Theory and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, served as this study’s conceptual frameworkand guided the exploration of the Linked Learningmodel.

AbstractEven though developing speaking skills is the essential key to achieving proficiency in a target language, there are some pupils (grades 4-6) who do not participate in communication tasks in English classroom. Thus, the purpose of this literature overview is to investigate the reasons for the unwillingness of some young learners to speak and interact in English. In addition, a variety of effective teaching strategies will be observed and analyzed. The used methods were different electronic databases, such as ERC, ERIC and Google Scholar, to access relevant peer-reviewed journal articles to our research questions. The observed and analyzed articles showed that there are some pupils who do not interact because English teachers often focus too much on reading and writing skills rather than on speaking skills. The limitation of communication tasks and large classroom sizes are other mitigating factors. In addition, teachers often using the first language in class resulted in pupils doing the same. This contributes to a lack of motivation and confidence in speaking English for some learners. This study identifies teaching strategies and activities that can be used by the teacher to raise motivation and confidence in speaking English. Results have indicated that the use of Vygotsky's sociocultural learning theory was very useful to involve every pupil in authentic communication tasks, which also provided a supportive communicative environment. Task-based and theme-based learning, such as stories, songs, games, project work and pair work is shown to be beneficial to increase pupils’ motivation towards speaking.

Medical professions associated with time pressured environments, incorporate apprenticeship as part of training. While our understanding of decision making has moved towards examining these environments, how does this knowledge apply to instruction in these contexts?
Specific reasoning strategies identified by Patel are useful in assessing medical instruction. Rasmussen's guidelines and Patel's protocol analytic methods are applied in this thesis to assess two time-pressured environments of a local hospital. In the medical and surgical intensive care unit, resident physician instruction and patient care co-occur withing the context of problem solving and decision making.
Differences between the two environments include a flattened hierarchy of communication, information exchange, and decision making content. Trainees approximated the proportion of directed reasoning strategies used by supervisors. Results are attributed to differences in knowledge-based solution strategy use, and medical domain structure. Implications for design of more guided apprenticeship programs is discussed.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2005.
The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file viewed on (November 14, 2006) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka och tolka relationen mellan koncepten natur och kultur, så som de är hanterade i Henry David Thoreau’s Walden; or. Life in the Woods (1854) och Into the Wild (1996) av Jon Krakauer, med hjälp av en ekokritisk analys. Båda dessa böcker är baserade på verkliga händelser och upplevelser, och handlar om två individer som valde att lämna samhället bakom sig för att i stället leva ett enkelt liv i naturen. Några av motiven de hade för att göra detta innefattar ett missnöje med samhällena i vilka de levde, en längtan efter extraordinära upplevelser, och en önskan att hitta medel att förbättra jaget. Jag kommer föreslå att de båda huvudkaraktärerna delar åsikter och tankar om naturen och dess relation till deras respektive kulturer. Vidare kommer jag föreslå att några av dessa åsikter och tankar kan och bör implementeras i det svenska skolväsendet i syfte att åstadkomma en mer hållbar syn på naturen och dess relation till kultur och samhälle. Jag kommer föreslå en möjlig metod för att genomföra detta, vilken är inspirerad av Greg Garrard’s lektionsplan ”Three Hours to Save the Planet!”, som finns inkluderad i The Handbook of Sustainability Literacy: skills for a changing world (ed. Arran Stibbe, 2009).

Individual personality traits of pre-service teachers may have a significant influence on their confidence in teaching. Confidence in teaching does not always align with the experience of pre-service teachers. simSchool enables transformational experiences for teacher candidates to improve in general teaching skills, connect learning theories in the classroom, and develop confidence to be an effective teacher without the ill impacts of practicing on real students. This study executed a quasi-experimental design to explore the personality traits of 152 pre-service teachers and examined how their perceptions of teaching confidence and teaching experience were related in the context of simSchool. A treatment and comparison group completed the Survey of Teaching Skills pre/post tests and the OCEAN survey for quantitative data analysis to investigate four research questions: 1. Is there a difference between treatment and comparison groups on educator’s gains in confidence and experience? 2. Is there a relationship between personality type and perceived teaching effectiveness? 3. Is there a relationship between personality attributes and pre-service educator ratings of teaching experience in a simulated teaching environment? 4. Is there a relationship between personality attributes and pre-service educator ratings of teaching confidence in a simulated teaching environment? Findings from repeated measures MANOVA tests indicated that the simSchool treatment group increased their perceptions of experience with significant gains (p < .05), in contrast to the comparison group. Two key constructs of personality and effective teaching, the latter of which is comprised of the pre-service teachers’ self-reports of teaching confidence and teaching experience, were examined using canonical correlation analysis. The traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism were components linked by structure coefficients to the synthetic variable of personality, the latter of which was found to be correlated with effective teaching. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were produced to assess the relationship between experience and confidence and relationships between experience and confidence with the personality traits of conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, and emotional stability. Multiple regression analyses were run using the predictors of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism. These were found to be significantly (p < .05) effective in predicting self-reported teaching experience and confidence from personality traits. Furthermore, the variable of openness was individually found to be a significant (p < .05) predictor of teaching experience and confidence. These findings suggest that personality traits affect the experience and confidence ratings of pre-service teachers in a simulated classroom environment and that simSchool training can foster the development of teaching effectiveness.

This study was designed to involve a variety of research methods, resulting in a mixed methods, case study approach to investigate best teaching practices in an elementary blended learning environment. The research-based evaluation work of Charlotte Danielson was incorporated as the theoretical framework for this research. Differing methods of tablet use were observed in 10 classrooms while data was collected on student engagement. Blended learning is among best teaching practices, though surprisingly, educators in this study were not familiar with blended learning models and techniques. The term "blended learning" in the context of this K-5 study meant utilizing different technology devices as a means to enhance teaching. Many educators are utilizing tablets in their classrooms on a daily basis without adequate professional development. The influx of tablets in America's schools has not been well planned nor have professional development opportunities provided teachers with the necessary training to fully implement and integrate best practice in their classrooms. Findings from this study help fill the gap in elementary level and rural area schools. Results from this research indicate that blended learning tools enrich the elementary school classroom. Tablet usage in this study demonstrated seamless bridging for all levels of academic achievement. Students were observed utilizing metacognitive skills when collaborating with their peers and demonstrating their learning through projects on their tablets. Three themes emerged from the interview data. First, blended learning and the integration of technology as a best practice supports current literature. The second theme involved professional development, including teachers' desire for both building- and district-level support as well as the frequency of professional development, and teacher technology support. And third, the school is the vehicle for teacher collaboration, differentiation for students, and engagement of students.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Background - The College of Phycians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) was established in 1962 and its role is to oversee the postgraduate medical education within Pakistan. At present, various specialties belonging to the CPSP carry out quality assurance visits including evaluation of the learning environment of the teaching hospitals by asking the supervisors and doctors in training about the qualification and experience of supervisors, equipment, library, infrastructure and type of work load. The CPSP do not make use of a valid and reliable method when performing these assessments and therefore there is a need for the CPSP to develop a standardized method of assessing the learning environments of the teaching hospitals in Pakistan. This method needs not only to be valid and reliable but also reproducible and transferable so that it can be used to measure the learning environments in various departments and teaching hospitals .It can further be used to compare the learning environments across different teaching hospitals and specialties with in Pakistan. The learning environment of teaching hospitals of Pakistan have not been studied before therefore the purpose of this study was to measure the postgraduate learning environment of private and public sector teaching hospitals of twin cities in Pakistan Islamabad and Rawalpindi .Public sector hospitals are fully funded by the government of Pakistan and patients receive free treatment, while private hospitals are commercial hospitals where everything is paid by patients. Following the postgraduate educational environment measurement results between house officers and residents working in the above mentioned environments was then compared. These results can inform supervisors and institutions about short comings as well as strong points with regards to the learning environment. Materials and Methods After approval from the Shifa International Hospital`s Ethical committee and Health Research Ethical committee of the University of Stellenbosch, and informed consent were obtained from research participants. The Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measurement questionnaire (PHEEM) was administered to the house officers and residents of six public and one private sector teaching hospital of twin cities (Islamabad and Rawalpindi) in Pakistan with the help of the supervisors of CPSP based at these hospitals. The PHEEM was completed during their respective teaching sessions at the various hospitals .The supervisors was asked to encourage students to complete the PHEEM questionnaire .Supervisors were instructed to collect the completed questionnaires the from doctors in training at their individual hospitals and then send it back using the enclosed envelope The PHEEM contains of 40 items covering a range of issues directly related to the clinical learning environment of house officers and residents1. These statements make up 3 subscales of the clinical learning environment namely autonomy, social support and teaching. Autonomy (such as the quality of supervision) is represented by 14 statements teaching (the qualities of teachers by 15 statements and social support (such as facilities and atmosphere) by 11statements. Each of the 40 statements can be rated from 0-4 .The respondents are asked to indicate their agreement using a 5 point Likert scale .These range from strongly agree(4) ,agree(3), unsure(2), disagree(1) to strongly disagree (0). Agreement with the items indicates a positive learning environment and will result in high scores. The maximum possible scores are 56 for autonomy, 60 for teaching, 44 for social support and an overall score of 160.It is essential that each junior doctor applies the items to their own current learning place1. - Statistical analysis - The statistical analysis was conducted by using SPSS 16.0 and the four negative items were scored in reverse (question 7, 8, 11, 13). The scores for the total as well as the sub-scales were described by using means and standard deviations (SD). Comparisons of the perception of the educational environments between house officers and residents were expressed as a mean and ± SD and its statistical significance was determined by student t- tests. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The results from the three construct of the PHEEM survey were compared among the house officers and residents from surgery, medicine, pediatrics and Obstetrics’ and Gynecology by ANNOVA and post hoc sidak test. A p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. - Results - The internal reliability of the questionnaire was good with a total Cronbach`s Alpha value of 0.92 (a Cronbach`s alpha of more than 0.7 or 0.8 is accepted as being good). The questionnaire further revealed Crobach`s alpha value of 0.78, 0.89 and 0.70 for the various subscales of autonomy, teaching and social supports .When this was analyzed to exclude each question in turn, using the alpha if deleted there was no significant improvement in the score, thus confirming all questions were relevant and should be included. A total of 286 out of 300 (95.33% response rates) house officers and residents belonging to the seven different teaching hospitals of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan participated in the study. The PHEEM questionnaire was completed by all the participating doctors composing of 51% house officers and 49 % residents .Both genders were almost equally represented in the two groups comprising of 52% male and 48% female doctors. The distribution of male and female gender is different among respondents from various specialties. There was 23.60% male and 15.03% females in surgery, 22.20% males and 18.30% females in medicines, 6.20% males and 4.32% females in Pediatrics and 10.33% females in obstetrics. House officers and residents belonging to all major specialties took part in the study with the distribution looking as follows, Medicine 44.8%, Surgery 33.6% Obstetrics and Gynecology11.2% and Pedriatics10.50%. The mean score (M) and the standard deviation (SD) for each of the subscale namely the perceptions of autonomy, teaching and social support of house officers and residents are shown Table number 1 (Autonomy), Table number 2 (Teaching) and Table number 3 (Social support) respectively. These tables also show the mean of the total scores of each subscale. The lowest recorded score was 1.37 for question number 4.Question number 1, 4,5,9,11,17 and 32 with in the autonomy section were found to have a relatively low rating as shown in table number 1. Teaching quality questions 3, 21 and 33 showed a low rating as demonstrated in table number 2. Social support showed a low rating for question number 19, 20, 25, 26, 36 and 38 again shown in table number 3. The results from the three subscales of the PHEEM survey were compared between residents and house officers from the teaching hospitals of the twin cities are shown in Table number 1, 2, and 3 respectively. The perception of autonomy was higher amongst residents with a mean of 28.74 compared to house officers 28.27. The difference, however, was not statistically significant between the two groups but there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in question number 32, where the residents perceived that work load for them was better than house officers. It seems as the residents have better opportunities to access and participate in educational events and programs compared to the house officers seeing that there was a statistically significant difference in question numbers 12 and 21 respectively as shown in table number 1. The perceived level of quality of teaching was higher for residents with mean of 32.02 as compared to the house officers with a mean of 31.12. However this difference was not statistically significant as shown in table 2. The perception of social support was high amongst house officers with a mean of 19.66 compared to residents with a mean of 19.06. There was statistically no difference between the two groups regarding the social support provided at these teaching hospitals; however the house officers felt physically more save compared to residents as shown in table 3 Regarding the difference between private and public sector hospitals, the mean score of the three subscales of the PHEEM, namely the mean score for the perception of autonomy (28.71 vs. 27.14, p=0.24) teaching (33.08 vs. 32.37, p=0.25) and social support (21.94 vs. 21.22, p=0.24) were not statistically significant. The results from the three subscales of the PHEEM survey were compared amongst the junior doctors from Surgery, Medicine, Pediatrics and Obstetrics’ and Gynecology by ANNOVA and post hoc sidak test. There was no statistically significant difference among these junior doctors in the majority of the PHEEM questions. For question number 4, I had an informative induction programme, there was statistically significant difference between the junior doctors of medicine and obstetrics & gynecology .Regarding the question number 5, I had appropriate level of responsibility in this post, and there was statistically significant difference between junior doctors of surgery & pediatrics and surgery and obstetrics & gynecology. There was significant difference between the junior doctors of medicine and Obstetrics and gynecology for question number 29, I feel part of the team working here. Regarding perception of question number 30, I have opportunity to acquire the appropriate practical procedures for my grade; there was significant difference between the junior doctors of obstetrics & gynecology and surgery. For perception of teaching, there was a significant difference between the junior doctors of medicine and obstetrics & gynecology in the following questions. Question number 10: my clinical teachers have good communication skills; Question number 23: my clinical teachers are well organized; and question number 27: I have enough clinical learning opportunity of my needs. In the subscale of social support there was a significant difference for item number 13 which states that there is sex discrimination in this post between the junior doctors of surgery and pediatrics .The junior doctors from medicine perceive that there was more calibration among the doctors of medicine as compared to pediatrics. - Discussion and conclusion - This study shows that the PHEEM questionnaire consists of a practical, reliable and simple set of questions to measure the learning environment of doctors in training at teaching hospitals of Pakistan; a country which is socially, culturally and economically different from the country where this questionnaire was originally constructed. This could imply that the perceptions of doctors in training are similar regardless of geographical boundaries and economic conditions of the country where they live. . Other studies that employed PHEEM in different parts of the world show similar scores. This study does not show a statistically significant difference between house officers and residents in terms of teaching, role of autonomy and social support. The reasons for this may be that house officers and residents share the same infrastructure for accommodation, catering and social support. Furthermore, there is no practically organized structured training programme with a specified job description for doctors at different levels of training. This study therefore does not confirm results of the studies performed in United Kingdom and Australia, where house officers experienced a better learning environment than residents in many respects. This study was completed by house officers and residents from private as well as public sector teaching hospitals. We did not find a statistical difference in the level of perceptions between doctors in training working in these two different set up of hospitals. This goes against the common notion present amongst junior doctors that training at public sector hospitals have a higher level of satisfaction due to better and more learning opportunities than at private sector hospitals because in these hospitals independent work is not allowed. The result off this study indicates that the perception level of house officers and residents in training in various specialties was different regarding the learning environment. This difference was even more marked for the specialty of Gynecology and obstetrics where the PHEEM items were scored lessened compared to the other specialties. The reason for this could be due to better training opportunities, more structured and availability of mentors in Surgery, Medicine and Pediatrics compared to the female dominated specialty of Gynecology and obstetrics. The female work and learn in different way because they score three items directly related to perception of teaching lower compare to male dominated specialities. The PHEEM questionnaire results have been taken from seven teaching hospitals of the twin cities, and therefore provide a good overall picture of the learning environments of teaching hospitals in Pakistan seeing that the teaching hospitals of Pakistan almost have similar infrastructure and faculties with few individual variations. This sample represents all major specialties thus provide a good picture of the learning environment for all doctors in training. It is clear that in order to ensure high standards in education and training of junior doctors, the importance of the learning environment cannot be ignored. The following are recommendations for the CPSP so that they take steps in collaboration with administrative and medical staff to improve the learning environments where needed. 1. A meeting between the CPSP and administrative staff should held every year to overcome the weakness pointed out in this study 2. Teaching hospitals should publish an informative junior doctors hand book , with a job description, responsibilities, expectation and information about working hours 3. The junior doctors should have protected time for educational activities 4. The attendance at educational sessions must be supported by the Supervisors of CPSP 5. Career advice and counseling opportunities should be avaible at each regional center of CPSP 6. Accommodation should meet the appropriate standards 7. Good quality hygienic catering facilities should be present around the clock for junior doctors. 8. Each teaching hospital should administer the PHEEM ever year to measure their quality and potentially improve their standards. In conclusion this study shows a great need for the creation of a supportive environment as well as designing and implementing interventions to remedy unsatisfactory elements of the educational environment if effective and successful learning is to be realized by the CPSP.

This thesis examines the effectiveness of a specially constructed computer based support environment for the teaching of computer programming to novice programmers. In order to achieve this, the following distinct activities were pursued. Firstly, an in-depth investigation of programming misconceptions and techniques used for overcoming them was carried out. Secondly, the educational principles gained from this investigation were used to design and implement a computer based environment to support novice programmers learning the Pascal language. Finally, several statistical methods were used to compare students who made use of the support environment to those who did not and the results are discussed.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.