Complexity, connections and sense-making: Stakeholder experiences of primary English language curriculum change in one province in Vietnam

This thesis sets out to explore the complexity of curriculum reform by examining how different stakeholders, experiencing English language curriculum reform in different ‘layers’ of the education system in one province in Vietnam, make sense of change in relation to their professional roles, practices and behaviours. While there is a plethora of research on curriculum change in TESOL contexts, much of this is focused on the teacher and the practical constraints they might face in implementing a new curriculum. The multi-level interactions and relationships involved in sense-making, and the complexity that such interconnectedness suggests, seems to be a neglected research area. This qualitative case study begins to fill this research gap. Using a complexity perspective, the study investigated the perceptions, understandings and responses to primary English language curriculum change of seven primary English language teachers working in three districts in one province in Vietnam. The study also examined the sense-making of three district specialists and four university INSET trainers who are involved in supporting those teachers in implementing the new curriculum. Data were generated through multiple qualitative interviews, classroom observations and document analysis carried out over two research phases. The research identified a number of control parameters which appeared to be constraining the participants’ practices and behaviours towards a paradigm shuffle rather than a paradigm shift. The findings show how the interconnectedness of the educational culture, perceptions of risk, feelings of being supported and the flow of communication experienced by the different participants seemed to mediate teachers’ emergent classroom practices and behaviours. The research identifies several policy implications for policy makers, curriculum change planners and TESOL practitioners which have emerged from these control parameters, and which are likely to help promote the desired curriculum change outcomes

Dysregulation of glucocorticoid metabolism in murine obesity: comparable effects of leptin resistance and deficiency

In obese humans, metabolism of glucocorticoids by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1) and A-ring reduction (by 5α- and 5β-reductases) is dysregulated in a tissue specific manner. These changes have been recapitulated in leptin resistant obese Zucker rats but were not observed in high-fat fed Wistar rats. Recent data from mouse models suggest that such discrepancies may reflect differences in leptin signalling. We therefore compared glucocorticoid metabolism in murine models of leptin deficiency and resistance. Male ob/ob and db/db mice and their respective littermate controls (n=10–12/group) were studied at the age of 12 weeks. Enzyme activities and mRNA expression were quantified in snap-frozen tissues. The patterns of altered pathways of steroid metabolism in obesity were similar in ob/ob and db/db mice. In liver, 5β-reductase activity and mRNA were increased and 11β-HSD1 decreased in obese mice, whereas 5α-reductase 1 (5αR1) mRNA was not altered. In visceral adipose depots, 5β-reductase was not expressed, 11β-HSD1 activity was increased and 5αR1 mRNA was not altered in obesity. By contrast, in subcutaneous adipose tissue 11β-HSD1 and 5αR1 mRNA were decreased. Systematic differences were not found between ob/ob and db/db murine models of obesity, suggesting that variations in leptin signalling through the short splice variant of the Ob receptor do not contribute to dysregulation of glucocorticoid metabolism

Experiences of queer youth volunteers involved in anti-queerphobia education initiatives

Bibliography: p. 95-9

Design and construction of a solar collector for teaching purposes

The focus of this project is the design and construction of a solar water heating system that can be used as a teaching aid in high schools. The System will have to be adjustable to show the students how different variables and settings affect the performance of the system. This will help teach the students about the different forms of heat transfer which are, conduction, convection, and radiation. The solar water heating system also needs to be portable so it can be moved around. An investigation into the different types of water heating systems was done in order to get the best system design for the final system. Simplicity and reliability were key factors in the design process. The cost of the unit was also an important consideration and influenced the final design. Safety was also an important factor in the design process, not only for construction but also for the finished product. The system is used to heat water up so various parts of the system as well as the circulating water will get hot. The temperature of the water in the system will be hot enough to give someone a moderate burn. To avoid this, all parts will have to be well insulated and warning labels need to be in place. The final design will have temperature and how sensors installed to give an accurate measurement on how the different variables affect the performance of the system. These devices will need to be user-friendly so the high school students can use them. On completion of this project the system will be designed so it can be made using readily available materials, and simple enough to be made in a normal workshop. There will also be detailed drawings and instructions that will allow anyone to build this system

Reducing Attendance Problems in the Group Treatment of Test Anxiety

In university and college counselling services, attendance problems in group programs may lead to poorly informed attempts to modify the programs and can provoke uninformed speculation about treatment effectiveness, as well as producing other difficulties. In spite of their importance, attendance issues have attracted little attention in counseling literature. Studies on the group treatment of test anxiety, on the other hand, have dealt with this subject in a limited way. Some authors have speculated that attendance problems may be rooted in the characteristics of students who drop out, while others have reported on the uncontrolled use of incentives to promote attendance. Data collected over thirteen years in a test anxiety treatment program (N = 736) demonstrate that shortening the program and instituting a $5 deposit significantly reduce attendance problems, suggesting that such factors may be the critical factors influencing attendance variables.Les programmes spéciaux Qfferts dans les universités et les collèges se voient confronter à certaines difficultés. L'une d'elles est le manque de régularité avec laquelle les étudiants participent. Par conséquent, il devient difficile de cerner les difficultés réelles du programme offert, les modifications à apporter, et déjuger de la pertinence du programme et de son efficacité. Malgré l'importance attachée à cette question, très peu d'auteurs s'y sont attardé. Elle a été abordée dans quelques études sur le traitement de l'anxiété face aux tests mais d'une manière limitée. Certains auteurs considèrent que le taux d'absentéisme est en corrélation directe avec les caractéristiques définissant l'étudiant décrocheur. Par contre, d'autres auteurs ont rapporté un manque au niveau des stratégies qui inciteraient les étudiants à être présents. Des données cumulées au cours des treize dernières années provenant des programmes du traitement de l'anxiété face aux tests (N=736) démontrent que de raccourcir le programme et l'institution d'un dépôt de$5 réduit significativement le taux d'absentéisme, suggérant ainsi que ces deux facteurs pourraient influencer directement les variables d'absentéisme

The Camp counsellor

Bibliography: p. 98

Parent involvement in children's early literacy learning: an exploratory study

Bibliography: p. 175-177