Education & Pedagogy

Universities in Australia are offering alternative entrance pathways to attract students from a range of backgrounds. These alternative pathways will undoubtedly be reviewed due to the recommendation in the Review of Australian Higher Education (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent & Scales, 2008) concerning increasing the diversity of university entrants. This paper discusses an alternative entry pathway, Education Direct (ED), offered by the School of Education at Edith Cowan University, and commences with a review of the literature about such pathways. The next section explores the development and nature of the ED pathway, before outlining the research design and identifying the research questions, which concentrate on retention, academic achievement, and progression rates of ED students. The findings indicate that students who have entered pre-service teacher education via ED are enjoying academic success at comparable levels to students who enrolled through more traditional pathways. Furthermore, their retention and progression rates are not notably different to those of other students. (Contains 7 tables.)

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of students enrolled in a Career and Technical teacher education program through distance delivery with respect to effectiveness of delivery methods and negative aspects associated with participating in distance education courses. The study was also designed to determine the preferred delivery methods of distance education. The majority of this group was female and was under 30 years of age. Within this group of participants, distance education holds positive aspects but does not appear to be the delivery method of choice. Congruent with previous research, (Kassop, 2003; Kumrow, 2007), this group of students held a high perception of the effectiveness of distance delivered courses. However, the inability to effectively add to class discussions and the difficulties associated with learning more independently than what was experienced in traditional courses appeared to be the greatest negative perceptions concerning distance courses. (Contains 5 tables.)

A collaborative of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and education faculty developed a STEM certificate aimed at elementary education majors. A four-phase process model was used to create and evaluate courses. The certificate is comprised of three interdisciplinary, team-taught, lab-based courses: Environmental Biology, Chemistry of Life, and Engineering in Your World. The biology and chemistry courses are inquiry based, whereas the engineering course is project based. Each of the courses is cotaught by a faculty member in STEM and a faculty member in education. The goal of the certificate is to improve elementary education majors' STEM competence and confidence. Initial assessment results showed significant gains in confidence and competence on the basis of knowledge test items. Curriculum continues to be refined on the basis of assessments and changing state and national education standards. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

The "National Physical Activity Plan", as well as professional and government agencies (NASPE, 2008a; US Department of Health and Human Services, 2000) acknowledge pre-kindergarten (pre-K) children should be part of comprehensive school physical activity initiatives anchored in quality physical education programming. These recommendations come at a time when (a) state funded pre-K enrollments in 2010 exceeded more than 1.2 million children, (b) states are granting universal access to pre-K educational programming, and (c) there is a rapid increase in obesity among our nation's youngest children. Accordingly, physical education teacher education faculty may need to re-evaluate the extent to which graduates are prepared for delivering physical education programming to a younger group of learners. The article will examine the increasing prevalence of pre-K children in public schools, teacher preparation initiatives and concerns, and provide recommendations for preparing preservice physical education teachers.

This article uses results from a cross-national analysis of the impact of varying approaches to civic education curriculum delivery on three learning outcomes, to draw conclusions about the value of a government-mandated compulsory, independent subject of civic education in the school curriculum. It starts from the context of Hong Kong, where there have been repeated calls for the government to reform civic education, and compares this context with that of England, where citizenship education was made a statutory subject in 2002. The article then examines from the cases of 25 societies whether a compulsory approach to and/or independent subject of civic education is associated with better learning of civic knowledge, knowledge of democracy, and patriotism. Finding that the impact of curricular approaches is somewhat negligible taking other factors into consideration, the article concludes that civic education reformers should consider the costs of limiting school autonomy in curriculum delivery. (Contains 9 tables.)

This paper provides a reflective analysis of the evolution of higher education as a field of scholarship in Canada. The first professors of higher education in Canada were appointed in the mid-1960s and, by the early-1970s, a small higher-education research community had emerged, with the creation of a national association and a scholarly journal. Several universities developed graduate programs specializing in higher education but there was little growth in these programs in the 1970s and 1980s and there were relatively few full-time faculty associated with these programs. There has been a growth in higher education programs, faculty and activity since 2000, though the field has become increasingly fragmented with the growth of professionalization and global higher education research networks. Following a review of three major higher education research initiatives, the author concludes that a greater emphasis needs to be placed on research infrastructure, especially mechanisms for storing and sharing research reports and materials emerging from increasingly diverse research communities. (Contains 1 note.)

Questions of a philosophical nature are central to every significant debate in the field of educational theory, policy, practice and research. Of all disciplines, philosophy is perhaps the one in which "analysis, argumentation and critique" are given most central, systematic and comprehensive attention. In addition, philosophy is connected with practice and policy through nurturing "democratic conversation" about education, and "supporting practical deliberation" at all levels and on all aspects of educational practice. In the UK, although systematically excluded from initial teacher education and much reduced in masters level programmes under the current funding regimes, the discipline has maintained considerable vitality and international reputation. Using data from the RAE and PESGB, supplemented with bibliometric data, we note that the important contributions from philosophy of education to education and education research do not, however, always reflect a thriving infrastructure. We conclude with a brief discussion of a number of key relationships which the philosophy of education community needs to develop further: with teacher education, educational research, "mainstream" philosophy and educational policy communities.

This article reviews an important but neglected area of the science curriculum: connections with work and the workplace. The first section offers some historical background, arguing that economic and practical relevance has from the beginning been an important theme within science education. The article then undertakes a broader exploration of the intellectual background, usage and meaning of the term vocationalism within education, before turning to vocational themes as they are represented more specifically within research on science education. It then examines the development and contemporary policy significance of vocational provision across the world. This is followed by an account of a specific case: the innovative version of school science currently under development in England, which is occurring under the rubric of "applied science". Finally the article sketches a research agenda for vocationalism within science education, drawing on the themes and issues that have been identified. It suggests that greater attention to this area will contribute to a broadening of the intellectual compass and relevance of science education research. (Contains 10 notes.)

The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act mandates that every student with an Individualized Education Program be considered for assistive technology (AT). As a result, future special educators need to have the knowledge and skills regarding AT. In this article, the authors report findings from a national study of special education teacher preparation programs using archival document analysis on the current practice of AT course delivery for the preparation of special educators. Findings indicate that AT training at the pre-service level may not be adequately addressed. Approximately one third of undergraduate special teacher licensure programs, 28% of initial post-baccalaureate licensure programs, and less than 25% of master's degree programs require AT coursework. In addition, licensure in severe and moderate disabilities requires an AT course more frequently than other types of certification programs. The findings have important implications for future practices in special education teacher preparation. (Contains 3 tables.)

According to Cookson (1989), international education is "the systematic study of the process whereby men and women (in individual, groups, or institutional settings) participate in or implement organized learning activities that have been designed to increase their knowledge, skill, or sensitiveness, and that take place across international borders" (p. 71). The idea of joint adult education practice by adult educators from nations throughout the world is not new because it has evolved over time. As an adult educator who is both a product of international education institutions and one with a passion for international adult education practice, the author shares her personal experiences and lessons learned from participation in international adult education. Combining the cultural socialization and indigenous learning models of collective learning with the individualized learning models of the United States helped the author focus her adult education work on the function of spearheading global social justice. Based on the author's experiences, this article demonstrates that finding the links in the world in which people live is the real starting point for the principle of adult education with a global perspective.

Currently, restrictive-language policies seem to threaten bilingual education throughout the USA. Anti-bilingual education initiatives have passed easily in California, Arizona, and Massachusetts, while one was closely defeated in Colorado, and federal education policy has re-invigorated the focus on English education for English language learners, while concomitantly obfuscating the possibility of native language maintenance and developmental bilingual education. This is the educational landscape within which bilingual education researchers, educators, and students must face the formidable challenge of preserving educational choice and bilingual education. Thus, substantive research is needed on how bilingual educators navigate this challenging ideological and policy landscape. Based on an ethnographic study of bilingual education language policy, this article takes up this challenge by focusing on how beliefs about "Applied Linguistics" research influence the interpretation and appropriation of federal language policy in one US school district. The results have implications for the relationship between the "Applied Linguistic" research community and language policy processes.

Privatisation in higher education is not a new phenomenon for Western European countries. Authors like Geiger (1986), Levy (2008) and Altbach (1999) made challenging predictions in the 1970s and early 1980s that the private sector would inexorably diminish in size and significance. These predictions were triggered by globalisation and the enhancement of market forces in higher education, and particularly by the emergence of privatisation in parts of the world where it was never extant a decade before (e.g. Central and South Eastern Europe or Africa). The purpose of this article is to analyse private higher education in Europe based on a comparative perspective of relationships in different national private sectors of higher education through three research questions: (1) What is the meaning of privatisation in European higher education?; (2) What are the common elements and where are the differences in the European approaches to privatisation?; and (3) How important is the connection between the Bologna Process and the private providers of higher education? (Contains 4 notes.)

The federal mandate for use of evidence-based practice in schools focuses attention on the frequently discussed research-to-practice gap in education. The current study examined the frequency with which evidence-based practices are engaged in the education of pupils with disabilities. In sum, 174 special education teachers and 333 school psychologists completed a 12-item survey in which they rated the frequency of various practices used in special education. Respondents reported that direct instruction is the most frequently used instructional methodology and that perceptual-motor training is the least frequent. However, some practices with little empirical support (e.g., modality instruction) are reportedly used with some frequency, and special education teachers reported using ineffective approaches (social skills training) as frequently as they did those approaches with a strong research base (applied behavior analysis). Thus, these data present some reason for optimism, although special education does not appear to be immune to a research-to-practice gap. (Contains 3 tables.)

Drawing on my experiences as a former classroom teacher making the transition to teacher education, this study examines how my vision of teacher education developed over the course of my first three years as a graduate teaching assistant in a social studies education program in the United States. A qualitative self-study methodology was used to identify and describe sources of tension and growth that contributed to the evolution of my classroom teacher understandings as I forged a distinct vision for teacher education. My vision of teacher education was informed by completing graduate coursework, engaging in the work of teacher education, interacting and collaborating with peers, and studying my practice as it developed and unfolded. Throughout the article, I discuss the potential of self-study methodology to encourage new teacher educators to examine both the features and motivations behind their practice, as well as the effects of this examination on the development of a vision of teacher education.

Sport education (SE) is an instruction model developed amid concerns about the lack of authentic, legitimate opportunities for young people to experience sport through physical education and was designed to facilitate enhanced links between experiences in physical education and those in the wider world of sport. The paper discusses how one UK primary school delivered key citizenship education learning through the use of SE. The research reported here is based on interviews with teachers and students in Year 6 at one co-education, state-run primary school. The paper highlights the possibilities for teaching citizenship through the medium of sport while recognising the central importance of the creative teaching approach rather than the subject matter of sport in facilitating the development of active citizenship. The possibilities for citizenship education through sport to be celebratory and supportive of real-world discourses are highlighted. As a solution to the overcrowded curriculum in primary schools, SE has been embraced and developed by the teachers in "Forest Gate School". (Contains 1 note.)