Academic literature on the topic 'Values Study and teaching Oceania Case studies'

Majelis Ta'lim is a non-formal educational institution whose presence has a significant spiritual and social impact on forming religious character in society. The company of the Ta'lim Council in Banyu Urip village, Embung Tangar hamlet, West Praya sub-district, Central Lombok regency, aims to spread religious values or understanding to people who do not know understand religious teachings. The preachers' da'wah method has its characteristics that provide attractiveness to the congregation they foster. In this case, what Ustad Amiruddin did in conveying understanding, religion has a different style from other clerics, da'al, and preachers. This writing will try to show the communication methods used by Ustad Amiruddin in teaching the ta'lim assembly he supervises. With his unique technique and way. The article uses a descriptive analysis method with a qualitative approach. The primary data were obtained through interviews and observations of the studies provided by him and some of the worshipers who were part of his assembly. At the same time, the secondary is in the form of books that discuss da'wah methods, journals, and articles relevant to this study. Based on the research results that have been done, there are several conclusions obtained. With the da'wah communication approach, it can be seen that the communication methods of Da'wah Maradhah hasanah.

This study investigated the developmental process of a dynamic geo-game, Gezgin, which was developed by the researcher based on the Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) Model, and its benefits in the acquisitions, values and skills of the Global Connections learning area of the social studies curriculum applied in Turkey. It also determined Gezgin’s reflecting acquisitions, values, and skills, as well associal studies education experts’ opinions about Gezgin. A case study approach was adopted and five experts participated. The data collection lasted for approximately fourteen months due to the development process of Gezgin. Most of this process coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic period. The data were descriptively analysed and the experts’ evaluations were subjected to content analysis. Findings indicated that Gezgin mostly reflected the acquisitions, values, and skills of Global Connections learning area and could support the curriculum as a studying environment, create various experiences, materialise theoretical knowledge, and that it co uld be tested on students. It was also understood that values, primarily, and skills and acquisitions, subsequently, were mostly supported. Although the results of the study revealed similarities with the results of other studies in scientific literature, it differed from them as a large platform where the acquisitions, values, and skills of a learning field were reflected. The results indicated that geo-games should be used to support other learning areas, develop high-level skills, and create a level of awareness in accordance with spatial citizenship skills.

This study aims to investigate the role of social science subject teachers in instilling character values ​​in students through the process of teaching and learning activities. This study used a quantitative approach with a case study type conducted at SMP Muhammadiyah Indramayu. The results of the study show that teachers of the Social Sciences subject at SMP Muhammadiyah Indramayu have tried their best to carry out their duties, especially in instilling historical awareness as well as values ​​of nationalism, identity and character in their students. This is proven when the writer observes while teaching in class being able to use strategies, various methods and modes so that the classroom atmosphere is lively and full of enthusiasm and is able to develop students to think historically analytically with various assignments. Besides that, teachers outside the classroom always monitor the character and attitudes of students to measure the extent to which what has been taught has an effect.

Purpose - Internationalization of education has made it important to have not only a command of English as a global language, but also of Languages Other Than English (LOTEs), which can be a second, national or heritage language. This narrative inquiry explored LOTE teachers’ perspectives on their use of English and other pedagogical practices for teaching LOTE to international students. Methodology - Narratives of three language teachers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, teaching French, Korean and Mandarin at a private university in Malaysia were recorded. Their discussion addressed key issues in teaching LOTE such as teaching strategies, use of technology and the importance of using English for teaching LOTEs. Data was analysed using Nvivo, applying Saldana’s (2016) coding technique, consisting of structural, descriptive and values coding. 48 codes emerged during the first cycle coding, which were placed under nine categories in the second and final coding process. Findings - Data revealed that for achieving practical outcomes, technologically integrated teaching is an alternative to traditional teaching practices. Further, teachers’ narratives also showed the importance of English in LOTE teaching, owing to the internationalization of education. Significance – The study explored LOTE pedagogy through the narratives of teachers, who are key stakeholders. The findings will help LOTE teachers reflect on their own teaching practices, and familiarize them with current pedagogy, including technology integration. They would also be useful in other contexts where LOTE is offered as a foreign language.

Business communication and technical writing students face a new workplace challenge: responding to problems that reflect a multicultural dimension and involve business- people whose perspectives, values, and traditions are not Western. Case studies are a good teaching strategy to introduce multicultural issues in business communication. Case studies involve students in group settings and demand both problem-solving and human-relations skills. Adding discussion questions to case-study problems prompts student responses, and assigning a follow-up progress report or memorandum ties the case-study reviews to course goals. This article includes both a description of the assignment and two timely case-study samples.

This study aims to find out the internalization of multiculturalism values through Arabic teaching at Islamic senior high schools in Palu city Indonesia. The integration of multiculturalism values in learning materials is considered very important to create students' moderate attitudes toward ethnicity and cultural differences in schools' daily life. This study was carried out using a case study qualitative approach. Data were gathered through field observation, and in-depth interviews with the school principal, teachers, and students. Our study found that multiculturalism values were integrated through the Arabic curriculum, lesson plans, learning material, and students' activities. The multiculturalism values were reflected in the students' daily life in the forms of ethnicity diversity tolerance, respect attitudes, and moderate behavior. Our study contributes to the body of knowledge in multiculturalism studies and practices by providing a new direction to multicultural integration strategies at the school level. Future studies should focus on how the broader context of studies such as by involving more than one case.

This descriptive and exploratory study with a qualitative design aimed to describe and analyze discussions in online chats about mental disorders in a psychiatric nursing course as part of an undergraduate nursing program. The sample consisted of 32 undergraduate students who attended the course. Data analysis showed that the discussions through online chat sessions permeated the acquisition of knowledge, procedures, attitudes and values and promoted students' active participation. The results reaffirm the discussions' importance for students' learning and showed the potential of technology resources, such as real-time communication tools, to support and improve teaching possibilities in psychiatric nursing.

Previous research on teaching the Holocaust, notably case studies in the primary or the secondary sectors, suggests that Holocaust education can make a significant contribution to citizenship by developing pupils’ understandings of justice, tolerance, human rights issues, and the many forms of racism and discrimination. Yet, there have been no longitudinal studies into its impact on primary pupils. This paper, reports on the first stages of ongoing longitudinal research (sponsored by the Scottish Executive Education Department), and concentrates on the relevance of Holocaust education to citizenship, by comparing the attitudes of primary 7 pupils before and after Holocaust teaching using data from questionnaires. Results show an improvement in pupils’ values and attitudes after learning about the Holocaust in almost every category related to minority groups, ethnic or otherwise. One significant finding was a deep anti-English feeling and this in itself the need for further investigation.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of education for sustainable development (ESD) approaches in English as a foreign language (EFL) in Japanese higher education. Design/methodology/approach A content and language integrated learning (CLIL) University-level course was run over two separate semesters: the first as a lecture-based course and the second was a similar course that integrated ESD best-practice. A program effects case study was used to see if any significant changes could be measured between the separate semesters. A mixed-methods approach to data collection was used and student marks, survey results using values, beliefs and norms (VBN) model and reflection tasks were collected across the two courses. Findings A meaningful change in the ascription of responsibility and personal norms was present in the ESD best-practice course. This shows that ESD best-practice integration into language teaching has a positive impact on student environmental VBN and more research is necessary for this area. Practical implications ESD integrated into language teaching correlates positively with environmental behavior change according to the VBN-model. A new field of study is proposed, language education for sustainable development, to better integrate the disciplines of EFL and ESD. Originality/value This study is looking at the integration of ESD in language teaching and CLIL based courses in Higher Education and, at present, there are no other studies of this kind.

Since its independence in 1991, the promotion of human rights has been a part of Georgia’s efforts towards the integration into Euro-Atlantic Institutions. However, difficulties in introducing the concept of individual, democratic and human rights are persistent in the teaching/learning process, as these concepts are still not organic and commonly understood in popular culture. Herewith, a growing level of political and societal polarisation between nationalistic and liberal forces impedes the process of effective promotion of universal human rights principles. The article analyzes the tensions between the core values of nationalism and liberal ideology in Georgia, as well as the supporting factors for the promotion of human rights education (HRE). It discusses the potential of HRE in mitigating the societal polarisation and reaching social cohesion around the basic civic values. A conclusion is made that, despite considerable progress achieved in promoting HRE in Georgia during the last decade, complexities remain related to the difficulty of introducing the concepts of individual, democratic and human rights in the teaching/learning process, as such concepts are still not organic and commonly understood in popular culture. Based on the best practices identified in various impact assessment studies on HRE worldwide, recommendations are offered for the schools to introduce transformative and emancipatory learning and make HRE effective through the application of the ‘wholeschool’ approach - an effective tool for bringing tangible changes to the school environment, as well as the impact on the household and community levels. Keywords: human rights education, social cohesion, Georgia, impact of education, wholeschool approach, social cohesion

Thesis (MEd) -- Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study explored the views of thirteen youth at Victoria High School about what they regarded as achievement and how this influenced their lives and what they thought about their futures. The starting premise of the study was that all learners think about achievement. The goal of the study was thus to show how different learners connect this understanding of achievement with their respective aspirations and the kinds of social and schooling worlds they inhabit. The key contribution of the study is the ways it links the social, cultural, and economic worlds of each of the thirteen learners to what they say about what they do and what they want to do, who they are and who they want to be, and what they think they do and what they think they want to do. The study shows that the life-worlds of each of the learners are significantly different yet the ways they go about making sense of that world are fairly similar. In that regard it is shown that the school, and what learners, parents and educators think it is and does, plays a crucial role in the sense-making process. As Berkhout (2008) notes, the different contexts that shape the lives of individuals are not simply external forces but rather are integral parts of their identity-making process. The study used the work of Pierre Bourdieu and Arjun Appadurai to bring together a framework by which to understand what learners said about their worlds and their aspirations, as well to develop a narrative that showed the rich and complex ways in which learners engaged with their realities. The study followed an interpretive qualitative approach to explore the issue of achievement and based its arguments on interviews conducted with thirteen youth between the ages of fifteen and seventeen years old. In this regard, a key finding was that learners approached the notion of achievement in developmental, cumulative, and progressive ways. These views included wanting to be popular, gaining new knowledge, preparing for future material acquisition, developing skills to lead decent lives, acquiring happiness, developing the ability to overcome their challenges and circumstances, and gaining skills and recognition that set up their futures. Five staff members at Victoria High school were also interviewed for their views of the schooling context and the kinds of cultures and legacies that framed their practice.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die tesis is gefokus op die denke van dertien studente van Victoria Hoërskool aangaande die nosie van prestasie, en hoe hierdie denke hul lewens beïnvloed sowel as wat hulle dink van hul toekoms. Die vertrekpunt van die verbande studie was dat alle leerders oor prestasie dink. Die doel van die tesis (daaruitvoortspruitend) was dus om aan te toon hoe verskillende leerders ʼn verband aanlê tussen hul beskouing van prestasie, hul aspirasies en die maatskaplike- en skoolwêrelde wat hul beleef. Die kern bydrae van die tesis is die verbande wat gemaak is in die verbande studie tussen die sosiale, kulturele en ekonomiese wêrelde van elkeen van die dertien leerders ten opsigte van hul beskouing aangaande wat hulle doen en wil doen, wat hulle is en wil wees, en wat hulle dink hulle doen en wil doen. Die tesis toon aan dat die leefwêreld van elk van die leerders merkbaar verskillend is, maar dat die wyse waarop hulle betekenis gee aan hul leefwêreld tog redelik ooreenstem. In hierdie verband is dit getoon dat die skool, en wat leerders, ouers en onderwysers daaromtrent dink, ʼn kardinale rol speel in hul betekenisvormingsproses. Berkhout (2008) voer in hierdie verband aan dat die verskillende kontekste wat die lewens van individue vorm nie slegs eksterne magte is nie, maar eerder integrale dele van hul identiteitsvormings proses is. Die studie maak gebruik van die werk van Pierre Bourdieu en Arjun Appadurai om ʼn raamwerk te ontwikkel om leerders se beskouinge van hul wêrelde en aspirasies te verstaan, sowel as om ‘n narratief te ontwikkel wat die ryk en komplekse wyses waarop leerders met hul realiteite omgaan, aan te toon. Die tesis, en verbande studie, het ʼn interpretatiewe, kwalitatiewe benadering gevolg om die idee van prestasie te verken en het die tesis argumente baser op onderhoude met dertien leerders tussen vyftien tot sewentienjaar oud. ʼn Kernbevinding in hierdie verband was dat leerders die idée van prestasie op ontwikkelings-, kumulatiewe- en progressiewe wyses benader. Beskouinge van leerders in die verband sluit onder andere in, die behoefte om populêr te wees, die verkryging van nuwe kennis, voorbereiding om materiële goedere in die toekoms te bekom, die ontwikkeling van vaardighede noodsaaklik vir ʼn ordentlike lewe, die strewe na geluk, die ontwikkeling van die vermoë om hul uitdagings en omstandighede te oorkom, en die ontwikkeling vaardighede en erkenning noodsaaklik vir hul toekoms. Onderhoude is ook gevoer met vyf personeellede van Victoria hoërskool om hul beskouinge ten opsigte van die skoolkonteks en die soort kulture en erfenisse wat hul praktyk informeer te bepaal.

A critical evaluation of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) was undertaken to uncover strategies for infusing values across the curricula – values that may facilitate the development of spiritual intelligence (SQ) in adolescents. A literature study was conducted to determine whether SQ may be harnessed to cultivate values within an educational context. In addition, moral and spiritual development in adolescence was explored and a case made for values-education. An empirical investigation was undertaken using both a qualitative research design and semi-structured interviews. A purposive sample was used comprising 14 education specialists, principals and Life Orientation teachers from six secondary schools in Gauteng and Mpumalanga provinces. The most important finding was the fact that values-education in the NCS was problematic. The conclusion was thus drawn that teachers should be trained to incorporate values within curriculum activities − values that could engender SQ and, thus, address the moral dilemmas in our schools.
Psychology of Education
M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Text in English
The study is a sociolinguistic exploration of the pedagogical value of Shona children’s oral art forms on a changing cultural terrain to situate them within contemporary classroom pedagogy. Critical Discourse Analysis, Afrocentricity and Constructivism are theories that informed the analysis of the Shona children’s oral art forms. The study is conducted within the qualitative paradigm as a descriptive study. Data was gathered through observartions, standardised open-ended interviews, focus group interviews, questionnaires and document analysis. The study established that Shona children’s oral art forms have responded positively to the changing environment in which they are performed in terms of form and content. While this is a positive development, this should be done with caution to ensure that indigenous knowledge systems that are the backbone of African societies are not abused on the global stage. The study has also affirmed that Shona children’s oral art forms are useful pedagogical tools for information dissemination and knowledge creation. It is also evident from the findings that the oral art forms are an embodiment of human factor values that enhance development education. Findings from this study established that Shona children’s oral art forms are reservoirs of values and norms cherished by the Shona as a people and can be reconstructed for teaching various concepts across the primary school curriculum. Evident from this study is that both teachers and learners are knowledgeable of the various traditional Shona children’s oral art forms although new creations are coined to adapt to the changing environment. This shows that the traditional forms are able to withstand the challenges of globalisation, and this resilience is a positive development since it creates an opportunity for researchers to document these in their unadulterated form for posterity. Since findings from the study highlighted threats to the children’s oral art forms due to the advent of technology and globalisation, there is need to act so that they are not pushed to the periphery as was the case during the colonial era. There is need for concerted efforts at packaging them and meaningful infusion of these into all aspects of children’s education for visibility within the changing environment to guard against their demise in an era of globalisation which may impact negatively on the Shona culture.
Linguistics and Modern Languages
Ph. D.(Languages, Linguistics and Literature)

The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which peace principles were incorporated into the two-year programme at the African Leadership Academy – a Pan-African school in Gauteng, whose mission is to develop young leaders who would contribute to making Africa a peaceful and prosperous continent. The study included investigating whether the formal and informal structures of the school promoted a culture of peace. A literature study outlined the causes of violence and violent conflicts in South Africa and on the African continent, and it also analysed the theoretical frameworks of peace education as put forward by Paulo Freire, Hossain Danesh and Maria Montessori. A qualitative case study methodology employing document analysis, observations and interviews was used. The findings showed that the two-year programme is not specifically designed as a peace education programme, but the teaching of peace principles are non-deliberately and uniquely embedded in the curriculum in the form of the particular skills, attitudes and values that learners acquire at this institution in the two years. The classroom environment and the culture of the school community inculcated in learners the qualities of unity and critical thinking and equip them with conflict resolution skills. Based on the findings, recommendations were made to the school and to all stakeholders in education.
Educational Foundations
M. Ed. (Socio-Education)

The main research question of the study was: How can spiritual intelligence (SQ) be developed in secondary school students? This was motivated out of concern for the moral degeneration that secondary school students experience in South Africa. The literature review focused on the nature of SQ and how it can foster adaptive functioning and transformation in adolescents and the complexity of Religion Education (RE) in South African secondary schools. A case was made for developing educational strategies that can develop SQ in adolescents and create educational environments that not only encourages students to engage in dialogue that involves a broader conversation about religion and spirituality, but also supports transformational learning. The empirical investigation to evaluate the approach and educational strategies that were used, implemented a qualitative case study design. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory and the social constructivist theory were used as conceptual frameworks. Purposive and convenient sampling was employed to select ten Grade 11 students in a secondary school in Gauteng that reflected the demographics of the country’s population. Qualitative data collection included reflective activities and informal conversation interviews. Field notes were kept and all observations were documented in a self-reflective journal. This was followed by a focus group session and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed that the educational strategies had the capacity to develop core traits and mental abilities of SQ, provide peak experiences and enhance virtuous behaviour in adolescents. It was concluded that education should include content around the nature of SQ in conjunction with reflective and experiential activities. SQ provided a platform for epistemic relativity. It was thus concluded that SQ can be deliberately developed in South African secondary school contexts. The recommendations focussed on the role of institutions of higher learning in sensitising stakeholders regarding the relevance of SQ in South African educational contexts; training of in-service teachers; the importance of Life Orientation (LO) as conveyer of SQ and the role of the LO teacher in cascading SQ down to school students. Finally, a SQ training workshop was proposed. The study concluded with recommendations for further research. The limitations of the study were also presented.
Psychology of Education
D. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

AbstractUniversity Camilo José Cela (UCJC) is a private university located in Madrid (Spain) that belongs to the SEK Education Group, an institution with 125 years of tradition and a strong innovation identity. This case study presents the response that UCJC has given to facilitate the adaptation of the educational community (students, families, and teachers) to the situation arising from the pandemic caused by COVID-19. It will explain the coordination actions between students from the School of Education at UCJC and the impact derived from their interventions. Specifically, it will detail students’ participation as teacher assistants in online teaching within the IB pedagogical model to respond to the demands of primary and secondary teachers. This collaboration is the most outstanding due to the number of students and schools involved and the efficacy and efficiency of its implementation.On the other hand, there were other interventions of a smaller scale but a high social impact committed to disadvantaged sectors of the population. For example, our students’ support gave refugee students from Syria reinforcing their training or the psycho-emotional, educational, and legal assistance that volunteers from the bachelor’s degree of law provided to children and families in social exclusion. It is also significant to highlight the UCJC international actions: the teacher training program, EachTeach, provided educational methodologies, resources, and media to refugee teachers at the Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya), helping them to raise awareness about COVID-19, and the Cambodian program dedicated to training volunteers on how to combat the pandemic on these vulnerable contexts, where children live on the streets.Finally, to define broader collaborations and scale these initiatives in the future, this case study will reflect on the reasons for the success achieved, especially in training and pedagogical innovation and in the use of educational technology. The UCJC and SEK Schools collaboration allowed the use of a common technological language, sharing values. The development of training, support, and advice, between the university community (professors and faculty students) and the schools’ community (teachers, students, and families), enabled a wide range of relevant issues to be addressed in dealing with COVID-19 by schools and the broader education community.

AbstractUniversity Camilo José Cela (UCJC) is a private university located in Madrid (Spain) that belongs to the SEK Education Group, an institution with 125 years of tradition and a strong innovation identity. This case study presents the response that UCJC has given to facilitate the adaptation of the educational community (students, families, and teachers) to the situation arising from the pandemic caused by COVID-19. It will explain the coordination actions between students from the School of Education at UCJC and the impact derived from their interventions. Specifically, it will detail students’ participation as teacher assistants in online teaching within the IB pedagogical model to respond to the demands of primary and secondary teachers. This collaboration is the most outstanding due to the number of students and schools involved and the efficacy and efficiency of its implementation.On the other hand, there were other interventions of a smaller scale but a high social impact committed to disadvantaged sectors of the population. For example, our students’ support gave refugee students from Syria reinforcing their training or the psycho-emotional, educational, and legal assistance that volunteers from the bachelor’s degree of law provided to children and families in social exclusion. It is also significant to highlight the UCJC international actions: the teacher training program, EachTeach, provided educational methodologies, resources, and media to refugee teachers at the Kakuma refugee camp (Kenya), helping them to raise awareness about COVID-19, and the Cambodian program dedicated to training volunteers on how to combat the pandemic on these vulnerable contexts, where children live on the streets.Finally, to define broader collaborations and scale these initiatives in the future, this case study will reflect on the reasons for the success achieved, especially in training and pedagogical innovation and in the use of educational technology. The UCJC and SEK Schools collaboration allowed the use of a common technological language, sharing values. The development of training, support, and advice, between the university community (professors and faculty students) and the schools’ community (teachers, students, and families), enabled a wide range of relevant issues to be addressed in dealing with COVID-19 by schools and the broader education community.

The core of teaching is the serious obligation to ‘‘touch’’ students. Providing more than the mere rudiments of knowledge is essential. Involvement is critical. Case study and critical incident examination are means to that end. To become competent practitioners, students need to develop the ability to incorporate knowledge, and, more important, to apply it in their practice. At the end of the day, student/practitioners will have clients in front of them for whom they need to decide what action to take. Prerequisite know-how and skill involve understanding clients’ motivation, background, thinking, behavior, affects, and concerns, combined with external forces affecting their lives. It includes the disciplined ability to select strategies and techniques appropriate to clients’ conditions and circumstances. Lead by example. Students pick up what they observe you do. Just as you endeavor to provide a rationale for what you do with students, so students gather how to provide a rationale for what they do with clients. Disciplined practice demands that practitioners continually monitor and evaluate their efforts to assure consonance with professional values and ethics. The case method encompasses all of these facets. Before entering the workforce to face flesh-and-bone clients, the case method provides students with an impressionistic chunk of reality. They become stakeholders in credible dilemmas. While certainly not perfect recreations of true situations, case studies, compared to other methods, bring students closer to what they need to keep in mind when dealing with real people. The case can be the lesson. As mentioned throughout this book, a parallel exists between what happens in the classroom and what happens in clinical practice. Cases—particularly in the manner in which you draw upon them interactively—exemplifies for students how they might deal with similar client situations. To use it to its best advantage, consider that the very manner you respond and interact with students as you ponder cases demonstrates for them ways to respond and interact with clients. The case method is predicated on three key notions of instruction.

This chapter aims to provide guidelines to design, create, and develop a Community of Practice (CoP) on university library planning and project management courses, based on description of real experience within the framework of an educational innovation project on the Master course in “Documentation, Library, and Archive Management” (Complutense University). A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology (document analysis, brainstorming, case studies, group discussion sessions, and creation of a Master Catalogue of Values) was used by different members of the CoP: professors, researchers, university librarians, and students. This case study was found to advance means of establishing alliances and mergers between such players in the field of Library and Information Science and also a manner to encourage an enterprising culture among students in our expertise field. Furthermore, CoP has improved quality of University Libraries at Complutense University with a teaching dynamic that can be implemented in additional university courses related to Management.

Aim/Purpose: This paper provides the results of the preliminary analysis of the findings of an ongoing study that seeks to examine the social media use, cultural and political awareness, civic engagement, issue prioritization, and social activism of Gen Z students enrolled at four different institutional types located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The aim of this study is to look at the group as a whole as well as compare findings across populations. The institutional types under consideration include a mid-sized majority serving or otherwise referred to as a traditionally white institution (TWI) located in a small coastal city on the Atlantic Ocean, a small Historically Black University (HBCU) located in a rural area, a large community college located in a county that is a mixture of rural and suburban and which sits on the border of Maryland and Pennsylvania, and graduating high school students enrolled in career and technical education (CTE) programs in a large urban area. This exploration is purposed to examine the behaviors and expectations of Gen Z students within a representative American region during a time of tremendous turmoil and civil unrest in the United States. Background: Over 74 million strong, Gen Z makes up almost one-quarter of the U.S. population. They already outnumber any current living generation and are the first true digital natives. Born after 1996 and through 2012, they are known for their short attention spans and heightened ability to multi-task. Raised in the age of the smart phone, they have been tethered to digital devices from a young age with most having the preponderance of their childhood milestones commemorated online. Often called Zoomers, they are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation and are on track to be the most well-educated generation in history. Gen Zers in the United States have been found in the research to be progressive and pro-government and viewing increasing racial and ethnic diversity as positive change. Finally, they are less likely to hold xenophobic beliefs such as the notion of American exceptionalism and superiority that have been popular with by prior generations. The United States has been in a period of social and civil unrest in recent years with concerns over systematic racism, rampant inequalities, political polarization, xenophobia, police violence, sexual assault and harassment, and the growing epidemic of gun violence. Anxieties stirred by the COVID-19 pandemic further compounded these issues resulting in a powder keg explosion occurring throughout the summer of 2020 and leading well into 2021. As a result, the United States has deteriorated significantly in the Civil Unrest Index falling from 91st to 34th. The vitriol, polarization, protests, murders, and shootings have all occurred during Gen Z’s formative years, and the limited research available indicates that it has shaped their values and political views. Methodology: The Mid-Atlantic region is a portion of the United States that exists as the overlap between the northeastern and southeastern portions of the country. It includes the nation’s capital, as well as large urban centers, small cities, suburbs, and rural enclaves. It is one of the most socially, economically, racially, and culturally diverse parts of the United States and is often referred to as the “typically American region.” An electronic survey was administered to students from 2019 through 2021 attending a high school dual enrollment program, a minority serving institution, a majority serving institution, and a community college all located within the larger mid-Atlantic region. The survey included a combination of multiple response, Likert scaled, dichotomous, open ended, and ordinal questions. It was developed in the Survey Monkey system and reviewed by several content and methodological experts in order to examine bias, vagueness, or potential semantic problems. Finally, the survey was pilot tested prior to implementation in order to explore the efficacy of the research methodology. It was then modified accordingly prior to widespread distribution to potential participants. The surveys were administered to students enrolled in classes taught by the authors all of whom are educators. Participation was voluntary, optional, and anonymous. Over 800 individuals completed the survey with just over 700 usable results, after partial completes and the responses of individuals outside of the 18-24 age range were removed. Findings: Participants in this study overwhelmingly were users of social media. In descending order, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, WhatsApp, LinkedIn and Tik Tok were the most popular social media services reported as being used. When volume of use was considered, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube and Twitter were the most cited with most participants reporting using Instagram and Snapchat multiple times a day. When asked to select which social media service they would use if forced to choose just one, the number one choice was YouTube followed by Instagram and Snapchat. Additionally, more than half of participants responded that they have uploaded a video to a video sharing site such as YouTube or Tik Tok. When asked about their familiarity with different technologies, participants overwhelmingly responded that they are “very familiar” with smart phones, searching the Web, social media, and email. About half the respondents said that they were “very familiar” with common computer applications such as the Microsoft Office Suite or Google Suite with another third saying that they were “somewhat familiar.” When asked about Learning Management Systems (LMS) like Blackboard, Course Compass, Canvas, Edmodo, Moodle, Course Sites, Google Classroom, Mindtap, Schoology, Absorb, D2L, itslearning, Otus, PowerSchool, or WizIQ, only 43% said they were “very familiar” with 31% responding that they were “somewhat familiar.” Finally, about half the students were either “very” or “somewhat” familiar with operating systems such as Windows. A few preferences with respect to technology in the teaching and learning process were explored in the survey. Most students (85%) responded that they want course announcements and reminders sent to their phones, 76% expect their courses to incorporate the use of technology, 71% want their courses to have course websites, and 71% said that they would rather watch a video than read a book chapter. When asked to consider the future, over 81% or respondents reported that technology will play a major role in their future career. Most participants considered themselves “informed” or “well informed” about current events although few considered themselves “very informed” or “well informed” about politics. When asked how they get their news, the most common forum reported for getting news and information about current events and politics was social media with 81% of respondents reporting. Gen Z is known to be an engaged generation and the participants in this study were not an exception. As such, it came as no surprise to discover that, in the past year more than 78% of respondents had educated friends or family about an important social or political issue, about half (48%) had donated to a cause of importance to them, more than a quarter (26%) had participated in a march or rally, and a quarter (26%) had actively boycotted a product or company. Further, about 37% consider themselves to be a social activist with another 41% responding that aren’t sure if they would consider themselves an activist and only 22% saying that they would not consider themselves an activist. When asked what issues were important to them, the most frequently cited were Black Lives Matter (75%), human trafficking (68%), sexual assault/harassment/Me Too (66.49%), gun violence (65.82%), women’s rights (65.15%), climate change (55.4%), immigration reform/deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) (48.8%), and LGBTQ+ rights (47.39%). When the schools were compared, there were only minor differences in social media use with the high school students indicating slightly more use of Tik Tok than the other participants. All groups were virtually equal when it came to how informed they perceived themselves about current events and politics. Consensus among groups existed with respect to how they get their news, and the community college and high school students were slightly more likely to have participated in a march, protest, or rally in the last 12 months than the university students. The community college and high school students were also slightly more likely to consider themselves social activists than the participants from either of the universities. When the importance of the issues was considered, significant differences based on institutional type were noted. Black Lives Matter (BLM) was identified as important by the largest portion of students attending the HBCU followed by the community college students and high school students. Less than half of the students attending the TWI considered BLM an important issue. Human trafficking was cited as important by a higher percentage of students attending the HBCU and urban high school than at the suburban and rural community college or the TWI. Sexual assault was considered important by the majority of students at all the schools with the percentage a bit smaller from the majority serving institution. About two thirds of the students at the high school, community college, and HBCU considered gun violence important versus about half the students at the majority serving institution. Women’s rights were reported as being important by more of the high school and HBCU participants than the community college or TWI. Climate change was considered important by about half the students at all schools with a slightly smaller portion reporting out the HBCU. Immigration reform/DACA was reported as important by half the high school, community college, and HBCU participants with only a third of the students from the majority serving institution citing it as an important issue. With respect to LGBTQ rights approximately half of the high school and community college participants cited it as important, 44.53% of the HBCU students, and only about a quarter of the students attending the majority serving institution. Contribution and Conclusion: This paper provides a timely investigation into the mindset of generation Z students living in the United States during a period of heightened civic unrest. This insight is useful to educators who should be informed about the generation of students that is currently populating higher education. The findings of this study are consistent with public opinion polls by Pew Research Center. According to the findings, the Gen Z students participating in this study are heavy users of multiple social media, expect technology to be integrated into teaching and learning, anticipate a future career where technology will play an important role, informed about current and political events, use social media as their main source for getting news and information, and fairly engaged in social activism. When institutional type was compared the students from the university with the more affluent and less diverse population were less likely to find social justice issues important than the other groups. Recommendations for Practitioners: During disruptive and contentious times, it is negligent to think that the abounding issues plaguing society are not important to our students. Gauging the issues of importance and levels of civic engagement provides us crucial information towards understanding the attitudes of students. Further, knowing how our students gain information, their social media usage, as well as how informed they are about current events and political issues can be used to more effectively communicate and educate. Recommendations for Researchers: As social media continues to proliferate daily life and become a vital means of news and information gathering, additional studies such as the one presented here are needed. Additionally, in other countries facing similarly turbulent times, measuring student interest, awareness, and engagement is highly informative. Impact on Society: During a highly contentious period replete with a large volume of civil unrest and compounded by a global pandemic, understanding the behaviors and attitudes of students can help us as higher education faculty be more attuned when it comes to the design and delivery of curriculum. Future Research This presentation presents preliminary findings. Data is still being collected and much more extensive statistical analyses will be performed.

A mature teacher who continuously seeks improvement should be recognised as a professional who has autonomy in conducting their job and has the autonomy to engage in a professional community of practice (Hyslop-Margison and Sears, 2010). In other words, teachers’ engagement in professional development activities should be driven by their own determination rather than extrinsic sources of motivation. In this context, teachers’ self-determination can be defined as a feeling of connectedness with their own aspirations or personal values, confidence in their ability to master new skills, and a sense of autonomy in planning their own professional development path (Stupnisky et al., 2018; Eyal and Roth, 2011; Ryan and Deci, 2000). Previous studies have shown the advantages of providing teachers with autonomy to determine personal and professional improvement. Bergmark (2020) found that giving teachers the opportunity to identify areas of improvement based on teaching experience expanded the ways they think and understand themselves as teachers and how they can improve their teaching. Teachers who plan their own improvement showed a higher level of curiosity in learning and trying out new things. Bergmark (2020) also shows that a continuous cycle of reflection and teaching improvement allows teachers to recognise that the perfect lesson does not exist. Hence, continuous reflection and improvement are needed to shape the lesson to meet various classroom contexts. Moreover, Cheon et al. (2018) found that increased teacher autonomy led to greater teaching efficacy and a greater tendency to adopt intrinsic (relative to extrinsic) instructional goals. In developed countries, teacher autonomy is present and has become part of teachers’ professional life and schools’ development plans. In Finland, for example, the government is responsible for providing resources and services that schools request, while school development and teachers’ professional learning are integrated into a day-to-day “experiment” performed collaboratively by teachers and principals (Niemi, 2015). This kind of experience gives teachers a sense of mastery and boosts their determination to continuously learn (Ryan and Deci, 2000). In low-performing countries, distributing autonomy of education quality improvement to schools and teachers negatively correlates with the countries’ education outcomes (Hanushek et al., 2011). This study also suggests that education outcome accountability and teacher capacity are necessary to ensure the provision of autonomy to improve education quality. However, to have teachers who can meet dynamic educational challenges through continuous learning, de Klerk & Barnett (2020) suggest that developing countries include programmes that could nurture teachers’ agency to learn in addition to the regular content and pedagogical-focused teacher training materials. Giving autonomy to teachers can be challenging in an environment where accountability or performance is measured by narrow considerations (teacher exam score, administrative completion, etc.). As is the case in Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia, teachers tend to attend training to meet performance evaluation administrative criteria rather than to address specific professional development needs (Dymoke and Harrison, 2006). Generally, the focus of the training relies on what the government believes will benefit their teaching workforce. Teacher professional development (TPD) is merely an assignment for Jakarta teachers. Most teachers attend the training only to obtain attendance certificates that can be credited towards their additional performance allowance. Consequently, those teachers will only reproduce teaching practices that they have experienced or observed from their seniors. As in other similar professional development systems, improvement in teaching quality at schools is less likely to happen (Hargreaves, 2000). Most of the trainings were led by external experts or academics who did not interact with teachers on a day-to-day basis. This approach to professional development represents a top-down mechanism where teacher training was designed independently from teaching context and therefore appears to be overly abstract, unpractical, and not useful for teachers (Timperley, 2011). Moreover, the lack of relevancy between teacher training and teaching practice leads to teachers’ low ownership of the professional development process (Bergmark, 2020). More broadly, in the Jakarta education system, especially the public school system, autonomy was never given to schools and teachers prior to establishing the new TPD system in 2021. The system employed a top-down relationship between the local education agency, teacher training centres, principals, and teachers. Professional development plans were usually motivated by a low teacher competency score or budgeted teacher professional development programme. Guided by the scores, the training centres organised training that could address knowledge areas that most of Jakarta's teachers lack. In many cases, to fulfil the quota as planned in the budget, the local education agency and the training centres would instruct principals to assign two teachers to certain training without knowing their needs. Realizing that the system was not functioning, Jakarta’s local education agency decided to create a reform that gives more autonomy toward schools and teachers in determining teacher professional development plan. The new system has been piloted since November 2021. To maintain the balance between administrative evaluation and addressing professional development needs, the new initiative highlights the key role played by head teachers or principals. This is based on assumption that principals who have the opportunity to observe teaching practice closely could help teachers reflect and develop their professionalism. (Dymoke and Harrison, 2006). As explained by the professional development case in Finland, leadership and collegial collaboration are also critical to shaping a school culture that could support the development of professional autonomy. The collective energies among teachers and the principal will also direct the teacher toward improving teaching, learning, and caring for students and parents (Hyslop-Margison and Sears, 2010; Hargreaves, 2000). Thus, the new TPD system in Jakarta adopts the feature of collegial collaboration. This is considered as imperative in Jakarta where teachers used to be controlled and join a professional development activity due to external forces. Learning autonomy did not exist within themselves. Hence, teachers need a leader who can turn the "professional development regulation" into a culture at schools. The process will shape teachers to do professional development quite autonomously (Deci et al., 2001). In this case, a controlling leadership style will hinder teachers’ autonomous motivation. Instead, principals should articulate a clear vision, consider teachers' individual needs and aspirations, inspire, and support professional development activities (Eyal and Roth, 2011). This can also be called creating a professional culture at schools (Fullan, 1996). In this Note, we aim to understand how the schools and teachers respond to the new teacher professional development system. We compare experience and motivation of different characteristics of teachers.