Browsing by Subject "resources"
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(2016)Aims. The aim of this thesis is to bring forth Aalto university School of Engineering associate professors' conceptions of good teaching, their construction of the conceptions and experiences about resources and difficulties in developing teaching. These issues are partly elaborated in the light of teaching competence assessment which is part of the tenure track career path for professors. In this thesis the following research questions were addressed: 1) What are the associate professors' conceptions of good teaching? 2) Through which elements the associate professors construct their conceptions? 3) What kinds of experiences the associate professors have about the resources in developing teaching? 4) What kinds of experiences the associate professors have about the difficulties in developing teaching? Methods. Seven associate professors of the School of Engineering were interviewed and they had all participated in teaching competence assessment before being admitted as associate professor. Seven thematic interviews were conducted in the Winter 2015-2016. The qualitative method of analysis was an abductive thematic analysis. The theoretical framework is based on Boyer's concept of the scholarship of teaching and Kreber and Cranton's (2000) perception of three knowledge domains (instructional, pedagogical and curricular knowledge) that are based on three reflections (content, process and premise reflection) which together construct the scholarship of teaching. Boyer's (1990) concept and Kreber and Cranton's (2000) three types of reflections and knowledge domains were utilized in analyzing the conceptions of good teaching as well as resources and difficulties in developing teaching. Results and conclusions. Three different conceptions about good teaching emerged. The conceptions were 1) teaching as providing multifunctional tools for working life, 2) teaching as activation of students and 3) teaching as emphasizing students. The interviewees constructed their conceptions through eight elements of which pedagogical training and discussions with pedagogical experts were described as central in changing own conception. Activating students was emphasized in all of the conceptions, but in different ways. The most fundamental resources for developing teaching were pedagogical training, discussions with pedagogical experts and proactivity. The most central difficulties for developing teaching were lack of pedagogical skills, time and the distance in between pedagogical experts and teachers. Based on the interviewees reports, the conceptions of good teaching, resources and difficulties in developing teaching could be partly explained with the financial situation of the society as well as university teachers' workload. Additionally, the difficulties in developing teaching could be eased by making the assessment process of teaching competence more transparent and reaching pedagogical experts easier.
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(Helsingin yliopistoHelsingfors universitetUniversity of Helsinki, 2007)In Cambodia, water has a special purpose as a source of life and livelihoods. Along with agriculture, fishing and forest use, industry, hydropower, navigation and tourism compete for the water resources. When rights and responsibilities related to essential and movable water are unclear, conflicts emerge easily. Therefore, water management is needed in order to plan and control the use of water resources. The international context is characterized by the Mekong River that flows through six countries. All of the countries by the river have very different roles and interests already depending on their geographical location. At the same time, water is also a tool for cooperation and peace. Locally, the water resources and related livelihoods create base for well-being, for economical and human resources in particular. They in turn are essential for the local people to participate and defend their rights to water use. They also help to construct the resource base of the state administration. Cambodia is highly dependent on the Mekong River. However, Cambodia has a volatile history whose effects can be seen for example in population structure, once suspended public institutions and weakened trust in the society. Relatively stable conditions came to the country as late as in the 1990s, therefore Cambodia for example has a weak status within the Mekong countries. This Master s thesis forms international, national and local interest groups of water use and analyzes their power relations and resources to affect water management. The state is seen as the salient actor as it has the formal responsibility of the water resources and of the coordination between the actions of different levels. In terms of water use this study focuses on production, in management on planning and in power relations on the resources. Water resources of Cambodia are seen consisting of the Mekong River and Tonle Sap Lake and the time span of the study is between the years 1991 and 2006. The material consists of semi-structured interviews collected during summer 2006 in Finland and in Cambodia as well as of literature and earlier studies. The results of the study show that the central state has difficulties to coordinate the actions of different actors because of its resource deficit and internal conflicts. The lessons of history and the vested interests of the actors of the state make it difficult to plan and to strengthen legislation. It seems that the most needed resources at the central state level are intangible as at the village level instead, the tangible resources (fulfilling the basic needs) are primarily important. The local decision-making bodies, NGOs and private sector mainly require legislation and legitimacy to support their role. However, the civil society and the international supporters are active and there are possibilities for new cooperation networks.
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