Education & Pedagogy

This study examined a teacher education program rooted in a social justice framework and intended to infuse multicultural education throughout the curriculum. Two teacher educators designed the three-year, undergraduate program to prepare mostly White candidates from a suburban area to teach in urban elementary schools. By describing the perceptions of both teacher candidates' and their instructors about programmatic experiences, coupled with examination of all course syllabi, we illuminate various dynamics that support and hinder multiculturalism in teacher education. The findings from this study reveal opportunities to enhance multicultural teacher education by negotiating candidates' resistance. Through opportunities that challenge their perspectives and scaffold their conceptions of ideas, such as classroom as communities, candidates can develop capacities as multicultural educators. Although we acknowledge that multicultural education should be a focus within and across programs, we believe this focus should be systematic, deliberate and visible. (Contains 4 footnotes.)

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that influenced the postsecondary education enrollment behaviors of students who graduated from an urban agricultural education program. Students indicated that parents and/or guardians had the most influence on their decisions to enroll in a postsecondary education program of agriculture. However, they indicated that their mothers or female guardians had slightly more influence than their fathers or male guardians. Students also reported an interest in agriculture, personal factors, and job opportunities as the events and experiences that most influenced their decisions to enroll. Students who did not choose to enroll cited a lack of interest and personal factors as the primary reasons. Discriminant analysis revealed that high school grade point average and mother's or female guardian's level of influence were the most important factors for predicting if students would or would not enroll in a postsecondary education program of agriculture. (Contains 5 tables.)

In recent years, the author relates how she had been on a journey to explore the role of art education in fostering ecological literacy. While she had tracked discussions about eco-art education back over three decades in the literature, the author relates how she was still working through exactly what eco-art education is and how it contributes to developing learners' ecological literacy. She had previously reported on a pilot study in this area and had began mapping her journey into this emerging field of study. This map has continued to develop since that time. In this article, the author tracks some of the theoretical and pedagogical discourse she has found most intriguing in recent years. She also proposes new directions in which eco-art education can grow, hopefully encouraging other educators and scholars to expand it beyond its current boundaries, contributing to the greening of art education and to the growth of ecological literacy in general. (Contains 4 footnotes.)

Following recent education policy and curriculum changes in England, the notion of inclusion of children with special educational needs in physical education has increasingly become a topic of research interest and concern. It was the aim of this study to explore personal experiences and perspectives of inclusion in physical education. To this end this study used a series of interviews and observations with a visually impaired (blind) pupil, a physical education teacher and a learning support assistant at a school for children with moderate learning difficulties. The findings highlighted four significant areas of impact: the role of teacher training and development; the role of learning support assistants; resources; and the limitations of the National Curriculum in Physical Education as a framework for inclusion. Recommendations on how to address these issues in order to improve the standards of inclusion for visually impaired pupils in physical education are made.

In Sweden, working with young children in institutions outside the home dates back to the late nineteenth century when public child care provision developed in a context of industrialization, urbanization and democratization. Out of the charitable work of unmarried women in these early institutions, pre-schools and teacher education programmes developed. Over the years, pre-school teacher education has undergone major changes, the most recent reform being the move into a system within which the previous eight distinctive teacher education programmes, pre-school teacher education being one of them, have been replaced by one integrated teaching degree. This article addresses some major features of the development of pre-school teacher education and concludes with a discussion of the most recent reform and its consequences for the early childhood teaching profession. (Contains 1 figure and 4 notes.)

This article traces the history of the Conceptual Physical Education (CPE) movement and the important role this movement has played in college and university physical education departments in America over the past 50 years. CPE emerged out of basic instruction programs (i.e., skill-based, activity classes) during an era characterized by the accumulation of a large body of scientific evidence regarding the health benefits of physical activity, the formation of subdisciplinary areas of study, and a dramatically changing curriculum in higher education. CPE merges the practice and science of the field through a lecture-laboratory approach. First introduced in the 1960s by innovators, CPE classes are now offered by most college and university physical education programs in the United States, suggesting that CPE is a true innovation, rather than simply a passing fad. (Contains 1 figure, 2 tables, and 3 notes.)

This article explores the extent to which funding is used to steer the public higher education sector towards meeting the social, political and economic imperatives of post-1994 South Africa. It argues that the design of the funding framework influenced the direction of higher education after 1994, and that funding mechanisms explicitly or implicitly further both the public and the private good dimensions of higher education. It suggests that the previous funding mechanisms in South African higher education were linked to the policy of separate development, which resulted in inequalities along racial lines. The article concludes that the current funding framework does in some respects contribute to the realisation of the government's aim to redress past imbalances and inequities in the higher education sector. It further concludes that the government needs to create a framework that would give markets the opportunity to form partnerships with the government to impart skills.

The study assessed how well the field of teacher education in special education is preparing the next generation of teacher educators to be stewards of the discipline by exploring the particular case of deaf education. Assuming that preparing doctoral graduates who are able to conduct valuable and quality research requires mentoring by faculty who conduct such research, the study examined the scholarly productivity of 127 teacher educators in deaf education at U.S. postsecondary institutions. Results showed that most had published relatively little during the past 6 years, greater than half had published relatively little over the course of their careers, and less than half of their dissertations had been published. If this case study of one special education field is representative of the others, it suggests that special education needs to broaden the dialogue to address not only the shortages but the quality of faculty. (Contains 2 figures.)

This article reviews current literature and discussion about the policies and sites of Australian adult education and training and their potential impact on the development of social capital in a regional context. The review stems from a current research project examining the impact of participation in adult education by people from diverse cultural backgrounds in a regional town in northern Victoria. There is evidence that adult education can transform individuals via access to new knowledge and skills, but can it impact on the social cohesiveness of groups, communities and regions in Australian society? Access and equity policies and strategies form the centre of adult, community and public education in Australia and it is time for these to be significantly reviewed in the context of a culturally diverse twenty first century society. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss several technology applications that are being used to address current problems or opportunities related to multicultural education. Design/methodology/approach: Five technology applications or technology-related projects are discussed, including a teacher education literacy tool, social networking communities, massive multiplayer online role-playing games, virtual patients, and an International Leadership in Educational Technology consortium. Findings: Research and practical implications of this paper include the introduction of new technologies for improving multicultural education, research findings on the use of these tools, and potential opportunities or pitfalls as such tools are implemented and evaluated. Originality/value: The paper concludes with a call for new research in the area of technologies for multicultural education. (Contains 4 figures.)

This article explores the transformative potential of post-structuralist theories in rethinking global education policies and comparative education practices. It critically examines the power dynamics underlying hegemonic narratives in education and highlights the ways in which these narratives marginalize local knowledge systems and reinforce inequalities. Using Foucault's notions of regimes of truth and Deleuze and Guattari's rhizomatic learning, the article demonstrates how post-structuralist frameworks challenge normative assumptions and propose alternative models based on equity, inclusion, and diversity. Local adaptations, counter-narratives, and strategies of resistance are analyzed as key mechanisms for negotiating and transforming global education policies in specific cultural and social contexts. The discussion emphasizes the importance of embracing epistemological pluralism and participatory governance to promote more equitable and inclusive educational practices. Concluding with directions for the future, the article underlines the relevance of post-structuralist approaches for advancing critical research and practice in comparative education.

The American aspiration for higher education as a road to a better life for everyone is threatened. As the economic and social gap between the upper third of the population and the bottom third widens, so access to better education, especially to higher education, becomes increasingly difficult to achieve. The traditional role of hope in the American Democratic Dream of a just and fair society is being eroded, as increasing numbers of Americans are marginalized, jailed, recruited into military service, and consigned to jobs with minimal salaries. But low-paying jobs are not new in American history; what is new is that the hope for higher education and improvement in one's economic and social status is slipping away. The lower expectations result from federal cuts in support of education and for scholarships for higher education. This article reviews the conditions that are undermining the traditional visions of democratic schooling in America.

This paper explores assumptions about essential knowledge in degree programs that have traditionally prepared teachers of physical education, and discusses the question of what sort of teacher education is necessary or desirable to prepare teachers for the new Health & Physical Education (HPE) key learning area. I argue that the curriculum of the typical HPE degree program reinforces a desire for certainty (Bauman, 2001 ) that is incompatible with the conditions of contemporary living and the nature of teachers' work. Moreover, it may be contributing to a 'teacher identity' in tension with the socially-critical agenda embedded in the contemporary HPE school curriculum. Rejecting the notion of 'business as usual', I contend that it is the way of thinking about education, health, physical education, and the work of contemporary schooling, that is the most important graduate attribute our students may acquire. Proposing that Giddens' (1994) notion of the sociological imagination offers potential in this regard, I consider one program with sympathies with this orientation.

The reform of the higher education system in South Africa has been well-documented in recent years.* The reform process it is stated, is directed at the establishment of one higher education system that will contribute to the social, economic and political development of the South African society. In this article I explore the possibilities that a Derridian text on the nature of university education might hold for the ongoing process of transformation in South African universities. Such possibilities are set out, not directly by way of a set of applications or methodologies to be followed, but rather by an exploration of Derrida's own interpretation of his concept of deconstruction and how he sees it in relation to responsibility, especially within the context of university education. I set about this by examining Derrida's commentary on the debate surrounding the role of universities in society, and then go on to propose, what I refer to as education for responsibility, as constituting the quintessential hallmark of university education.

Education is a provincial responsibility in Canada, but there is a sharing of expenditure and strong support of public education, health and other welfare programs between the provinces and the federal government. Although the federal policy of multiculturalism has been aimed at making Canada a "just" society, the implementation of this policy in education in English-speaking Canada has been far from satisfactory, and there is great variation among the provinces in educational programs. In Quebec, the federal policy of multiculturalism is ideologically opposed to the vision of French-Quebecois nationalism. While the federal policy of intercultural education has made some attempts to integrate immigrant populations, the focus remains on linguistic programs. In facing the dramatic changes driven by internationalization and a globalized economy, Canadians must respond--so the conclusion of the present study--to the urgent need to redefine the meaning of multiculturalism with radical educational programs.