Education & Pedagogy

The higher education sector in Hong Kong has restructured substantially from elite to mass higher education since the introduction of education reform by the Hong Kong government in 2000. To stay ahead in this competitive environment in the education sector, management teams of self-financing institutions have to compete for students and identify key factors influencing students' choice of post-secondary programmes. This paper investigates factors affecting students' choice of sub-degree programmes in self-financing higher education institutions in Hong Kong. Importance-performance analysis was employed as an analytical tool to help institutions identify areas for improvement and utilize their resources more effectively. The findings show that institutions should find ways to improve areas of "articulation", "career services", "financial aid" and "programme design" in order to increase their competitiveness. The outcomes of this research will help management teams of self-financing higher education institutions enhance their overall strategic plan and enrolment processes in order to attract students in a context of increasing competition for students in the Hong Kong higher education system.

Improving student retention in higher education is perceived as vital to the cost-effectiveness of educational systems. Research shows that clear educational goals may influence student retention, which suggests that helping students make more informed choices may improve student retention. In this article, we investigate whether a folk high school education prevents students from transfer and whether it makes students complete their first undergraduate education faster. The folk high school education is a 9-month program at a boarding school that among other things aims to help students find out what they wish to do in life. Contrary to our expectations, a folk high school education does not reduce transfer between institutions or between study programs. Nor does a folk high school education make students complete their first undergraduate program more efficiently than other students who postpone higher education. One policy implication of this article is that an academic break in itself does not make students more certain of their educational choices, not even at a school that aspires to provide an environment that facilitates greater reflection on where one wishes to go in life.

Global policy towards special and inclusive education has seen a shift in the overall approaches used. The Dakar and Salamanca frameworks have necessitated renewed energy and commitment in the fulfilment of equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities. The Salamanca Framework for Action is a commitment made by governments, international organizations, and non-governmental agencies on the implementation of policies and practices in special needs education. This framework was adopted by the World Conference on Special Needs Education in June 1994. The Dakar Framework for Action reaffirmed the commitment to education for all and was adopted by the World Education Forum in April 2000. Removing the hurdles to inclusive education in Guyana has been and continues to be a gigantic task. The effects of these hurdles have not only created barriers in educational settings but have also stymied expressions and authentic voices in the local subsectors of the country. This paper, among other things, examines some positive benefits and factors that promote inclusion. It also highlights the challenges to inclusion in Guyana and examines how individual attitudes and beliefs in the Guyanese society prevent key developments in special and inclusive education.

The purpose of this study was to examine correspondence schools of music in the early twentieth century. Advertisements in widely circulated household and music periodicals and archival copies of courses from Siegel-Myers Correspondence School of Music, United States School of Music, American College of Music, and others were examined. Research questions focused on course offerings, faculty, recruitment, and reputation of the schools. The study also examined the advantages and disadvantages of this first generation of distance education and implications for current distance education practices today. Results revealed that correspondence schools of music had more breadth and, in some cases, depth than previous research had indicated. Instruction at numerous schools was offered on a wide variety of instruments, including voice, as well as in music history, music theory, and music teacher education. One of the prominent teacher education resources was Frances Elliott Clark's Course in Public School Music offered through Siegel-Myers Correspondence School of Music. Instruction reached a wide demographic, including segments of the population without alternate access to music education. This rich history shows that distance education has been and will remain a viable and valuable option for accessing music education.

This article explains why the massification of higher education in Hong Kong has, contrary to the predictions of received wisdom, failed to enhance the upward social mobility of the youth in the city. Building upon recent literature in political science, it argues that massification can take different forms, which in turn determine the effects of massification on various social groups. Through exploring three critical phases in the city's higher education reform, this article demonstrates how higher education policies have been heavily shaped by the interests of the city's elites, who, on the one hand, see the expansion of higher education as a solution to such social and economic problems as unemployment and regional integration but, on the other, remain reluctant to increase public spending on the education sector. As a result, higher education has expanded almost exclusively in the private sector. Due to poor planning and implementation, graduates from self-financed programmes are severely disadvantaged in terms of employability, resulting in wage compression and unemployment. The findings of this study shed light on the regressive nature of higher education.

This paper will represent the pedagogy of Innovation Education in Iceland that is a new school policy within the Icelandic school system. In Innovation Education (IE) students are trained to identify needs and problems in their environment and to find solutions: this is referred to as the process of ideation. The main aim is to improve their social capital through general education. Innovation Education has taken form as a new cross curriculum subject called "Innovation and practical use of knowledge" as presented in the new National Curriculum from 2007. It has a place in the National Curriculum as a part of the new area for Information Technology and Technology Education. Innovation Education in this form can be said to be the result of 25 year's research work, aimed at developing this new model for education. This was done in cooperation between the school system and the work place. The paper presents how the curriculum subject has developed its character, the pedagogical framework it is based upon as well as the ideology behind it and its ethical value as a part of general education.

"Burnout" and praxis shock seem to be causing teachers to leave the profession early. Much research suggests that this is a reflection on the quality of teacher education programs. Interviews with teachers who were in their first four years in the secondary music classroom reveal how they view their pre-service preparation, and therefore provide an insight into how pre-service teacher education might be effectively reconceptualised. This paper explores the relationship between Zeichner and Liston's (1990) teacher education "traditions" and early-career music teachers' perceptions of an "ideal" teacher education course. Analyses of interviews with 15 early-career secondary classroom music teachers suggest the emergence of a common understanding regarding the design of effective music teacher education programs. Rather than representing any of Zeichner and Liston's four traditions in particular, early-career music teachers speak of a music teacher education approach that incorporates all of the traditions in an integrated way. This understanding of an "ideal" teacher education course should be considered when designing or reconceptualising teacher education courses in order to provide improved opportunities for future music teachers.

Objective: To present a model for an educational continuum that identifies entry-level to advance practice competencies and content for athletic training education. Background: Specific degree-level purposes within the context of higher education, in conjunction with professional needs should be addressed in athletic training education. Post-certification (graduate) programs in athletic training should offer increased depth of knowledge and prepare students as clinical experts, scholars, and leaders. To this end, curricular content, based on the athletic training job analysis (i.e., Role Delineation Study), institutional missions, and degree-level specific purposes need to be considered. Description: Graduate athletic training education programs are primarily left to the purview of individual institutions. Using existing curricular development models (i.e., DACUM model and participatory approach) and predictive methods (i.e., Delphi Technique) within the context of higher education, athletic training educators can identify specific competencies and associated content. Then educators can determine the levels of importance of those competencies and content according to the types of athletic training education. Clinical advantages: The proposed framework does not violate institutional and faculty autonomy, but helps to delineate important content for development in graduate athletic training education.

Since the Dakar Framework for Action, governments around the world, especially in Western societies, have reaffirmed their commitment to a quality education for all in an inclusive environment. The purpose of this paper is to understand the barriers that prevent an education system from guaranteeing an inclusive education for all and for children with learning difficulties and disabilities, in particular. It is based upon the assumption that bringing about the shift envisioned within the UN CRPD requires societal changes in attitudes, beliefs and assumptions about disability, diversity and difference. It is suggested that societal values form the bedrock of an education system. In order to bring about the changes envisioned by the UN CRPD, it is necessary to reflect upon these values and their impact on educational discourse, policy and practice. This paper examines whether a correlation exists between the values underlying a society and its approach to inclusive education for children with learning difficulties and disabilities. Put another way, assessing the influence of societal values on the design of an education system, and on its approach to special education, may clarify the barriers to, and changes required for, the implementation of an inclusive education system.

Implementing internal quality assurance activities is an indispensable condition to form a quality culture in higher education institutions in Vietnam which contributes to a fundamental and comprehensive renovation of Vietnamese higher education. The purpose of this research was to assess the correlation of internal quality assurance on the formation of quality culture throughout the types of higher education institutions in Vietnam. A group of 222 teachers from 8 higher education institutions (4 public higher education institutions and 4 private higher education institutions) in Ho Chi Minh city participated in a survey. The questionnaire included three groups which are internal quality assurance activities, awareness of individuals, and organizational culture. The results showed that the correlation between internal quality assurance and the formation of quality culture is different between the two types of higher education institutions. With the autonomy mechanism in higher education institution administration, the level of application of guaranteed the internal quality assurance activities is associated with quality culture developing in private higher education institutions higher than public higher education institutions.

The purpose of this study was to investigate Japanese graduate students' research skill learning experiences in physical education teacher education at a public university. In this study, andragogy theory was utilised, which allowed the researchers to understand Japanese graduate students' learning experiences. Five Japanese physical education master's students (3 men and 2 women) participated in the study, which had a descriptive-qualitative design using an in-depth, semi-structured interview approach. The data sources were demographic questionnaire and face to face interviews. Interview data were analysed using a constant comparative method, and resulted in themes related to (a) "strategies for physical education literature," (b) "understanding the value and application of literature," and (c) "learning how to replicate research studies in physical education." To better support Japanese graduate students, this study encourages physical education teacher education faculty and graduate students to learn the nature of the research projects (e.g. thesis) regarding how to develop a blueprint for the theoretical framework, research method, and presentation of results using international research sources in the graduate students' research seminars.

This study examines the nature of sustainability education in public affairs programs. First, through web content analysis of NASPAA accredited MPA/MPP programs, and second through web survey of program directors, data were collected on perceptions about sustainability education and public administration, demand for sustainability education, sustainability related courses, pedagogical tools used, nature of collaborators that make sustainability education possible and factors that impede or enable the inclusion of sustainability education in these programs. When considered as a holistic concept without being broken down into its three componential parts, only 10% of all courses offered are on sustainability. Results show that a total of 164 programs (~94%) have listed courses in at least one of the three areas (economic, environmental and social) of sustainability. Programs vary in terms of whether they offer courses as core or electives. Thirty-five programs offered a dedicated concentration in environmental sustainability. Survey results indicate general agreement about synergies in sustainability education and PA education which should be formalized through curricular inclusion. However, only about 50% of survey respondents experienced demand for sustainability education. Programmatic, institutional and professional facilitators, and impediments to infusion of sustainability education in PA curricula are discussed.

This paper is written in response to Alberto J. Rodriguez and Deb Morrison's article entitled, "Expanding and Enacting Transformative Meanings of Equity, Diversity and Social Justice in Science Education." The authors provide a historical account of science education social justice research efforts within the USA and support the need to more critically incorporate social justice research agendas in science education. They summarize four main rationales used in science education research for engaging in equity, diversity and social justice: the economic, moral, demographic shift, and sociotransformative arguments. The authors remind researchers to consider systems of power and privilege when advocating for marginalized people, arguing that social justice should be embodied by the researcher and constantly be enacted within their work. The authors question why few have taken up social justice science education research. This paper expands on these authors' arguments by offering a critical race analysis of the social justice construct in science education research. I conclude with suggesting the need to deconstruct whiteness within social justice science education research agendas. [This review essay addresses issues raised in Alberto J. Rodriguez and Deb Morrison's paper entitled: "Expanding and Enacting Transformative Meanings of Equity, Diversity and Social Justice in Science Education" (EJ1218538).]

Equity refers to fairness in education, which represents all irrespective of any differences with the goal of access, participation and progression in education. The study, thus, analyzed students' equity in terms of access, participation and outcomes at higher education. The data had been collected from 641 students enrolled in three public sector general universities of the Punjab using multistage sampling technique. The tool of the study was a self-developed questionnaire, comprising 65 items on Likert-type scale. The quantitative data analysis included percentage analysis, correlation, "t-test" and ANOVA. The study confirmed the link of equitable access and equitable participation to equitable educational outcomes. The results presented the less positive situation of equity in public sector higher education, whether related to equitable access to resources, equitable participation and equitable educational outcomes. Significant differences were also observed in students' equity, with respect to family income and mother education. Findings suggested that the education system needed to commit to the principle of fairness leading to equitable higher education.

Higher education in Mexico is under an ongoing transition process influenced by global tendencies. The world is changing, and Mexico is striving to fulfill the latest requirements to be part of the "elite universities." Although higher education literature has tracked Mexico's progress, the tension between global tendencies and their effects on Mexican higher education institutions have not been explored. Drawing upon academic capitalism and the theory of power, this article examines not only the academic growth but also global tendencies in higher education--such as privatization, international ranking, and academic stratification--that act as policy-drivers to reshape educational policy in Mexico. Furthermore, it examines current strategies in higher education policy, seeking to decipher its focus on science and technology as result of globalization pressure. The authors suggest higher education policy in Mexico is shaped by dominant voices that exert their power to keep current hegemonic relations that benefit those in top positions. Also, they assert the detrimental effects of current policies deserve to be explored.