Education & Pedagogy

Only since the 1990s has the impact of globalisation on education drawn scholarly attention, primarily due to the impact of international school achievement surveys. This study argues that the globalisation of education began much earlier, with the establishment of intergovernmental agencies, such as UNESCO and the OECD, and the adoption of American educational models after the Second World War. The neo-Weberian perspective I propose focuses on knowledge producers and education global networks and incorporates an analysis of the specific national context and their peculiarities without losing sight of the globalisation process and its homogenising character. Knowledge producers constitute a status group that increases its social and academic capital through advancing global education models locally. The analysis of reforms in the education systems of France and Israel after the Second World War shows how the diffusion of global educational models that stress equality of opportunity enhanced local transformations and affected national policies. Such an analysis elaborates the process whereby knowledge producers, linked to global networks, constructed "social problems" according to the education knowledge production institutionalised in each country and the socio-politic conditions of each society, and how their alliance with highly ranked functionaries brought about structural reforms aiming at the "democratisation of education" in France and Israel. (Contains 8 notes.)

Purpose: This article aims to review the latest developments of the higher education sector in China since the mid-1990s by focusing on the expansion of university education. Design/methodology/approach: It is argued that while massification of higher education is an important indication of the progress in China's higher education system, the quest for world-class universities indicates China's ambition to earn international reputation in higher education sector compatible with its increasing economic power. Findings: The driving force of these two developments is from the state, which demonstrates the dominant role of the Chinese government in higher education policy and administration. However, the ambitious state constitutes both a driving force and a constraint for China's higher education. The strengthening administrative control accompanied by the financial benefits from the government has led to bureaucratization of China's universities. China's world-class pursuit necessitates a fundamental change of the existing pattern of relationship between the state and university and university governance model. Practical Implications: The strategic plan to build up world-class universities shows that China is not satisfied with the quantitative growth of its higher education, but is seeking to achieve a breakthrough in quality higher education. Originality/value: The paper explains how China's desire to achieve world class status within the area of higher education is being achieved. (Contains 3 tables and 2 notes.)

"Troublemaker," the memoir of "Education Next" senior editor and veteran education reformer Chester E. "Checker" Finn Jr., weaves into the chronicle of Finn's life and career the broader history of education reform, in which he has played a vital and sometimes rambunctious role. Currently president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he chairs the Koret Task Force on K-12 Education, Finn has served as assistant secretary for research and improvement at the U.S. Department of Education, professor of education and public policy at Vanderbilt University, staff assistant to the president of the United States (Richard Nixon), and counsel to the U.S. ambassador to India (Daniel Patrick Moynihan). He has written 15 books and more than 400 articles and serves on numerous boards. This article presents some excerpted highlights from "Troublemaker." The first part spans the early education of a "nerdy, unathletic, braces-and-glasses-wearing kid who would sometimes wake up early to read the encyclopedia" through Finn's memorable stint as a high school social studies teacher. The second part recounts some of his experiences at the Department of Education during the 1980s: working to bring the fruits of education research to America's classrooms and a professional accomplishment he views among his most important, revamping the National Assessment of Educational Progress. (Contains 1 figure.)

The restructuring of adult education in Goteborg was first initiated experimentally with respect only to SFI education (an education in beginning Swedish for ethnic minorities living in Sweden). This was done on the basis of decisions in the Goteborg Municipal Council in 1999. But restructuring came into full force for all municipal adult education in the Goteborg municipality later in 2002, after the completion of the National Adult Education Initiative (AEI). The restructuring processes followed guidelines for franchise in the public sector as per the 1992 Purchasing Act and had consequences for all education suppliers, but in particular one of them, Studium AB. This was a company created and owned by the Goteborg Metropolitan Council that had been established in order to safeguard the provision of the municipally owned adult education public service previously known as Komvux. This "humanist" form of comprehensive adult education has a strong history in Sweden, within the provision of adult education on a "folk-home" basis. Studium AB had been the single largest provider of adult education in Goteborg up until the franchise but lost its mandate in the tendering processes. Although it concentrates mainly on "talk-data" the present article has been developed from an ongoing ethnographic case study of the effects of restructuring in Goteborg. (Contains 1 figure and 1 note.)

This report examines Canadian teacher candidates' perspectives on the multicultural education component of the preservice teacher education program they attend. The data we analyze were collected through a questionnaire that set out to explore whether teacher candidates were satisfied with the multicultural education preparation they received and their ideas on how it might be improved. We present the findings in two parts. First we consider the teacher candidates' critiques and suggestions on multicultural education to reveal that the majority of respondents did not feel adequately prepared to the challenge of teaching in ethno-racially diverse classrooms. Their responses point to specific programmatic and structural shortcomings of current multicultural curricula in Canadian teacher education programs. They suggest ways to improve the multicultural education curriculum including compulsory courses, more diversity among faculty and teacher candidates in the program, and an integrative approach across the teacher education curriculum. We then analyze the discourses embedded in their responses to examine how multicultural education is being understood by teacher candidates. Here we show that their common understandings are often articulated through the paradigm of difference, through which the problems and the solutions are believed to be about the Other. We argue that these understandings promote rather than disrupt practices that sustain white hegemony. The article concludes with a discussion of the practical implications of the research.

This paper explores the changing roles and purposes of vocational education for young people in what has been called a 'knowledge' society, using the General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) as an example. This qualification dominated the broad, vocationally-related route within the English qualifications system throughout the 1990s. The paper considers how lecturers in a college of further education understood the role and purpose of GNVQs, and explores the ways in which they engaged in mediating national qualifications policy in practice, through their engagement with students and constructions of students' learning identities. The paper draws on data from a case study of one college of further education in the English Midlands, which involved interviews with lecturers and students across three vocational areas of the GNVQ. The focus in this paper is on the ways in which lecturers constructed GNVQs around what they perceived to be students' needs. They encouraged students to use GNVQs to shape a future, which involved progression to further and higher education. The paper argues that, whilst such attempts to create a constructive and meaningful role for vocational education are important, they do not overcome the hierarchical structure of participation in formal learning which remains inherent in the education system. The paper concludes by considering the implications of this study for the future role of vocational education for young people within a wider system of education and training.

This paper assesses the value and relevance of geography education in the realm of professional development. It explores the potential of distance education to support lifelong learners through courses or modules that operate across international boundaries and incorporate materials from local and global contexts. The authors argue that Internet-enabled distance education offers the potential to extend access to many prospective students who are unlikely or unable to participate in full-time residential courses, and that distance education can facilitate international collaboration among educators and educational institutions. A case is made for an internationalized programme of study for continuing adult education, as opposed to the primary, secondary and higher education sectors that are the focus of most existing geographical education programmes. Next, the authors document the ways in which recent commitments to internationalizing teaching and learning in geography have brought us to the point where professional development of lifelong learners is demonstrable, particularly in the fields of geographic information technologies and teacher professional development. They outline some of the main challenges that must be addressed if the potential of distance education as an enabling tool for professional development in geography is to be fulfilled: specifically, collaborative development and delivery of curricula and the articulation of quality assurance standards and certification agreements among participating institutions. (Contains 1 table.)

There once was a time when art teachers flocked to university campuses in the summer to advance their education and learn new art teaching methods in hopes of becoming better teachers in succeeding semesters. This was in the days when progressive teachers, principals, and legislators recognized the value of advanced education and rewarded teachers for their efforts with larger salaries and career ladder advancement (Stout, 2002). Today, some art educators find little incentive for graduate study beyond the bachelor's degree because of the increased use of inservice workshops for academic advancement and the lack of financial reward. Based on a survey of 473 graduate students, the authors of this article have identified several intrinsic and extrinsic factors that influenced the completion of graduate education in art education. Personal motivation, interest, support, funding, and time were the major factors that contributed to the completion of a graduate degree. In the following article, the authors develop these themes and also review some of the less important factors that respondents from 16 of the top art education schools in the country identified as problems in graduate art education. They present this article to enhance the knowledge of those who may be thinking about advanced schooling in art education. Their intent is to inform and encourage students to pursue advanced studies in visual arts education at the master and doctorate levels and to help teachers consider the various goals and purposes of graduate art education. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

There is a persistent misunderstanding in the interdisciplinary field of public health, particularly regarding the roles and titles associated with health education specialists. The confusion necessitates a focus on collaboration, professional development, and standardizing terms within the realm of public health, health education, and health education specialists. To contribute to clarifying these roles, a qualitative exploratory case study was conducted, specifically examining the challenges and skills of health education specialists in clinical care or hospital settings. During three virtual focus group discussions, 13 participants who were selected through convenience sampling from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing expressed their perspectives. Thematic analysis revealed key themes associated with challenges that included respect, buy-in, and prioritization. Concerning skills, the data indicated an overlap when assessing the most and least utilized skills of health education specialists. The application of skills correlated to size of the health care system or clinical care setting as well as the title and function of the health education specialist. Those working in larger health care systems primarily utilized fewer skills as their tasks and efforts were more concentrated. The implications for practice suggest that health care organizations can fully utilize and integrate health education specialists with concerted efforts on buy-in from executive leadership, professional growth, and clear communication to promote awareness of the role. These efforts will empower health education specialists to elevate their expertise, bring awareness to the profession, and enhance the quality of patient education.

This study examines the management of vocational education at Community Learning Centers (CLCs) in Cambodia during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on policy implementation, operational challenges, and learning outcomes. Using a qualitative research approach, the study conducted in-depth interviews with administrators, trainers, and learners to assess the effectiveness of vocational training during the crisis. Findings reveal that national policies on vocational education were inadequately implemented due to insufficient funding and technical support. Three learning models--onsite, online, and on-hand training--were employed; however, they faced significant limitations, including low learner participation, lack of digital infrastructure, and inadequate hands-on training opportunities. The pandemic severely impacted learning outcomes, with graduates reporting low levels of skill development, limited career opportunities, and increased job migration. Major challenges included the absence of a structured digital education platform, poor ICT proficiency among trainers and learners, and inadequate resources for practical training. The study highlights the urgent need for policy improvements, enhanced digital infrastructure, and targeted capacity-building initiatives to ensure equitable access to vocational education. These insights offer valuable recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders seeking to strengthen vocational education management and prepare for future disruptions in Cambodia's non-formal education sector.

Communicating tertiary graduate skills and knowledge to employers is a contemporary issue in Australian outdoor education. Threshold concepts have been proposed as a positive way forward to a shared understanding between Higher Education (HE) professionals, students, graduates, employers, and other outdoor education stakeholders. While threshold concepts can offer a curriculum development framework that highlights the graduate capabilities of an HE outdoor educator, they do not specify how these concepts are assessed. In this paper, we explore the assessment of threshold concepts in HE degrees and then examine current assessment practices in HE outdoor education degrees. We highlight selected literature on assessing outdoor education in HE and then explore how other professions assess threshold concepts. Specific professions included have (a) identified threshold concepts and (b) considered the ability to practice upon graduation, as this has the most significant alignment with the professional role of an outdoor educator. We then describe current outdoor education HE assessment practices at selected Australian universities, highlighting the breadth and range of assessment methods incorporated in existing degrees. We conclude with a discussion of the role of authentic assessment and provide five recommendations for how academics might assess the seven HE outdoor education threshold concepts described by Thomas et al. (2019) to support communication of graduate capabilities to employers, students, graduates, and other outdoor education stakeholders.

Early childhood education (ECE) settings play an important role in child development, including children's physical development. However, ECE educators have low competence and confidence in facilitating learning experiences that promote physical development. Content delivered in teacher education may influence educator's knowledge, competence, and confidence in this area. No studies have comprehensively explored early childhood teacher education in Australia to determine if such content is included. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the subject offerings of early childhood degrees from Australian universities and to narratively analyze the content of subject descriptions and subject overviews related to physical development. A desktop audit of Australian university undergraduate early childhood degrees was conducted. Subjects for early childhood degrees were categorized based on their title. Subject overviews and general outlines for subjects which broadly focused on physical development were inductively analyzed. Australian early childhood teacher education degrees offer a variety of subjects, including subjects that focused on play, health and wellbeing, and physical education. No subjects specifically focused on child physical development. We suggest early childhood teacher education degrees need to reconsider their subject offerings and include at least one subject that focus on physical development. Physical development is critically important as it underpins children's social, emotional, language, and cognitive development. This study highlights a potential content area that could be included in early childhood teacher education degrees within the Australian context and internationally.

The study aimed to investigate and analyze how early childhood education programs and materials in Jordan contribute to the development and reinforcement of national identity among preschoolers in schools of Irbid district education directorate. The study employed a quantitative approach. The sample consists of 83 preschool teachers who are currently teaching their children at the schools of Irbid District Education Directorate in Jordan. This includes both public and private institutions, across urban and rural areas, generally covering children between the ages of 4 and 6 years, as this is the typical age range for preschool in Jordan. The stratified sampling method was used to choose the participants. The study applied Benedict Anderson's theory of "Imagined Communities" by Anderson in 1983. The findings showed that the impact of national identity building on early childhood education in the schools of Irbid District Education Directorate in Jordan is positive and significant. Early childhood education curricula in Irbid significantly emphasized national identity by integrating lessons, stories, and activities centered on Jordanian traditions, such as hospitality, respect for elders, and family values, helping children develop pride in their heritage. The study concluded that the early childhood education programs and materials provided by the Irbid Regional Education Directorate provide a foundational platform for fostering a sense of national identity among Jordanian preschoolers. It is recommended that decision makers and teachers continue to integrate culturally relevant values, traditions, and symbols into the curriculum for early childhood to strengthen children's sense of national affiliation.

Using a case study approach, this chapter examines two primary changes to global health education prompted and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. First, is the acceleration of digital education into the typical global health classroom. Second, is the integration of transnational networks and partnerships between intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and higher education institutions (HEIs) to create, adapt, and disseminate digital materials in fast-changing information environments. The chapter examines the potential positive and negative impacts of the proliferation of digital content created by IGOs and international NGOs that is being rapidly integrated into use in HEIs for Global Health. The growth of tools and access through these new partnerships may lead to increased access to global health information for professionals. However, these changes may have long-term implications for global health regarding equitable access to culturally appropriate and accurate information. Furthermore, there may be additional implications for equity, as the proliferation of tools may still leave out the most vulnerable that do not have access to digital platforms. [For the complete volume, "Internationalization and Imprints of the Pandemic on Higher Education Worldwide. International Perspectives on Education and Society. Volume 44," see ED674996.]

This chapter explores the complexities surrounding the Malaysian education system in terms of race relations, political need of reform, and geographical diversity. In terms of race relations, the establishment of vernacular schools which was initially intended to cater to the sensitivities of the multi-ethnic character of the Malaysian population has continued the racial division of students in primary schooling along the lines of ethno-linguistic heterogeneity. This chapter also looks at the Malaysian Education Blueprint, an ambitious plan to reform the education system, which stemmed out of political necessity from the previous government in addressing the public's disapproval of the education system. Finally, the inherent geographical diversity in Malaysia has further magnified the differences of educational attainment of the different layers of the Malaysian community. Upon addressing these complexities, this chapter then takes an imaginary position on empowering Malaysian teachers as powerful agents in addressing these complexities by equipping them with comparativist insights. By streamlining efforts to provide a platform for intra-country comparative research, this chapter concludes that previous education reforms in Malaysia were unsuccessful due to the lack of research-based evidence. [For the complete volume, "Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2019. International Perspectives on Education and Society. Volume 39," see ED674880.]