Rozprawy doktorskie na temat „Curriculum development”

The Virginia Tech Department of Computer Science (VT CS) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science (UNC SILS) have launched a curriculum development project in the area of digital libraries. Educational resources will be developed based on the Computing Curriculum 2001. Lesson plans and modules will be developed in a variety of areas (that cover the topics of papers and conference sessions in the field), evaluated by experts in those areas, and then pilot tested in CS and LIS courses. The authors are seeking instructors, schools, and departments interested in developing, implementing, and/or evaluating these educational materials.

The purpose of this project is to develop a curriculum, which will examine the ethical methods or practices used by nurses in resolving ethical dilemmas in clinical practice utilizing the Moral Decision-Making Model for staff nurses at St.Bernardine Medical Center, Five Tower North.

This thesis addressed the need to inform and demonstrate to novice developers the process of developing a curriculum and the need to guide novice teachers with little or no access to formal training. A curriculum for novice teachers in community programs was developed such that the teachers were presented clear and specific guidance in presenting lessons with minimal preparation time and with minimal training. Eight novice teachers presented the lessons in ESL and EFL contexts and provided feedback on the success, strengths, and weaknesses of the curriculum and lessons. The participants indicated that the curriculum overall is satisfactory, easy to follow, and meaningful to the students and teachers. The participants also indicated that the teachers need more guidance in the areas of adapting the lessons and engaging the students.

The need for developing mathematics curricula was clarified. Models of mathematics curriculum development in Egypt were identified as: \"Temporary Committees\" (TC), center of developing curriculum and educational materials (CDCEM), \"National conferences\" (NC) and \"Educational standards\" (ES). The advantages and disadvantages of each one of these models were evaluated. Then a new model was suggested covering the whole advantages of these models and avoiding their disadvantages.

Examining the design education climate of Los Angeles results in finding a broken art education system and misconceived notions about graphic design. The struggle to implement design education into the lives of high school students leads to some students who have access to art classes with an emphasis on technical digital art and some students who have never taken an art or design class. This project is the work of bringing design education to students in the Los Angeles area. This design curriculum was created to promote creative process, problem solving, play and experimentation, and a deeper understanding of the use of graphic design as a communication tool. This curriculum was implemented at the High School Institutes at Inner-City Arts, a nonprofit that provides free arts education to thousands of youth in Los Angeles.

The thesis examines the relationship between the teaching of Judaism and secondary school pupils’ perceptions of and attitudes to Jews. The study has two distinct contexts. The first is the perpetuation of negative attitudes towards Jews in England, and the second is the study of Judaism within Religious Education (‘curriculum Judaism’). Following an introductory chapter Chapters 2 and 3 analyse attitudinal development and the impact of strategies to challenge misconceptions. Particular reference is made to negative attitudes and behaviours to Jews in contemporary England and the impact of characteristics traditionally attributed to Jews. In Chapter 4 and 5 the context of curriculum Judaism is examined. Through a review of scholarly literature and policy documentation it is argued that the history of curriculum Judaism is unique and has been shaped by factors not conducive to presenting the tradition accurately. It maintains that teachers’ confidence in selecting appropriate content and teaching methods, and in challenging misconceptions, is pivotal for positive attitudinal development. Through a mixed methods approach, qualitative data is gathered from the three sources closest to curriculum Judaism - pupils, teachers and class textbooks. The data analysis in Chapter 7 and 8 contends that teachers often lack both confidence and appropriate knowledge to reflect the integrity of contemporary Judaism. Discussion of the selection and presentation of curriculum content and resources leads on to a consideration of the impact on pupils’ attitudes to Jews, with particular reference to the teaching of the Holocaust as a part of curriculum Judaism. The thesis argues that to meet the demands described above new approaches need to be established which develop teachers’ knowledge, discernment and confidence regarding appropriate content selection; effective learning experiences and strategies to effectively challenge misconceptions and stereotypes which inevitably develop into antisemitism.

In this project a four week computer-based career assessment program was developed to equip employable welfare recipients in San Bernardino with the necessary tools to explore, seek, obtain, and maintain employment that is self-sustaining. The first three weeks of the curriculum addresses major areas of career development, while the last week focuses on job searching.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2003.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains xiv, 213 p.; also includes graphics Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-198). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

This curriculum was designed for older adults and their caregivers. The curriculum begins with an overview of the issue and addresses aging issues through six 3-hour sessions. The design was deliberate in nature to bring to light the importance of a social worker. It focuses on competence to work with families who seek caregiver model options, realities, and expectations of both the older adult and the caregiver, and what to look for in assisted living or aging in place. The importance of understanding cultural and spiritual aspects and their meanings in the caregiving process is emphasized. An extensive literature review identified various stressors among older adults and their caregivers and identified effective interventions to address their psychosocial needs based on evidence-based and empirically based research studies. This curriculum was designed to provide information and to bring awareness of the importance of empowerment of older adults and their caregivers.

Curriculum development and change poses a range of challenges with regard to curriculum role teachers are to play when such a change takes place. The purpose of this study was to investigate the curriculum development role of teachers as key agents in curriculum change. In evaluating the curriculum development role of teachers as key agents of change, it was imperative to look at the curriculum development role with regard to the development phases and the seven roles as outlined in the Revised National Curriculum Statement and it became evident that there was a need to make certain as to whether teachers were empowered for their curriculum development role by looking at their level of empowerment. This investigation was prompted by school teachers who were and are de–motivated and lack direction as to what their actual role is in curriculum development for the changing curriculum in South Africa is. The literature study established the importance of teacher development in the South African context. Curriculum development or change as variously defined, relates to teachers' knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in reaching the aim of teaching and learning. In investigating the problem at hand, it was imperative to look at the methodology that would best suit the problem. A qualitative approach was selected where focus group interviews were administered at four schools in the district. It was established that the role which teachers play as curriculum developers in the changing curriculum of South Africa is pivotal and that change cannot be successfully attained if teachers' roles are not clear and if teachers' development is not initiated before and during change process and curriculum development. This research therefore draws a conclusion that teacher involvement and development in curriculum development is imperative if South Africa is to realize its education goals.
Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Research indicates that teachers feel intimidated into fully implementing prescribed literacy curriculum at the expense of their own praxis which may indeed be effective in boosting student literacy achievement. This perceived intimidation may serve to compromise students’ literacy outcomes. The objective of the study was to recognize the different forms of resistance teachers demonstrate in order to take responsibility of their own pedagogical practices as it helps develop students’ literacy skills. This paper analyzes teachers’ praxis and use of integrated methods of prescribed literacy curriculum in relation to teacher resistance. It answers four key questions: 1) What forms of resistance to the prescribed literacy curriculum do teachers at this elementary school use? 2) Why do teachers use resistance? 3) What do teachers say are the implications of their resistance? 4) What are teachers’ pedagogical choices in relation to resistance?

The study gathered qualitative and qualitative data in order to detail the frequency with which teachers favor their praxis over prescribed literacy curriculum, and to address concepts such as culturally responsive teaching and social participation. The limitations inherent in the research are the lack of diversity among the 18 respondents interviewed (all of them white female teachers from a northeastern U.S. suburban school); and the possibility that respondents might be less than candid in their responses due to concerns about anonymity.

Most of the teachers reported that they felt teachers resist prescribed literacy curriculum by developing their own pedagogical practices within their classroom in order to feel responsible for developing students’ literacy skills. At the same time, participants reported that they tended to completely follow prescribed literacy curriculum consistent with their professional development training. Teachers have strategically adjusted controlled academic environments to serve students, which implies a strategy of politicizing education within their classrooms. The long standing educational systems which were believed to promote education for the sake of preparing students for service jobs and consumerism are adjustable in classrooms where teachers promote students’ social capital instead.

This research used a case study approach to examine curriculum understandings and the processes of curriculum development at a Vietnamese university. The study proposes a participatory model for curriculum development contextualized for Vietnamese higher education. The study found that the curriculum is understood in diverse and sometimes conflicting ways by students, academics and administrative staff, and is developed in a hierarchical manner. Hence, the participatory model incorporates recommendations for effective practices of curriculum development at different levels within Vietnamese universities.

Employers, parents, legislators and researchers have expressed concerns that students are graduating from college at low rates, take too long to graduate, and do not possess the proper knowledge or skills to be successful at work or wherever life may take them. Many claim that the curriculum at colleges and universities no longer meets the needs of the students, employers, graduate programs, and society at large. One of the many potential solutions is reforming the undergraduate curriculum.

This research examines the factors that motivated two institutions to reform their curricula in efforts to improve student success. Both of the institutions are relatively small liberal arts educational organizations, one public and the other private. Each institution has differing missions and goals and is at a different point in its development. The study attempts to describe what was important enough to motivate them to change their curricula and why it mattered.

This research investigates the reforms of the two institutions in a case study manner, drawing upon published information and personal interviews to analyze what took place. The inquiry centered upon six basic questions. 1. What was the impetus for changing the curriculum? 2. What was the process used in changing the curriculum? 3. What changes were made to the curriculum? 4. What student outcomes were achieved? 5. How did the curriculum reform impact the institution? 6. What lessons were learned through the reform process?

Reforming a curriculum is a long, complex process, requiring input and consensus from many stakeholders, especially faculty. The manner in which each organization gained faculty endorsement for the reform is analyzed. Actual changes made to the curricula are documented. The research explores student outcomes and the impact that the reform had on the faculty and institutions. Then the researcher attempts to obtain indications that the improvements made by the institutions are achieving the intended goals. Learning is a complex phenomenon to assess, and every organization is challenged to find a way to assess learning effectively.

The research reports on what took place, what was learned, and what other potential curriculum reformers can expect if they, too, embark upon reform. The study shows that faculty and strong faculty leaders (often cited in the literature as causes of ineffectual curricula) are crucial to the reform process and without adequate assessment, the true results of a reform cannot be known. Much remains to be learned about the extent to which curriculum reform can improve higher education and in fact be a cure of societal maladies. Opportunities for improvement abound. The researcher attempts to identify similarities and differences, seeking fundamental conclusions. In this manner the study proposes to be used as a resource for other educational organizations interested in either improving or completely revamping their curricula.

Thesis (Honors)--Ohio State University, 2006.
Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages: contains 40 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 20). Available online via Ohio State University's Knowledge Bank.

A distributed online curriculum and courseware (DONC2) development model is proposed in this study. Collaborative courseware development teams which may work in distributed academic or private institutions who need to develop higher quality, reduced cost, on time products are the users of DONC2 development model. The related features from the disciplines of instructional design and software engineering were combined and concepts like usability, especially in terms of formative and summative evaluation, interoperability and reusability were integrated into the model. The research is conducted as a collective case study, including four cases with distinctive characteristics to reveal the several practices in online curriculum and courseware development work. The DONC2 development model was proposed using the results gathered from the investigated cases and a literature survey. The model uses the iterative incremental and agile software development approaches in order to overcome the disadvantages of other linear system development approaches. This enables building releasable products in short time periods with increased quality. Furthermore, continuous communication, evaluation and feedback as well as good project management and readiness to adapt to changes are integrated as the essential characteristics. DONC2 development model is different than previous linear and non-adaptive models in all of these aspects.

The purpose of this study was to examine how collaborative artmaking activates and supports the development of interpersonal skills in young children. By means of a qualitative case study, this study explored how collaborative art projects engage children in using problem-solving, cooperation, and negotiation skills. Data were collected through observation of small groups of preschool children as they participated in collaborative art projects. Field notes, videotaping, small group interviews, and conversations with colleagues were the primary methods for data collection. The data were analyzed using the literature from the Reggio Emilia philosophy and research on collaborative artmaking and interpersonal skills development. Thematic groupings from both deductive and inductive coding techniques were used to analyze the data and draw inferences about the findings. Results show that children co-construct knowledge through the visual language of art during collaborative artmaking. Over time, this construction supports children in their interpersonal skill development. The art medium used in the projects and the role of teacher were examined, revealing how the children were supported in developing problem-solving, cooperation, and negotiation skills. This study makes an important contribution to the literature because it draws connections between collaborative artmaking and interpersonal skill development.

Thesis (MPA (Public Management and Planning))--University of Stellenbosch, 1999.
130 leaves single sided printed, preliminary pages i-x and numbered pages 1-75 includes bibliography and digitized at 300 dpi (OCR), used Bizhub 250.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The basic premise of this study is that a curriculum for Theology and Community Development would provide theological institutions with a social purpose in their theological education program. This is necessary for the Church's involvement in social transformation, particularly in the South African context with its alarmingly ever-increasing proportions of unemployment, poverty, violence and crime. The research attempts to provide, as an outcome, theological institutions with a social development purpose by means of curriculum design. The reason for this is based on the conviction that the Church as a community-based organisation, particularly amongst the marginalised poor, can be an effective vehicle for community development. This is due to the Church's Biblical commission and commitment to the poor, its capacity, in terms of resourcefulness, viz. its members and capital, its understanding and experience of social realities and the holistic nature of its activities. The design of the curriculum is aimed at unlocking the Church's resources and building its capacity to become an agent or catalyst for substantial people and societal development. It is presupposed in the study that the Church, although it has a long history of mission and diaconic work, is more and more lacking in capacity to meet the challenges and need of the post-modern society and subsequently cannot effect social transformation - yet it undoubtedly has the potential. The reason for this incapacity can be ascribed to the nature of theological training, which has as a ministerial-formation model a managerial approach to organisation and maintenance of congregational ministry from inside the institutional structure. As the Church finds itself confronted with enormous community needs, the leaders feel inadequate to deal with the "demo-crisis" of society for there is little in their seminary background that could have prepared them to equip the members for ministries incorporating community development. It is argued in this study, based on an analysis of the Church as a community called by God, the essence of community development and the people-centred participatory development process, that the Church as a community-based organisation is essentially best served in effecting social change by orientating itself according to the people-centred participatory development approach. This approach is embedded in the theoretical assumptions of the Humanitarian school of thought combined with the Social Development school. In theological education a new theological paradigm in which theory re-orientates itself to a "new paradigm of humanity" is inevitable. According to this paradigm, the Church should align itself with the humanitarian focus of development because development is ultimately about a new vision for society, about a new humanity, empowerment of the people to experience full life as given by God in full respect of creation. Only in developing a theological understanding of development and in assisting to equip people for development, will it be able to answer to its calling - will it continue the process which was started by God in creating the Church as the "first fruits" of the new humanity. A curriculum for Theology and Community Development, based on the challenges of development, the sources of theology in the teaching tradition of the Church, the realities of the South African context and the principles of the People-centred Participatory Development Approach is designed to empower the Church to be an effective agent and/or catalyst for social transformation, particularly in South Africa.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die basiese uitgangspunt van hierdie studie is dat 'n kurrikulum vir Teologie en Gemeenskapsontwikkeling teologiese instellings sal voorsien met 'n sosiale doelwit in hul teologiese opvoedingsprogram: Dit is noodsaaklik vir die Kerk se betrokkenheid by sosiale transformasie, veral wat die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks aanbetref met sy ontstellende, steeds toenemende, mate van werkloosheid en die daarmee gepaardgaande spiraal van armoede, geweld en misdaad. Die navorsing voorsien as uitkoms, aan teologiese instansies 'n sosiale ontwikkeling doel deur middel van kurrikulumontwerp. Dit is gebaseer op die oortuiging dat die Kerk as 'n gemeenskaps-gebaseerde organisasie, in besonder onder die gemarginaliseerde armes, 'n effektiewe instrument kan wees vir gemeenskapsontwikkeling, gebasseer op die Kerk se Bybelse opdrag en toewyding aan die opheffing van die arme, sy verstaan en ondervinding van sosiale werklikhede en die holistiese natuur van sy aktiwiteite. Die kurrikulum is gemik op die ontsluiting van die Kerk se bronne en die bou van sy kapasitiet sodat die Kerk 'n effektiewe agent of katalisator van substantiewe mense- en sosiale ontwikkeling kan wees. Dit word in hierdie studie op grond van onderhoude en verslae voorveronderstel dat die Kerk, alhoewel hy 'n lang geskiedenis van Sending en Diakonie het, nie paraat is en nie die kapasiteit het om die uitdagings en nood van die post-moderne samelewing volgens die vereistes van sosiale transformasie die hoof te bied nie en gevolglik nie sosiale transformasie kan bewerkstellig nie. Dit terwyl die Kerk ongetwyfeld die potensiaal het. Die rede vir hierdie onvermoë kan herlei word na die Kerk se teologiese opleiding, wat as opleidings model 'n bestuursbenadering tot organisasie en instandhouding van gemeente bediening van binne die institusionele strukture het. Terwyl die Kerk gekonfontreer word met enorme gemeenskapsbehoeftes, voel die leiers onbevoeg om die demo-krisis te hanteer omdat daar baie min in hul teologiese opleiding was wat hulle kon voorberei om die lidmate vir bediening toe te rus wat gemeenskapsontwikkeling insluit. Dit word in hierdie studie geargumenteer, gebaseer op 'n analise van die Kerk as 'n alternatiewe gemeenskap geroep deur God en die wesenlikheid van gemeenskapsontwikkeling binne die verskillende benaderings in die ontwikkelingsproses, dat dit die Kerk as 'n gemeenskaps-gebaseerde organisasie wesenlik die beste sal baat indien dit sosiale verandering wil bewerkstellig om sigself volgens die mens-gesentreerde deelnemende,ontwikkelingsbenadering te orienteer. Hierdie benadering is ingebed in die teoretiese beginsels van die Humanitere Skool gekombineer met die Sosiale Ontwikkelingskool. 'n Nuwe teologies paradigma vir teologiese opvoeding waarin die teorie sigself herorienteer word tot 'n "nuwe paradigma van humaniteit" is onvermydelik. Dit word volgens hierdie paradigma op grond van eksegetiese studie voorveronderstel dat die Kerk erns maak met ontwikkeling omdat ontwikkeling uiteindelik gaan om 'n nuwe visie ten opsigte van die samelewing, 'n nuwe humaniteit - omdat dit gaan oor die bemagtiging van mense om die volle lewe met volle verantwoordelikheid teenoor die skepping te beleef wat deur God gegee is. Slegs deur 'n teologiese begrip van ontwikkeling te ontwikkel en deur saam te werk met ander instansies om mense toe te rus vir ontwikkeling, sal die Kerk in staat wees om waarlik te beantwoord aan sy roeping - sal dit die proses voortdryf wat deur God begin is toe Hy die Kerk as die "eerste vrugte" van die nuwe humaniteit in die lewe geroep het. Vir hierdie doel word die kurrikulum vir Teologie en Gemeenskapsontwikkeling ontwerp, gebaseer op die uitdagings van ontwikkeling, die bronne van teologie in die onderwys-tradisie van die Kerk, die realiteite van die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks en die beginsels van die Mens-gesentreerde Deelnemende Ontwikkelings benadering - om die Kerk te bemagtig om 'n effektiewe agent en/of katalisator vir sosiale transformasie, besonders in Suid-Afrika te wees.

The purpose of this thesis focused on a literature curriculum designed to improve reading comprehension through the stimulation of the right hemisphere of the brain. A case study of this curriculum development effort involved a third-grade student from a local public 2 school. He was a part-time Specific Learning Disability student with weaknesses in visual organization, visual concentration, and reading comprehension. A time span of six weeks was dedicated to increasing the child's reading comprehension within a literature framework through the use of right-brain stimulants, specifically, color and visualization. The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, Level C, administered at the conclusion of the instructional sessions, and teacher observation provided the evaluation of the curriculum. Results of the study proved inconclusive. Further field study was recommended.

The genesis of this study was the confluence of the Academies Act (2010), which legislated academy status and disapplied the statutory nature of the National Curriculum (DfE, 2013), and the finding that primary schools’ curriculum capacity was a cause for concern (Alexander, 2010). This concurrence seemed to make apparent a serious gap between intentions of teacher autonomy conveyed through policy (DfE, 2010; DfE, 2016a) and the capacity for teacher agency. This was compounded by a context of teachers’ professional environments characterised by long-standing statutory (Education Act, 1988) and non-statutory curriculum guidance (DfEE, 1998; DfEE, 1999) and stringent accountability measures (Hammersley-Fletcher and Strain, 2011; Ball, 2003; Ball, 2016). My own professional experience of primary schools and university initial teacher education departments reinforced this concern, which was heightened by its context of curriculum as the pre-eminent element of education (Young, 2014). The focus of the study is the achievement of teacher agency, regarding curriculum development specifically. It draws upon the ecological approach to teacher agency (Priestley, Biesta and Robinson, 2013) in order to explore the causal influence of the interplay of personal capacity and ecological conditions. Twenty-two primary academy teachers, across six primary academies, participated. A critical realist approach governs the study, thus the search for causal mechanisms considers structures at the real ontological level and the manner in which they are actualised by conditions. The methodology aligns with this philosophical paradigm and through a case study design, a deep understanding of participants’ realities is facilitated. This interpretivist, qualitative approach means theorised trends are strongly rooted in the data. Ultimately, the study’s key finding is that teachers’ personal capacity is the defining factor for their achievement of agency due to the way in which it affects their perception of their working environment. The study also posits that it is key professional learning experiences which are a principal influence upon teachers’ personal capacity to achieve agency. This develops the existing ecological approach to teacher agency (Priestley, Biesta and Robinson, 2013) by adding detail regarding the nature and impact of important past experiences. Recommendations regarding teachers’ professional learning experiences are made.

Through a qualitative study utilizing in-depth interviews, practitioner opinion was gathered regarding how Christian institutions of higher education, primarily Baptist seminaries, may better utilize formal and continuing education to prepare clergy for pastoral leadership. The sample of ten subjects for this study, drawn from the 550 active senior pastors in the Dallas Baptist Association and the Kauf-Van Baptist Association, was selected based on a maximum variation sampling method. The intention was to provide a better understanding of the leadership skills required by senior pastors, to help develop pastoral ministries curriculum and to assess the potential effectiveness of continuing education for pastoral leadership. The subjects indicated that the formal degree program of their seminary did equip them with the basic knowledge needed for pastoral leadership but it did not provide them in sufficiency with the necessary, practical skills for pastoral leadership. The pattern that emerged from the data indicates that, overall, seminaries are providing a quality education in preparing pastors for the ministry in their formal degree plans. However, seminaries may have opportunities to be of further service and to gain a competitive advantage vis a vis other seminaries by enhancing and expanding their continuing education programs.

Many pre-health students are required to take introductory physics as undergraduates, though they often struggle to see the relationship between medicine and what they learn in these courses. In order to help students make that connection, reformed curriculum was adopted that teaches physics through the context of biomedicine. This dissertation will discuss the development, implementation, and assessment of the reformed curriculum for the introductory and intermediate level physics courses that targets the needs of pre-health students. The curriculum created during this project include laboratory activities, multimedia content, and other instructional materials all of which present physics in biomedical contexts. The laboratory activities focus on exploring the physical principles behind common medical devices or concepts such as body composition analyzers or computed tomography. This often required researching, designing, and building devices for use in the classroom. Videos interviews with biomedical experts detail how physics is used in their fields. The texts written for these courses serve as a fundamental scientific introduction to the physical concepts and technical discussions of their application in biomedicine. An online homework platform allows for the implementation of a flipped classroom. Homework integrates the material, probing both conceptual understanding and problem solving. Multiple forms of assessment have been used to improve the content and clarity of the curriculum. The research for this project includes a study of the impact of these course reforms on students' attitudes toward physics. Shifts in attitudes were assessed using the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS), course surveys, student interviews, and conceptual quizzes. Data was collected from students in the reformed course and a concurrent course taught using a traditional physics curriculum that does not have a focus on biomedicine. The results show that students' attitudes were affected by the reforms in multiple ways including students' ability to contextualize physical phenomenon through biomedical applications. Direct responses from the students indicated that they appreciated that the course included biomedically relevant content. They stated that the course had helped them to make connections with physics that they were not able to make in previous physics classes. However, a portion of the students qualified their approval of the course reforms by stating, for example, that they felt they were missing out on other topics due to the biomedical focus. There is evidence that other factors such as class meeting time could have played a role in students' attitudes as well. Students were surveyed multiple times throughout the year. Results of these surveys show that students' attitudes tend to decrease during fall term, but improve after winter and spring term. These results suggest that greater gains in favorable attitudes could be achieved by course reforms in fall term, where positive attitudes are at a minimum. Illustration-based quizzes were administered to assess students' conceptual understanding and contextualization of different physical phenomena. The quizzes featured open-ended prompts about illustrations similar to those often seen in physics instruction. Few significant differences in conceptual understanding were found between students in the reformed and traditional courses. However, students in the reformed course were more likely to cite biomedical applications of the physical phenomena. These course reforms teach physical principles through their application to biomedical technology and have positively impacted students' appreciation for the relationship between physics and biomedicine.

One area of development that can be facilitated in the context of youth sports and physical education is sociomoral development. Sociomoral development is defined as moral development in the context of social groups. The physical education classroom today lacks the content, structure, and teaching style that middle school students need in order to cement their sociomoral development so that they can experience positive developmental growth as they mature into adulthood. The purpose of this project was to educate future physical education teachers about the importance of including sociomoral development activities in their standard PE curricula. The presentation focused on teaching how to deliver a curriculum that implements games and activities with dialogue and reflection. These games and activities are then infused with team sports, giving students multiple opportunities to build a close knit connection with their classmates and advance their sociomoral development. In order to test the effectiveness of the presentation, a pre and posttest was used. The pretest and posttest contained a number of open ended questions and a fixed 20 item questionnaire which was divided into five different categories. The five categories were: P.E and prosocial behavior, Theory of structural development, Teacher’s role in sociomoral development, logistics of a sociomoral curriculum, and moral competence activities. Results indicated very slight increase in mean scores moving from pretest to posttest in all but one category. The moral competence category showed a modest increase in mean score moving from pretest to posttest indicating that participants did learn in this part of the presentation. Results from the open ended questions indicated that participants had existing knowledge of sociomoral development learned previously; however they learned new knowledge pertaining to how to structure a sociomoral curriculum through the scope of structural development style teaching. Future sociomoral curricula should emphasize as much active learning as possible, since this type of learning creates a stronger bond between sports and academia.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
The inclusion of technology in the school curriculum has been a concern in many countries following the 1990 Jomtien World Conference on Education for ALL (Jenkins, 1996). However, there are different perspectives and views about technology education. As a result technology has been included in the school curriculum in varied ways.In recognition of the importance of technology in economic development, Lesotho has attempted to include technology in the school curriculum by incorporating science and technology. This study evaluated the Lesotho science curriculum which incorporates technology. The evaluation study is based on the framework first proposed by Stake (1967). Stake’s model addresses the relationship between the intended curriculum and the implemented curriculum (Stenhouse, 1988). In this study the intended curriculum is defined as the curriculum plan as depicted in the curriculum materials such as the syllabus, the examinations questions papers and the textbook which was used as an exemplary material for teaching the science-technology curriculum. The implemented curriculum is viewed as what actually happened at school level as teachers tried to interpret the curriculum developer’s plan. Although Stake’s model served as a guide in the collection and analysis of empirical data, other theoretical areas supported it. These included Gardner’s (1990) approaches to the incorporation of science and technology; the constant comparative approach (Merriam, 1998); and some aspects of curriculum theory, particularly curriculum development and curriculum evaluation as espoused in the works of certain scholars (e.g. Ornstein and Hunkins, 2004; Stenhouse, 1988). The study was designed as a multiple-site case study (Merriam, 1998). The sites where in-depth study of the implemented curriculum was done were four high schools in Lesotho. The intended curriculum was mainly examined by analysing the curriculum materials such as the syllabus, the examinations question paper and the textbook. The methods that were used for collecting the data were interviews, classroom observations, document analysis, and the achievement tests.
South Africa

Research on professional values in radiologic technologists’ is practically nonexistent. Though learning professional values is important, professional values have not been identified and articulated by the radiologic technology profession. The purpose of this study was to determine radiologic technologists’ perception of professional values and determine if radiologic technologists feel it is important to articulate professional values. No original research study evaluating the perception of professional values of practicing radiologic technologists was identified. The purposeful, convenience sample of 716 American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT) members represented a cross sectional view of radiologic technologists. The Radiologic Technologists’ Perceptions of Professional Values Scale (RTPPVS), adapted from the Professionalism in Physical Therapy Core Values Self-Assessment developed by the American Physical Therapy Association, was used to collect quantitative data regarding the importance of professional values from a radiologic technologists’ perspective. Results indicate that professional values are important to radiologic technologists.

The RTPPVS revealed that radiologic technologists perceive the seven professional values, accountability, altruism, compassion/caring, excellence, integrity, professional duty, social responsibility, as important. Overall, altruism indicators were chosen as the most important professional value and social responsibility was chosen as the least important professional value. A sample of American Society of Radiologic Technologists members perceive it is important for the profession to explicitly articulate professional values.

This research did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference among the demographic characteristics. There were no differences in perceived importance of professional values based on gender, age, state of residency, education level, years of experience, or job title. Implications for practice indicate a need for the profession to adopt and articulate professional values.

This qualitative multisite, multiple case study examined teacher tutor experiences and the supports and challenges they encountered while they supported and guided students with the essential skills needed to pass the end-of-the-year standardized test. Four elementary teacher tutors from three northern Georgia school systems participated in the study. The teacher tutors were chosen by using recommendations from the system’s Title I leader or the individual school principal or the after-school program coordinator. Once the four participants were chosen, a timeline of interviews and observations was established. Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) formed the foundation of the conceptual framework for this study. This centered on determining the appropriate level of instruction for cognitive development in order to assist students to move beyond what they process themselves with guidance from a more capable person. Three interviews and six observations were completed for each of the four participants. Field notes were taken during observations and lesson plans were collected. Information obtained through interviews with the participants revealed three overall themes: teaching experience commonalities, a place for standardized testing, and a need for after-school tutoring programs. Findings suggested that all four of the participants felt supported as they implemented their after-school tutoring sessions with the goal of making each one of their students more successful learners in all aspects of their lives, not solely for the end-of-the-year standardized test.

This is a study of the recruitment of experience in an Adult Education Diploma. Through an analysis of the written curriculum, three aspects of recruiting experience are addressed: the different kinds of experience that are recruited on the course, the ways in which these kinds of experience are recruited, and the purpose of recruiting experience as evident in the assessment of the course.

Abstract Despite favorable job-growth predictions for many engineering occupations(NSB, 2010), researchers and government agencies have described a crisis in education in the United States. Several simultaneous events have conspired to sound this alarm. First, when compared to other countries, the United States is losing ground in educational rankings, and research and development output and expenditures (NSB, 2014). Second, within the disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) the ranks of engineering education have been identified as one of the most unwelcoming, inequitable, and homogeneous (Johri & Olds, 2014). Third, engineering educators at the university level has historically been select individuals from the dominant culture considered to be content experts in their fields, but having little or no background in educational theory (Froyd & Lohmann, 2014). Researchers and government agencies have recently claimed the changing demographics and need for more engineers in the United States signal a need for revolutionary changes in the way engineers are prepared and the need for a more welcoming and collaborative environment in engineering education (Jamieson & Lohmann, 2012; NSF, 2014). Understanding how to improve the culture of engineering education is an important and necessary ingredient for addressing national concerns with engineering and innovation.

My study seeks to explore the manifestation of the culture of engineering education in the experiences of five long-time engineering professors, who enrolled as part of a STEM PhD cohort, in a School of Education at a large research university in the northeastern United States. The overarching problem I will address is the persistent culture of engineering education that, despite decades of rhetoric about reform aimed at increasing the number of those historically underrepresented in engineering, continues to promote a hegemonic culture and has failed to take the necessary systemic steps to become more welcoming and more effective for all learners. This research involves the story, and the history, of an engineering education culture quick to identify the haves and the have-nots and dismissive of those individuals “not cut out” to become engineers.

My study is driven by the following research questions: (1) What are engineering educators’ perceptions of teaching and learning? (2) In what ways, if any, have participant experiences with constructivism and social constructivism influenced espoused beliefs, perceptions, and enactments of teaching? (3) What may be potential strategies for shifting the culture of veteran engineering educators toward reflective teaching practices and equitable access to engineering education?

The purpose of this study was to examine online community college student completion and the effectiveness of student learning in online courses, which was measured through the anticipated final online course grade using the Community of Inquiry (CoI) theoretical framework. The researcher collected completion rate data for both online and face-to-face courses from the 10-day roster to the end of the semester. Surveys consisting of questions from the CoI survey, demographic questions, and the student’s anticipated final course grade were administered by the Illinois Easter Community College (IECC) district to online students near the end of spring semester. The first research question examined the difference in completion rates for online and face-to-face courses. There was a statistically significant difference with students less likely to complete an online course in comparison to a face-to-face course. Three research questions assessed the relationship between the three components of CoI and a student’s anticipated final course grade. There was no statistically significant correlation between social presence and the student’s anticipated final online course grade. Cognitive presence and teaching presence both had a positive statistically significant relationship with the student’s anticipated final course grade. The final three research questions that guided this study used multiple regression to examine a predictive relationship between the social, cognitive, and teaching presence and a student’s anticipated final course grade. Cognitive presence was the only component of the CoI model that had a statistically significant predictive value on the student’s final course grade. Based on the findings from this study, the IECC district and other community colleges should focus more attention on completion efforts on online courses compared to face-to-face courses and develop and teach online courses that enhance the cognitive presence and teaching presence in an online course.