Education & Pedagogy

This study aimed to determine the views of thirty preservice preschool teachers recruited using convenience sampling on STEM education and engineering. Phenomenology was the design of choice. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form and analyzed using inductive content analysis. Participants offered different definitions of STEM education and thought that it could have contributions in numerous aspects. They also remarked that preschool STEM education on civil and computer engineering skills made teachers better equipped. They mentioned designs and projects for preschool STEM education as well. However, they had the stereotypical image of engineering as a dirty job for men working in construction sites and carrying sand. Results suggest that preschool undergraduate education should integrate STEM activities and offer workshops and trainings to change preservice preschool teachers' misconceptions about engineering.

Whilst it is accepted that art education is a cognitive endeavour, the value and contribution of cognition to art education is often deliberated. By examining literature concerning conceptions of cognition and contextualising studies with the findings of a 5-year artographic inquiry into cognition in the lived experiences of artist teachers, this article is able to present a case for the reinstatement of cognition and cognitive study across policy, practice and research in art education. The article shares a conceptual frame to assist engagement with cognition as a concept whilst presenting a strategy to support cognitive reinstatement in the changing climate of art education. Questions are posed and answered regarding cognition's position in art education to bring reinstatement implications forward, such as its complexity and productivity within education. Recommendations, such as increased engagement, voice projection and visibility, are also suggested to infiltrate transformation in future materialisations of cognitive engagement in the policy, practice and research of art education.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented changes to the museum field in 2020. Significant among these changes are losses in museum education. Using data collected from museum educators and museum directors, the authors document and contextualize what they consider incongruous, detrimental impacts on museum education. Most troubling, when examined in the context of pre-pandemic trends, the losses in education suggest a paradox of sorts. Prior to the pandemic, museum education was taking an increasingly prominent role in the museum field with audience engagement becoming an increasing priority. So, how could museums reduce education departments and their resources at a time when serving audiences is paramount? Ultimately, the losses in museum education reveal its vulnerability. Museum leadership asserts the importance of museum education, but when push comes to shove, makes significant cuts to museum education departments.

The COVID-19 pandemic, recent awakening of society to its enduring racial pandemic, rising expectations for employer accountability, and an increasingly diverse populace jointly indicate that times are changing for the future of education work. Yet the approach to human resource management (HRM) employed in schools has been criticized for being outdated, and even the "reform" model from the accountability era has been based on debunked and antiquated models. This article synthesizes the literature to summarize talent-centered education leadership (TCEL) and its seven core principles. TCEL is a new education HRM model that promotes inclusivity and humanization of the education workplace and has been suggested as a framework to aid education employers with embracing the future of education work.

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a form of distance education courses. They have been celebrated as revolutionizing the way learners access education and the way colleges and universities could expand education on a global scale beyond their traditional campuses. The purpose of this study is to identify the pedagogical strategies used for instruction and assessment in leadership-oriented MOOCs and gain a more refined understanding of the current state of MOOCs in leadership education. This study examines 96 leadership MOOCs across the platforms of Coursera, EdX, FutureLearn, Canvas.net, and Standford Online through a content analysis research framework. The study concludes with a discussion of leadership MOOC pedagogy and presents the current state of MOOCS among leadership education and professional development.

Refugees have been resettling in the United States for decades, but there has been little attention in the special education literature to this population. The existing literature notes numerous systemic barriers refugee families and professionals who work with them encounter but has not investigated the roles of professionals in refugee resettlement agencies in supporting families who have children with disabilities. In this study, we used semi-structured interviews to explore in resettlement education case managers (ECMs) the roles and experiences of assisting refugee families to access special education. Our findings revealed that ECMs provided intensive support to newly resettled families by educating them on the special education process, connecting them with supports, and sharing information about disability characteristics. Implications for research and practice are also provided.

The past decade has seen an increased focus on student voice in physical education; yet, the majority reflects the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of agency of secondary-level students. It has been suggested that the perspectives and experiences of students in primary physical education remain largely absent from the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to answer the question "what peer-reviewed data on student voice in primary physical education was published between January 1990 and March 2020?" This article provides a map of 89 articles that accessed student voice in primary physical education. Conclusions highlight a need for democratic possibilities for primary students to engage and contribute to their physical education learning experiences as well as a continued exploration of the implementation and impact of authentic methods of accessing and responding to student voice in primary physical education.

As key elements in research and development systems, higher education institutions have been taking a leading role when it comes to communicating science and technology, but their performance has been inconsistent so far. In this critical and comparative study of the UK public engagement model and the Spanish scientific culture model, eighteen practitioners from higher education institutions across both regions were interviewed. A mixed qualitative data analysis has been performed identifying similarities and differences that unravelled the science communication management model in the two different higher education systems. This article provides evidence on how the institutionalisation of science communication is strongly influenced by key driving forces in the higher education context as well as the policies of administrations and other agents.

Education is considered to be the most effective tool that people can use to lift themselves out of poor socioeconomic backgrounds and lead to professional success, which in turn improves society. Since an education system often supports individuals with a higher socioeconomic status (SES), it may not resolve the issue of socioeconomic background impacting on career outcomes. Given the nature of the research questions, an individualistic approach is used for selecting tools. Using qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, we argue that graduates studying an 8-year engineering program fail to succeed compared to counterparts who studied a 4-year engineering program. Findings suggest that engineering graduates' socioeconomic backgrounds help them with their career advancement. A policy intervention may help to address the influence of SES on engineering education and professional employment.

Assistive technology (AT), a major source of adapted educational services, has been accepted as a valuable tool for students with disabilities in schools. Teacher readiness is a key factor in determining a student's successful inclusion, but many general and special education teachers are not fully prepared to implement AT in schools. In this study, special and general education preservice teachers received introductory instruction on AT, including lecture, demonstration of AT devices, discussion, and hands-on experience, at the Assistive and Instructional Technology (AIT) Lab. After the AIT Lab orientation, preservice teachers in both special and general education responded with higher scores regarding their preparedness to implement AT and more positive perspectives toward AT. The results showed that the AIT orientation was particularly beneficial to general education preservice teachers in their preparation for implementing AT.

Thirty papers from the International Symposium on Fieldwork in the Sciences (ISFIS) are presented. The program was divided into four blocks: (1) trends in fieldwork and curriculum aspects; (2) fieldwork activities, followed by discussion and reflection; (3) implementation and dissemination; and (4) field excursions to typical Dutch landscapes. Topics include world trends, curriculum development, international approaches, interdisciplinary approaches, preschool education, the role of fieldwork in environmental education, nature excursions, computer applications, reference collections, teacher training, project descriptions, implementation of fieldwork, science activities in biology and physics, field studies, and ecosystem change. Also included are an analysis and impression of symposium papers and a review of the workshops held. (KR)

Leaders in the field of early care and education identified five main problems in the training of early care and education providers. These problems were: (1) a shortage of trainees: (2) limited access to training; (3) lack of agreement on the content of the training; (4) lack of consistent certification standards and models of professional development; and (5) a fragmented delivery system. Discussion focused on ways of creating greater cohesion in the delivery of training. Major obstacles to this cohesion are attitudinal, instructional, financial, regulatory, and definitional obstacles. Strategies for overcoming each problem were discussed. The report closes with recommendations for the roles that the professional community and foundations might play in solving early care education teacher training problems. (BB)

This report describes instructional uses of computers, interactive videodisks, and related technologies in undergraduate and graduate nursing education and in continuing education and faculty development. Its principal aims are to document ongoing activities, to identify factors that inhibit technological applications in nursing education, and to suggest measures that might increase such applications. The report begins with a discussion of faculty and student involvement in computer-based education (CBE). This is followed by sections on the development, implementation, and evaluation of CBE materials; commercially available instructional software and hardware; and facilities. Miscellaneous resources such as organizations, consortia, and journals are noted. Glimpses of the near future of nursing education and the potential influences of educational technologies in that future are offered. The report concludes with a listing of constraints associated with CBE technologies and potential responses to alleviate or eliminate them. An annotated bibliography of frequently-cited publications is included. (49 references) (GL)

The history of literacy education in Morocco, like that of the country as a whole, spans over two millennia. The history of literacy education begins in the early Islamic era (eighth century A.D.), continues through the colonial period, and ends in the post-colonial period. A review of the major developments in the area of literacy education in Morocco indicates that: (1) the religious factor has always been an important force behind literacy teaching and learning; (2) rote and recitation have also been consistent features of literacy learning and education in general; (3) literacy teaching and education in general have always been a function of the wider cultural and socio-economic situation; (4) the trend is toward the institutionalization of literacy education, including informal adult programs; and (5) the trend is also toward modernization and toward multiple literacies (including civic, functional, and cultural literacies.) (Thirty-seven references are attached.) (RS)

Three position papers, originally presented at a special symposium of economists and educators, are presented concerning the policy impact that the changing economic environment will have on colleges and universities in the financing of higher education in the United States. The position papers are: "The University and the Reemergence of Economic Individualism" (Lawrence B. Lindsey); "The U.S. Economy and Higher Education" (Richard S. Eckaus); and "Higher Education in a Changing Environment: Some Scholarly and Economic Imperatives" (Harold T. Shapiro). In addition, these papers are assessed and interpreted by several of today's recognized authorities in higher education. Their presentations and commentaries focus on the understanding of the relationship between the macroeconomy and higher education and in recognizing the need to begin preparing for necessary changes that will impact the economic (and academic) health of America's institutions of higher education. Contains 17 references. (GLR)