The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical framework for action learning and action research for better understanding and improving university learning and teaching. Action research is conceived as a philosophy, a theory of learning, a methodology and a technique. The philosophy includes theories of action, critical theory and personal construct theory. The learning theory encompasses adult learning, experiential learning and double‐loop learning. The methodology is based in the dialectical epistemology and the non‐positivist paradigm. Examples of action research as a technique are the nominal group technique, the repertory grid technique and other tools aiding reflection and group discussion. It is concluded that action research not only advances knowledge, but also improves practice in higher education by. developing people as professionals and “personal scientists”, and organisations as “learning organisations”. 相似文献
The aim of this research was to explore why workers in health and social services embarked on a Certificate in Community Care Practice and the extent to which they felt knowledge learnt related to their every‐day work practice. The objective was to indicate how useful more academic courses are for health and social care staff, and to find out the kinds of barriers to practicing theory learnt in the classroom students face in their ‘real world’ of work. Data was collected from 25 mature students (over half were between the ages of 41–50 years), 3 of whom were men from a range of professional backgrounds including; support staff working in residential and domiciliary services and informal (unpaid) carers for people with learning disabilities, mental health difficulties as well as older people. Quantitative (an adapted questionnaire) and qualitative (focus group session which was an integral part of classroom learning about research methodology) methods were employed. Data was analysed using SPSS and thematic analysis. Findings indicated that the main motivators for study was to gain a qualification and for personal development. Students reported their increased desire to link theory learnt which they found highly relevant to their everyday practice, but organisational barriers sometimes precluded them from doing so. The paper ends with policy and practice recommendations. 相似文献
Can teacher education promote cultural understanding? In the Norwegian context, culture is discussed as a tool to promote change: a crucial theme for teacher educators as a basis for their double role as bearers and communicators of a culture. Among actions undertaken to promote understanding, there are possibilities for cultural exchange in teacher education. A comparative study on INSET in the technical and vocational area in 11 European countries exemplifies a learning process where the individual cultural background had to face interesting challenges to all the participants. Among the proposals: ‘Introduction to cultural knowledge’ as a specific subject matter; reinforcement of foreign language learning and a deeper knowledge in history; research on teacher education as a cultural element; development of competencies among teacher educators to promote knowledge about culture at a national and at an international level; a network of persons and institutions promoting and enhancing the cultural qualifications among teachers and teacher educators.相似文献
Parental involvement and teacher perceptions of parental involvement in the education of children were studied in relation to level of parental education and pupil achievement. A questionnaire was administered to 218 parents and 60 teachers. Correlational analyses and paired‐sample analyses showed teacher perceptions to be weakly related to parental reports of their own involvement and to operate at a different level. Regression analyses and analyses of variance showed teacher perceptions of parental involvement to affect pupil achievement more strongly than parental reports. The results suggest that teacher perceptions of parents may be stereotyped and that such stereotypes can clearly affect academic results. 相似文献
The paper reports a qualitative study undertaken for the New South Wales Department of School Education and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). The purpose of the study was to complement existing survey information by (i) closely investigating actual practice in schools in terms of the uses made of educational broadcasts, and (ii) inquiring into the perceptions held by the providers of such broadcasts. To this end teachers and students were interviewed and observations conducted in five case study schools. Policy makers within the Children's and Education Unit of the ABC were interviewed as well. The most significant findings (in educational rather than statistical terms) are to do with variations in access both materially and culturally. Equity considerations were seen to arise from these differences in access. 相似文献
The aim of this study was to identify and re‐present the experiences and views of a sample of children who have been ‘missing’ from education, and those of their parents/carers. Access to this hard to reach population has been possible as a result of an innovative interventionist tracking system, responding to pupil mobility, developed by the Education Authority in the fieldwork area. Semistructured interviews were conducted with parents/carers, children and young people with the aim of obtaining a demographic profile of families and eliciting a chronology of factors that participants saw as contributing to a child going missing from school systems. Three distinct life‐course groups emerged from participants' accounts illustrating different degrees of disengagement from external systems. The authors conclude with a discussion of the different challenges each life‐course group presents, for education policy and practice. 相似文献
Students select majors like supply chain management largely because they want to obtain a high‐paying job at graduation. They expect that after 4 or 5 years of studies, they will be ready to achieve early‐career success. Data, however, reveal that students often are not prepared. Recruiters are noticing. In various studies, employers say that a large majority of graduates are not workplace ready. We argue that this readiness gap results from a mismatch between academia's focus on knowledge transfer and employers’ expectations that new hires possess real competencies. To remedy this readiness gap, we redesigned our curriculum to adopt a deliberate practice pedagogy. What have we learned? Deliberate practice is hard work. Both faculty and students must learn and practice new behaviors. The good news: deliberate practice helps students acquire real expertise that recruiters value. This article makes the case for deliberate practice and outlines a proven path to transformation. 相似文献