Education & Pedagogy

This paper attempted to investigate the effects of integrating Peace Education into Nigeria educational system. Four research questions were designed for the study. The researcher designed an instrument tagged: Questionnaire on effect of Integrating Peace Education (QEIPE). The entire population of two hundred respondents spread across Secondary Schools and lecturers in higher institutions of learning in Ondo State were used as the sample for the study. A 20-item questionnaire structured on a 4-point scale was used for the collection of data. Mean and Standard deviation was used to answer the four research question generated from the study. The findings identified the inclusion of Peace Education in Nigerian School curriculum in order to reduce crime, violence and other social vices in Nigeria. The result of the study further revealed that there is no significant differences between Peace Education and Social Studies. The findings equally identified with the relevance effects of integrating Peace Education in the school curriculum on teachers and students. Based on these findings among others, it was recommended that training and retaining of teachers should be intensified to enable teachers acquire the skills and knowledge to use appropriate techniques and methods to effectively teach Peace Education. Also, while integrating Peace Education concepts, thematic approach in restricting the Social Studies curriculum in social studies and other related subjects should be reviewed in such a way that concepts that are relevant to Peace Education will be reflected and identified.

After first introduced in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, webquests have inundated the K-12 classroom. (Dodge, 1995) WebQuests are designed to support students' critical thinking particularly at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Recently, studies have emerged focusing on the use of webquests in teacher education (Hassanien 2006; Zheng et al 2005). In an effort to prepare new teachers to be abreast of current trends in technology, teacher preparation programs must explore ways to integrate technology to provide authentic experiences for their candidates. It is important to note that The International Society for Technology in Education initiated standards for teachers to assist them with effectively integrating technology in the classroom. In addition to exposing teacher education candidates to technology usage to support the curriculum, webquests can also be a teaching tool to effectively support problem solving within the context of issues in education. As a result, this method can be employed to increase teacher education candidates' understanding of diversity. Since incorporating technology across the K-12 curriculum is an integral goal for teacher education, webquests can be a strategy to both encourage technology usage as well as supporting candidates' understanding of cultural diversity (Sahin 2003). This paper will discuss the planning and delivery of specific webquests designed for a cultural diversity module taught as part of an undergraduate foundations course at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

This article, by Jean Ware of Bangor University School of Education, examines policy developments in education in Wales since devolution, and their implications for inclusive and special education. This is set in the context of the demographics of Wales, which, it is argued, have a significant influence on policy and on the nature of educational provision as a whole. The discussion initially focuses on issues related to the Welsh language. The article then discusses four policy initiatives (the Foundation Phase, the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, the Masters in Educational Practice and the proposed reform of initial teacher education and training), intended to respond to Wales's poor performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment, and their potential impact, as well as the White Paper on reforming the special educational needs system in Wales. It is too soon to discuss the impact of these special educational needs-specific reforms, but the differences from the English special educational needs reforms highlight the inherent tensions in special educational needs systems. It is argued that the Tabberer Report's critique of the teacher education system in Wales, which emphasises the need for teacher education to be strongly connected to relevant research, provides an opportunity to improve the quality of education in Wales for all children; but that considerable investment, and a willingness to address the potential tensions between the different initiatives, is necessary to achieve such an outcome.

This article identifies a number of issues associated with current STEM education reform efforts, especially with regard to efforts to integrate engineering education into the K-12 curriculum. Precollege engineering is especially problematic in STEM reform since there is no well-established tradition of engineering in the K-12 curriculum. This discussion aims at identifying some of the issues and problems that serve to impede implementation of engineering education in the K-12 environment. Historically, engineering education has been the purview of higher education, and the epistemology of engineering education has not evolved to specifically inform the exigencies of K-12 education. There also is little in the way of cohesive standards that establish appropriate precollege engineering knowledge and skills and to provide a framework for shared understandings, cooperative partnerships across institutional boundaries, curricular development and implementation, and teacher preparation and professional development. The lack of standards and an epistemic foundation and tradition in K-12 engineering results in significant gaps in experience and knowledge to inform implementation, which is proceeding in schools despite these glaring obstacles--driven by legislative mandate, STEM funding initiatives, workforce demand, and other compelling forces. The lack of systemic infrastructure and support mechanisms for preengineering--such as are found in the sciences, mathematics, and other academic disciplines already participating in K-12 education--have resulted in a situation in which there is no clear, generally agreed upon standards and definition of a body of engineering knowledge, skills, and activities that constitute appropriate curricular content for teaching and learning in K-12 education.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the type and quality of sexuality education received by college students in Hangzhou, China. Their attitudes towards sex and sexuality were also explored. To set the broader context the regulations and laws governing the provision of sexuality education in China have also been examined. Design/methodology/approach: A cross-sectional survey of 132 college students was conducted in Hangzhou, China in 2013. The aim was to explore their experience of and attitudes towards their sexuality education. Findings: Most respondents lacked formal sexuality education. Neither schools nor parents were reported to be the major providers of sexuality education. The students reported that their main sources of knowledge and information relating to sex were their fellow schoolmates and the internet. Participants reported insufficient or inaccurate sexual knowledge as a key factor in their participation in unprotected sex. Attitudes towards premarital sex and cohabitation, and homosexual relationships were reported to be more open and tolerant than those of the older generation. Originality/value: The data from this study suggest that reluctance amongst parents and schools to provide formal and comprehensive sexuality education has resulted in unsatisfactory sexuality education in Hangzhou. The lack of sexuality education among college students may have had an influence on their unsafe sexual behaviours which is potentially damaging to both their physical and psychological health. Implications for improving the quality of sexuality education for young people in China are discussed.

Nigeria's Education Policy is quite laudable yet her investments in education are not too rewarding considering the deteriorating educational standards. The poor performance of the education sector in Nigeria, which is evident in the falling in standard of education and poor quality, has become very worrisome. What is the problem? Is the educational policy formulation process faulty? What are the implications for educational standard? These are the issues explored in this paper, based on literature review approach. The findings blame the falling in the educational standard and poor quality on the ineffective implementation of education policy engendered primarily by lapses in the policy formulation process. These lapses include lack of indigenous education policy, lack of adequate implementation strategy, non-involvement of stakeholders, especially the teachers, in the policy formulation process, lack of continuity of the policy implementation and lack of political will. These lapses have serious effects on the implementation of education policy and consequently on the standard of Education in Nigeria. The paper recommends the discontinuation of the National Policy on Education fashioned after the American system and adopt an educational policy which takes into consideration the cultural values of Nigerian people and Nigeria environment. Adequate human and material resources that will facilitate proper and result oriented implementation should be put in place before the implementation begins. In addition, stakeholders, especially the teacher should be consulted and be involved in the educational policy formulation and education policy should be nurtured to maturity before summative evaluation is carried out. Sustained political will and eradication of corruption are necessary for effective policy implementation and should be maintained.

Education plays a vital role to develop the nation culturally, economically and socially. That is why every nation focuses on this sector. For its improvement all endeavors are being made through formal education, Non-formal education and Distance Education. The trend of distance education has developed considerably in developed countries and developing countries. Information technology plays a pivotal role for the development of Distance Education. Keeping in view the importance of I.T. in education, this study was developed. The main aim of this study was to investigate the use of information technology in distance education in Pakistan. Population comprised of the I.T. users, person helping, operating or supervising the I.T. tools as planners, academicians, designers, programmers, producers, operators, regional directors and Deans of AIOU. Questionnaire on five point Likert scale was prepared. Collected data was tabulated and analyzed. The main conclusions of the study are: The use of information technology is still limited. Computer net work was not used for distance learners, Radio, T.V. programs and relevant audio material, videocassettes were prepared and CDs, software still not in use. University library was not computerized. Staff got training from time to time in I.T. Education in their specialization. But there is need to make I.T. system more sophisticated according to new trends and students' needs. There is also need to develop regional centers, which should serve as resource centers to the facilitation of distance learners.

The Republic of Korea (ROK) has officially declared its national vision of green growth, and actively develops and implements policies related to education for sustainable development (ESD), green growth education (GGE) and climate change education (CCE). Over the Decade of ESD, the ROK experienced three administrations which have taken different approaches to sustainable development (SD). In June 2005, the president of Korea announced the "National Vision for Sustainable Development" and the government enacted the Basic Law on Sustainable Development in August 2007 for the systemization of ESD. The government change in 2008 brought about a huge shift in the national trend concerning SD. The new administration adopted the policy of "Low Carbon, Green Growth" and formed the Presidential Committee on Green Growth (PCGG). In Korea's present system, ESD is implemented by central governmental organizations, major institutions, the governmental commissions, local governments, civil organizations, etc. In particular, the establishment of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO on ESD in 2009 along with the release of the Green Growth Education Activation Plan created an enabling environment for GGE and ESD implementation. The new Park Geun-hye administration entered office in 2013 and has geared all the policies towards promoting the social well-being of all Korean citizens. This has served to counterbalance the previous Lee administration's focus on the green economy and to set the stage for holistic approaches to ESD in the country.

Online education is growing rapidly and there is little doubt that it will continue to expand until it one day encompasses the majority of higher education course offerings. Higher education leaders agree that online education will continue to grow even in the face of a slight recent decline (Allen & Seaman, 2013). As the rise of online education began, concern also arose as to whether the quality of higher education would suffer as a result of this new fast tracked course of academia. The quality of education in general is in question. The average degree standards are lower in America (Cote & Allahar, 2011). Today in higher education it is almost unacceptable to expect students to be solely just that, students (2011). Working full time, while carrying a full load is becoming the acceptable norm (2011). This type of student is more often the student that elects an online education. Despite the current drawbacks, online education is still the best prospect for the future provided the barriers of faculty assessment and course design are addressed. Fear of student evaluations and administrative disapproval are causing grade inflation while simultaneously influencing course design. Instructors are designing courses that allow the student to easily pass the course, which in reality is a disservice to everyone involved. This literature review provides evidence to justify a warning to acknowledge the paradox of current faculty assessment practices and the codependent relationship with course structure, to ensure the future value of higher education remain just that; valuable.

In this article we explore the influence of the geographical proximity of out-of-school arts education provision on the individual decisions of children and youngsters to enroll in an arts education course. The distance between the homes of the Belgian students in compulsory education and the nearest offering of out-of-school arts education (a network called Part-Time Arts Education [PTAE]) is calculated using population-wide administrative data. The results show a negative and nonlinear relation between distance and enrollment that affects young children in particular. Students with low socioeconomic status (SES) are not affected more by this factor than are other students. While students with a low SES live proportionally more in big cities, which are areas with a greater density of arts education provision, our analysis shows they still participate less in such programs than other students. When students with a low SES do participate, it is not in a course significantly nearer to their area of residence. As the distance to a specific PTAE course increases, only a small percentage of students are willing to substitute another course of study that is spatially closer. Therefore, distance is a barrier that is hard to overcome and often closes off the opportunity to participate in arts education. These findings have implications for policy decisions on the establishment of new educational facilities for arts education and on incentives to tackle the costs linked with traveling to art courses.

Before 1994, some higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa seem not to value social inclusiveness of various groups in higher education, particularly people from disadvantaged backgrounds. As a result, access and widening participation are viewed as problematic and difficult to sustain since they involve students from poor and under-represented social backgrounds. The perception of restricting access from a social justice point of view presupposes inequalities based on the segregation policies of the apartheid era. Transformation in higher education is considered an indicator of social progress. It relates to a process of an absolute overhaul of social thinking and results in meaningful social transition. In 2002, a major policy decision was taken via the National Plan on Education as a means to approach transformation of the higher education system in South Africa. Attempts to amend the policy on higher education have not translated into material benefits for the majority of previously disadvantaged black people in South African society in terms of access, equity and participation in higher education. This research study aims to provide an overview of the conditions resulting from the policy on transformation in the context of higher education. The research concludes that improving access could be achieved by offering equal and standardised educational programmes in all universities. The research further suggests that introducing a common language such as English as the only medium of instruction at HEIs could be helpful as opposed to the use of Afrikaans or any variety of official languages applied in the country.

In teacher education programs, there is a prevalent belief that having teacher candidates compose personalized 'my philosophy of education' (MPE) statements is a valuable exercise that prepares them for the teaching profession. This paper argues that the prevailing intentions for, and common practice of, assigning these MPE statements to teacher candidates are problematic because they distort both the discipline of philosophy and the purpose of philosophy of education courses. The argument's first section situates the practice of assigning MPE statements within the context of teacher education programs' strong commitments to social constructivism and the reflective practitioner, and relates the problems associated with those commitments. It then reviews literature that describes the common properties and practices of assigning MPE statements. The second and third sections then develop the arguments that MPEs rely on and reinforce distortions of philosophy as a discipline and misconceptions about the purposes of philosophy of education courses in teacher education programs. Those two arguments share a theme that MPE statements reduce philosophy and philosophizing about education to declaring and clarifying an unexamined personal commitment, and hence drift toward enabling relativism. Finally, the conclusion relates how, in conjunction with those distortions, the use of MPE statements has acquired the function of certifying a teacher's suitability to fit within the status quo. This situation, it claims, unfortunately distracts candidates and others in the teaching profession from developing their critical philosophical skills in responding to the epistemic, moral, and political realities of education and schooling.

Rapid social, financial and political developments in the last three decades have caused some challenges for the future of Higher Education Institutions. Globalization or internationalization is one of the most important challenges in Higher Education Markets in the last two decades. Progressively, in 1996, German legislators put internalization at the center of their reforms. The purpose of this study is to examine the results of these reforms for German Higher Education Institutions in regards to their globalization strategies such as increasing diversity of the students, improving international competitiveness of the German Higher Education Institutions, taking an active role in international EU Projects, conducting cooperation with important international higher education institutions and increasing the brain-drain to German Higher Education Institutions. A qualitative research design was used to study this problem. A multiple unit case study was carried out with semi-structured interviews with 20 high level administrators of the German Higher Education Institutions in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The results show that the strategies have had positive results and there is a high interest in higher education studies in Germany today. Despite demographic change in Germany, the student numbers at German Higher Education Institutions are increasing and there is a huge demand from other countries, which have increased the number of private universities in Germany in the last two decades. International competition will be seen as a challenge in the long-term and international cooperation is the strategy to solve this challenge. In the short-term, the number of English Programs and diversity are both seen as some ongoing challenges for the German Higher Education Institutions.

This article, which draws on a review of primary and secondary literature, examines the role of a human rights-based approach to adult learning and education (ALE) in the context of the global Education 2030 agenda, which is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) launched in 2015 by the United Nations. Whereas the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) focused on primary education, the SDGs, through SDG 4 which is devoted to education, call on Member States to "ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all". The inclusion of lifelong learning has awakened hopes for a stronger role of ALE in global education agendas and policies. In principle, the ten targets of SDG 4 open up clear possibilities for ALE. However, the author cautions that there is cause for scepticism that ALE, in particular human rights-based ALE, will receive more attention under the SDGs than it did under the MDGs. The article is structured into three sections. The first section traces the emergence of a rights-based approach to adult education as an international paradigm, with particular attention given to the role of UNESCO. The second section discusses how the rights-based approach to adult education has been contested by other actors in the field of education for development. In the final section, the author draws on recent empirical data to reflect on the role of ALE in the age of the SDGs.

David Longanecker wrote an article in "Change", "A Tale of Two Pities," that described the colliding perspectives of two communities--those who provide higher education and those who create and sustain the policy environment in which it functions. Each of these communities is committed to ensuring that Americans have broad access to high-quality postsecondary education. But each often perceives the other's views and actions as antithetical to its own, thereby undercutting progress toward their shared goal. The 2006 article described why so many within the higher education community felt that the policy community no longer loved them: resources, at least on a per student basis, were in decline; the share of state resources provided to higher education also was in decline; and policy makers did not even seem to be concerned about these reductions in support. Conversely, the article described why the policy community seemed to feel that higher education no longer loved them: higher education seemed more focused on gaining institutional prestige while abandoning the neediest and most underserved students. It did so both by raising tuitions precipitously and focusing more on providing merit-based aid rather than need-based aid. Furthermore, higher education failed to appreciate the financial difficulties that states faced having just experienced a recession, with increasing demands for other services such as Medicaid and elementary and secondary education, all in a new anti-tax climate. This article reviews the evolution of the "two pities" dynamic presented 12 years ago and describes the current situation. Unfortunately, not much has changed. [To view the original article, see EJ745659.]