Education & Pedagogy

The spate of insurgences and conflicts in the country and around the sub-region has led to the increased presence of refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Nigeria. This has resultant challenges on the basic needs of refugees and IDPs at different levels. One of the highest priorities of refugees and IDPs communities is education. Nigeria is obviously struggling to provide basic education for her citizens hence the emergence of refugees and IDPs and their need for education put a double burden on the nation's education system. Sections of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Fundamental Human Rights; 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, and 1990 Declaration of World Conference on Education for All call for no discrimination in the education of men, women and children irrespective of status; compulsory and free education for all and the right to education in emergencies. These are supposed to be the policies and implementation guidelines for ratifying countries. Observations show that, in spite of the challenging situation, there is little evidence of the commitment by the Nigerian government through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to the education of refugees and IDPs. In cases where some levels of provisions are available, the quantity and quality of such provisions needs improvements. Since there is no guarantee that refugees' problems will end soon, this paper examines the available provisions and institutional approaches for the education of refugees and IDPs in Nigeria; analyses the level of Nigeria's preparedness for providing education for refugees and IDPs persons; and makes propositions for meeting this peculiar global reality.

During recent years coding education has been an important issue in many countries. Coding education has been an important topic for these countries. One of the reasons why coding education is being discussed by educators and other partners of the schools is that it is seen as a key competence for students, and workers at developing problem-solving skills. Coding as an academic skill is seen as a part of logical reasoning. Coding is also accepted as one of the skills called "21st-century skills" required from individuals. Special education students are in a disadvantaged situation as in other learning platforms. Thus, this study aims to analyze the place of coding education in developing problem-solving skills of special education students. Within the scope of the study, unplugged coding applications were carried out with the participation of 34 students having mild intellectual disabilities who are continuing their education in a special education vocational school aged between 14 and 18. A question form was used to evaluate problem-solving skills. There was a significant difference between the pre-course and post-course skills of the students. Students' average scores of problem-solving skills in the post-course was higher than their average scores in the pre-course. The analysis of the findings showed that the students' skill scores in using problem-solving steps have increased in all these steps.

This paper explores the ways in which the design thinking (DT) approach can be utilized in addressing the challenges of STEM education in K-12 education. The study is based on an extensive literature review about STEM education and the DT approach, and exploratory research conducted to understand the challenges and needs of STEM education in Turkey. The findings from the exploratory research indicate that STEM education in Turkey has significant challenges: The teachers have difficulties in integrating diverse disciplines and technologies into their STEM activities; the training programs for teachers and the general education for students encourage a result-oriented mindset rather than a process-oriented approach; and the teachers have difficulties in following the problem-solving process based on the engineering design approach. Furthermore, collaboration among teachers for developing and implementing STEM activities needs to be addressed as an important issue in terms of scheduling. Additionally, there is a need to develop STEM activities appropriate to the educational level of students. Equipping teachers with skills and knowledge appropriate to their new roles as guides and mentors should also be considered as a significant issue concerning the implementation of STEM activities. The study concludes that the DT approach as an interdisciplinary, collaborative, and human-centered problem-solving process can support STEM education and resolve the stated challenges. This study also suggests that there is a need to develop a customized DT approach for teachers, non-designers, so that they can easily apply their expertise to STEM education.

Since 1999 South African learners have participated in various international studies but sadly the learners have continued to perform dismally, which brings to question the quality of their education. Meanwhile, Singaporean students have been among the top achievers in all these competitions. Many comparative studies have been done between different nations and Singapore, but in few, if any, of these studies the focus has been on comparisons regarding gifted education. Singaporean policies and practices on gifted education generally prioritise a commitment to engaging learners from all ability levels with appropriately challenging curricula and instruction. In this article we report on a comparative study between the Singaporean and South African education systems. Three frames, (a) political context (b) curriculum structure and (c) loose coupling shaped the analysis. Results show that both countries had similar challenges at the point of independence from colonial rule and yet, they responded differently to those challenges. Singapore implemented inclusive education driven by excellence while South Africa's inclusive education is driven by equity without excellence. South Africa has a one-size-fits-all curriculum, whereas Singapore has alternatives that create multiple pathways for learners to reach their full potential. Although gifted education is being proposed in current South African pronouncements, there is no evidence of coherence in terms of its implementation. Meanwhile, Singapore has a coherent system that ensures their policies move from theory into practice. All these are lessons that South Africa can learn.

Higher education studies give considerable attention to understanding "change." The interest in change reflects the historical conditions in which higher education emerged as a distinct field of study. Around the mid-twentieth century, a pragmatic need for an academic response to managing larger and more complex higher education institutions and systems was taking shape. This need gave rise to a tradition of studying change in higher education, which has continued into the present. To explore how higher education researchers have been grappling with the problem of change, we examine a selection of works published in this and other higher education outlets since the 1970s. We organize our exploration around three distinct yet interrelated lines of research: (a) change within "higher education institutions," which in higher education studies are typically conceptualized as organizations; (b) change concerning "nation-states," which are usually conceptualized as systems; and (c) "transnational" change, sometimes referred to also as global. Each line of research features the field's telltale dual orientation: (i) contributing to abstract knowledge through academic inquiry, on the one hand, and (ii) generating practical and actionable insights for decision makers, on the other. We find that the field's dual orientation shapes knowledge creation along each line of inquiry, yet with important variations. We propose more generally that higher education studies' ability to balance the two orientations is an important source of its legitimacy as a field of research.

The developments and changes that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic have affected the educational world and all sectors. Educational institutions around the world have implemented emergency and online educational practises to ensure continuity of education as opposed to the planned distance education activities that were implemented for continuity of education. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, face-to-face classes have been held in universities across the world for about a year in many disciplines through various platforms. In this process, determining the effectiveness of distance education practises in universities for students is critical for programmes to achieve their goals. This study aims to highlight the variables and effects that influence university students' decisions regarding the efficiency of online instruction. To this end, 821 university students were surveyed. Their willingness and attachment to online education, socioeconomic level, and gender were tested using logit regression analysis to build a model that predicts university students' decision about the efficiency of online education. Age, gender, high school graduation, willingness to Online Education, and attachment to Online Education are among the variables in the logit regression model that significantly predict university students' decision about whether they consider online education to be efficient or not. When analysing the result of classifying students whether they consider online education efficient or not using the logit regression model, 291 of the 409 students in the group who consider education efficient were classified correctly and 118 of them were classified inaccurately, with the rate of correct classification being 71.1%.

Museum education is a field that requires teachers to work with faith in school-museum cooperation. The aim of this study is to examine the self-efficacy beliefs of the students of the Faculty of Education of a university regarding museum education. 692 students studying at the Faculty of Education of a university participated in this study, which was carried out with the scanning model. The data of the research were obtained with the Student Identification Form (SIF) and the Self-Efficacy Belief Scale for Museum Education (SEBSFME). The average age of the students is 21.15 (SD: 1.801), 76% of them are women, most of them (69.7%) live in the city. 29% are in the 1st grade, 25.7% are in the 4th grade. 26.4% of the students are in Turkish Language Teaching, 21.2% in Social Studies Teaching and 15.9% in Art-Music Teaching. The mean score of SEBSFME is 80.86 (SD: 18.06). There was no significant difference between the SEBSFME mean score and variables such as age, gender, and place of residence. The difference between the students' grade level, department, visiting the museum and taking courses related to the museum was statistically significant. (p<0.05). Self-efficacy belief towards museum education was found above the average scores of the Faculty of Education students. It is important for the students of the faculty of education, who are the teachers of the future, to develop their self-efficacy beliefs by being supported by museum education, which provides the development of important educational features such as questioning, research and examination.

Using the USAID-funded South Sudan Teacher Education Project (SSTEP) as a case study, this paper examines the emerging guidance on the conflict-sensitive design and implementation of teacher education policy and programming in conflict-affected environments. We refer in particular to the guidelines and conceptual frameworks provided by the Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE) in its 2013 "INEE Guidance Note on Conflict Sensitive Education (CSE)" and "Minimum Standards for Education," which were contextualized specifically for South Sudan. These works provide a conflict-sensitive lens through which to view the SSTEP design and implementation. It is important to note that this is a retroactive analysis. SSTEP, which was implemented by Massachusetts-based Education Development Center from 2011 to 2014, was designed and largely implemented before the INEE published its CSE guidance documents. This perspective allows us to review how events actually unfolded, and to speculate whether and how they might have been different had the CSE teacher training guidance been applied. More specifically, it allows us to consider what the outcome might have been had a full and robust conflict analysis been undertaken before initiating SSTEP. This paper is intended primarily for policy makers, practitioners, program designers, and researchers who are working to improve education in fragile and conflict-affected environments.

In recent years, the integration of STEM disciplines has been increasingly advocated. It is crucial to prepare and support teachers for integrated STEM education. However, few studies in the literature explore collaborating with teachers from different disciplines. This study investigates the effect of the professional development (PD) program designed for integrated STEM education on teachers' pedagogical design competencies and the contribution of the PD program to teachers' integrated STEM understanding. The pedagogical design competencies of the teachers were examined in terms of the level of conformity of the lesson plans they prepared based on the 5E learning model and how they unified the computational thinking components into STEM education. The program comprised 48 h and five modules. 20 computer science (CS), ten mathematics, and ten science teachers working in middle schools participated in the study. The study shows that the lesson plans developed collaboratively by the teachers were at an acceptable level in terms of integrated STEM education. However, lesson plans need to be improved. Regarding computational thinking, the teachers were more efficient in associating simulation in CS education, data analysis in mathematics education, and data collection in science education compared to other components. They were insufficient in associating components such as parallelization in CS education and automation in science and mathematics education. The teachers stated that PD program strengthens their collaboration with colleagues, contributes to pedagogical design skills in integrated STEM lesson planning and integrating STEM disciplines, and improves their understanding of integrated STEM.

The COVID-19 outbreak has had a significant influence on all aspects of society, and it is necessary to comprehend the responses of various stakeholders as well as the challenges that higher education has encountered in the aftermath of the outbreak. This study systematically analyses the measures taken by higher education stakeholders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges faced by higher education in the post-COVID-19 era. To analyse the actions taken by higher education stakeholders and the challenges that remain, this study critically analyses government policy documents, reports from international organisations and perspectives of experts in the field of higher education, studies from Chinese journals, and international scientific literature. While stakeholders responded quickly during the outbreak, providing financial and material assistance, developing online learning, and facilitating international student mobility, the study finds that these measures are insufficient when compared to those in other sectors, and higher education stakeholders' responses to COVID-19 have been fragmented, uncoordinated, and fraught with conflict and ambivalence. The study finds that higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic faces multiple challenges, with COVID-19 exacerbating inequities in educational access and educational achievement due to uneven educational infrastructure and resource allocation. The availability of infrastructure and the lack of preparedness of faculty and students have dimmed large-scale experiments in online education. Future international student mobility patterns may need to be restructured.

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the social life as we have known so far. Lockdown-type control measures resulted in numerous limitations in the operation of public and non-public institutions as well as limitations in social, family and cultural life. The measures taken due to COVID-19 have had an immediate effect on higher education in Poland. The aim of the study was to find out what experiences were gained by students participating in distance education in Poland during the COVID-19 pandemic. The long-term study was conducted in two stages. The study included 290 participants who were studying in various types of universities in Poland. As a result of the research it was found that from the perspective of students, the biggest advantage of online education were logistical and organisational issues. The greatest limitations of online education were: absence of personal interaction with teachers and other students, difficulty in organising online classes based on students' activity and learning-by-doing, lack of standardisation of platforms used for online education at the university, too much workload for students requiring independent learning, and risk of health problems as a consequence of too long work at the computer. In the second semester of distance education during the pandemic, there was an increase in student satisfaction with online education, mainly due to the more frequent conducting of synchronously classes The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic situation initiated the educational revolution in Poland. It appears that online education will remain an integral part of Polish higher education system, but it will not replace stationary education after the pandemic.

Extensive empirical evidence exists for how Sport Education (SE: Siedentop et al., 2020) can deliver valued student educational outcomes, yet there remains a dearth of knowledge of how in-service teachers implement the model in practice. The purpose of this study was to examine how the stages of occupational socialization predicted teachers' reported implementation of the structural features of SE. An SE use and occupational socialization survey was developed and completed by 65 experienced teachers who had received training on using SE during their undergraduate physical education teacher education program. Respondents reported three versions of SE implementation: (a) full, (b) modified, and (c) light, with the majority of teachers reporting using either a full or modified version of SE. Professional socialization (physical education teacher education programming) was the only significant predictor of teachers' model use. The SE features typically implemented were formal competition, team affiliation, and seasons. The more student-centered features of student roles, record keeping, and a culminating event were less frequently used during practice. Professional socialization remains the most powerful predicted on in-service teachers' use of SE during their professional practice. Physical education teacher education programs are encouraged to explore methods to facilitate pre-service teachers' learning of how to implement the student-centered features of SE, as this learning will likely translate into pedagogical practice in schools.

This article presents a synthesis of findings from a large-scale research project, the Global Visions Through Mobilizing Networks--Co-developing Intercultural Music Teacher Education in Finland, Israel and Nepal (https://sites.uniarts.fi/web/globalvisions/home), and conveys its theoretical and practical explorations and insights. By envisioning 21st-century music teacher education from the perspective of interculturality and through transnational collaboration, Global Visions has engaged with international societal changes and struggles related to the rising tides of xenophobia, populism, and social disharmony, by focusing on what happens at the boundaries, in dialogue, and in conflict when difference is encountered, experienced, and reflected upon. While the dominant culturalist view presents music as neutral and diversity as tied mainly to ethnicity, Global Visions has recognized, analyzed, exemplified, and increased understanding of the complex politics of diversity. Resulting in envisioned music teacher education programs as innovative game changers, the project has enhanced professional reflexivity through considering the responsibility and moral aspects of music teacher education. Six main focus areas of the project are presented with recommendations for future research and practice in music teacher education: (a) research education and research as intervention; (b) reflexivity and professional learning in intercultural encounters; (c) the capacity to aspire in music teacher education; (d) the development of intersectional praxis; (e) intercultural music education as a political engagement; and (f) transcultural professional development and international professionalization.

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the world in a public health emergency since the beginning of the year 2020, posing a challenge to education, especially to Special Education. This study aimed to analyze the situation of special education in Brazil and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was part of a postdoctoral project in education. Methodologically, it is an international comparative study in education. It was carried out from April 2020 to November 2021, based on a literature review and official documents. The search was carried out in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and in the Institute of Educational Sciences (ERIC), and 233 articles were found. After analysis and following the inclusion criteria, 217 articles were excluded. In the end, 16 studies were selected. The results show that the more structured the educational system and Special Education, the greater the chances of success. In addition to returning to face-to-face classes earlier, Canada also provided more support for families and students, but it was still insufficient. In both countries, children with disabilities are in a fragile situation owing to social isolation. Aspects such as choice of tools, internet connection quality, user skills, virtual spaces for collective support, school and family communication, strengthening of special education policies and programs, adequate support, among others, led to the success of remote education. This research is intended to contribute to an increase in the number of studies in Brazil and abroad, serving as a basis for the scientific production of other international comparative studies.

Resilience is most often understood as the ability to achieve well-being in the face of significant adversity. It is both a dynamic process and an outcome that can be pursued by individuals and communities alike. Despite becoming an increasingly popular topic in policy fields such as education, development, and refugee studies, there is limited research into the promotion of resilience within refugee education. This qualitative study, which examines the experiences of Syrian refugee children who are attending a non-formal education center in Lebanon, seeks to understand the role education plays in fostering pathways to resilience in the children's lives. Half of the students in the study had chosen to drop out of the Lebanese formal schools they attended. This study argues that the students who chose to drop out felt that the risks they faced while attending Lebanese schools were not worth the rewards, thus they sought different pathways to resilience. Many chose to attend non-formal schools like the one involved in this study, which supported the students in finding pathways to resilience. The insights gained from studying these schools could help to improve education for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, including how to provide safe, affordable, productive, and culturally relevant education choices for more children and their families, and to support more refugee children and youth in choosing education as a pathway to resilience.