Education & Pedagogy

These authors, all teacher educators, researchers, and scholars, are immersed across issues related to social justice in teacher education. Here, they reflect on and synthesize what they have learned from the literature, their practice, and their research to discuss social justice imperatives for teacher education. For the past 7 years, the authors examined institutional conceptions and understandings of social justice in teacher education through conceptual frameworks. This work, as well as personal commitments to and perspectives on education for social justice, forms the basis of this article. They assert that social justice in teacher education, while shaped by scholars, is uniquely situated in each institution's context and mission and that, to provide clarity and direction for themselves as well as candidates, members of those institutions should consider "why, where, and by whom?" to frame social justice in the preparation of teachers. (Contains 1 note.)

By means of an investigation into the school education of the Dai people in Dehong, Yunnan province, this article expounds on the interactive relationship between modern education and local culture and the problems of cultural adaptation among ethnic minority students. School education, as a symbol of state power, always endeavors to transform internal Others into modern citizens. It devises a closed venue and separates students from everyday life situations to place them in a system of abstract knowledge. In local culture, however, students form practical knowledge in the course of enculturation. Due to the sustained expansion of modernity, an unequal power relationship is formed between abstract knowledge and practical knowledge. Meanwhile, school education is subject to constant parental queries, causing difficulties in cultural adaptation for Dai students. The article points out in conclusion that ethnic education should avoid creating doubly marginalized persons. (Contains 1 table.)

The German secondary education system is highly stratified. However, the higher tracks have expanded vastly over the last decades, leading to substantial changes in the distribution of students across the different tracks. Following the German re-unification, the school structure itself has also changed to some degree. Furthermore, several smaller education reforms have increased the flexibility of moving between different tracks. This study describes the changing distributions from 1970 to 2006 and examines whether social inequality in lower secondary education outcome and transition to upper secondary education has changed during the process. We find no robust evidence for change in social inequalities in the attainment of lower secondary school-leaving certificates or entry into the various upper secondary options. Most but not all of the observed inequality is due to individuals' lower secondary track placement. (Contains 8 tables, 5 figures, and 21 notes.)

Many studies reveal a huge gap between theory and practice in teacher education, leading to serious doubts concerning the effectiveness of teacher education. In this paper, the causes of the gap between theory and practice are analysed. On this basis, and grounded in a three-level model of teacher learning, the so-called "realistic approach" to teacher education has been developed. It takes the causes of the theory-practice divide into account, and shows a new direction in the pedagogy of teacher education. Several evaluative studies into the realistic approach will be summarised. They lead to significant conclusions about the need for careful programme design based on: (1) an elaborated view of the intended process of teacher learning; (2) specific pedagogical approaches; and (3) an investment in the quality of staff members. The conclusions and implications are put into an international perspective. (Contains 2 figures.)

German higher education institutions offer insufficient programmes in continuing academic education. Less than 1% of all degrees awarded by HEIs in Germany in 2001 were Master's degrees. Despite the fact that the German economy is among the largest in the world, measured by percentage of GDP the country is investing 35% less in tertiary-level education than the average OECD country. The Bund-Lander Commission for Educational Planning and Research Promotion concluded that German universities were not fulfilling their task of offering continuing education and recommended reforms including (a) the development of continuing academic education incorporating the use of virtual programmes, (b) the use of new media and (c) refined concepts for teaching methods to impart media skills. This article describes the steps taken to introduce the first programme in continuing academic education leveraging e-learning at the University of Applied Sciences in Furtwangen, and concludes with policy recommendations for the further improvement of the German higher education system. (Contains 5 figures.)

This mixed-method study examined a neglected area in career education: parents' attitudes toward the relevance of early career development, parents' attitudes toward the implementation of career education in preschools (including preferred subjects to be included in curricula), and the contribution of gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and education to these attitudes. Fifteen parents were interviewed, and an additional 140 parents (47 men, 93 women; ages 24-55 years) with at least one preschooler (4-6 years old) completed two attitude questionnaires developed for the current study. Results indicated moderate positive agreement with the developmental approach and with preschool implementation of career education. Parents agreed that the curriculum in the preschool system should include some career education, but they wanted it introduced slowly, step-by-step. Almost all of them talked about the need to protect children from the complexity of work. Education and high SES correlated with positive attitudes. The study discusses practical implications for career education programs. (Contains 4 tables.)

This article examines the education of African American girls and women. It begins with a look at scholarship on African American girls and women published in "The Journal of Negro Education" from its inception in 1932 to the present. Subsequently, a historical overview of the long, hard-fought struggles of educating this population for empowerment and uplift of the race is provided, including a discussion of late 19th and early 20th century schools for African American girls and women and prominent African American women educators of this period. This is followed by an examination of contemporary successes and challenges including a look at the educational outcomes and experiences of African American girls and women in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions. Finally, the article concludes with recommendations for better understanding and enhancing the education of African American girls and women.

The importance of recognising the mismatch between a shared perception of separateness in Western thinking and the systemic and inevitably participative nature of the world is outlined. The article then traces the development of forms of "education for change" that seek to address sustainability issues that stem from dissociation, and notes that diversity of forms has led to a degree of fragmentation, while calls for an integrative and coherent approach to educational reform are becoming stronger. Less attention and loyalty should be paid to labels, and more to meaning and values informing educational thinking and practice. Whilst diverse forms of education for change have value, an imperative remains to rethink education more widely so that it is fully responsive to the times we live in. A plea for "sustainable education" denoting a change of educational culture that is at heart relational and in accord with the Earth Charter, is made.

In 1999, the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science introduced a new kind of compulsory arts education in secondary school aimed at stimulating cultural participation among Dutch youth. This article examines whether the course, called "Cultural and Artistic Education," succeeds in doing so. Data on 3,851 secondary school students (ages 14-16) in the Netherlands reveal that enrollment in Cultural and Artistic Education stimulates participation in high culture and, to a smaller degree, popular culture. The effects apply equally to students with different gender, ethnic minority, and family background status. A positive effect on attitude toward art only partly holds and is less convincing. No effects were found on the complexity of the attended cultural activities. (Contains 5 tables, 2 figures, and 1 endnote.)

This paper assesses the role of podcasting in a postgraduate physical education teacher education (PETE) program. Twice weekly podcasts reflecting student teachers' participation in a games education module were made available shortly after instruction. Podcasting was used to enhance the social, emotional and pedagogical dimensions of games for these students. After 12 weeks of instruction, feedback on the intervention was provided through completion of a short survey. The survey was followed by a focus group interview involving a randomly selected group of six. Findings revealed that the majority rated podcasts highly in terms of being educationally helpful, conceptually enriching, and "worth looking forward to". Postgraduates also suggested that podcasting substantially supported preparing for tests and examinations, strengthened the teacher-student relationship, and had the potential to develop the physical education (PE) curriculum in schools. The preliminary results for games learning in PE were promising.

Technology education is facing a significant teacher shortage. The purpose of this study was to address the technology education teacher shortage by examining the factors that influence technology education teachers to accept teaching positions. The population for the study consisted of technology education teachers and administrators. A survey instrument was developed that asked participants to indicate their level of agreement on 28 factors influence on whether a technology education teacher accepts a teaching position. A five point Likert scale was used to determine level of agreement. The results of the study revealed that the factors believed to most influence a technology education teacher to accept a teaching position included having resources available for the classrooms and labs, having resources for professional development, and a collaborative work environment. Discussions include recommendations for the development of technology education teacher recruitment programs, as well as policies that positively impact recruitment. (Contains 3 tables.)

In this article, the author discusses the crucial role that a school principal plays in spearheading environmental education. In the execution of environmental education, the principal is not merely a passive supporter and participant; he should go further to be an initiator. The principal must take the initiative and, using his own ideas and his own speech and actions, be farsighted and creative while calling on and directing the school's entire teacher and student body to plunge into the establishing of the "green school." The author also discusses the importance of implementing environmental education as a project. Implementation proves that by performing the task of environmental education, a school's awareness, systematic nature, and effectiveness in environmental education can be heightened. Among other things, the author emphasizes the importance of putting a rich and varied regime of environmental education into practice, in order to stimulate the healthy maturation of the students and the development of the school's education. (Contains 1 footnote.)

In the context of today's turbulent university life, public education debates, and highly charged political milieu, the phrase "middle school teacher education" might be said to describe a less-than-quiet target of opportunity for a whole host of groups who despise the values, meanings, and the central goals of the middle school movement and anyone associated with it. Furthermore, high ranking officials of the government accused traditional teacher education programs for their failure to produce highly qualified teachers that the "No Child Left Behind Act" requires. In this article, the author affirms that the so-called failure of school reform is the fault, not primarily of teachers and principals, nor a socialist system, or even education professors, but of those politicians, bureaucrats, and corporate CEOs who lack the will to provide the leadership and resources required for permanent improvement.

The benefits of a compulsory internship in environmental science education were investigated with respect to the three institutional goals of university education: (1) training for research; (2) professional education; and (3) general natural science education. A survey examined which student qualifications are improved by an internship complementary to traditional university education. The survey assessed 14 qualifications of students participating in a compulsory 15-week internship in the 5-year diploma program at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich). Pre- and postinternship questionnaires of 478 students and 293 supervisors are included. Results indicated that internships enhance general abilities and key qualifications, such as communication skills, report writing, organization of work, information acquisition, and the ability to operate independently. This suggests that internships are of high value to professional education. However, internships also seem to promote salient qualifications of complex environmental problem solving which are relevant for the development of research capabilities in environmental sciences.

The same factors appear to drive early childhood policy in all parts of the world, including the importance accorded to early childhood education, national goals, governments' beliefs about their role in the early care and education of young children, governments' regulations of early childhood services, and the background and characteristics of stakeholders. Early childhood education is also embedded in, and molded by, the social and cultural context in which it occurs. This article highlights the role of both social and political forces in shaping early childhood education policy and practice in Hong Kong. The authors examine the implications of these recent reforms for the early childhood sector. Various challenges faced by stakeholders are also addressed. Perhaps the most significant of these is a clash between traditional and contemporary attitudes towards education, and an underestimation of the potent force of sociopolitical and cultural ideals in shaping beliefs about the nature and outcome of education.