Education & Pedagogy

Studies have shown how family (typically parents) and formal institutions (specifically schools and universities) shape individuals' dispositions--or "habitus." However, other sites of academic socialisation, such as tutoring centres and coaching institutions (collectively forming a shadow education system), are seldom scrutinised for their role in this process. To address this gap in scholarship, this paper draws on interviews with 30 Indian students who narrated their experiences of shadow education in its diversified form, from schooling and higher education to moving to the United Kingdom for advanced education. The discussion of the research findings unveils how shadow education experiences impact students' (academic) dispositions throughout their scholastic lifespan, thus aiding in nurturing "academic selves" (in early schooling years), cultivating "competitive selves" (during the transition to university), harnessing "enterprising selves" (when transitioning within and from university education) and developing "transnational selves" (as students prepare for international mobility). A synthesis of these empirical realities culminates in introducing a new concept of "coached habitus" that accounts for the role of shadow education in orchestrating the practices by which students may inculcate specific values, beliefs and habits aiming to prepare them to navigate increasingly competitive educational "fields" throughout their academic trajectories successfully. The paper argues that shadow education is a key site for "habitus" formation, particularly in contexts such as India and other Asian countries where non-formal education is inextricably entwined with everyday schooling experiences.

Background/purpose: This study investigates the state of education for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Afghanistan, focusing on the challenges and opportunities within special vocational schools and inclusive education practices. Despite legislative frameworks like the 2004 Constitution and the ratification of the CRPD in 2012, systemic barriers such as resource shortages, geographic disparities, and sociopolitical instability hinder access to equitable education. This research aims to identify these gaps and propose actionable strategies to enhance educational inclusion. Materials/methods: Using a qualitative approach, the study integrates field data, document reviews, and semi-structured interviews with government officials, NGO representatives, and educators. Data was collected from multiple provinces, including insights from the Ministry of Education and NGOs operating special education and inclusive programs. Analytical emphasis was placed on legislative frameworks, institutional practices, and systemic challenges. Results: Findings reveal critical gaps in infrastructure, teacher training, and assistive technologies, with significant reliance on NGOs for program implementation. Despite incremental progress, geographic and gender disparities persist, and standardized diagnostic tools remain absent. Lessons from global models demonstrate the need for integrated, context-specific policies and sustained investments. Conclusion: Afghanistan requires a multi-stakeholder approach involving government, NGOs, and international partners to address systemic gaps. Investments in teacher training, infrastructure, and culturally relevant policies are crucial to achieving an inclusive and equitable education system for PwDs. This study provides recommendations for future strategies for advancing disability-inclusive education in conflict-affected regions.

UK higher education is highly internationalised. Two-thirds of science papers with UK authors involve international collaboration, one-quarter of higher education students are international, and their fees constitute more than a fifth of institutional income. What then are the contributions of higher education and research to the global public good? The study investigates this in relation to England within UK, drawing on interviews with 37 people who construct relational global space and carry out cross-border activities. Interviewees included leaders and faculty in three universities, policy makers/regulators, national higher education organisations, and academic experts on higher education. The findings are interpreted in terms of theorisations of global spatiality and global public good. The interviewees believed that English higher education made the world a better place, but this was clearer in research than in high-fee international education, where the imperative of revenue raising took priority with no provision for equity. Potentials for the shared global public good were limited by the often methodologically nationalist and Anglo-centric terms in which cross-border relations were understood. Many saw national good and global good as synonymous, suggesting they had not moved far from the Imperial mindset. Some referred to multiple perspectives on global public good, or mission tensions in international education, but none conceived the global public good separately from national interest.

This retrospective essay examines one long-standing peace and global education initiative for pre-service teacher candidates. The article probes the meanings of peace education and of global education embedded in the program, as well as the program's apparent consequences: What understandings of peace education did the pre-service candidates in this program demonstrate, through their own words and the teaching plans they produced? What skills did the pre-service candidates seem to acquire in curriculum design? My reflections are based on my own experience as a faculty member and coordinator of the program, as well as retrospective understandings derived from ongoing examination of questionnaires, focus group discussions, interviews, and especially, almost 200 curriculum products (lesson and unit plans) created by pre-service candidates in a special "global cohort" and in the general pre-service population at the same university. The article provides a literature review of the main definitions of peace education, as well as the characteristics of peace pedagogy, and discusses two main challenges faced by the core faculty in this peace education program. In particular, teacher candidates' understandings of peace education often seemed limited, especially in relation to their competence in developing curricula for other strands of global education. Second, teacher candidates often had difficulty acquiring the relevant knowledge base and teaching materials necessary for facilitating the complex pedagogies associated with peace education. I conclude with some observations about how our program's pre-service teacher candidates seemed to understand and respond to the challenges of peace education.

Curriculum planning for the development of graphicacy capability has not been systematically included in general education to coincide with the graphicacy needs of human society. In higher education, graphicacy curricula have been developed to meet the needs of certain disciplines, for example medical and teacher training and engineering, among others. A framework for graphicacy curricula, anticipating the graphicacy needs in higher education, has yet to be strategically planned for general education. This is partly a result of lack of research effort in this area, but also a result of lack of systematic curriculum planning in general. This paper discusses these issues in the context of graphicacy curricula for engineering. The paper presents three broad individual case studies spanning Europe and the USA, brought together by the common denominator, graphicacy. The case studies are based on: an analysis of graphicacy within general education curricula, an analysis of graphicacy for engineering education in Europe and an analysis of graphicacy for engineering education in the USA. These three papers were originally presented in a plenary session at the American Society for Engineering Education, Engineering Design Graphics Division at the University of Limerick in November 2012. The case studies demonstrate the potential for strategic curriculum planning in regard to the development of graphicacy in general education and an overview of a methodology to achieve that. It also offers further evidence towards the importance of the systematic classification of graphics capabilities in Engineering and how the lack of a developed theoretical framework in this area undermines the case for the importance of graphics within engineering education.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a high school sport education curriculum program on students' motivation for physical education and leisure-time physical activity. Method: Participants were 568 high school students enrolled in the required physical education programs at 2 schools, 1 taught using sport education and the 2nd using a multiactivity model of instruction. A motivational profile survey, which included student psychological need satisfaction, autonomous motives, perceived effort and enjoyment in physical education, and physical activity intention and behavior, was completed by all participants prior to and at the end of the 2-year physical education program. Results: Mixed-model analysis of variance tests revealed that the students in the sport education program reported greater increases in perceived effort and enjoyment of the program compared with the students taught within the multiactivity model. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that these positive affective outcomes were facilitated by the development of more autonomous forms of motivation. Results revealed limited support for the direct transfer of motivation from a sport education program to increases in leisure-time physical activity behavior. Conclusion: Sport education facilitates more internalized forms of student motivation in required physical education programs, but without the provision of an appropriately designed extracurricular outlet, the potential of transfer to leisure-time physical activity may not be achieved.

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to undertake a survey of the external and internal forces changing the nature of business schools and business education. It aims to investigate how management education responds to increasing productivity, innovation and capability challenges, examine how MBA programs currently meet these demands, and how these courses might redefine their identity and delivery and finally explore how to deepen engagement between business schools and business stakeholders, and to balance the imperatives of relevance and quality. Design/methodology/approach -- This is a survey of business schools and business education in the context of evolving educational and industry policy in Australia in response to an increasingly international and competitive economy. The different potential roles and strategies of business schools are examined, and future strategies identified. Findings -- The paper finds that management education is facing insistent pressure to change internationally, and that business schools need to become more dynamic, innovative and responsive to succeed. Research limitations/implications -- This survey considers the implications of recent policy on business education and relates this to emerging practice. Further research is required on how innovative pedagogical approaches will deliver more integrated and relevant business education. Practical implications -- The paper defines key business school strategies, and outlines significant new approaches to making business education more innovative, responsive, integrated and engaged. Social implications -- The paper considers means to more active stakeholder engagement for business schools. Originality/value -- The paper highlights the weaknesses of traditional business education strategy, and reveals the potential for significant change. (Contains 4 figures.)

Education is often seen as a contrast (or even contest) between being a process of liberal education (with the aim of fostering life-long independent, innovative and creative thinking useful throughout life) and delivering vocational education (immediately applicable skills and competencies, ready for the world of work--"employability"). The debate about the values of each approach and of the ideal balance between them reaches back into history. In Western higher education, there is a long history of university being about liberal education as curriculum in terms of students taking varied and key courses, and also as a process applied no matter what the single honours subject. We see now the growth of the "Honours College" at some US universities as a form of intensive teaching for the select few. This author contends that there is a key problem of just what is supposed to happen in a university, and exactly what "higher" education is. In Farrington and Palfreyman (2006, Oxford University Press) "The Law of Higher Education," there is a chapter on "The Student as Consumer?" In the 2012 second edition, this analysis has been greatly expanded. Higher education institutions (HEIs) are seen as being under increasing pressure from students as paying customers, as empowered but not necessarily well-informed consumers within a complex, interactive consumption of a service. In this article, Palfreyman summarizes some key points from the section within the 2012 edition that considers the application of consumer protection law to the student-university education contract.

The Chinese system of higher education is examined and compared with the U.S. system and, in particular, with the California higher educational system. Attention is directed to the structure of the public and private college and university systems in Taiwan, requirements on college and university entrance examinations and curricular offerings in both countries, the accreditation process for Chinese and American colleges and universities, standards regarding teacher certification and educational preparation, the requirements for advancement or promotion in teacher rank and the comparative salaries at various institutions, the impact of vocational/technical education in the total educational master plan, and the impact of education for the handicapped and the extent to which such students are incorporated into the educational mainstream. An overview of the preschool, elementary, and secondary levels is included. Study approaches included a review of the literature on the historical, current, and future aspects of higher education in the Republic of China; visits to various private and public colleges and universities in Taipei City vicinity; visits to divisions of the Ministry of Education; and interviews with administration and teachers. Similar steps were followed for the United States and California. The literature review, historical perspectives, information concerning specific legislation affecting education, and perspectives on international education and international exchange programs are included. A bibliography and information on requirements for college entrance and curricular offerings in the California State University/College System are appended. (SW)

Fiscal inefficiency in education is addressed in this book and ideas for achieving increased efficiency while more effectively using resources to maintain reasonable equality of opportunity in higher education are examined. Fourteen articles and authors that consider social efficiency, equity, and policy implications are as follows: "Efficiency and Equity Criteria for Educational Budgeting and Finance" (Walter W. McMahon); "Human Capital Approaches in Organizing and Paying for Education" (Theodore W. Schultz); "Household Production of Human Capital: Time Uses of Parents and Children as Inputs" (Charles S. Benson); "Productivity and Cost Effectiveness as Financing Criteria" (Richard A. Rossmiller); "Efficiency in Educational Finance: The Classroom Perspective" (J. Alan Thomas, Frances Kemmerer, and David H. Monk); "Measuring Non-monetary Benefits of Education: A Survey" (Robert T. Michael); "The Monetary Returns to Education as Partial Social Efficiency Criteria" (Walter W. McMahon and Alan P. Wagner); "Concepts of Equity" (Kern Alexander); "Equity and Higher Education Finance: The Case of Community Colleges" (Susan C. Nelson); "The Search for Equity in School Finance" (Stephen J. Carroll); "Shifting Sources of Financing Education and the Taxpayer Revolt" (John F. Due); "Combining Efficiency and Equity: Optimization of Resource Allocation in State School Systems" (Elchanan Cohn); "State and Federal Pressures for Equity and Efficiency in Education Financing" (Allan Odden); and "Educational Finance: Research Findings and Policy Implications" (Terry G. Geske). (SW)

The possibility of using the distance mode of education in Asia is considered. There are many national systems of education in Asia, though many of them derive from British or American models. Language of instruction presents a problem for international access, and in some countries the various levels of education may use different languages. Some international languages such as Chinese and English may assist educational mobility between countries. Potential use of the distance mode as a solution to various international problems is discussed in relation to vocational, general, and continuing education. Suggestions for facilitating a regional scheme of cooperation within Asia are offered that deal with matters of organization, accreditation and validation, finance, and language. Possible models include transfer of credits, joint awards, and cooperative specialized production of subject packages. It is suggested that an international body such as the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) would be the appropriate organizer of a regional scheme on behalf of Asian nations. It is noted that any scheme will have to consider six points: production of packaged learning resources, copyright and translation of packages, feedback between tutor and student, accreditation and validation, transfer of credits, and joint awards. It is suggested that distance education is a valid method of learning, and cooperation should ensure that the best learning facilities in Asia are available to each student. Most objections will likely be due to difficulties in the administration of cooperative schemes, and considerable planning would have to precede the operation of a regional cooperative scheme for distance education. (Author/SW)

Although it is not yet common practice, case studies are beginning to be used in undergraduate music methods classes. One fruitful approach is the use of case studies as a means of nurturing reflective practice through cooperative learning activities. This paper describes and presents support for the case method of instruction through a review of the music education and educational research and scholarship relating to the case method in teacher education. The paper points out that several music educators have developed casebooks for use in music education methods courses and that several educational researchers have designed research studies to examine and document the outcomes of the case method. It also notes that for music education researchers to engage in case development research projects, these projects will need to be recognized as scholarly contributions, particularly regarding tenure and promotion. The paper suggests that formation of a "Case Method in Music Education" Special Research Group as a branch of the Society for Research in Music Education may provide a forum for discussion of the case method in music, the development of music education case literature, and the dissemination of research results regarding the case method. It cites several centers for case method research and development in teacher education. The paper suggests that case study research which looks in depth at one music class setting or one music teacher may add to the knowledge base for successful music teaching; research is also needed in the area of implementation and effect of the use of the case method in music education methods courses. (Contains 61 references.) (BT)

Non-metropolitan Australia is diverse in terms of population density, educational experiences of the population, and the occupations and industries it supports. Rural adults are less likely to have post-school qualifications and work in manufacturing, property and business services, or finance and insurance. They are more likely to be older, have left school early, be unemployed, work in small business, be laborers, and work in agriculture, forestry and fishing, mining, construction, or tourism. Training outcome issues include lower participation by those with lower educational levels and a preference for informal learning and nonformal education. The following factors may contribute to differences in participation rates: access, equity, and participation issues concern previous educational experience; travel cost and distance; availability of work placements; access to information and communications technology; relevance of training; and marketing of vocational education and training (VET). Among the issues related to curriculum, delivery, and assessment are the following: programs tailored to the needs of rural and remote clients; methods of training brokerage between local communities and enterprises and training providers; needs for training beyond areas represented by local employment; the need for flexible yet effective alternatives for delivering VET to small, scattered client groups; staff development, support, and retention in remote areas; and appropriate performance measures for VET in rural and remote Australia. Seven issues identified for VET in non-metropolitan Australia and further research questions related to each issue have been identified. (Contains 85 references.) (YLB)

This report's introductory section notes that both rural and gifted education have received relatively little funding and national attention, and few studies have considered the two issues in tandem. As a first step in the process of strengthening the education of gifted rural students, this report assesses the current state of gifted rural education. Section 2 gives a brief history of rural education in America, noting that today's educational model is essentially a continuation of the common school movement of the mid-1800s, whose emphasis on standardized age and ability grouping resulted in consolidation efforts that are still ongoing. Section 3 recounts the history of gifted education; notes that it has continually been sabotaged by myths and stereotypes; and presents the latest two misconceptions, about the benefits of technology and higher standards. Section 4 reiterates the fact that there is little information of any depth regarding rural and gifted education and cites three recommendations for research into rural gifted education. Section 5 examines the variety of definitions of "rural," and the frustration this causes. Section 6 discusses the unique qualities of rural schools and their implications for gifted education. Sections 7 and 8 present survey results concerning school characteristics in the 20 most rural states, and gifted education practices and obstacles in rural schools. Section 9 proposes seven recommendations for providing effective programming for gifted rural students. Appendices present survey forms, related tables and figures, 71 resources, and 154 references. (TD)

This report provides a review of current research and innovative programs and practices as viewed from an international perspective. To develop these volumes, the International Council on Education for Teaching (ICET) invited educators from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean to address teacher education and school reform. The theme was supported by plenary sessions and research-based paper presentations focusing on four topics: (1) enhancing values in school reform to promote democratic values and practice and develop a democratic pedagogy of school renewal; (2) fostering partnerships in school reform between schools and universities, with professional development schools, between professional and public schools, and between centers of educational development and public schools; (3) preparing teachers for school reform through innovations in preservice teacher education and their likely impact on schools; and (4) capitalizing on international collaboration for school reform by identifying national, regional, and international efforts for achieving school reform. These volumes outline key issues confronting educators and suggest successful strategies and practices for educators to model in pursuit of quality teacher education and school reform on the local, national, and international level. (SM)