Education & Pedagogy

This article discusses the provision of education in Zimbabwe between 2000 and 2008 which occurred in the midst of a crisis. It is based on the case study of Harare and data collected from primary and secondary sources. It argues that the government's capacity to ensure the provision of education was crippled by the economic meltdown generated by the economic structural adjustment programme and political violence among other challenges that emerged since the late 1990s. Further, the fact that apart from being severely affected by the conflict, education in Zimbabwe was part of the crisis has essentially been ignored. This had severe consequences for the country's peace, socio-economic and political development. The article affirms that education is a dependable vehicle for the promotion of peace and development provided that its curriculum reacts satisfactorily to the country's technical needs and is accessible to all in a milieu that generates employment opportunities. It asserts that given the significance and influence of education, it should be at the core of Zimbabwe's post-conflict reconstruction, peacebuilding and development efforts.

This article reflects on various challenges encountered during a pilot action-based research "Integrating Multicultural Music Education into the Elementary School Curricula of Public Schools in Thailand." This project was set up to develop lesson plans, activities, teaching tools and evaluation methods for music teachers. As a pilot-curriculum model, it pays particular attention to cross-cultural understanding for helping Thai children gain a sense of cultural conceptualization and the skills necessary for growing up in a racially, religiously, and culturally diverse society. This research attempts to explore possibilities for various music cultures introduced to the formal education system in Thailand, which had previously restricted music education to nationalist-based Thai music and certain samples of Western classical music. Once children discover multiple music cultures, their perspectives are broadened. The outcomes of this research will also be beneficial for future instruction designs. The attempt to update music education in the Basic Education level to accommodate changing social and cultural contexts affected by globalization and urbanization will raise awareness of cultural diversity and the direction of music education curriculum development. Music education through the Thai formal education system is one method of preparing children to grow up in a culturally diverse world.

A study examined screening measures that are used to predict whether a student will teach after graduation from an agricultural education program. The population for the study consisted of 72 student teachers studying in the Department of Agricultural Education at the University of South Florida from 1977 to 1982. Before starting student teaching, each student completed a background questionnaire, the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and the Work Value Inventory. Immediately after student teaching, each student took the Purdue Student Teacher Opinionnaire (PSTO). Upon graduation from the agricultural education program, the students were contacted to determine whether they had taken a teaching position. Based on the results of a comparative analysis of all of these data collection measures, the researchers concluded that the PSTO was the only screening instrument that was predictive of whether or not agricultural education students would teach after graduation. Of the 13 predictor variables analyzed, only age seemed to have any significant predictive value. While age and performance on the PSTO were statistically more accurate than the other predictors, they predicted only 53 percent of the cases correctly. This suggests that it may be impractical to predict which agricultural education student will teach based upon demographic, self-concept, work value, and morale measures. (MN)

A 1983 directory of resources for small and rural school districts lists resources for improving schools, national resources, foundations as funding sources, and state educational agency staff who can assist rural schools with information and technical assistance requests. The first section describes school improvement resources/projects by region: Midwest (16), Northeast (3), South (14), and West (14). The second chapter offers five national organizations for rural education, seven national education groups with rural interests, five sample projects in rural education research, five special projects for rural schools, and four relevant offices within the Department of Education. Private funding sources are covered in the third chapter, which notes publications listing foundations, cites 5 foundations which gave the most to rural education in 1982, summarizes components of good proposals, and lists 51 rural education projects which received foundation grants in 1981. Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of state education department rural specialists for 47 states are listed in the fourth chapter. A bibliography lists books by topic (rural education and rural development; policy, finance, demographics, and overviews; school size and consolidation; curriculum and staff development; youth employment, rural development, and vocational education), and also 10 newsletters and journals of interest to small/rural school educators. (MH)

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's program to increase participation of minority and women junior faculty members in advanced study and research in education resulted in numerous accomplishments by the program's three scholars-in-residence. Dr. David Jess Leon (1979-1980) produced a major publication, "The Struggle for Access: Minority Students in a California University," reviewed social science literature on higher education, did a survey of California higher education minority assistance programs, developed research proposals, and presented his research at conferences and professional meetings. Dr. M. Susana Navarro (1980-1981) focused on research into testing and Hispanic access to higher education, produced numerous articles and position papers in both areas, made extensive contacts with education researchers and administrators, and assisted in the development and advancement of coalitions to pursue higher education issues. Dr. Ruben Espinosa (1981-1982) conducted a major study on Los Angeles Unified School District's expenditure patterns and school size, and found that the district spent 40% less on Hispanic elementary students than on white children and that most Hispanic students face ghetto school environments and substandard educational services. Appendices include resumes, summaries of Leon's and Espinosa's publications, and Navarro's statement on the status of Hispanics in higher education. (MH)

This directory contains descriptions of 44 National Diffusion Network (NDN) programs that have been validated by the Joint Dissemination Review Panel of the Department of Education and make use of technology. The programs are organized into three sections. Section I describes 11 Lighthouse Projects in the areas of administrative processes/management; computer literacy and programming; computer-assisted instruction (CAI) for teaching secondary math, reading and math for grades 3 through 8, basic skills, adult education, in-service teacher training, and accounting; development and test approaches to telecommunications; computer-managed instruction (CMI); occupational training; special education; and K-8 computer literacy education. Information given for each project includes a program description, the technology used, sources of available software, services provided, and a contact name for additional information. Sections II and III describe 24 NDN-funded developer demonstrator projects and nine unfunded validated projects in the areas of basic and computer literacy; basic skills; career education; occupational education; CMI; a computer-assisted diagnostic-prescriptive program for underachievers; use of amplification technology as an instructional technique; cash flow forecasting; mass media services; and economic education. Information provided for each project includes a program description, evidence of its effectiveness, implementation and financial requirements, and services available at each site. NDN State Facilitators are listed, and title, geographical, and ERIC descriptor indexes are provided. (DJR)

Increasing collaboration between vocational education and the defense establishment has become a priority of the Federal Government in its efforts to meet national defense preparedness goals. As a result of a project to meet this priority need, this set of guidelines was developed for use in motivating and training individuals to develop and maintain effective linkages under various conditions. These guidelines are concerned not only with collaborative efforts between vocational education and defense industries, but also with linkages between vocational education and the armed forces. The guide contains 11 sections. The first section is an overview of the vocational education-defense sector relationship. It is followed in the next two sections by a discussion of the benefits of vocational education-defense collaboration and examples of collaborative efforts. The fourth section contains information on determining standards of program effectiveness, while the fifth and sixth sections discuss factors contributing to successful linkages and barriers to such linkages. In the seventh section, a systems approach to cooperative planning is presented; this is followed by a section on implementation processes and techniques and a section on a comprehensive evaluation system. The tenth section is a short summary of the collaboration guidelines, while the final section provides a list of references. (KC)

The current demand for educational excellence is an outgrowth of recent national reports criticizing secondary education. This push for academic excellence also affects vocational education outcomes. A growing consensus seems to be emerging that at the secondary level (1) vocational education should be integrated with academic education, (2) technical skills should focus on transferability, (3) employability skills are important, and (4) basic communication, computation, and problem-solving skills need reinforcement in occupational preparation. Principles derived from effective schooling research, successful business practices, and school improvement policy studies can help improve vocational education. Effective schooling studies have identified six critical factors with the greatest potential for application to vocational education settings: time on task, expectations of performance, student motivation, cooperative learning, effective learning climate, and the use of evaluation. The eight successful business practices described by Peters and Waterman in "In Search of Excellence" are also relevant to vocational education: a bias for action, close to the customer, autonomy and entrepreneurship, productivity through people, hands on--value driven, stick to the knitting, simple form--lean staff, and simultaneous loose-tight properties. Finally, school improvement policy studies focusing on the co-management of the school by the school and the district show that district support can be a key factor in improving vocational education. A seven-page bibliography is included. (SK)

A collaborative study surveyed cooperative vocational education teachers (N=59) and secondary special education teachers (N=16) from metropolitan, urban, and rural school districts in Washington State regarding (1) the number of physically or mentally disabled youth who are enrolled in and placed on jobs from cooperative education classes; (2) their perception of the barriers to the participation of disabled students in such classes; and (3) vocational educators' perceptions of their own levels of implementation of legally mandated or professionally recommended practices. Questions regarding barriers were also addressed to employers, parents, and disabled youth. Six related studies investigated the relationship between enrollment and job placement outcomes for high school youth who had been assessed eligible for special education and programming practices, teacher in-service hours, and population density. Tables present detailed cross-tabulations of the survey findings. The research results, analyses, and recommendations provide the basis for the Vocational Education Support Team model, designed to increase enrollment and employment of disabled youth in cooperative vocational education classes. Its five core components are active recruitment, guided placement, continuing support, job placement and follow-up, and transition. Appendices include survey instruments, materials to be used to implement the model, and survey summaries. (Author/VW)

The contribution that education has made to the development of the world and the realization of human ideals is assessed, and the present social situation is analyzed against the background of inherited human values held in common by most people. Major societal changes are pointed out: the population explosion; urbanization; the rise of educational technology; and the growth of specialization. Each of these critical developments is discussed in terms of how it has affected or will affect the nature of teacher education in the coming decade. It is suggested that, in the future, teacher education should place more emphasis on the rights of the individual in order to develop a form of international education that will foster full appreciation of other peoples and other national groups. A new outlook, which is shaped by the nature and structure of modern society and which unites two main and complementary notions is proposed, involving: (1) continuous close contact with life as it is between schools and real-life situations; and (2) an explicit and thorough acceptance of the ideal of permanent life-long continuing education. A discussion is presented of specific directions schools of education must take to respond to these needs. (JD)

The proceedings of a seminar on the financing of education in Latin America are recorded here. In the Seminar's 11 sessions, technical officials from Latin American countries discussed and analyzed two broad areas of mutual interest. The first area was the relationship between expanding educational programs, their cost and financing, and socioeconomic development in the context of each country's historical experience. The second area was the adoption of new policies and priorities in the educational sector, in particular the need to shift the emphasis from high unit cost secondary and postsecondary levels to low unit cost primary levels, and the attendant social and economic benefits accruing to lower income groups. In this context, forms of vocational training and technical education that might enable new types of non-budgetary fiscal resources to be brought to bear on the problem were considered. The need to give special emphasis to the rural and urban marginal sectors of the population, to assign priority to primary education, and to extend the coverage and improve the quality of that education was also examined, as was the need to increase public outlays if dropout and repetition rates were to be reduced. (Author/RDN)

The Ways to Improve Schools and Education (WISE) Project made an exploratory study of local school-business collaborative efforts to develop human resources and enrich the quality of education in the community. The focus of the study was on private sector voluntary efforts to help schools become more effective through staff development/inservice education. The base of operation was developed through: (1) interacting with school-business projects; (2) reviewing relevant literature; and (3) assisting with the establishment and implementation of collaborative activities at three pilot sites in the Southwest. At each site, a Liaison Team was organized, consisting of representatives from: (1) the school district; (2) a collaborating business or chamber of commerce; (3) an institution of higher education; (4) the state education agency; and (5) the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory. The project: (1) identified and prioritized issues involved in school-business collaboration; (2) wrote guidelines to resolve these issues; (3) developed models for implementing collaboration; (4) drew conclusions which indicated that education and private sector collaboration is a viable and necessary concept which benefits the schools, business, and the community, and that liaison teams are an effective means of facilitating this collaboration; and (5) made recommendations for improving and facilitating education-private sector partnerships during fiscal year 1984. (Author/JD)

Key people in the legislatures of 13 states notably active in educational reform or restructuring (Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington) were contacted to obtain information on how state legislatures look at vocational education in light of the overall educational excellence and reform movement. The general view was that a good basic education is the best thing one could provide for high school students. A growing feeling was that vocational education is more appropriate at the postsecondary level. In most cases, legislatures had not addressed differential standards for vocational education. The general consensus was that there was little or no planning for vocational education. Except for the south, respondents in other areas had a good reaction to the perceived quality of vocational education. Respondents expected vocational education to turn out a skilled work force, but the general feeling was that funding levels needed to be improved to accomplish that. The Federal program had influence on State policy. The legislatures did not see the private sector as having been a major influence on programs. If it existed at all, economic development policy related only to postsecondary vocational education. The growing emphasis on future-oriented, technical training was at the postsecondary level. (Questions and answers are appended.) (YLB)

These hearings focused on the role that the National Science Foundation (NSF) should play in a national effort to improve mathematics and science (M/S) education in elementary and secondary schools. The impact of past NSF activities, current crisis in M/S education, role of organizations in M/S education, government role, federal legislation, and minority group participation were among the areas addressed by individuals presenting testimony. These included: Edward A. Knapp (NSF director), George A. Keyworth II (science advisor to President Reagan), Senator Daniel K. Inouye, classroom teachers/department heads (John O. Thayer, Karen J. Howell, Patricia Pantano Nussbaum, Louis Goffredi, Iona Brown, and Clinton Brown), Joseph C. Hogan (representing the National Society of Professional Engineers and the National Society for Engineering Education), Robert W. Parry (representing the American Chemical Society), Robert F. Boehm (representing the American Society of Mechanical Engineers), Franklin Flint (representing the American Institute of Biological Sciences), and Holly Knox, director of the Project on Equal Education Rights. Also included is additional testimony from the Association of American Publishers Business and the Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc. and (in an appendix) an outline of the Administration's proposed activities to be implemented by NSF in M/S education. (JN)

Compiled are 35 abstracts of recent master's and doctoral theses and major project research works in environmental education and communications. Most of the citations included describe work completed in the 1983-84 academic year. Abstracts are organized into seven topic areas: (1) site analysis--descriptions and development plans for areas to be used for environmental education; (2) parks and camps (users and interpreters)--studies dealing with park and camp programs, especially user characteristics and interpretive techniques; (3) media communications--examinations of the effectiveness of various forms of media; (4) pupil-centered studies--research dealing with student characteristics; (5) teacher-centered studies--research on teacher and interpreter training, attitudes, and behavior; (6) citizen-centered studies--research on attitudes, values, and involvement of citizens in environmental education; and (7) studies dealing with environmental education policy, administration, and philosophy, as well as some experimental studies which cannot be included in the other categories. Title, author, and institutional source are provided for each abstract. An index to entries in previous volumes and an alphabetical list by state of institutions offering graduate programs in environmental education and communications are also provided, as is a list of such institutions in Canada. Each entry includes a brief description of the program and, when applicable, the degree(s) offered. (JN)