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Goldman, Madeline B. "The Role of Learning Experiences, Supports and Barriers in Career Development for the Doctoral Student." VCU Scholars Compass, 2018. https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/5513.
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Abstract
THE ROLE OF LEARNING EXPERIENCES, SUPPORTS AND BARRIERS FOR THE DOCTORAL STUDENT
By Madeline B. Goldman, DDS, MEd
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018
Major Director: Robin Hurst, Ed.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Teaching and Learning
This study seeks to understand the role of career development classes offered by the graduate school at a large public research university as part of its Leadership and Entrepreneurs for Professional Development (LEAPD) program and the LEAPD program effects on doctoral students’ career development and choices. The study also aims to understand the contextual influences on doctoral students, specifically the perceived supports and barriers that influence their career choices. The study’s goal in understanding these issues is to discover how the LEAPD courses impact these students as well as identify perceived supports and barriers in career development for doctoral students. The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) serves as a theoretical foundation for the study. This qualitative interview study involved students from different STEM programs at the doctoral level. Results of this study showed that the LEAPD program raised the career development confidence and inferred self-efficacy of these students. Furthermore, performance accomplishments were a significant factor in the persistence of these students to the doctoral level. Teachers and professors were most frequently reported as sources of support for these doctoral students, and the presence of supports seemed to minimize barrier perceptions.
Keywords: doctoral students, career development, learning experiences, SCCT, supports, barriers, performance accomplishments, vicarious learning, teacher support, STEM
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Hans, Garelda Nicolette. "Addressing the needs of underachieving students in an extended curriculum programme." University of the Western Cape, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5120.
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Magister Educationis - MEdThe purpose of this study is to determine the nature of support services offered to Extended Curriculum Programme students in a South African university. The primary goals of support services in higher education are to support students holistically and reduce barriers to learning in the teaching and learning environment. One of the faculties in a South African university established a support unit to assist with the low throughput level. The academic support unit is housed in the Academic Development Department (ADD) in a faculty. The unit attempts to address the needs of underachieving students in the Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP). The thesis first identifies the challenges the ECP students are experiencing. Then, support services in the university and in the support unit are described. Thereafter, the challenges experienced by the centre of support services in the university and the support unit are illuminated. Qualitative data was gathered through individual interviews with senior management. Then, a focus group discussion with tutors who volunteer in a support unit was facilitated and lastly the staff members employed in the support unit were also interviewed individually. The thesis was able to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic barriers to learning the ECP students are experiencing. It became evident that the support services available in the university and the support unit are not sufficient to address the needs of the students. The challenges the support service centre of the university and the support unit are experiencing are twofold. The first is a lack of organisational resources that hinders service delivery, the second is a lack of skills and expertise in attain structures that limits the provision of support services.
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Cleeton, G. "Development and application of a theory of learning barriers." Thesis, Keele University, 1991. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.306150.
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URAO, Akira. "Development and Evaluation of a Learning Support System for Learning by Following." INTELLIGENT MEDIA INTEGRATION NAGOYA UNIVERSITY / COE, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2237/10391.
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Karlsudd, Peter. "SUPPORT FOR LEARNING - POSSIBILITIES AND OBSTACLES IN LEARNING APPLICATIONS." Doctoral thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för hållbar samhälls- och teknikutveckling, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-12215.
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In this thesis an overarching analysis is made of four articles published in refereed international journals. The articles are describing the development and implementation of learning support systems/learning support applications. The text which summarizes and retrospectively analyzes the projects described in the articles has been condensed into yet another article, which has been placed at the end of the thesis. This makes a total of five articles. In the analysis that is made of learning support applications the following questions are in focus: What results have the projects achieved and how have the experiences gained been utilized? What factors in the described projects have facilitated or hindered the idea, vision, design and implementation of the learning support systems? How have university intentions of supporting entrepreneurship and the commercialization of ideas and products benefited the projects? The results show that there are a great many similarities in the ideas and visions that have initiated and affected the learning support work. Improved communication and availability are expected from all the applications, as well as coordination, creating order and an overarching view. In spite of a large number of positive users, it has been difficult for the applications described to become integrated into the organizations. One possible reason for this is the bad anchoring of the projects in the management organization. Further, there was a lack of funding in the final phases of the projects, which considerably reduced the chances of establishing and continuing operating them. In the gap arising between the end of the implementation phase and the possible application for and granting of new funding, the project dies out of itself. One way of reversing this trend is to grant means for continued work and to get the organization and administration to upgrade the value of a learning application that has become established in the organization.
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Steyn, M. G., and G. D. Kamper. "Barriers to learning in South African higher education : some photovoice perspectives." Journal for New Generation Sciences, Vol 9, Issue 1: Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/582.
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Published ArticleSouth Africa underwent political reform in 1994 from an apartheid government to a democratic state. Former white universities, known for their high standards and academic excellence, experienced an influx of black students who previously were excluded from these institutions. This article reports on a study which investigated the extent of learning barriers that previously disadvantaged black students at a renowned higher education institution experience, and endeavours to determine the learning support they need in order to succeed academically. A qualitative approach was followed and data were gathered by means of focus group interviews and participants' photo portfolios. The data were interpreted with reference to recent perceptions on adult learning, particularly in the African context. Implications for higher education in general are indicated.
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WIlliams, Pearl Juanita Cherrol. "Leadership's influence on the holistic development of learners with barriers to learning." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008194.
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The implementation of an inclusive education system in South Africa after 1994 has challenged public schools to revisit their management structures; and, in the process, it has offered learners with barriers to learning the opportunity to become independent and employable members of society – especially in disadvantaged school communities, where learners are often limited in their development because of financial constraints. However, many education policies – based on humanity, equality, social justice and accessibility – are often neglected at some schools; and this causes many learners with barriers to learning to lose heart or drop out of mainstream schools. The main aim of this study was to investigate and describe school leadership‟s management strategies to implement intervention programmes to the benefit of learners in need, since schools are required to accommodate and support all learners in partnership with the wider school community. To understand how these amendments influence disadvantaged schools, an in-depth qualitative inquiry was conducted with 10-13 different leaders, selected through purposive sampling, at each of three disadvantaged primary schools in Port Elizabeth that are directly responsible for teaching learners with barriers to learning. During the data-collection, individual interviews, group interviews and an observation were used. The process of content analysis was implemented to analyse the data. This entails coding, categorising, comparison and conclusion of the information. Four main themes emerged, namely: barriers to learning experienced in these disadvantaged schools; insufficient infrastructure in these schools; dealing with the problem at present; and possible interventions and guidelines, which were closely associated with the four sub-questions of the study – and eventually answered the research questions.
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Schols, Maurice. "Continuing technology professional development : a technology learning preferences instrument to support teacher educators' workplace learning." Thesis, University of Roehampton, 2016. https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/studentthesis/continuing-technology-professional-development(07a1731f-420f-42ed-af16-7956aeea8eda).html.
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The knowledge-based economy, advances in information and communication technologies and new pedagogical perspectives all influence the need to improve competencies in the 21st century. Innovative educational ideas and concepts have transformed the roles of teacher educators and their students. Adequate technology training is therefore a prerequisite for the teacher educator to develop prospective teachers who can use new technologies to support and improve their students’ achievement gains. However, many of these efforts fail since they are mostly based on a formal, institutional delivery of instrumental knowledge and skills. Adequate technology training is a major factor that can help to promote the uptake of emerging technologies into the curriculum, which in turn benefits students (Yoon et al, 2007; Collins & Halverson, 2009; Earley & Porritt, 2014). This research seeks to add to current knowledge about teacher educators’ technology professionalisation and to provide an instrument for the purpose of mapping teacher educators’ technology learning preferences in the workplace. The technology learning preferences instrument (TLP-instrument) designed, implemented and evaluated in this research is intended to create a link between teacher-educators’ technology learning needs in the workplace and the way in which professional development programmes should be tailored to meet teacher educators’ evolving learning needs. The investigation employs a design-based research approach which is cyclical and appropriate for addressing complex problems in educational practice for which no clear guidelines for solutions are available. To collect and analyse the data, a mixed methods approach was used. The rationale for mixing both types of research is that qualitative and quantitative methods complement each other (Creswell & Plano-Clark, 2011). Findings in this dissertation and in follow-up research are intended to lead to more effective technology professionalisation programmes through suggestions for better design and development based on teacher educators’ learning needs.
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Durrant, Karl Kenneth. "Exploring learning in practice to support construction teachers' professional development." Thesis, London South Bank University, 2015. http://researchopen.lsbu.ac.uk/2000/.
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I am a teacher trainer. I work for an FE institution that specialises in construction education. In this study I report on an action research project carried out with the coparticipation of the construction teachers (my students) with whom I work. I engage with my students as I set out to nurture a professional development community of practice, seeking to free them from conventional teacher development practices. My informal approach to professional development, based on the principles of theories of situated cognition, suggests learning through abstraction can occur in formal and informal contexts and traverse contexts. At the start, I asked my students to volunteer to work with me. On recruitment, I explained the purpose of my research and discussed what I saw as the key ideas of communities of practice explicitly. This provided the initial abstraction. Activity developed co-participants’ understanding of communities of practice, leading us to identify communities of practice that we saw as influencing their developing teacher identity. Co-participants then used this understanding in lesson-study activity. As we progressed, we agreed that we had become a professional development community of practice. Membership encouraged a proactive positive teacher identity, equipping coparticipants with new tools for teaching. Co-participation was empowering. It inspired the creation of innovative teaching resources (in-tune with their students’ identity) for proactive learning. Our powerful teaching community of practice formed out of the initial abstract concept I provided, in collaborative negotiated activity. Those co-participants who had recently completed formal teacher training became central to our professional development community of practice. The engagement of others was more peripheral. Co-participants who were more central had a greater understanding of learning and were better equipped to teach their own students. Legitimate peripheral participants learnt from these co-participants. At the same time as my approach develops individual mental processes, it enculturates teachers into our college. The project supported the development of critically reflective and reflexive practitioners, with what look to be sustainable effects. Data provides insight into the bridges and barriers to establishing a professional development community of practice and teacher identity formation.
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EDIN, ANTON, and MARIAM QORBANZADA. "E-Learning as a tool to support the integration of machine learning in product development processes." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för industriell teknik och management (ITM), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-279757.
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This research is concerned with possible applications of e-Learning as an alternative to onsite training sessions when supporting the integration of machine learning into the product development process. Mainly, its aim was to study if e-learning approaches are viable for laying a foundation for making machine learning more accessible in integrated product development processes. This topic presents itself as interesting as advances in the general understanding of it enable better remote learning as well as general scalability of knowledge transfer. To achieve this two groups of employees belonging to the same corporate group but working in two very different geographical regions where asked to participate in a set of training session created by the authors. One group received the content via in-person workshops whereas the other was invited to a series of remote tele-conferences. After both groups had participated in the sessions, some member where asked to be interviewed. Additionally. The authors also arranged for interviews with some of the participants’ direct managers and project leaders to compare the participants’ responses with some stakeholders not participating in the workshops. A combination of a qualitative theoretical analysis together with the interview responses was used as the base for the presented results. Respondents indicated that they preferred the onsite training approach, however, further coding of interview responses showed that there was little difference in the participants ability to obtain knowledge. Interestingly, while results point towards e-learning as a technology with many benefits, it seems as though other shortcomings, mainly concerning the human interaction between learners, may hold back its full potential and thereby hinder its integration into product development processes.Detta forskningsarbete fokuserar på tillämpningar av elektroniska utlärningsmetoder som alternativ till lokala lektioner vid integrering av maskininlärning i produktutvecklingsprocessen. Framförallt är syftet att undersöka om det går att använda elektroniska utlärningsmetoder för att göra maskininlärning mer tillgänglig i produktutvecklingsprocessen. Detta ämne presenterar sig som intressant då en djupare förståelse kring detta banar väg för att effektivisera lärande på distans samt skalbarheten av kunskapsspridning. För att uppnå detta bads två grupper av anställda hos samma företagsgrupp, men tillhörande olika geografiska områden att ta del i ett upplägg av lektioner som författarna hade tagit fram. En grupp fick ta del av materialet genom seminarier, medan den andra bjöds in till att delta i en serie tele-lektioner. När båda deltagargrupper hade genomgått lektionerna fick några deltagare förfrågningar om att bli intervjuade. Några av deltagarnas direkta chefer och projektledare intervjuades även för att kunna jämföra deltagarnas åsikter med icke-deltagande intressenter. En kombination av en kvalitativ teoretisk analys tillsammans med svaren från intervjuerna användes som bas för de presenterade resultaten. Svarande indikerade att de föredrog träningarna som hölls på plats, men vidare kodning av intervjusvaren visade på undervisningsmetoden inte hade större påverkningar på deltagarnas förmåga att ta till sig materialet. Trots att resultatet pekar på att elektroniskt lärande är en teknik med många fördelar verkar det som att brister i teknikens förmåga att integrera mänsklig interaktion hindrar den från att nå sitt fulla potential och därigenom även hindrar dess integration i produktutvecklingsprocessen.
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Mthimkhulu, Jennifer Winnifred, and M. M. Hlongwane. "Mainstreaming care and support to address barriers to teaching and learning in selected SADC member states’ education institutions." Thesis, University of Zululand, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10530/1821.
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A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment of academic requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, 2019.The purpose of this study was to examine the importance of mainstreaming care and support to address barriers to teaching and learning. The research explored both the potential and limitations of mainstreaming care and support, as a practical and an analytic strategy, by addressing key underlying issues, as well as comparatively assessing the implications of mainstreaming care and support in different settings. There were principles and values about placing a child in the centre of education and taking the importance of the rights of a child so that no child is differentiated or discriminated against. The education ministry ensured that all children access education because it is the right of children regardless of gender and socio economic status. In this study mainstreaming was presented as an approach that held and followed a variety of needs for teaching and learning. Mainstreaming attempted mostly to be socially, customarily, aesthetically, ethically, environmentally and circumstantially relevant and applicable. Mainstreaming called for multi-sectoral collaboration of different ministries that work with and for children, for an example the Ministry of Home Affairs for documentations (birth certificates), the Ministry of Social Development (grants), the Ministry of Health and civil societies. The formation and collaboration with appropriate and relevant partners and stakeholders was presented as an important element in the development of commitment and nurturing of the service delivery of care and support programmes and activities for children. Mainstreaming of care and support served as the amelioration in breaking down the barriers to learning. The addressing of barriers demonstrated that all children accessed school, increased enrolment and retention. It ensured that children stayed in school for the number of required years. Mainstreaming called for the participation and involvement of different role players at different levels in education, including the community, parents, and caregivers. It based its focus on local expertise by providing and prioritizing capacity building on knowledge, skills and guidance through mentoring, training and technical support. It also based its focus on existing initiatives or programmes that supported learners’ social needs. This study based its research in two SADC Member States, namely Swaziland and Zambia. The study compared what was pertinent, using questionnaires to collect information. It investigated what already existed and implemented to deliver care and vi support services. The research used both quantitative and qualitative research methods, however a qualitative research method was mostly used, as a natural science and social science tool, enabling the researcher to study social and cultural phenomena. The decision to use mostly the qualitative research method was based on the context, relevance and theses objectives’ satisfaction. The study enquired into what existed and implemented for care and support service delivery. Key informants in both Member States included senior officials from the key ministries in the National Co-ordinating Units (NCU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Care and Support Programme Steering Committee, Monitoring Information Systems Units (EMIS), civil society organisations (NGOs), United Nations (UN) agencies, school support teams and teachers.
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Kohen-Vacs, Dan. "A Design and Development Approach for Deploying Web and Mobile Applications to Support Collaborative Seamless Learning Activities." Doctoral thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för medieteknik (ME), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-49137.
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In this thesis I address challenges related to the design, development anddeployment of web and mobile technologies used to support CollaborativeSeamless Learning (CSL) activities practiced across a variety of learningcontexts. The scientific publications at the core of this thesis offer adescription of the research I have performed over the last five years, andcomprise studies involving several hundred users.My research efforts included the elicitations of the requirements for and thedesign of a number of web and mobile tools to support collaborative seamlesslearning activities. A web-based environment called CeLS was developed tosupport the orchestration of CSL activities. It was then expanded to integratemobile solutions, aimed to extend the ability of CeLS to support educationalinteractions performed inside as well as outside physical classroom. Thesemobile solutions were designed to implement learning activities that supportdata collection, personal response systems and interaction with mobile videos.The main aim of the research was to investigate how best to design tools andsystems to support students during the enactment of collaborative seamlesslearning activities, and to provide teachers with artifacts to design and assessthose. Special emphasis has been given to the exploration of approaches thatenhance the flow, reusability and sharing of learner-generated content acrossdifferent learning activities. Several studies were conducted in order to validateand assess these ideas and concepts. Various data collection methods wereused to gather data from different stakeholders during the deployment of thedifferent CSL activities. The outcomes were processed and analyzed resultingin a set of recommendations concerning the design, development anddeployment of web and mobile applications to support collaborative seamlesslearning. A software architecture including various web and mobile integratedcomponents used to support innovative CSL activities is also proposed.
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Hill, Rosemary. "Human resource development in small and medium-sized enterprises : barriers to National HRD." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.341265.
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Reader, William Ross. "Structuring knowledge : the development and evaluation of tools to support learning." Thesis, University of York, 1994. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/2447/.
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Sousa, Vanessa Emille Carvalho de. "Development and validaton of a learning support software about nursing diagnoses." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2015. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=14320.
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CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel SuperiorConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico
Este estudo teve como objetivo desenvolver e validar um software de apoio ao ensino-aprendizagem sobre diagnÃsticos de enfermagem, com Ãnfase no aprimoramento da habilidade diagnÃstica. Foram adotadas sete etapas: definiÃÃo do escopo, planejamento, criaÃÃo dos protÃtipos, validaÃÃo dos protÃtipos, criaÃÃo do software, validaÃÃo do software e implementaÃÃo do software. A primeira etapa tratou da definiÃÃo do pÃblico-alvo e dos casos de uso do software. A segunda etapa consistiu na anÃlise e adequaÃÃo do conteÃdo do software, que compreendeu 13 casos clÃnicos referentes aos domÃnios da classificaÃÃo da NANDA-I, no planejamento para a disposiÃÃo deste conteÃdo no sistema e na verificaÃÃo dos recursos necessÃrios para a criaÃÃo do software. A terceira etapa foi constituÃda pela criaÃÃo de dois protÃtipos, um na lÃngua portuguesa e outro na inglesa, utilizando uma ferramenta para criaÃÃo de formulÃrios eletrÃnicos disponÃvel na Internet. Na quarta etapa, os protÃtipos foram validados por 13 juÃzes com experiÃncia na temÃtica e testados por estudantes de Enfermagem de duas instituiÃÃes de ensino, sendo uma localizada na cidade de Fortaleza (n=17) e outra na cidade de Chicago (n=56). A quinta etapa consistiu na criaÃÃo do software Wise Nurse. A sexta etapa constou na validaÃÃo do software por 24 juÃzes que avaliaram aspectos tÃcnicos e de conteÃdo do mesmo utilizando escalas de Likert. A sÃtima e Ãltima etapa consistiu na implementaÃÃo e testagem final do software por 37 estudantes da instituiÃÃo situada em Fortaleza, os quais foram distribuÃdos aleatoriamente nos grupos intervenÃÃo e controle. Alunos de ambos os grupos participaram de um prÃ-teste sobre a temÃtica, solucionaram os 13 casos clÃnicos (sendo utilizado o software, no grupo intervenÃÃo, e a metodologia tradicional, no grupo controle) e responderam um pÃs-teste com nÃvel de dificuldade e conteÃdo similar ao do prÃ-teste. Os alunos do grupo intervenÃÃo avaliaram, ainda, a usabilidade do software por meio da System Usability Scale, uma escala composta por dez itens que evidenciam a visÃo do usuÃrio em relaÃÃo ao sistema. Os resultados mostraram que, na etapa de testagem dos protÃtipos, o intuito de criar um questionÃrio com nÃvel de dificuldade intermediÃrio foi atingido com base nos percentuais de acerto de 60 a 70% obtidos pelos alunos. Verificou-se tambÃm que a taxa de acertos na identificaÃÃo de fatores relacionados foi mais elevada que na identificaÃÃo dos outros elementos. A validaÃÃo do software evidenciou que os aspectos tÃcnicos e o conteÃdo do mesmo estavam adequados, mas algumas alteraÃÃes tiveram de ser feitas com base nas sugestÃes dos juÃzes. Na Ãltima etapa, comprovou-se a eficÃcia do software como ferramenta de apoio ao ensino-aprendizagem na temÃtica com base nos resultados do prÃ-teste e do pÃs-teste. NÃo foram encontradas diferenÃas significativas entre os grupos intervenÃÃo e controle no que se refere à identificaÃÃo dos elementos-chave dos casos clÃnicos. Por fim, em ambos os grupos, houve melhora significativa do nÃvel de conhecimentos. A usabilidade do software foi considerada boa a partir da obtenÃÃo de um escore de 83,75. Conclui-se que o programa alcanÃou o seu objetivo principal e està apto para ser utilizado.
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Gleespen, Abney Varner. "The development of coworker relationships that support or inhibit continuous learning /." The Ohio State University, 1997. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487946103567439.
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Tamkin, Penny. "The impact of whole-person development programmes on managerial learning." Thesis, University of Brighton, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.311440.
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This thesis explores the impact of whole-person development programmes on the development of managers. The research on which this thesis is based is in two stages. The initial stage compared the ways in which personal development plans were created in 14 organisations and identified that the means by which the plans were created had a significant effect on the enthusiasm and commitment of the learners. This led to a review of management development programmes to try and identify in more detail the factors that influence impact and outcomes. Interviews were conducted with 55 individual learners, 11 subordinates and 21 line managers and explored how these managers learnt, what they learnt and what impact this learning had on them and their organisations. These participants came from five case study organisations who provided a range of management development opportunities. The learning that seemed to have had most significant impact centred around 'soft skills'. This is particularly interesting because it is these soft skills that have proved to be difficult to develop and assess. There emerged some key themes that help explain these changes. The first step in this journey of development is that managers should know themselves. Much management development focuses on the external world and the development of knowledge and skills that are 'out there' - understanding budgets, where business strategy comes from, what a good appraisal looks like and so on. The really effective managementdevelopment programmes placed considerable emphasis on the internal world. This development of the internal world focuses on both knowledge and skills - what are my strengths and weaknesses, how do I normally react when put under pressure, what techniques can I use to overcome my reluctance to deal with conflict? Two processes appear to be essential if individuals are to develop greater internal skills and self-knowledge: feedback opportunities and support mechanisms. Those that have received structured feedback within a supportive and trusting environment have used this to change themselves for the better, becoming more proactive, more self-confident and more empathic in their dealings with others. Feedback can play a positive role in enhancing self-esteem through increasing selfknowledge. However feedback is not always welcomed. In an unsupported environment, feedback can be perceived as threatening when it tells the individual something that they did not know about themselves and are not ready to integrate into their selfknowledge. In these circumstances a vicious circle is set up. Support from those that the learner has come to trust appears to be crucial if feedback is to be warmly received. Once an individual has integrated such feedback into their selfknowledge and accepted it, there would appear to be an increase in the value attached to feedback and the desire to seek it out
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Ferreira, Ilze. "A phenomenological study of the experience of assets that support learning." Diss., Pretoria : [s.n.], 2009. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-07022009-115527.
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Boyer, Stefanie Leigh. "Self-Directed Learning: Measures and Models for Salesperson Training and Development." Scholar Commons, 2008. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3878.
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Academic researchers and marketing practitioners are exploring methods to improve salesperson training. Recently, self-directed learning projects were proposed as a new paradigm for learning to take place in the sales domain (Artis & Harris, 2007). Current conceptual work provides a strong foundation for understanding salesperson self-directed learning; however, prior to quantitatively testing proposed models, scales must be created and modified to address salesperson specific learning endeavors. The purpose of this dissertation is: 1) to develop scales to measure salesperson willingness to use self-directed learning projects (SDLP's), 2) to develop a conceptual model of salesperson self-directed learning, 3) to modify current scales to specifically examine salesperson self-directed learning, and 4) to test this model empirically.
To accomplish this, the relevant theories and literature were analyzed to create a theoretical model that would test the following research questions: 1.What factors contribute to salesperson willingness to use SDLP's? 2.What is the relationship between salesperson willingness to use SDLP's and salesperson use of SDLP's? 3.What is the relationship between salesperson use of SDLP's and salesperson performance? Two conceptual models were created to account for two categories of learning projects, induced and synergistic SDLP's. The following variables reflect the conceptual models: willingness to use induced/synergistic SDLP's, use of induced/ synergistic SDLP's, perceived supervisor/organizational support for induced/synergistic SDLP's, and self-regulation training and performance.
Data from 392 salespeople within the financial services industry fit the measurement model and suggest that use of synergistic (non-mandatory) SDLP's positively impacts performance (.396) and use of induced (mandatory) SDLP's does not impact performance. Willingness to use synergistic SDLP's positively impacts use of synergistic SDLP's. Support from the organization and supervisor positively impact willingness to use induced and synergistic SDLP's. Surprisingly, training in self-regulation did not positively impact salesperson willingness to use induced or synergistic SDLP's. The new measures for all constructs exhibit Cronbach's alpha reliability statistics over .7 and acceptable confirmatory factor analysis results. The study provides reliable measurement scales and empirical support for the future study of self-directed learning in a sales context.
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McMullan, Mirjam. "Drug calculations : development and evaluation of an interactive e-learning support package." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.443495.
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McMullan, M. "Drug calculations : development & evaluation of an interactive e-learning support package." Thesis, Exeter and Plymouth Peninsula Medical School, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.700634.
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Hitt, Sara Beth, and false. "Learning Strategies and Classroom Management to Support All Learners." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2018. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/4064.
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Stone, Claudette W. "Technology Integration: A Community of Practice to Support Learning." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2891.
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Abstract This qualitative case study examined teachers' perceptions that contributed to a lack of
technology integration in their K-8 classrooms. The purpose of the study was to determine why teachers of a K-8 and K-5 school underused or failed to integrate technology to support learning. The theoretical framework for this study was provided by Dewey's constructivist theory, Lave and Wenger's situated learning theory and communities of practice, and Kolb's experiential learning theory principles of teaching and learning. The research questions addressed teachers' perceptions of technology integration as a curriculum strategy and teachers' perceptions of how technology affected professional practices to improve student performance in Grades 3 through 8. A purposeful sample of 8 certified teachers who used technology in their classrooms was selected to participate in the study. The participants represented a range of grades in 2 schools located in an economically disadvantaged sector of an urban school district. Qualitative data were collected through one-on-one interviews, classroom observations, and use of technology questionnaires. Data were transcribed, coded, and grouped into categories and themes focused on: (a) progressive technology usage, (b) competency in technology education, and (c) assertiveness towards computer techniques. Participants articulated the need for technical acuity, collaboration, and continuous professional growth activities to integrate technology as a curriculum element. Findings from this study were used to establish a 3 day professional development plan to provide training on technology integration to local K-8 teachers. Social change can be achieved by increasing the level of technology integration to enhance K-8 instruction.
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Douglas, Walter. "Exploring the potential of an inventory based on social cognitive career theory to assess preparedness for the postsecondary transition." Thesis, University of Dundee, 2016. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/d021ea43-4589-4ab8-a5f5-7476eb631d05.
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Background. The study was prompted by observation that failure to obtain a positive postsecondary destination is significantly more prevalent in young people living in areas of greater social deprivation, and in males rather than females. Previous studies have shown that this could be linked to differences in social cognitive factors. However, these studies have been mainly correlational and no comprehensive assessment instrument was found to assess preparedness for the postsecondary transition. Aims. The present study examines senior high school student’s perceptions of the personal, behavioural and environmental factors that affect them as they prepare to leave school. It reveals the structure of these factors and how they vary with regard to social deprivation and gender. Sample. The participants were 1044 senior high school students (573 males and 471 females) who attended six urban high schools. Method. A pre-empirical, 50-item assessment instrument was constructed based on the literature review to identify the wide range of factors previously shown to be relevant to achievement of a positive postsecondary destination. This was then administered to participants. Results. Factor analysis indicated that young people’s perceptions about leaving school were best represented by thirteen factors. An ANOVA model indicated that young people living in areas of higher deprivation reported significantly lower levels of positive postsecondary destination self-efficacy belief, less experience of vicarious career success, less performance of career development tasks, greater perception of career barriers, greater endorsement of a fixed career mindset, and fewer career scaffolding attachments. Males, compared to females, reported less experience of past career success, and fewer career scaffolding attachments. However, despite being at greater risk of a negative postsecondary destination, males reported higher levels of positive postsecondary destination self-efficacy belief, greater experience of positive career-related emotional arousal, greater ability to set career goals, and greater levels of career optimism. Conclusion. Twelve significant main effects on the measured social cognitive factors have the potential to contribute to an explanation of why failure to obtain a positive postsecondary destination is more prevalent in young people living in areas of greater social deprivation, and in males rather than females. A new assessment instrument has been produced to inform an ongoing exploratory process to design, target and evaluate educational interventions to improve postsecondary destinations for all. Increasing internal consistency, external validity and generalisability of findings are all desirable. Some future interventions are proposed on the basis of the results, including greater use of positive career role models in career development programmes, career mindset retraining for high school students, and psycho-education on attachment-fostering behaviours for parents and professionals.
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Hurd, Stella. "Second language learning at a distance : metacognition, affect, learning strategies and learner support in relation to the development of autonomy." Thesis, Open University, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.523947.
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This work is based on nine articles, two book chapters and one set of conference proceedings published between 1998 and 2007 on independent language learning in universities. I also refer to papers I have published that are concerned exclusively with language learning and teaching in adult education in order to contextualise my research. The publications selected for this work chart my evolution as a researcher and teacher, moving from a conventional adult education setting to self-access in a new university and finally distance learning at the Open University, UK. At each stage of this educational journey, autonomy took on an increasingly significant role, with distance learning at the extreme end of the spectrum, a setting which required autonomy to be firmly embedded in theory and practice. The thesis is divided into two main parts: (1) autonomy (2) metacognition and affect, strategies and learner support. The narrative draws together these themes, and explores links between the constructs, and their interrelationships. Publications 1-5 focus on the concept of autonomy and the issues it raises for learners and teachers in both self access and distance learning settings. The first three articles investigate autonomy in self-access contexts. The fourth and fifth publications concentrate more specifically on the distance language learning context. These five articles and chapters examine definitions and interpretations of autonomy; its psychological and social dimensions; its relationship to critical reflection; its place in successful language learning; and its function as a key transferable skill for vocational and other purposes. Finally, the role of autonomy and its practical application – self-regulation or self-management – is discussed in specific relation to distance language learning. Publications 6-12 explore metacognition and affect in independent learning settings, the role of language learning strategies to promote self-regulation in the development of autonomy, and issues for learner support. In this section, the focus is mainly on distance language learning, (reflecting my move to the Open University, UK), although many of the arguments are equally applicable to independent language learning settings in general. The role of metacognition is discussed from the dual perspective of knowledge of self, and skills used to manage the learning process (Flavell, 1976). Affective factors, notably beliefs, anxiety and motivation, are explored in relation to the special characteristics of the distance language learning environment, in particular the call on affective resources in the absence of a teacher. This leads naturally to an examination of the strategies that distance learners employ to cope with the demands of their learning setting, and to implications for learner support. This work makes an important contribution to the field of distance language learning through its focus on the centrality of the learner, the processes involved in second language acquisition (SLA) at a distance, and the need to explore related concepts from the learner's perspective. The empirical studies I have carried out using both quantitative and qualitative research instruments take forward the state of current knowledge in the field by offering original insights into the perceptions, thoughts and feelings of distance language learners and the strategies they use to manage in a distance context. Underpinning my research is a view shared by a growing number of researchers in applied linguistics today that 'language learning, more than almost any other discipline, is an adventure of the whole person, not just a cognitive or metacognitive exercise' (Oxford & Burry-Stock, 1995: 18).
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Carlsson, Mattias, and Annika Egnell. "Managerial, Technical and Co-learning : Different Practices in Process Support for Software Development." Thesis, Blekinge Tekniska Högskola, Institutionen för arbetsvetenskap och medieteknik, 2002. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:bth-5682.
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This Master Thesis looks into software development processes and the work activities these need to support. Hesitation against process support within Software developing organisations combined with a possibility to develop process support for such a company, made the foundation for this thesis. The reference company where the study took place is a large worldwide Telecom company where we focused on one design department with 25 people. Instead of using Participatory Design (PD) [Schuler, Namioka] as a method for Software development as traditionally, we used it for developing process support together with the people at the department. Three different supports for different project processes were created with PD and an evolutionary way of work together with the ?designers?. We came to a complex project environment which required control in several aspects such as project sponsoring, project management, line management, design maintenance etc. We saw a way of working that was following a common agreed way of work by the group that is formed by socio-emotional aspects and co-learning aspects [Hägerfors, 1995]. In contrast to this, the study showed that the available process support and also the use of the process support had a clear concentration towards a management focus ? the control function. The available process support and the use of this did not really consider the aspects of Socio-emotional or Co-learning. Existing process support was built around documents that became evidence for actual activities during the project. The process support developed during this study (by us and the designers) finally also got that concentration. A conclusion is that when the organisation puts high requirements on control of projects, this will also affect the way the organisation wants support for work. This is the missing point.
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Stamp, Nombulelo Margaret. "Educators’ perceptions of barriers to learning in a Correctional Centre in the Western Cape region." University of Western Cape, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/7604.
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Magister Educationis - MEdIn South Africa and elsewhere all correctional centres offer educational programmes today with the aim of rehabilitating offenders by giving them the opportunity to further their studies and to develop vocational skills. However, reports show that the dropout rate is very high. This study thus explores educators’ perceptions of factors that hinder effective learning in South African correctional centres. It also examines barriers and probes strategies with the aim of finding out how deficiencies may be addressed. To this end the enquiry relied on a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with eleven individual educators.
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Haywood, Charlene. "The opinions of lecturers at a university of technology regarding their role in supporting students experiencing barriers to learning / Charlene Haywood." Thesis, North West University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/13328.
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High retention rates, low levels of academic literacy and inundated support services show that students enrolled at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are experiencing difficulty coping with the demands of tertiary study and reaching their academic goals. Literature shows that a significant number of students who are attending HEIs experience barriers to learning, both intrinsic and extrinsic. The aim of this study was to determine the opinions of lecturers at one University of Technology regarding their role in supporting students experiencing barriers to learning. The researcher used a mixed methods approach to collect data with the aim to describe the phenomenon accurately. Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model provided a theoretical framework for this study as it emphasizes the importance of the interaction between the development of an individual and the systems within the individual’s social context. A purposive sampling strategy was employed, and self-structured questionnaires were given to lecturers who teach first year to post-graduate students at the University of Technology. After the statistical analysis of the quantitative data, fifteen lecturers were randomly chosen to participate in individual semi-structured interviews. The transcriptions of the interviews were coded and themes were identified. Using the constant comparative method of data analysis, the researcher aimed to explain the results of quantitative data analysis. The key findings revealed that lecturers feel inadequate to deal with barriers to learning; mainly owing to a lack of training and that they are mainly of opinion that their duty is to refer students for support.MEd (Learner Support), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014
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Ruskov, M. P. "Employing variation in the object of learning for the design-based development of serious games that support learning of conditional knowledge." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2014. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1457529/.
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Learning how to cope with tasks that do not have optimal solutions is a life-long challenge. In particular when such education and training needs to be scalable, technologies are needed to support teachers and facilitators in providing the feedback and discussion necessary for quality learning. In this thesis, I conduct design-based research by following a typical game development cycle to develop a serious game. I propose a framework that derives learning and motivational principles to include them into the design of serious games. My exploration starts with project management as a learning domain, and for practical reasons, shifts towards information security. The first (concept) phase of the development includes an in-depth study: a simulation game of negotiation (Study 1: class study, n=60). In the second (design) phase I used rapid prototyping to develop a gamified web toolkit, embodying the CCO framework from crime prevention, making five small-scale formative evaluations (Study 2, n=17) and a final lab evaluation (Study 3, n=28). In the final (production) stage the toolkit was used in two class studies (Study 4, n=34 and Study 5, n=20), exploring its adoption in a real-world environment. This thesis makes three main contributions. One contribution is the adaptation of the iterative method of the phenomenographic learning study to the study of the efficiency of serious games. This employs open questionsing, analysed with 3 different means of analysis to demonstrate 4 distinct types of evidence of deep learning. Another contribution is the provided partial evidence for the positive effects from the introduction of variation on engagement and learning. The third contribution is the development of four design- based research principles: i) the importance of being agile; ii) feedback from interpretation of the theory; iii) particular needs for facilitation; and iv) reusing user-generated content.
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Hensley, Nikki. "Teacher Perceptions of Blended Learning to Support 21st Century Learners." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3821.
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The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand teacher perceptions of blended learning as an instructional methodology for addressing the needs of diverse learners. The researcher explored the perceptions of teachers who were participating in an ongoing professional development program within their school district. This program focused on improving teaching and learning through the implementation of a blended learning approach. The researcher examined the experiences of teachers as they learned to adapt pedagogical practices to address the learning needs of 21st century students through blended learning. The researcher sought to gain a better understanding of how teachers perceived that utilizing a blended learning methodology impacted pedagogical beliefs, practices, and student learning. Based on the research questions guiding this study, data was collected from individual, in-depth interviews with fifteen educators. Twelve participants were classroom teachers and three participants were school administrators. The analysis of this data identified the following commonalities regarding teacher perceptions of blended learning as an instructional methodology for addressing the needs of diverse learners: knowledge and understanding of effective instructional practices, enhancing instruction with the strategic use of technology, personalizing learning, technology-enabled assessments to support instruction, engaging and empowering learners, and relevant professional development and support. These results can benefit educators in adapting effective instructional practices to reach all learners.
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Jackson, Glenda Joy. "Professional development in HIV prevention education for teachers using flexible learning and tutor support." Curtin University of Technology, School of Public Health, 2004. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=15246.
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HIV prevention programs in schools are acknowledged as one of the best prospects for controlling the world HIV epidemic. Epidemiological evidence indicates that deaths world-wide from AIDS are yet to peak. Although HIV notifications and AIDS deaths in the total Australian population have decreased', there has been an increase in rates in the Australian Indigenous population. There is also some evidence of complacency in HIV prevention vigilance in Australia which indicates a need for continued focus on prevention programs. The knowledge levels, attitudes toward HIV risk, and risk-taking behaviours of young Australians place them at risk of exposure to HIV. Appropriate prevention programs can be delivered to these vulnerable young people through the school setting. Programs delivered in schools have been shown to have a positive effect and teachers are vital to the delivery of these education programs. Without appropriate training, however, teachers may not optimise the outcomes of these programs. While it would be desirable for teachers to be trained in HIV prevention education in pre-service training this has not been the case in Western Australia (WA). When there is not an opportunity for pre-service training, professional development programs can be implemented to provide additional training required by teachers. Traditionally this professional development has been provided through workshops. These face-to-face delivery methods, however, do not always adequately serve the needs of all teachers, and in particular the needs of teachers in rural and remote areas. In an attempt to address the needs of these teachers, alternate methods of professional development delivery may be appropriate. The aim of this study was to test an alternate method of delivery.The study designed, disseminated and evaluated the implementation of a flexible learning professional development program for teachers of HIV education. The program was based on print-based distance learning, supported by a video and tutors. Five objectives were developed for the study. These objectives were: Objective One - To determine factors associated with teachers' enrolment in the Protect Yourself Program (PYP). Objective Two - To determine the association between factors related to entry characteristics, social integration, external attribution, academic integration and incompatibility and amount of PYP completed. Objective Three - To determine the association between amount of PYP completed and factors related to the teaching of HIV lessons. Objective Four - To examine the context in which intervention and comparison group teachers were operating for this study. Objective Five - To evaluate the process of teacher recruitment to PYP, satisfaction with the flexible learning methodology, satisfaction with the PYP materials and completion of PYP. A comprehensive theoretical framework was constructed to guide the development of the empirical study and the professional development program, as little evidence was found in the literature of similar empirically evaluated studies. This framework incorporated: Adult Learning Theory; the Model of Student Progress; the PRECEDEPROCEED Model; the Health Promoting Schools Framework; Diffusion of Innovation and the Communication Behaviour Change Model. The study was conducted in two parts. Firstly, an exploratory study was conducted which provided a basis upon which to implement the second, larger empirical study.
A quasi-experimental study design was implemented due to restrictions placed upon the study by the WA Department of Health, the funding agency. The study sample was made up of teachers from government and independent, primary and second schools in WA. In total, 126 teachers were recruited to the intervention group and enrolled in the professional development program, and 128 to the comparison group, who completed some of the evaluation instruments, but did not participate in a professional development program. The professional development intervention program incorporated four comprehensive work modules, which were delivered in print form. A video and tutorial support supplemented the print materials. To evaluate the professional development program, seven instruments were developed. From these instruments five categories of variables were created, namely demographic, contextual, teacher characteristics, process and dependent. These variables were developed as single item variables, scales or indices. Quantitative data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and a combination of univariate, bivariate, and multivariate techniques (logistic regression and analysis of covariance) were conducted. Qualitative data were analysed for themes. A binary logistic regression was conducted to evaluate Objective One: to determine factors associated with teachers’ enrolment in PYP. The analysis identified four factors which were associated with enrolment in PYP.
The teachers most likely to enrol in PYP had no pre-service training in health education and did not consider themselves to be a specialist or coordinator of health education. The majority of program participants had been teaching health education for between three and seven years and displayed a high level of acceptance of the flexible learning methodology. Objective Two: to determine the association between factors related to entry characteristics, social integration, external attribution, academic integration and incompatibility and amount of PYP completed was evaluated using a nominal logistic regression analysis with the intervention group sample only. Completion of the PYP program by participants was related to circumstances which were often beyond the control of the program, such as events occurring in a teacher’s personal life. However, teachers who showed a preference for flexible learning were found to be more successful in completing the program. The effects of PYP were measured by Objective Three: to determine the association between amount of PYP completed and factors related to the teaching of HIV lessons. Three of the six factors considered by this objective returned a significant association with program dose. Teacher perceived access to HIV education resources was found to be positively related to the dose of materials a participant completed.
Participants who completed a high dose of the program considered HIV resources to be relatively easier to access than participants completing a low dose. Teachers who completed a high dose of PYP reported being more comfortable to teach HIV lessons than teachers completing a mid dose. In addition, intervention group teachers showed a significant change in comfort with their ability to teach HIV lessons and specified HIV topics to Years 8, 9, and 10 classes and intervention group teachers of Year 8 students thought the HIV topics were less important for this level of students. The final variable to show a significant change over time when dose of the program was considered was teacher sexual conservativeness. Both high and mid dose participants reported being less sexually conservative than low or no dose participants from pre to midtest. The context of the teachers participating in the PYP study was investigated through Objective Four: to examine the context in which intervention and Comparison group teachers were operating for this study. Two factors were found to be associated with gender, six with school location and eleven with level of teaching. These associations provided important contextual information for interpreting the findings of the study. Objective Five evaluated the process of teacher recruitment to PYP, satisfaction with the flexible learning methodology, satisfaction with the PYP materials and completion of PYP. The recruitment strategies implemented for PYP were effective in having teachers from government and independent schools in WA recruited to PYP.
However, more than 90% of the intervention group were from government schools. Schools encouraged more than one teacher from a school to enrol, with nine primary schools, four district high schools, one community high school, one secondary college, four senior high schools and one combined independent primary and high school enrolling more than one teacher in the program. The flexible learning methodology was reported to be suitable for the needs of teachers who enrolled in PYP, as they felt comfortable with the learning methodology and appreciated the opportunity to choose when and where they completed the program. The opportunity for face-to-face contact, however, was still preferred by some teachers. The materials within the program were considered to be appropriate and useful. The writing style and activities were well received and the efforts of the tutors were welcomed by the majority of the intervention group. One third of teachers who enrolled in PYP completed at least some of the materials, but less than 10% completed the entire program. The most frequent suggestions made for increasing program completion rates were to set dates for completion of the program modules and to allow time release to complete the program. At baseline, this research showed that teachers considered it important for their students to have access to HIV education, but many of these teachers did not feel comfortable providing HIV education for their students.
As positive effects were observed in the PYP program of impact of program dose on factors affecting the implementation of HIV education, it would appear that flexible learning professional development was a suitable alternative to face-to-face professional development. Teachers' acceptance of flexible learning professional development as an alternate methodology, however, appears to be in its infancy and will require more empirical research. Future research, study design improvements and intervention design improvements can be informed by the following recommendations. Future research Recommendation 1: There be more rigorous investigation of flexible learning as a methodology for provision of professional development for teachers of health education. Recommendation 2: The status of claiming credit for professional development toward postgraduate qualifications for teachers continue to be investigated. Recommendation 3 : Further research be undertaken to evaluate available technologies and their acceptance by teachers as a delivery method for flexible learning professional development. Study design improvements Recommendation 4: design limitations of the PYP study. Future research be designed to overcome the study Intervention design improvements Recommendation 5: The findings of the PYP study and suggestions made by PYP participants be used to improve future health education professional development programs.
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Coull, Natalie J. "SNOOPIE : development of a learning support tool for novice programmers within a conceptual framework." Thesis, St Andrews, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/522.
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Daily, Shaundra Bryant. "More than a feeling : technology-infused learning environments to support the development of empathy." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/61932.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 190-202).
This dissertation explores how technology-infused learning environments can be designed to support the development of empathy for others, and contains contributions across the theoretical, design, and empirical dimensions. From a theoretical perspective, Empathy Development Environments have been defined as technology-infused learning environments to support the cultivation of empathy. I have also developed a framework called Trajectories of Awareness that can be used as a guide for structuring activities to cultivate empathy through the simultaneous exploration of emotion and identity within a learning environment. This exploration takes place by first focusing on self and eventually moving into an understanding of others. From the design aspect, a model Empathy Development Environment called Beyond the Looking has been created in order to operationalize the conceptual foundations. Further, a platform called Affect as Index has been envisioned and implemented for supporting conversations around emotion that were previously intangible. Empirically, three iterations of a design-based research study have been carried out as a means to flesh out a set of guidelines for the implementation of Empathy Development Environments. For each of the three iterations, challenges to the implementation were utilized to refine the design of the model environment to progress to the next iteration. These three iterations are analyzed based on a framework proposed for the design and analysis of Empathy Development Environments. Analysis revealed that the environment supported participants in establishing a community that allowed them to practice the skills of empathy.
by Shaundra Bryant Daily.
Ph.D.
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Shieh, Li-Ting. "A learning project : the development of sustainable support in the use of instructional technology." Thesis, McGill University, 2003. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=118288.
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This monograph documents my effort as well as examines the process of developing sustainable support in the use of instructional technology in a consulting project over a ten month period. It is written in a narrative recording the occurrences and my interventions during this ten-month period, along wdth my reflections in italics in light of the review of the literature and the analysis of the narrative. This results in a deeper understanding and insights in the field of instructional technology, and leads to the elaboration of a mission statement, which represents my present thinking about instructional design and consultation.
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McGlynn, Stephen J. J. "Supporting employees in their development : exploring the role of tailored support in informal learning." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2016. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/18184/.
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Informal learning is relatively underexplored in the work psychology literature, with most existing efforts tending to focus on formal learning or general workplace learning. This thesis develops understanding as to how employers can best support their employees’ informal learning, using samples drawn from a large UK energy firm, a small UK charity, and an international telecoms business. The study is of a mixed methods design: a qualitative study, in which 31 interviews and 900 open-ended survey responses are thematically analysed, explores the barriers that learners may face when attempting to engage in informal learning, as well as the roles that other groups of people play in supporting, or hindering, learners’ informal learning. The quantitative study tests hypotheses relating to personality (curiosity, proactive personality, Big Five, age, tenure) and situational factors (interpersonal support, time demands, autonomy) that may predict informal learning, contrasting how these relate to formal learning and intention to develop. Relative importance analysis and mediation analyses are also carried out so as to better understand the importance of, and the processes that may underlie, these antecedents. Differences between groups of employees are also tested. The findings from both studies are discussed separately, and are later integrated to form a broader understanding of how employers might support informal learning. Together, both studies offer new suggestions for both research and practice, especially in terms of curiosity, autonomy, and the consideration of support sources outside of the workplace. The study is one of a few to focus on informal learning, and is the first to consider the differences between informal and formal learning, and between incidental and intentional informal learning.
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Axelson, Gregory Carl. "School District Actions that Support the Development of Professional Learning Communities in High Schools." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2017. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc984132/.
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A gap exists in education research in the area of district support for campus-based professional learning communities (PLCs). The current study was an examination of practitioner perceptions of district structures and practices that support the development and sustainability of PLCs in public high schools. I examined the perceptions of 341 teachers, campus administrators, and district administrators in a suburban North Texas public school district with three comprehensive high schools. Using a sequential mixed-method design, quantitative data from an electronic survey and qualitative data from face-to-face interviews were collected and analyzed. The findings revealed a generally positive view of central office support among the participants, including consistent ratings from each high school, each campus-level position, each content area, and each level of experience in the district. There was some misalignment of perceptions between campus-level and district-level staff. The study also uncovered a set of best and worst district practices, the six PLC strengtheners and six PLC inhibitors, which were synthesized into a set of recommendations and guidelines for district support for high school PLCs. From participant feedback, I concluded district support is needed and desired by high school practitioners and there are specific district practices and structures that are most effective. While the study results provide a practical set of recommendations for school districts for supporting high school PLC efforts, expanded research is necessary to confirm transferability to school districts of diverse sizes, locations, and demographics.
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Powell, Aaron Wiatt. "Online Support for Intentional, Teacher Community of Practice." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/30253.
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The term Community of Practice (CoP) is often used rather loosely to describe many types of instructional settings that support more constructivist or social learning settings. This study differentiates CoP from other learning communities with greater discipline in defining CoP, as characterized by sustained self-organization for example. Such a CoP sits quite apart from the typical intent of instructional settings. The literature on intentional CoP suggests that the greatest challenges are a sense of interdependence among CoP members, the authenticity of the practice or purpose, and a trajectory for the CoPâ s future. The purpose of this case study was to attend to these issues with an online initiative to nurture CoP among practicing teachers in a reading-specialist, graduate program. For the course under study, learners engaged only in cooperative projects with the support of a community worksite (Sakai). Throughout the term, the worksite was promoted as a community place independent of the course and program, a place where they could continue to share indefinitely; and they were encouraged to think of what formal and informal activities the system could support, and how. The study explored how participants responded verbally and behaviorally to the community worksite and the other technologies employed to better support their group work and sharing of knowledge in general. The groupâ s technical skills, competing cultures and practices, and the level of authenticity were all significant challenges. The studyâ s findings challenge the application of this learning theory at the course level of academics, and they inform future design of online support for intentional CoP.Ph. D.
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Doolan, Martina A. "Using technology to support collaborative learning through assessment design." Thesis, University of Hertfordshire, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2299/6055.
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This thesis offers an assessment design for collaborative learning, utilisation of blended learning support through current communication technologies and highlights the crucial role of the tutor. The thesis designed and tested a theoretical framework which encompassed an active learning environment and resulted in the development of the shamrock conceptual framework. To test the theoretical framework, clarify the role of the tutor and the impact on the learner experience two studies were undertaken using pedagogical models that combined the concepts of learner-centric, sociocultural and dialogic perspectives on collaborative learning and technology in meeting the needs of learners in the 21st Century. In the first study, the role of the tutor was found to be crucial in setting, implementing and guiding learners using the assessment design as part of a social constructivist pedagogical practice. The pedagogical approach adopted was to blend face-to-face and Wiki learning experiences and was found to promote learner ownership, engagement and the fostering of a learning community. The second study validated the first and provided additional asynchronous technology experiences in addition to the Wiki blend in the assessment design. Study 2 examined the role of the tutor and the learner whilst using current technologies comprising podcasts and video and a Wiki in the collaborative experience. Findings showed that the Wiki supported community and collaborative aspects of a sociocultural practice whilst learners were engaged in authentic learning activities and led to a well supported learning environment. The importance of technology design and use to accommodate collaborative and community aspects was found to be an essential component. It was found that technology is not simply an add-on but rather needs to be planned and considered purposefully by both tutors and learners when used in a blend to supplement learning on campus as part of an assessment design in higher education. This study has shown that, for this to happen, academics need to be provided with the appropriate support, knowledge and skills required in developing a blended learning experience using a Wiki supplemented by class contact on campus as part of an assessment design.
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Florian, Gaviria Beatriz Eugenia. "Technology-enhaced support for lifelong competence development in higher education." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Girona, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/101517.
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A trace of lifelong-learning qualifications has become more mandatory at the European and even at world level. However, for higher education courses, the former could imply complex learning designs and abundance of data to monitor, analyze, and report. This work combine the ideas of personalized, competence-based, and social learning by providing course lifecycle support through competence-based design, outcome based assessment, social learning context analytics, and open student modeling visualizations. A series of studies using a virtual learning environment exploited the idea of the approach and revealed promising results. These results demonstrated the approach helped students and teachers to trace learning outcomes of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) in higher education courses. Thus, this thesis extends the approach of higher education to a larger collection of learning objects for designing, assessing, and analyzing courses. Moreover, this approach verifies its capability of supporting social context visualization for online and blended personalized education.Un rastreo del aprendizaje a lo largo de la vida es cada vez más obligatorio en Europa y el mundo. Sin embargo, en educación superior, esto implica diseños de cursos más complejos y abundancia de datos para rastrear, analizar e informar. Este trabajo combina aprendizaje personalizado, basado en competencias y social, apoyando diferentes instantes de los cursos universitarios a través de diseño basado en competencias, evaluación basada en resultados, analíticas del contexto social del aprendizaje y modelos abiertos del estudiante. Una serie de estudios exploró el enfoque revelando resultados prometedores. Se demostró el apoyo a estudiantes y maestros para monitorizar el aprendizaje según el EQF en sus cursos. Así, esta tesis extiende la educación superior a una colección más grande de objetos de aprendizaje para el diseño, la evaluación y el análisis de cualificaciones. Además, brinda visualización del contexto social para educación personalizada en ambientes mixtos y en línea.
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Durdu, Levent. "Web-based Learning Tool: Design And Development Of An Online Basic English Support Material For Young Children At Elementary Level." Master's thesis, METU, 2003. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/1063395/index.pdf.
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This study investigated the students’
and teacher&
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s perception of a web-based learning tool for an English course which was given as a second language at elementary level. The site was used as a supplementary material for 8th grade students in METU College. The researcher developed the site specifically for this study and in the development process internet and database technologies were used.The data were collected from the 22, 8th grade students through a computer attitude scale and a questionnaire, which was developed by the researcher. An interview with the course teacher was conducted. Descriptive statistics, frequency distributions and researcher observation were used to express the results of the study. The results showed that the site was perceived positively by more than half of the students in terms of vocabulary learning through the dictionary and activities page. The site was evaluated by the students and nearly most of the students found the site to be useful in terms of acquiring hearsay through the dictionary and the chat page of the site. More than half of the students perceived the chat environment more suitable for communication than classroom environment. The course teacher evaluated the site to be useful in terms of vocabulary learning, hearsay and online communication.
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Burling, Diane. "Nursing Faculty Perspectives on Support in Technology, Learning Management Systems, and Self-efficacy." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4777.
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Past literature has shown that nursing programs reported educators were at the novice or beginner level regarding use of technology and that there was a critical need for faculty development. There was a lack of current information on the perspectives of nurse faculty utilizing learning management systems. Learning management systems are being used within nursing education, faculty should be proficient implementing the technology, if not, students and faculty suffer. The purpose of this study was to understand how nursing faculty perceive the use and support for integrated online Learning Management System (LMS) technology, along with levels of self-efficacy, at the institution in which they work. The Bandura self-efficacy conceptual framework was used to explore nursing faculty perspectives on the use of LMS technology. A case study approach was used for this study to aid in identifying the perspective of nursing educators who have utilized LMS technology. Participants included 8 nursing faculty from 3 Southeastern Pennsylvania nursing program. Data sources consisted of online survey questions and telephone interviews. Survey data results were analyzed by means of central tendency. Transcriptions of interviews were analyzed using NVivo software for coding and identification of themes and patterns. The results revealed that nursing faculty did not seem to like their LMS platform; however, the majority of the faculty did consider the LMSs useful in providing materials to students and for posting grades, although faculty stated a desire for additional training and regular workshops on using LMSs. This research can contribute to positive social change by assisting stakeholders in best implementation of LMSs in student instructional practices.
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Allen, Dianne. "Contributing to learning to change developing an action learning peer support group of professionals to investigate ways of improving their own professional practice /." Access electronically, 2004. http://www.library.uow.edu.au/adt-NWU/public/adt-NWU20050901.105532/index.html.
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Allen, Julia Elizabeth. "Transformative Learning Theory as a Basis for Identifying Barriers to Faculty Confidence in Online Instruction." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2017. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1011768/.
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This study applied the stages of transformative learning to faculty perceptions and application of best practices to online learning. Research questions included: Can transformative learning theory constructs be used to identify potential barriers in faculty development and delivery of online instruction?; How does the stage of transformative learning of online faculty relate to their perceptions about online learning and their application of best practices?; Is there a correlation between stage of transformative learning and the amount of experience with online instruction a faculty member has? Principal component analysis and cluster analysis support a four-component solution. The four constructs equate to Mezirow's four stages of learning: transforming frames of reference through critical reflection of assumptions, validating contested beliefs through discourse, taking action on one's reflective insight, and critically assessing it. Multiple regression analyses were run to predict faculty perceptions on the identified components. Three of these were statistically significant based on years of experience teaching online, the number of professional development workshops taken on online teaching, or both. While the instrument appears to be a valid measurement of transformation of frame of reference, examination of previously contested beliefs, and critical assessment of action, further efforts will be needed before this is a fully validated instrument.
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Stupariu, Ioana. "Development and evaluation of a professional development framework for pharmacy undergraduate students to support their learning in professional practice." Thesis, University of Bath, 2012. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.557816.
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The roles of pharmacists have changed in the last decades requiring pharmacists to keep up with, and even anticipate, the changes in practice to continue to be competent healthcare professionals. Competency or professional development frameworks have been developed and validated to support pharmacists with their learning and development. However, such a tool has not been developed for pharmacy undergraduate students and it is sensible to think that such a framework might also help pharmacy students in their learning and competency development. Thus, the aim of this research was to identify competencies required of pharmacy undergraduate students and to develop, and evaluate the use of, a professional development framework for these students. A mixed methods approach was adopted in the two-phased study. A cross-sectional design was employed in the first phase. Literature on pharmacy students’ competencies was reviewed and a series of workshops, focus groups and interviews with pharmacy students and academics, and stakeholders in pharmacy were conducted to identify the competencies required of pharmacy students during their degree and to develop the framework. The findings of previous rounds of data collection fed into the subsequent rounds. After five iterations 17 competencies were identified and divided in two clusters: Professional; and Delivery of Patient Care Competencies. A longitudinal design was used in the second phase. The use of the framework was evaluated with third and fourth year pharmacy students who self-assessed their competencies three times in two schools of pharmacy over the academic year of 2009-2010. The students’ self-assessed competencies increased over the year and correlated positively with their examination results and perceived self-directedness towards learning. This research provides evidence that the framework captures pharmacy undergraduate students’ development of their competencies during the academic year based on their self-assessed competence. Thus, the framework can be used as a self-assessment tool to support their learning.
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Trubek, David M. "Scan Globally, Reinvent Locally : Can We Overcome the Barriers to Using the Horizontal Learning Method in Law and Development?" 名古屋大学大学院法学研究科, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2237/20933.
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McCraw, Deborah J. "Learning and development at work : opportunities and barriers for non-registered clinical staff in the National Health Service Scotland." Thesis, Edinburgh Napier University, 2008. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/2508.
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The non-registered assistant workforce in the National Health Service Scotland (NHSS) has recently been afforded increased attention due, in part, to forecast changes in demographics and the NHSS workforce and reorganisation in delivery of healthcare. Government health papers pursue the strategic aims of developing the workforce to meet the changing needs of the Health Service. This thesis reports on research into workplace learning in the NHSS. It examines the NHSS in relation to the concepts of ‘The Learning Organisation', ‘Expansive/Restrictive Learning Environments' and the learning initiative of the Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ) route, adopted by the NHSS for its nonregistered clinical employees. Participants in the research included non-registered clinical assistants to registered nurses and allied health professionals and learning facilitators and managers. A critical realist methodology was adopted and through an embedded case study, data collection methods included one-to-one semistructured interviews and secondary data from the NHS staff survey. This produced a rich source of data for analysis around the perceptions of the participants. Findings show that the NHSS has introduced the concept of a learning organisation to its strategic plans with no real rigour. Some elements of an expansive learning environment exist but these are evident in only some clinical areas. This means that for the assistant workforce, personal development and learning opportunities are dependent on the place of work and the profession they are employed by. The SVQ is embraced by those who are given the opportunity to undertake this initiative but disparities exist throughout the NHSS. Furthermore, the SVQ is perceived as validation of existing knowledge only that does not provide any new learning. This further curtails development opportunities for the assistant group of staff. This thesis has provided the NHSS with a basis to reconsider their strategic direction around learning and development opportunities at work for their nonregistered clinical staff.
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Pretorius, Claudette. "The relationship between socio-demographic factors and psychometric screening performances of primary school children with barriers to learning." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/9044.
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Inclusive education generally promotes a shift away from the use of psychometric assessment for the placement of learners in special education facilities. This study, however, examines the potential role of psychometric screening for inclusive education in South Africa. This was done by investigating the relationship between selected demographic factors of age, gender, parental levels of education, and caregiver employment status – and psychometric test performances in children identified as having barriers to learning. The participant sample consisted of 329 primary school children aged between 6 and 15 years from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area. Demographic data was collected by means of a questionnaire completed in collaboration with participants’ caregivers and their school authorities. Participants were psychometrically assessed by means of the Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) and the Bender Gestalt Test (BGT), which are commonly used screening measures in the South African context. Results indicated a relationship between test scores and the demographic variables of age and gender on both the Raven’s CPM and the BGT. Paternal level of education was found to impact positively on the BGT scores when the father had achieved a Grade 10 level of education or higher. No statistically significant relationship was found between any of the other socio-demographic factors and the performance scores on the Raven’s CPM and the BGT. It was concluded that the measures appear to be free of undue influence or bias arising from demographic factors. They were found to be useful psychological measures which should be included in screening processes when identifying children with barriers to learning.
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Higman, W. "The development and evaluation of an e-learning module for neonatal clinicians to support breast feeding." Thesis, Coventry University, 2016. http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open/items/58ebbdb2-5658-4223-accf-766a81096482/1.
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The evidence that breastfeeding reduces mortality and short and long-term morbidity among premature and small babies is well established but breastfeeding rates in neonatal units in the UK remain low. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate an eLearning module that addresses the learning needs of neonatal clinicians to support breastfeeding on Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). The module focussed on the knowledge areas of anatomy and physiology of lactation and expression. Mixed methodology was used to evaluate the eLearning module and inform its iterative development. This consisted of quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test studies using The Neonatal Unit Clinical Assessment Tool (NUCAT), an on-line objective knowledge test with self ratings of confidence to test the effects of the eLearning module on knowledge, confidence in knowledge and confidence in practice. Semi-structured interviews explored neonatal clinicians’ experiences of undertaking the eLearning module and their perceptions of the feasibility and applicability of the eLearning module as well as their opinions and experiences of breastfeeding support and training. In total 101 neonatal clinicians, including neonatal nurses, doctors, Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (ANNPs), nursery nurses and students undertook the initial NUCAT assessment of knowledge and confidence. A further 90 clinicians went on to complete the training and post intervention assessment, 60 repeated the post intervention assessment at 6-8 weeks. Baseline knowledge was greater in the area of breast milk expression than in the anatomy and physiology of lactation. Neonatal nurses were found to have greater baseline knowledge of breast milk expression than doctors or nursery nurses. Doctors/ANNPs were more knowledgeable about the anatomy and physiology of lactation. Following the training intervention doctors/ANNPs showed the greatest improvement in knowledge scores and nursery nurses the least. Knowledge and confidence was significantly increased immediately following the intervention and at 6-8 weeks in all groups. The semi-structured interviews conducted after the study showed the feasibility and applicability of the eLearning module for clinicians in NICU. On-line assessment and training provide a potentially effective multidisciplinary training method to improve breastfeeding knowledge and confidence. Nursery nurse may have differing learning needs and require further support and training.
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Bentley, Richard Alastair. "The development of distance learning material to support decision-related thinking skills in more able children." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.242302.
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Johnson, Philip Tyler. "Development and design of an adjustable elastic support system for ensuring safety while learning physical skills." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/32940.
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Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (leaf 20).
In many sports, when learning a new move or technique, there can be a mental barrier that keeps the learner from succeeding in the move. In this study, a system is developed and designed for helping someone to learn new motions while ensuring safety. Heavy-duty springs enclosed in a high strength fabric wrap are secured to an anchor point on a wall or other rigid body. A rope connects these springs to a harness on the user via a pulley located above the user. In testing the system, a variety of ground and jumping skills were attempted on a snowboard. The system maintains an upward force on the user, which helps support the user on the ground, provides some lift during the takeoff, cushions the landing of a jump, and prevents the user from falling while attempting to learn new moves. This, in turn, increases the user's confidence and spatial awareness. Multiple applications for this system are discussed and future research directions and design iterations are suggested. These include various placement options for the existing system as well as ideas for making the support system mobile.
by Philip Tyler Johnson.
S.B.