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Descriptors:
Decision Making; Schools of Education; Data; Teacher Education Curriculum; Teacher Education Programs; Information Literacy; Information Skills; Skill Analysis; Skill Development; Management Information Systems; Data Analysis; Data Collection; Data Interpretation; Educational Needs; Curriculum Implementation; Knowledge Base for Teaching; Policy Analysis; Systems Approach; Change Strategies; Educational Change

Abstract:
Data-driven decision making has become increasingly important in education. Policymakers require educators to use data to inform practice. Although the policy emphasis is growing, what has not increased is attention to building human capacity around data use. Educators need to gain data literacy skills to inform practice. Although some professional development opportunities exist for current educators, fewer formal courses and opportunities for data literacy development in schools of education have been developed and implemented. This article explores issues around the growing need for data-driven decision making in programs in schools of education. The issues are complex and the actors needed to bring about change are multiple. A systems perspective to explore course and programmatic implementation is presented. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Educational Environment; Program Effectiveness; Computer Science; Online Courses; Blended Learning; Systems Approach; Doctoral Programs; Higher Education; Information Science; Information Technology; Program Evaluation; Distance Education; Electronic Learning; Technology Uses in Education; Faculty; Educational Technology; Computer Mediated Communication; Semi Structured Interviews

Abstract:
An internal assessment was conducted utilizing a sociotechnical systems approach and cultural lens as a means of exploring the dynamics of a blended doctoral program. Blended learning environments were conceived of as sociotechnical systems, and blended programs were defined as programs that utilize multimodal means for the mediation of educational content. In this article, the notion of sociotechnical systems as distilled from informatics, computer science, and information and communications technology was applied to highlight the nexus of interactions between people and technology in a blended doctoral program in order to examine what boundaries, barriers, and opportunities are created in such a learning environment. Findings and recommendations suggest that the interdependencies of social and technical systems are complex, and privileging one system at the expense of the other will not provide for an optimum learning environment as both systems are requisite for the existence and success of a blended program. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Rural Areas; Learning Processes; Foreign Countries; Preschool Teachers; Semi Structured Interviews; Systems Approach; Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education; Preschool Curriculum; Preschool Evaluation; Young Children

Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the meaning that Swedish preschool teachers ascribe to systematic quality work. In Sweden, all preschools are required to work systematically with quality issues. This involves several interdependent steps that follow each other in a specific order. Although the concept of systematic quality work might be novel, the practice of following up, documenting, and evaluating preschool activities has a long tradition as means of discovering whether and in what ways preschool has contributed to children's learning and what children have learnt by being there. The study, which was performed in Sweden, is based on interactionist perspectives and draws on Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory and a critical ecology of the early childhood profession. The sample consists of 15 preschools in the country's two major cities, Stockholm and Gothenburg, and 15 preschools from the rural area of Malardalen in mid-Sweden. From each of the 30 preschools, one preschool group and one preschool teacher were recruited as participants. To study teacher competence, individual and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The meaning given to systematic quality work in preschool is presented under three themes: documentation and evaluation in preschool; foci of documentation and evaluation; and how, why and when to document and evaluate in preschool, and for whom. The results reveal the complexity of documenting children's learning processes and the need for development of competence in this area. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Educational Environment; Social Class; Elementary Secondary Education; Inservice Teacher Education; Consciousness Raising; Social Mobility; Workshops; Interpersonal Competence; Family Financial Resources; Family Income; Low Income; Psychological Patterns; Theory Practice Relationship; Economic Climate; Systems Approach; Student Empowerment; Neoliberalism

Abstract:
This essay describes a vision of social class-sensitive pedagogy aimed at disrupting endemic classism in schools. We argue persistent upward mobility discourses construct classist hierarchies in schools and classroom practice and are founded on misunderstandings of work, lived experiences of social class, and the broader social and economic context of the United States and the world. Educators may unwittingly alienate the very students they hope to inspire, cause for serious inquiry into what a social class-sensitive pedagogy might entail. The manuscript highlights five interrelated principles that provide insights to what research tells us and how it can be used in K-12 and teacher education. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Systems Approach; Science Activities; Educational Experiments; Science Experiments; Learning Modules; Cost Effectiveness; Man Machine Systems; Design Requirements; Undergraduate Students; Undergraduate Study; Science Course Improvement Projects; Behavioral Objectives; Educational Objectives; Educational Resources; Program Descriptions; Laboratory Experiments

Abstract:
This paper presents low-cost experiments for a control systems laboratory module that is worth one and a third credits. The experiments are organized around the microcontroller-based control of a permanent magnet dc motor. The experimental setups were built in-house. Except for the operating system, the software used is primarily freeware or free for academic use. The objective of this module is that students--fresh from a first course in control systems theory, which introduces them to proportional-integral-derivative control and to design using Bode plots and root locus--learn how a simple modern control system is built. Student feedback and a 90-min end-of-semester practical exam show that, although the students find the experiments challenging, this module helps meet this objective. After having taken the first course and this laboratory module, the students feel that they can build control systems in addition to discussing them theoretically. This module is easy to set up and administer using the supporting material provided by the authors. (Contains 2 tables and 10 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Music Education; Musical Instruments; Teacher Student Relationship; Music Teachers; Students; Early Adolescents; Teacher Behavior; Student Behavior; Scaffolding (Teaching Technique); Feedback (Response); Student Empowerment; Observation; Systems Approach

Abstract:
This paper explores patterns of interpersonal behaviour amongst teachers and pupils during one-to-one instrumental lessons. It was hypothesised that these patterns might differ in systematic ways, according to an existing model of six interaction "types" developed within a systems theory perspective and based on measures of interpersonal control and responsiveness. Eleven violin teachers and their pupils aged 10-16 were observed. Digital recordings of 23 one-to-one lessons were analysed using the overarching categories of teacher talk, teacher questioning, scaffolding, pupil talk and pupil playing. Behaviour style was found to correspond with the model of interpersonal interaction in instrumental teaching. Highly directive teachers were found to engage most often in scaffolding, while the most responsive teachers allowed space for the pupil voice to be heard and provided more feedback that was attributed to specific strategies or effort. These findings suggest that teachers and pupils may become entrenched in fixed patterns of interaction behaviour that potentially place constraints on teaching and learning outcomes. The implications for practice lie in teachers' awareness and reflections on their own interaction behaviours. Being cognisant of fixed patterns of behaviour, teachers may choose to re-frame their style of interaction, thus effecting positive changes in teaching and learning. Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Information Retrieval; Information Systems; Holistic Approach; Models; Equations (Mathematics); Systems Approach; Evaluation

Abstract:
Introduction: This paper presents an initial proposal for a formal framework that, by studying the metric variables involved in information retrieval, can establish the sequence of events involved and how to perform it. Method: A systematic approach from the equations of Shannon and Weaver to establish the decidability of information retrieval systems and Conrad's equation is used to interweave the ecosystem components. Analysis: This work was developed from a detailed analysis of the scientific literature on information retrieval and through a set of inductive processes; it has been possible to build each of the components of this proposal. Results: First, we have proposed a simple way of assessing the implications of the sequence of events that occur in a search related to the overall response. Secondly, we obtain a formal equation that determines all the interrelated human and technological elements in the information retrieval processes. Conclusions: The establishment of this formal framework allows us to ascertain why we evaluate information retrieval and how one has to intervene in times of imbalance. (Contains 3 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Action Research; Teaching Methods; Preservice Teacher Education; Curriculum Development; Systems Approach; Educational Change; Models; Foreign Countries; Sustainability

Abstract:
This paper reports on a study undertaken to identify the strategies and models used to facilitate curriculum change within teacher education institutions. Findings indicate three main approaches, which we name the "resource development", "action research" and "contextual change" models. A new model that combines the best features of each is proposed. In this paper we provide a brief overview of the three models, a rationale for the new model being proposed, and a discussion of the systems theory concepts underpinning the model. It is our contention that the Mainstreaming Change model provides a structure for change to occur simultaneously at a number of levels within a teacher education system. We conclude by discussing some issues that may facilitate or limit the effectiveness of the model in practice. (Contains 4 figures.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Doctoral Degrees; Time to Degree; Bayesian Statistics; Network Analysis; Systems Approach; Influences; College Mathematics; Statistics; Graduate Students; Supervisors; Administrators; Foreign Students; Probability; Foreign Countries

Abstract:
Completing a PhD on time is a complex process, influenced by many interacting factors. In this paper we take a Bayesian Network approach to analyzing the factors perceived to be important in achieving this aim. Focusing on a single research group in Mathematical Sciences, we develop a conceptual model to describe the factors considered to be important to students and then quantify the network based on five individual perspectives: the students, a supervisor and a university research students centre manager. The resultant network comprised 37 factors and 40 connections, with an overall probability of timely completion of between 0.6 and 0.8. Across all participants, the four factors that were considered to most directly influence timely completion were personal aspects, the research environment, the research project, and incoming skills. (Contains 2 figures and 3 tables.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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Descriptors:
Social Systems; Path Analysis; Systems Approach; Volunteers; Activism; Change Agents; Predictor Variables; Social Cognition; Group Dynamics; Social Change; Extraversion Introversion; Interpersonal Competence; Questionnaires; Community Characteristics; Individual Characteristics; Community Attitudes

Abstract:
The present article attempts to shed light on the direct and indirect contribution of personal resources and community indices to Sense of Cohesion among activists engaging in community volunteer work. The sample comprised 481 activists. Based on social systems theory, three levels of variables were examined: (1) inputs, which included personal resources (self-esteem, sense of mastery, and sense of coherence); (2) throughputs, which included community indices (organizational commitment, leadership competence, and representation); and (3) outputs, i.e., change in the community which enhances community cohesion. Path analysis revealed interesting results: organizational commitment, representation, and leadership competence fully mediated between self-esteem and community cohesion; and sense of coherence had a direct positive association with organizational commitment. Moreover, sense of mastery and sense of coherence contributed directly to community cohesion. The Discussion presents an analysis of these findings. (Contains 1 figure.) Note:The following two links are not-applicable for text-based browsers or screen-reading software. Show Hide Full Abstract

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