Education & Pedagogy

The article analyzes the results of the international experts' survey regarding the curriculum of media literacy education, which was administrated by the authors in September-October 2015. The expert panel includes specialists actively involved in the real process of media literacy education in schools, universities and other educational institutions, who also have significant publications records (monographs, study guides, articles in peer-reviewed journals). 65 experts from 20 countries took part in the survey: Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, the USA. Based on the experts' answers, the productive sources of media literacy education curriculum were distinguished; as well as the content and learning outcomes of media literacy education curriculum, and assessment strategies of students' media literacy competence, aimed at various target groups. Furthermore, main challenges for media literacy curriculum design and implementation are outlined: the resistance of the administrative bodies, overloaded curriculum in the classroom, poor development of the initial and continuing training for teachers, necessity for the development of high-level research and curriculum proposals.

In this paper I explore how citizenship education might position students as always/everywhere political to diminish the pervasive belief that one either is or is not a "political person." By focusing on how liberal and radical democracy are both necessary frameworks for engaging with issues of power, I address how we might reframe citizenship education to highlight the ubiquity of politics, offering a deepened sense of democracy. This reframing of citizenship education entails highlighting how liberalism and radical democracy are mutually reinforcing when it comes to illustrating political life as entangled in power relations. My argument centers on Sigal Ben-Porath's ("Edu Theory," 62(4):381-395, 2012) concept of shared fate as a frame for citizenship education. In this model, students are habituated into thinking of democracy as an "enduring pluralism" in which their fates are connected to that of their fellow citizens. In this paper I recast shared fate education in the singular to an education of shared fates in the plural. By doing so I theorize how citizenship education might construct citizenship as relational, emotional, embedded in power, and uncomfortable.

The perceptions of primary school teachers towards inclusive education was investigated in mainstream government schools of Islamabad capital territory where inclusive education was being supported by Sight savers and other international organizations. The study was carried out involving 54 teachers in six randomly selected primary schools. The sampled group comprised both, teachers trained in inclusive education and teachers working in same schools, but not trained in inclusive education. Purposive sampling method was used to select the teachers. Structured questionnaire (Likert Scale) and structured interview method was used for data collection. The results of the study revealed that inclusive education is considered to be a desirable practice. The teachers believed that all learners regardless of their disabilities should be in regular classrooms and they showed more favorable attitude towards children with mild disabilities, but were not very optimistic about children with severe disabilities. The study also recognized teachers' capacity as an essential component of inclusive education and recommends that inclusive education should be a part of pre and in-service teacher education.

International volunteerism is increasingly associated with shaping global subjectivities of participants. Significant numbers of Global North volunteers--whether working through established volunteer organizations, corporations, nonprofits, academia, or personal networks and connections--engage in education related activities while in the Global South. I emphasize in this paper that education-related international volunteering presents a rich context in which to explore global subjectivities due to the high likelihood of participants' engagement with mobility, difference, poverty, inequality, and development. In this paper, I explore six women's accounts of their transnational experiences and resulting understandings of their education-related work. Four related thematic categories derived from these accounts convey meanings of education-related work in terms of self-fulfilment, social responsibility, active engagement with host communities, and cross-cultural competence. I explore two overlapping subjectivities--participatory and critical--that emerge from an exploration of these themes, examine how they intersect with common discourses of international volunteering and development, and discuss the implications for the relationship between global citizenship and education-related international volunteering.

The emerging paradigm of responsible research and innovation (RRI) in the European Commission policy discourse identifies science education as a key agenda for better equipping students with skills and knowledge to tackle complex societal challenges and foster active citizenship in democratic societies. The operationalisation of this broad approach in science education demands, however, the identification of assessment frameworks able to grasp the complexity of RRI process requirements and learning outcomes within science education practice. This article aims to shed light over the application of the RRI approach in science education by proposing a RRI-based analytical framework for science education assessment. We use such framework to review a sample of empirical studies of science education assessments and critically analyse it under the lenses of RRI criteria. As a result, we identify a set of 86 key RRI assessment indicators in science education related to RRI values, transversal competences and experiential and cognitive aspects of learning. We argue that looking at science education through the lenses of RRI can potentially contribute to the integration of metacognitive skills, emotional aspects and procedural dimensions within impact assessments so as to address the complexity of learning.

This conceptual article underscores the importance of critical engagement in and through education with a view to enhancing education for democracy (EfD). As a centerpiece to illustrating this connection, we refer to our research project, which engages international actors through an analysis of the perceptions, experiences and perspectives of education students, educators and others in relation to EfD. The article presents the "Thick-Thin Spectrum of EfD" and a "Spectrum for Critical Engagement for EfD" to re(present) the problematic of political engagement and literacy on the part of teachereducation students. The findings of our study highlight a necessity for education to be connected and linked to deliberative and participatory democracy in a critical manner in order to create positive, progressive, and transformative educational opportunities, especially in relation to inequitable power relations and social justice. In sum, we seek to re(conceptualize) the meaning of democracy within, and for, education while making the linkage with the lived experience of future educators and others involved in formal education.

In Egypt and Jordan, there is a substantial mismatch between the output of the higher education system and the needs of the labor market. Both demand and supply-side factors could be driving this mismatch. This paper tests a key supply-side issue, whether differences in the institutional structures and incentives in higher education affect the labor market outcomes of graduates. Specifically, we ask if the stronger alignment of incentives in private relative to public higher education institutions produces more employable human capital and better labor market outcomes. We examine the impact of the type of higher education institution a person attends on several labor market outcomes while controlling for his or her pre-enrollment characteristics. The results demonstrate that supply-side issues and institutional incentives have little impact on labor market outcomes while family background plays by far the largest role. Proposed reforms for higher education often suggest increasing the role of the private sector in provision of higher education. Our findings indicate that this approach is unlikely to improve labor market outcomes.

Teachers' knowledge and use of developmentally appropriate strategies are vital for creating the enabling early learning environments that foster the development of the ideal Caribbean Community (CARICOM) citizen who is ready to face the challenges of living in the twenty-first century. Early childhood education in the Eastern Caribbean refers to pre-primary education [EDMU-OECS. (2012). The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Education Sector Strategy 2012-2021, Retrieved July 5, 2015, from http://www.oecs.org/edmu-resources/oecs-education-strategy; EDMU-OECS. (2014). "OECS education statistical digest" 2012/2013]. Thus five to seven year old children, during the first three years at the primary education level, are being denied their rights to developmentally appropriate learning since their teachers are seldom trained in early childhood philosophy. Teacher competence is needed to 'get things to happen on the ground level' [Fullan, M. (1996). Professional culture and educational change. "School Psychology Review," 25(4), 496-500, p. 496]. Thus, Quality Early Childhood Education in the Eastern Caribbean can be achieved if teachers of young children have knowledge of early childhood pedagogy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine in-service physical education teachers' perceptions of and perceived value of technology-related learning across three formal training experiences (pre-service education, in-service continuing professional development, and graduate education). Methods: Twelve teachers enrolled in a graduate-level physical education teacher education program at a rural mid-Atlantic university participated in the study. Participants completed the Stage of Adoption of Technology survey (Christensen, 1997) and engaged in individual semi-structured interviews. Results: Six learning sources and four themes relative to participants' perceptions of and perceived value of technology learning experiences emerged from the interview which include (a) absence of technology in K-12 PE, (b) technology-centric experience, (c) broadened awareness through observation, and (d) growth through hands-on experience. Conclusion: The findings align with and extend to previous research that suggests technology experiences must be dynamic, authentic, and tailored for individuals at different stages of technology adoption.

The purpose of this article is to determine the opinions and experiences of participants who took both distance and formal education courses concerning practice. The case study method was employed for this study. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Distance education software and recorded virtual course videos were analyzed and observations were made. The participants comprised eight students enrolled in formal education courses and who also took distance education courses during the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 academic years, two instructors who were giving lectures through distance education and an instructor promoted in the students' education program. Findings indicated that the participants were aware of the time and space advantages of distance education but they do not use the system because they are not given sufficient information and they do not know how to use it. Findings also showed that virtual courses were almost never watched, and the most important factor related to this lack of use was the lack of interaction with instructors.

Relying heavily on case or regional studies, higher education institutions market the perceived global skills that students acquire from education abroad as a value-added commodity. As industries increase their global reach, understanding the labor market effects of education abroad from a national perspective is necessary and timely. This study isolates many factors known to influence education abroad using the 2008-2012 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study dataset (B&B: 08/12). Through a 2-level hierarchical linear regression analysis model, earning levels of graduates of undergraduate programs are analyzed, offering a national perspective. The findings revealed that students who participated in education abroad earned more money within the labor market, even during harsh recessionary times. While income differences observed between men and women existed in both samples, initial incomes during the first three years post-graduation demonstrated significantly higher wages for some students who studied abroad when compared to their non-participating peers.

The King Abdullah Public Education Development Project or the "Tatweer" education reforms were created to improve the quality of teaching and learning in Saudi Arabia. It was a response to develop generations of Saudis who would contribute to the economic well-being of the nation. The Saudi Tatweer education reforms have been important in highlighting questions about power, globalisation and divergence. Therefore, set against a background of neoliberal discourse, I will assess the influences and impact of the drivers within Tatweer--a seemingly market-driven set of education reforms. With reference to Foucauldian thought on power and governance, I will also raise some questions on whether the Tatweer reforms were rigorous and effective enough in improving the level of education within the Saudi context. Finally, I will consider the importance of Ball's (2003) perspective on performativity, and how market forces and international influence have impacted on Saudi education policy reform.

Data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 were used to examine the effect of academic and career or technical education course-taking in high school on deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) youth's postsecondary enrollment in 2-year, 4-year, and career or technical education institutions. We examined the proportion of academic and career or technical education courses taken, completion of algebra, and completion of an occupationally specific course of study. Propensity model analyses indicated that academic course taking significantly increased the odds that DHH students would enroll in postsecondary school. Completion of a higher proportion of career or technical education courses was not related to enrollment in postsecondary education, including career and technical education schools. Implications for practice and future research are discussed, including the importance of secondary transition planning staff both encouraging DHH students who have a goal of future postsecondary attendance to take a rigorous, academically focused high school curriculum, and providing students with the support to complete these courses.

Distinctively economic objectives for lifelong education, especially adult learning and education, feature prominently in policy-making agendas and educators' practice in much of the world. Critics contend that humanistic and holistic visions of lifelong learning for all have been marginalised and neglected. The current turn of political attention to issues of planetary environmental sustainability and to global societal transformation and interconnectedness raises further questions and prospects. Two United Nations' publications in 2015: UNESCO's "Rethinking Education: toward a global common good?" and of the United Nations' "Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" pose intersecting concerns for lifelong learning and environmental sustainability. This article engages with those questions in particular regard to the role of adult learning and education. It discusses a field study of non-formal adult education in Ghana. The field study contributes evidence that resiliently humanistic conceptions and practices of non-formal adult education practically succeed to foster transformation, development and human flourishing. That effective humanism gives credence to the ambitiousness of UNESCO and UN agenda for transformation and sustainability and informs international debates.

This paper explores the impact of significant OECD documents on the development of Irish education policy, specifically teacher education policy, over the last half century. While other commentators have argued that Irish education has been predominantly influenced by policy developments in the UK, US or Europe, this paper identifies the OECD as a significant trigger for domestic policy reform and discusses key reports/publications that have influenced both ideological and structural reforms of Irish education. Long before the growth of evidence-based reform or the emergence of a global education policy field, Irish policy makers invited the newly formed OECD to review Ireland's provision of education; this review generated base-line data and highlighted both the inequity of Irish education as well as its inadequacy in providing for the future needs of the Irish economy. Thus began a long-term relationship with the OECD, which has served to prompt and guide policy revision and reform at critical decision points over five decades. While engagement with the OECD cannot simply explain changes in Irish education, it does, however, provide a valuable perspective on domestic policy making.