Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Education Education Fiji'

The purpose of this research was to examine teacher perspectives and attitudes on inclusive education for children with disabilities in Fiji. Teachers' perspectives and attitudes are crucial in providing insights that could help improve education and services for children with disabilities in regular schools in Fiji. A qualitative approach using semi structured interviews was selected as the methodology for this research. Nine teachers from nine different schools in Suva, the capital city of Fiji, participated in this research. The nine participants were selected from three different school settings. Three of the participants were from special schools, three were from primary schools and three were from secondary schools. Data collected showed that teachers support inclusive education, however, they had reservations on the inclusion of students with severe disabilities. Several factors were identified to influence teachers' attitudes towards inclusion. The most common factors were severity of disability that the students had, inadequate training of teachers on teaching students with disabilities, inadequate government funding, lack of specialised resource personnel and lack of appropriate equipment and resources to support students and teachers in the teaching learning process. Limited commitment from the Ministry of Education and limited participation and consultation of teachers on policy and curriculum design were also identified as contributing factors for non inclusion of students with disabilities in regular schools. Teachers need to change their perspectives and attitudes and schools need to be welcoming and prepared to accept all students with disabilities into the general education system in Fiji.

The major issue addressed in this thesis is the quality of secondary education in Fiji, investigating the variables which affect school effectiveness. The theoretical and conceptual perceptives on the quality of education are initially examined with a review of the literature, contrasting western perspectives with those specifically related to developing countries. The main empirical part of this thesis is based on a study of eleven secondary schools in Fiji and the Form Four students in these schools. The aim was to investigate what the critical factors are for improving school effectiveness, measured largely in terms of pupil achievement. The thesis concludes that in-school factors are more important than the antecedent variables of the individual children, such as race or socio-economic status. The stability and strength of school management, principalship, combined with the judicious use of resources emerged as the critical factors in school effectiveness. Various policy implications relating to secondary education in Fiji are drawn on the basis of these findings. A historical study of education in Fiji from pre-colonial times to the present focusses on education within its socio-political parameters and tests the hypothesis that socio-economic and political contexts provide the demand for education. The Grant-in-aid system of education was established in 1916 which provided for government and the people to enter into a partnership in the provision of education. This system is studied as it has proved to be both a strength and a major weakness of the Fiji's education system.

Given that education is widely perceived as imperative to social development and transformation, this thesis examines the discourses surrounding the particular role teacher-education might have in this objective. Of particular interest is the extent to which historical and current socio-economic global imperatives combine to influence how initial secondary teacher-education in Fiji might be reinterpreting and/or reconstructing dominant paradigms of teacher-education. The study asks questions about the role of teacher-education in the reproduction and transformation of these dominant paradigms, with pedagogy contextualised in social and political boundaries, hence the interest in ideology and the underlying assumptions that drive teacher-education. An examination is made of the interface between the processes of teacher-education policy and practice at the level of local culture/s of practice and its associated discourses. The major research question asks: To what extent do globally defined discourses surrounding education impact on the local culture/s of teacher-education practice in the Fiji context? The fieldwork explores the major discourses of practice evident in the way that secondary teacher-education is organised and implemented in Fiji, and considers whether these discourses signify a particular paradigm of teacher-education. The findings note that firstly, the current discourses underpinning the organisation and practice of teacher-education in Fiji, tend to suggest the dominance of technocratic approaches in the form of discourses of ‘routinised practice’. The second major set of findings indicates ‘competing approaches and visions about teacher-education’. Whilst teacher professionalism is high on the agenda of those closely involved with teacher-education in Fiji, there are, however, indications that any humanistic developments in teacher-education that support a more critical pedagogy may well become submerged and therefore change becomes less likely. The thesis concludes by arguing that the intersection of local and global discourses impacts in profound ways on teacher-education, suggesting significant implications for educational policy and its implementation in Fiji.

This study was undertaken to selectively investigate pre-service primary teacher education in one of the Pacific island countries, and in particular to explore whether it provides an adequate and enriching professional preparation to beginning teachers with a view to satisfying the demands of work in the field. In doing so, the issue was examined in detail in a teacher education institution located in Fiji, namely, Lautoka Teachers College (LTC). An integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed to explore if beginning teachers from the College are provided with appropriate professional preparation as future teachers. Using LTC as a case study, basic data gathering methods utilized questionnaire surveys, interviews and documentary analyses. Survey-based data were gathered from the beginning teachers to find out their perceptions of the pre-service program that they had completed. Data were also gathered from their Head Teachers to ascertain views on the beginning teachers' professional preparation for the demands of work in their schools. In addition, an interview-based approach explored the perceptions of not only the College staff but also the Ministry of Education officials with regard to the preparation of teachers in meeting the demands of work and responsibilities in the field. Documentary-based research was also used to explore matters associated with teacher preparation at LTC and to integrate the findings with the data obtained in the surveys and interviews. The study indicated that the beginning teachers were not adequately prepared for the demands of work and responsibilities expected of them as perceived by the profession and other stakeholders. A number of factors were found to be contributing to the perceived inadequacy of the professional preparation of beginning teachers. Lack of physical facilities and quality of educational resources together with an outdated curriculum contributed to this situation. At the same time, lack of support from the principal stakeholder in terms of staff professional development and funding was also cited as impacting upon the quality of pre-service teacher education provided to the beginning teachers. An important emergent issue emanating from the study relates to colonial influence on Fiji's education in general, and teacher education at LTC in particular. Some of the problems LTC grappled with were attributable to certain features of the formalised educational system introduced during the colonial era. These aspects, such as the inheritance of the system of educational administration and centralised control, constrained the College in attempting to fulfil its professional role in an appropriate and responsive manner. The administrative system and related context, delivery and assessment elements established in education during the colonial period have been retained and not attuned to contemporary Fiji needs despite the changing times. In overview terms, the presence of these aspects appeared to have impacted negatively on College's effective conduct of its professional role and responsibilities. Further, this study provides specific insights into the pre-service primary teacher education in Fiji, in particular the importance of having relevant policies and programs to ensure the provision of an adequate and enriching professional preparation for teachers to meet the range of work commitments in the field. The study concluded that a number of factors influence the professional preparation of future teachers and these need to be considered with a view to ensuring that teachers are able to meet the demands of their profession. Based on these findings, the study recommends ways and means to improve the pre-service primary teacher education at LTC, which in turn could be expected to enhance the professional preparation of teachers and their competence within the context of teaching in Fiji primary schools. Additionally, some possible areas for future research have been suggested.

In early December 2006, the Fijian military seized power in a coup led by the Armed Forces commander Commodore Frank Bainimarama. It was a coup long expected, and Fiji’s fourth since 1987. Internationally, the response was swift imposing sanctions and removing or delaying international aid programmes. This has a potentially significant impact on Fiji because it is one of the largest per capita recipients of developmental aid funding in the world. However, it may also have little impact because, despite such assistance, the Fijian GDP has stagnated with an average growth of under 1% for the last 20 years. Other developmental indicators are also bleak. This thesis thus examines the dichotomy between Fiji’s ODA and its apparent inability to arrest the decline of the Fijian lifestyle and economy. However, to review all international developmental programmes across all sectors of Fijian society, while maintaining contemporary relevance and coherency, is untenable. Therefore, the thesis will focus on the European Union and its external relations with Fiji. The EU is one of the most influential partners for Fiji and is often overlooked by scholars, allowing this thesis to make a valuable contribution to developmental studies in the pacific region. The thesis has selected and examines four sectors of Fijian society, that of the Economy, Governance, Sugar, and Education sectors. This is because they are the sectors that the European Union is presently devoting most attention. Therefore, these areas best illustrate Fijian reaction to the importance and effectiveness of EU involvement. Overall, the thesis intends to demonstrate both the efficacy and the attitudes of local representatives to foreign aid programmes, and ultimately provide a unique ‘inside looking out' perspective not typical of publications about Fiji.

CRM tiene que ver con la captura, procesamiento, análisis y distribución de datos (lo que ocurre en todos los tipos de sistemas) pero con total preocupación por el cliente (lo que no ocurre en los sistemas tradicionales). El cliente es el centro del modelo de datos. Para el presente estudio, el cliente de la organización es el alumno, y la enseñanza el servicio, por lo tanto la implementación del modelo implica una enseñanza centrada en el alumno. Frente a planteamientos tradicionales de enseñanza cuyo referente es la optimización del beneficio por cantidad, surge la perspectiva de incrementar los resultados de las instituciones educativas a través de estrategias centradas en el alumno y la relación que se establece con el. Bajo estos términos, la fidelización del alumno cobra un significativo papel en la estrategia de la institución, ocupando el lugar preferente que la adquisición de nuevos alumnos tenia previamente. Con los lineamientos del pensamiento efectivista, se presenta el modelo CRM para las instituciones educativas con su respectiva implementación tanto a nivel estratégico, táctico y operativo, utilizando preferentemente herramientas libres; dándose así, la posibilidad de promover la innovación y desarrollo tecnológico con la expansión de sus tradicionales metodologías de administración y enseñanza
CRM has to do with the capture, prosecution, analysis and distribution of data (what happens in all the types of systems) but with total concern for the client (what doesn't happen in the traditional systems). The client is the center of the pattern of data. For the present study, the client of the organization is the student, and the teaching the service, therefore the implementation of the pattern implies a teaching centered in the student. In front of traditional positions of teaching whose relating it is the optimization of the benefit for quantity, the perspective arises of increasing the results of the educational institutions through strategies centered in the student and the relationship that he/she settles down with the one. Under these terms, the student's fidelización charges a significant paper in the strategy of the institution, occupying the preferable place that the acquisition of new students had previously. With the limits of the thought effectivity, the pattern CRM is presented so much for the educational institutions with its respective implementation at strategic, tactical and operative level, using free tools preferably; being given this way, the possibility to promote the innovation and technological development with the expansion of their traditional administration methodologies and teaching

CRM tiene que ver con la captura, procesamiento, análisis y distribución de datos (lo que ocurre en todos los tipos de sistemas) pero con total preocupación por el cliente (lo que no ocurre en los sistemas tradicionales). El cliente es el centro del modelo de datos. Para el presente estudio, el cliente de la organización es el alumno, y la enseñanza el servicio, por lo tanto la implementación del modelo implica una enseñanza centrada en el alumno. Frente a planteamientos tradicionales de enseñanza cuyo referente es la optimización del beneficio por cantidad, surge la perspectiva de incrementar los resultados de las instituciones educativas a través de estrategias centradas en el alumno y la relación que se establece con el. Bajo estos términos, la fidelización del alumno cobra un significativo papel en la estrategia de la institución, ocupando el lugar preferente que la adquisición de nuevos alumnos tenia previamente. Con los lineamientos del pensamiento efectivista, se presenta el modelo CRM para las instituciones educativas con su respectiva implementación tanto a nivel estratégico, táctico y operativo, utilizando preferentemente herramientas libres; dándose así, la posibilidad de promover la innovación y desarrollo tecnológico con la expansión de sus tradicionales metodologías de administración y enseñanza.
CRM has to do with the capture, prosecution, analysis and distribution of data (what happens in all the types of systems) but with total concern for the client (what doesn't happen in the traditional systems). The client is the center of the pattern of data. For the present study, the client of the organization is the student, and the teaching the service, therefore the implementation of the pattern implies a teaching centered in the student. In front of traditional positions of teaching whose relating it is the optimization of the benefit for quantity, the perspective arises of increasing the results of the educational institutions through strategies centered in the student and the relationship that he/she settles down with the one. Under these terms, the student's fidelización charges a significant paper in the strategy of the institution, occupying the preferable place that the acquisition of new students had previously. With the limits of the thought effectivity, the pattern CRM is presented so much for the educational institutions with its respective implementation at strategic, tactical and operative level, using free tools preferably; being given this way, the possibility to promote the innovation and technological development with the expansion of their traditional administration methodologies and teaching.
Tesis

La Filière Bilingue (FiBi), une école publique dont le concept repose sur l’enseignement par immersion réciproque, se trouve à la frontière linguistique, à Biel/Bienne. L’enseignement y est dispensé à parts égales en (suisse-) allemand et en français (Modèle 50/50) par des enseignant-e-s locutrices/locuteurs natives/natifs. Cette école, qui offre une alternative aux écoles avec une seule langue de scolarisation, promeut l’intégration des élèves francophones et germanophones, mais aussi d’enfants allophones ne partageant pas les deux langues de scolarisation. Elle favorise ainsi «le développement du bilinguisme et de la bi-littératie, en plus du niveau requis des savoirs disciplinaires et des compétences interculturelles de tous les élèves» (Christian 1994: 1). La présence d’élèves francophones, germanophones et allophones dans la même classe permet à ces apprenant-e-s, plurilingues en devenir, l’acquisition des deux langues de scolarisation en communiquant avec des locutrices/locuteurs natives/natifs et en valorisant leurs cultures respectives.Cette thèse se propose de documenter le développement des deux langues de scolarisation (français et (suisse-)allemand). La première partie de ce travail présente le cadre théorique. Après avoir donné la définition de quelques notions clés comme «langue», «bilinguisme vs. SLA», «plurilinguisme», «immersion (réciproque)» et «translanguaging», nous adopterons une perspective qui montre comment les plurilingues en devenir utilisent leur deux langues de scolarisation afin de communiquer de façon efficace. En faisant référence à une idéologie hétéroglossique, cette perspective plus holistique permettra d'analyser l'apprentissage des langues en tenant compte de l’interdépendance fonctionnelle des deux langues. Ceci constituera la base à travers laquelle nous analyserons les pratiques langagières des apprenant-e-s et les résultats d’interviews semi-dirigées et axées sur la performance conduites dans les deux langues de scolarisation (dix interviews au total).Dans la deuxième partie de notre travail, nous présenterons les données empiriques qui constituent notre corpus de référence et en proposerons une analyse. En ce qui concerne les données, notre choix s’est porté sur un corpus longitudinal qui a été récolté pendant quatre ans. Ce choix nous a paru le meilleur moyen pour décrire le processus dynamique de l’acquisition des deux langues (français et (suisse-) allemand). Quant à l’analyse des données, nous avons décidé de combiner deux approches complémentaires : l’analyse qualitative permettra de décrire de manière détaillée les stratégies du «translanguaging» (García, 2009) utilisées par les élèves, alors que l’analyse quantitative s’attachera à évaluer la capacité des apprenant-e-s «à utiliser la langue de façon communicative» (Bachman et Palmer, 2010) à différents moments de leur apprentissage.Dans la troisième et dernière partie, nous nous attacherons aux implications pédagogiques que ce type d’immersion suppose et que notre étude essaie de modéliser. En effet, il importe que les (futur-e-s) enseignant-e-s œuvrant dans ces écoles devraient bénéficient d’une formation adéquate se basant sur la professionnalisation de l’enseignement par immersion, autrement dit fondée sur la recherche et adaptée à la pratique. Le but sera de former des enseignant-e-s capables de soutenir le plus efficacement possible leurs élèves dans le processus de l’apprentissage intégré des savoirs discipinaires et linguistiques. Nous conclurons ce travail par une synthèse de l'étude et de ses principaux résultats et nous efforcerons de dégager des pistes intéressantes pour des projets de recherche ultérieurs
The two-way immersion program Filière Bilingue (FiBi) is a choice-based educational alternative in a Swiss public school situated on the language border in Biel/Bienne. This two-way immersion program integrates French-speaking and German-speaking students and «strives to promote bilingualism and biliteracy in addition to grade-level academic achievement for all students» (Christian 1994: 1). The presence of approximately equal numbers of native speakers of both languages in the same class provides opportunities for students to communicate with native-speaker peers, creating linguistic and intercultural benefits for both groups. Moreover, each class is composed of one third of allophone students having neither French, nor (Swiss) German as an L1 (or L1s). The amount of instructional time is equal in the two languages of schooling at all grade levels (50/50 program model). The focus of this thesis is the emergent multilinguals’ development in their two languages of schooling (French and (Swiss) German). The first part is theory-driven and defines some basic notions such as «language», «bilingualism vs. SLA», «multilingualism», «(two-way) immersion» and «translanguaging», resulting in the proposition to approach the emergent multilinguals’ proficiency outcomes from the perspective of what speakers do with the two languages of schooling in order to communicate efficiently and effectively. Considering multiple language practices in functional interrelationship can be referred to as a heteroglossic language ideology. Adopting thus a more holistic view on multilingual development forms the basis for the analysis of the outcomes of semi-structured and performance-oriented interviews – conducted with the emergent multilinguals in their two languages of schooling at five points in time (ten interviews in total).In the second part, an empirical study with data from our corpus – collected over a period of four years - is presented. Two approaches are combined for the analysis of data: whereas the qualitative analysis shows some illustrative examples of the learners’ translanguaging strategies (García, 2009), the quantitative analysis focuses on the measurement of their ability «to use language communicatively» (Bachman and Palmer, 2010). In lieu of measuring a current level of achievement in the learners’ two languages of schooling, process measures provide a broader picture, including variations in performance from a longitudinal perspective and documenting the emergent multilinguals’ dynamic process of becoming proficient in their two languages of schooling. In part three, major findings and limitations of the study are presented, including pedagogical implications resulting from the outcomes of this study. We conclude that practicing and future teachers of immersion schools need an appropriate teacher education with focus on the professionalization of two-way immersion education. This research-based and practitioner-informed teacher training should aim to train teachers who are able to best support emergent multilinguals in their process to learn content by means of two languages of schooling.The conclusion presents a summary of our study and suggests further possible research projects
Die Filière Bilingue (FiBi) ist eine öffentliche Schule. Deren Konzept basiert auf dem Prinzipder reziproken Immersion. Sie befindet sich an der Sprachgrenze in Biel/Bienne. Diese Schule – eineAlternative zu Schulen mit einer Schulsprache - fördert die Integration von deutschsprachigen undfranzösischsprachigen Lernenden und «fördert die Zweisprachigkeit sowie die Lese- undSchreibfähigkeit in beiden Zielsprachen und das Erreichen der Lernziele in allen Schulfächern vonallen Lernenden» (Christian 1994: 1). Ausserdem besteht ein Drittel jeder Klasse aus allophonenKindern, die weder Deutsch noch Französisch als Erstsprache(n) haben. Der Unterricht erfolgt je zurHälfte auf Französisch und Deutsch (50/50-Modell). Da die Klassen je hälftig aus deutsch- undfranzösischsprachigen Kindern zusammengesetzt werden, ermöglicht dies den Lernenden mitMuttersprachlern der «anderen» Schulsprache zu kommunizieren und interkulturelle Kompetenzen zuerwerben.Diese Arbeit dokumentiert die Entwicklung der Lernenden in ihren zwei Schulsprachen. Dererste Teil dieser Arbeit liefert einen theoretischen Rahmen und klärt Begriffe wie «Sprache»,«Zweisprachigkeit vs. SLA», «Mehrsprachigkeit», «(reziproke) Immersion» und «translanguaging»,gefolgt vom Vorschlag, eine Perspektive einzunehmen, die zeigt, wie die Lernenden dieSchulsprachen brauchen, um effizient zu kommunizieren. Die Betrachtung der multiplenSprachpraktiken in ihrer funktionellen wechselseitigen Abhängigkeit verweist auf eine HeteroglossieIdeologie.52 Eine solche ganzheitliche Betrachtung der mehrsprachigen Entwicklung der Lernendenbildet die theoretische Grundlage für die Auswertung der gesammelten Daten aus den halbstrukturiertenund auf Performanz ausgerichteten Leitfaden-Interviews (zehn Interviews insgesamt invier Jahren).Der zweite Teil dieser Arbeit präsentiert eine empirische Langzeitstudie. Zwei Ansätzewurden bei der Analyse der gesammelten Daten kombiniert: während die qualitative AnalyseStrategien wie «translanguaging» (García, 2009a) von Lernenden zeigt, fokussiert die quantitativeAnalyse auf die Messung der Fähigkeit «Sprache auf kommunikative Weise zu verwenden» (Bachmanund Palmer, 2010). Anstatt das aktuelle Sprachniveau der Lernenden in den beiden Schulsprachen zumessen, wird ein breiteres Bild gezeigt, das Variationen in der Performanz der Lernenden einschliesstund den dynamischen Spracherwerbsprozess aufzeigt. So wird der effiziente und kreative Gebrauchder Sprache sowie mehrsprachige Diskurs-Praktiken wie «translanguaging» gezeigt. Diese multiplenSprachpraktiken zeigen das dynamische und interaktive Kommunikationssystem der mehrsprachigenLernenden und deren Spracherwerbsprozess in.Im dritten Teil werden die pädagogischen Schlussfolgerungen präsentiert. Eine angemesseneLehrerausbildung für diese Lehrpersonen fokussierend auf der Professionalisierung des Immersions-Unterrichts wäre wünschenswert, in welcher ein für die Praktiker/innen nützlicher Wissenstransfervon Forschungsresultaten stattfindet. So könnten die Lernenden bestmöglich beim Prozess, sichSchulstoff durch zwei Schulsprachen anzueignen, unterstützt werden. Der Schlussteil dieser Arbeitfasst die Studie und deren Ergebnisse zusammen und zeigt weitere Forschungsperspektiven auf

El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar el efecto de una intervención educativa vía Whatsapp en la higiene oral de pacientes portadores de aparatología ortodóntica fija atendidos en consultorios privados en la provincia de Chiclayo. El diseño del presente estudio es de tipo experimental, longitudinal, analítico y prospectivo. Se trabajó con toda la población, ésta estuvo conformada por 26 pacientes que empezaban con el tratamiento de Ortodoncia y cumplían los criterios de selección. Se les realizó el índice de higiene oral de O´Leary, empleando una ficha de recolección de datos y posteriormente se aplicó un cuestionario. Se dividió a los pacientes en dos grupos: uno control y experimental con una asignación aleatoria, manejando el simple ciego. Al grupo experimental se le envió una intervención educativa vía Whatsapp, la cual costó de siete videos de corta duración. Después de un mes se volvió a realizar el índice de higiene oral de O´Leary y el cuestionario a todos los pacientes. Se encontró que los pacientes del grupo experimental tuvieron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en su higiene oral y nivel de conocimiento después de la intervención educativa, respecto a los pacientes del grupo control. Se concluye que una intervención educativa vía Whatsapp tiene efecto positivo en la higiene oral de pacientes portadores de aparatología ortodóntica.
Tesis

Education decentralization is sweeping many developing countries, creating massive regional disparities in education access and quality. Fiji provides education through the Community Based Approach, and although it is never referred to as being decentralized, it has all the same disparities occurring. A case study was conducted in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji, to evaluate the impact on surrounding communities of a newly opened (and privately funded) Secondary school.
Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-14 15:02:00.304