Education & Pedagogy

In this article, the author explores the neoliberal impacts on higher education in Bangladesh, how market-driven policies might limit the education of arts, humanities and social sciences, and whether or not this phenomenon may have consequences for the future of democracy in the country. First, the author focuses on the privatisation of higher education in the 1990s and the World Bank's influences on education policies, with specific reference to a recent policy reform initiative. Second, he takes a comparative look at the types of degree programmes offered by both public and private universities in Bangladesh. Finally, he situates his discussion in Martha Nussbaum's arguments to initiate a debate about whether or not the neoliberal universities' negligence in the education of arts, humanities and social sciences has implications for a strong and sustainable democracy.

The purpose of this study was to explore the educational and sociocultural experiences of Kenyan women pursing higher education in the United States and how they negotiated their multiple identities. Using a sociocultural theoretical framework and narrative inquiry methodology, seven Kenyan immigrant women pursuing or who recently pursued advanced education at one land-grant public university in the United States were studied. Five significant and interrelated themes emerged including (a) negotiating two cultural contexts, (b) significance of strong support system; (c) impact of family educational backgrounds, (d) reentry to education in adulthood, and (e) dealing with linguistic issues. Implications for higher education, adult education, and diverse adult learners are provided.

Seemingly comfortable in my physical education teacher education (PETE) role as a critical pedagogue, I was abruptly jolted into considering post-paradigmatic possibilities through participation in a collaborative project that explored shifting conceptualisations of knowledge and learning in initial teacher education (ITE). The project sought to examine twenty-first-century changes in understandings of knowledge and learning and to consider the implications for curriculum and pedagogical practices in New Zealand schools and in ITE. In this paper, I provide a description of the ontological shifting process I encountered through participation in a self-study research project. I argue that twenty-first-century conceptualisations of knowledge and learning offer unique possibilities for physical education (PE) and PETE contexts. In particular, I critique varying sociocultural orientations to PE and PETE (humanistic, critical and postcritical) and consider the possibilities and limitations inherent within each approach.

The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) charges educators with a key role in developing and "securing sustainable life chances, aspirations and futures for young people". Environmental Education (EE) and ESD share a vision of quality education and a society that lives in balance with Earth's carrying capacity, even as they differ in terms of expectations of how that vision is realized, and what might need to be balanced. Rather than treat EE and ESD as sparing partners or fellow travellers towards the same destination, this paper analyses EE and ESD from the perspective of transformative educational goals. Using these goals as a benchmark transcends immediate problems with either form of education, while also helps to clarify policies and practise formations, appropriate to a diversity of educational contexts.

The main aim of this study is to highlight the importance of computer assisted instruction in environmental education. Recently, the importance of environmental education in many countries has begun to increase in parallel with environmental problems. This has led to increased interest in environmental education. The fact that computers were the most important invention of the 20th century is reflected in the fact that computer assisted instruction has been put into practice in all fields of education sciences. The research was done in the Department of Primary Teacher Training, Education Faculty, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University in the 2012-2013 academic year. According to the results of the analyses, the attitudes of prospective teachers' towards computer assisted instruction in environmental education are positive. However, the female prospective teachers attached more importance to computer assisted environmental education than the males.

Forty-six members of the college of education at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were surveyed to determine the status of reading instruction within that college. The faculty members taught a total of 114 courses in six departments: health and physical education, vocational education, recreation, special education, elementary education, and secondary education. The subjects completed one instrument designed to collect data concerning the types of activities they engaged in that could positively affect the reading performance of college students, and another instrument designed to reveal the extent to which the professors addressed specific reading skills in their classes. The professors also provided demographic information. The findings revealed that the faculty members were engaged in activities designed to enhance the reading performance of their students. (Copies of the survey instruments are appended.) (FL)

Three papers on the Egyptian educational system were delivered at the World Assembly of the International Council of Education for Teaching in Cairo, Egypt, in 1981. The first paper, "Recent Educational Reforms in Egypt," by M. M. Radwan, describes the changes in Egyptian education since 1952, including the adoption of universal basic education. The four authors (Hussein Fawzi Al Najjar, Mohamed Abdelmagid Ibrahim, Sayad M. Kheiralla, and Hassan Mostafa) of the second paper, "Egytian Education Today," focus on the Egyptian characteristics of the educational system, citing teacher education and the problem of illiteracy as outstanding national issues. In the third paper, "Educational Technology: Its Application to Inservice Teacher Training in Egypt," by Kamal Yousef Iskander, the use of educational technology in inservice teacher education is outlined, with reference to the problems anticipated in training 130,000 teachers for Egypt's new educational system. (FG)

This document focuses on implications for the design of preservice education programs for science and mathematics teachers. It is assumed that the goal is to prepare effective teachers, so the literature devoted to teacher effectiveness is first examined. This material is primarily aimed at improvement in Australia, but the concepts and issues discussed are seen as broader-based. The major sections of this text are: (1) A Summary of Initiatives in the Study of Teacher Effectiveness; (2) Teacher Effectiveness in the Sciences; (3) Trends in the Preservice Education of Science Teachers; (4) Teacher Effectiveness in Mathematics; (5) Trends in the Preservice Education of Mathematics Teachers; and (6) Implications for Local Teacher Education Programs in Science and Mathematics. This material concludes with references and an appendix. (MP)

This summary evaluation report is designed to (1) give an indication of how the state achieves the goals of Federal programs; (2) increase understanding of various Federal programs; and (3) show the degree of achievement of the goals of the State-Federal Programs Division. The following programs are described: Adult Basic Education; Basic Skills Improvement; Career Education; Compensatory Education; Dissemination Capacity Building; Educational Improvement, Resources, and Support; Educational Services for Cuban and Haitian Entrant Children; Featherfoot: The Oklahoma Challenge; Gifted and Talented Education; Human Relations; Indian Education; K-12 Traffic Safety Education; Oklahoma Cultural Understanding Project; Oklahoma School/Community Network for Arts in Education; School Bus Driver Training Program; School Lunch Section; School Plant Services Section; Special Education Programs and Projects; State Leadership; and Transition Program for Refugee Children. Each brief evaluation report contains information on the program's purpose, State allocation of Federal funds, program scope, representative objectives, evidence of program effectiveness, and involvement and dissemination activities. (BW)

This guide is designed to help driver education teachers in Iowa to integrate energy conservation education into the traditional high school driver education course. Following an explanation of the necessity for teaching energy conservation with driver education, the course guide is divided into seven units. The units cover vehicle selection, vehicle maintenance, vehicle operation, environmental conditions, traffic strategies, planning for savings, and exploiting alternative methods of transporation. Each unit contains an information section, transparency master, learning exercise, learning aids, true/false learning exercises and feedback, and a test with answers. Materials are suitable for reproduction and handout to students. The appendix contains a list of fuel-efficient instruction techniques, a guide and test to the film "Running on Empty," Kodalith instructions and slide masters, flowcharts, and a bibliography. (KC)

A study investigated (1) the role of English as a language of power, and how it has affected multilingualism in Canada and South Africa, (2) the nature and implementation of South Africa's multilingual policy, (3) how South Africa's language education policy and policy implementation compare to those in Canada, (4) how South African language teachers approach English language education, multilingualism, and multiculturalism in education, and (5) ethical issues related to English language teaching in the two countries. Data were gathered through a review of publications and government documents and a visit to South Africa. Focus is on the status of endangered languages and the role played by English language education and policy in endangering them. Background information and documents on South African language policies and education are appended. Contains 56 references. (MSE)

This practical guide for colleges is designed to ensure sex and race equality in service delivery in further education in the United Kingdom. It is based on the approved framework for inspections in the further education sector. Following an introduction, chapter 2 outlines the laws against discrimination, and chapter 3 sums up the argument for equality of opportunity in further education. Chapter 4 provides a basic checklist of what an equal opportunities policy should cover, and chapter 5 suggests equality performance indicators that may be used to integrate equality assurance into the college's quality assurance procedures. The central section of the booklet follows the inspection guidelines published in "Assessing Achievement," published by the Further Education Funding Council. One column presents requirements from the Further Education Funding Council and the other column contains key questions for administrators about equal opportunity action. Practical guidance on dealing with racial and sexual harassment is given in an appendix. (SLD)

This report summarizes the current statistical programs of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), including its major publications and plans for future work. It updates the descriptions of long-standing data collections such as the Common Core of Data, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, and the National Assessment of Educational Progress. This edition also focuses on some of the new and innovative work of the NCES, such as the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) and the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K) cohort. An introduction describes NCES data collection efforts, and information on NCES programs is grouped into the following sections: (1) NCES Center-wide programs and services; (2) elementary and secondary education; (3) postsecondary and adult education; (4) educational assessment; (5) national longitudinal studies; (6) international statistics; (7) vocational education; (8) libraries; and (9) general publications of the NCES. (SLD)

The overall theme of this proceedings, Teaching Tolerance for All: Education Strategies to Promote Global Peace, is discussed by addressing four main topics: (1) rethinking the school curriculum to teach the values of tolerance and peace; (2) empowering teachers and teacher educators to teach the values of tolerance and peace; (3) developing leaders to promote the values of tolerance and peace; and (4) consolidating international initiatives to foster the values of tolerance and peace. The proceedings covers opening and closing ceremony presentations; the Keynote Frank H. Klassen Lecture; five plenary addresses, four covering the four conference topics; and concurrent session papers. (SM)

Georgia's Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) originated in 1984 with a recommendation for review every 5 years. In 1996, teachers, administrators, parents, and business leaders throughout Georgia reviewed and analyzed the existing QCC in an effort to update the curriculum, reflect technological advances, and create a more effective base for teaching. This 1999 report on Georgia's education for students in grades 6-8 presents core curriculum requirements in the areas of language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, health and physical education, fine arts (dance, music, theater, and visual arts), technology/career education; and agriculture education. For each curriculum area, the report presents at introduction and a description of the revision process and revisions made for that specific area. (SM)