Education & Pedagogy

Research studies in agriculture education conducted between 1969 and 1978 are analyzed to provide an overview of representative studies in the following areas: teacher education, instruction, curriculum, student services, recruitment and retention of teachers, disadvantaged students, program planning, evaluation studies, administration and supervision, adult education, postsecondary agricultural education, and career education in agriculture. (All studies selected relate to secondary and postsecondary vocational agriculture programs in the United States.) After research in each area is reviewed, summary comments are presented to indicate trends, patterns, and important findings in that area. Finally, overall conclusions and recommendations are presented based on the total review of the research. Some of these conclusions are as follows: (1) even though the profession has an abundance of task analysis information and nationally prepared curriculum guides available for all specialty areas, little attempt has been made to evaluate task lists or curriculum guides using actual field observations; (2) even though there appears to be sufficient work completed in identifying the professional competencies needed by vocational agriculture teachers, the profession could benefit from coordinated inquiry into which competencies improve student learning; and (3) even though there is substantial documentation of the shortage of vocational agriculture teachers, to date there is no evidence of a recruitment program successful enough to attract the attention of the profession. (BM)

The purpose of the South Dakota Career Education Project was to establish demonstration centers for the development and advancement of K-12 career education in the state. These demonstration centers were also intended to serve as a national model for the delivery of career education services. The major objective was to provide a program of in-service education and curriculum enrichment for the staffs and students of ten demonstration school systems. The following specific objectives were met: provide an in-service program in career education concepts for teachers, counselors, and administrators; provide K-12 students with insights into themselves, the eight areas of awareness, and equip them with decision-making skills; provide career education demonstration components for the faculties and the students of three teacher training colleges and provide career education teaching experiences for cadet teachers; provide a program for developing community awareness of career education; provide support services in research and for the dissemination of career education materials; and provide a method of evaluation of the project. (A performance report included in this document examines each of these six specific objectives. Also included in this document are an annotated bibliography of curriculum materials, the semi-annual report, various conference reports, and other related materials. A companion document, CE 017 645, contains the external evaluation of the project.) (BM)

A rapid feedback evaluation of the federal career education incentive program was conducted to compile readily available information regarding the implementation of career education under the Career Education Incentive Act (PL 95-207). Attention was directed toward the activities and accomplishments of the four major actors in the career education program that were named in the legislation: the Office (now Division) of Career Education (OCE), the National Advisory Council for Career Education, state education agencies, and intermediate and local education agencies. Information relating to the performance of each of these groups was obtained through analyses of program records and visits to selected states and locales. Although the data gathered in this manner was readily obtainable, and in no way represents a total picture, it can be inferred that PL 95-207 funds are serving the purposes envisioned by Congress when it passed the Incentive Act. All but three states have become active participants in the federal career education program. OCE is providing advice and assistance to states as well as using discretionary funds to address needs common to several, if not all, of the states (such as information on exemplary programs, etc.). States are using the Incentive Act funds as prescribed by the Act. Thus, in spite of the relatively small amount of funds appropriated for career education, substantial progress appears to have been made at the national, state, and local levels in developing commitment to career education and in instilling career education into the educational system at the K-12 levels. (KC)

This publication contains addresses on continuing professional education given at a conference at the University of Calgary (Canada) in October, 1980. Themes of the conference speakers included the need for continuing professional education and the content and delivery of such education. In an opening address, J. Roby Kidd discussed the meaning of "professional" and predicted the trends in continuing professional education in the 1980s. Following this address, Alan B. Knox reported on a study of university-based continuing professional education efforts in five fields--medicine, pharmacy, social work, education, and law. He noted that organizational aspects of each of these educational efforts can be useful for other professions' efforts in continuing education. The pros and cons of making continuing professional education mandatory then were debated by Floyd Pennington, who concluded that the benefits of mandatory CPE cannot be documented. In the next address, H. K. Baskett and Christopher W. Day proposed that reliance on program planning notions and ideas about andragogy as currently held result in education inconsistent with the true needs and learning behaviors of professionals, and that the inconsistencies in current theories should be examined to improve continuing professional education. Following a panel discussion on cooperation and competetion in the delivery of continuing professional education, J. Roby Kidd ended the conference with a summary of the recurrent remarks and themes heard during the meeting. (Descriptions of nine workshops held at the conference are included in the report.) (KC)

Seminar and conference reports and working papers on distance education of adults, which reflect the experiences of many countries, are presented. Contents include the draft report of the 1979 International Seminar on Distance Education held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which was jointly sponsored by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the German Foundation for International Development. Conference objectives were: to analyze the experiences gained in distance education projects and to consider means of promoting international cooperation at all educational levels; to consider staff training and development in support of distance education projects; to discuss the role of the university in distance education; and to consider the possible formation of an African network of open universities. Program information is also presented on the 1979 Open University Conference on the Education of Adults at a Distance, held in Birmingham, London. Conference topics included the target populations for distance education of adults, general principles and methodology of distance education, and collaboration at national, regional, and international levels. The following working papers from the Open University conference are presented: "Distance Learning and the LDC University," by Robert H. Maybury; "The Open University System at Unam (Mexico)," by Augusto Moreno y Moreno; "Training and Education of Teachers in Higher Education in Developing Countries," by L. R. B. Elton; "The Philippine Experience in Distance Education: Case Studies in a Developing Country," by A. O. Fineza; and "IEC's Experience of International Cooperation: International Extension College." (SW)

This report presents findings from a regional study by 16 Asian nations on the status of moral education in the Asian region. The objectives of the study were to compile a state of the art report on moral education and to suggest ways in which moral development can keep pace with technological development. The document is presented in four sections. Section one introduces the scope of the study; states general objectives of moral education (to help children become responsible citizens, develop humanistic understandings, realize their maximum possible development potential, and to cope with rapid social change); and suggests why there is such an urgent need for moral education in Asia's developing nations. Section two presents a synthesis of reports on moral education in the 16 nations which participated in the project. Information is presented on objectives, socio-cultural and historical background, curriculum, instructional materials and media, teaching methods, teacher education, research, and evaluation. Section three presents reports by country for Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burma, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. The final section identifies and briefly discusses 17 basic issues in moral education, including the dichotomy between moral precept and practice, influences of socioeconomic conditions on moral behavior, the spirit of competitiveness, and the relationship between moral and religious education. The document concludes with a directory of 75 project participants. (DB)

The "Condition of Education" is an annual publication from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) that fulfills a mandate of the United States Congress. Using data from NCES and other sources, NCES compiles a set of "indicators" on the condition of education in the United States at all levels, from prekindergarten through postsecondary. The Report on the Condition of Education 2025 comprises key findings from the Indicator System. This summary report provides a brief overview of information available on various topics and is organized into three sections: preprimary, elementary, and secondary education; postsecondary education; and population characteristics and economic outcomes. These three sections are preceded first by a general overview of the condition of education in the United States and then a section highlighting data from newly updated indicators. The data in the indicators were obtained from different surveys and compilations of administrative records and reflect various respondents throughout the education system, including students and teachers, elementary and secondary schools, state education agencies, and colleges and universities. Users should be cautious when comparing data from different sources. Unless otherwise noted, data throughout this report represent the 50 states and the District of Columbia. All data reflect the most current data available at the time the report was produced. [This report was prepared with assistance from Activate Research, Inc.]

By 2015, all young people must participate in some form of education and training until they are aged 18. This review discusses the challenges and opportunities involved if vocational education and training is to contribute to this raising of the participation age. We argue that as well as ensuring that young people who have made a full-time commitment to a particular vocation have access to high-quality programmes, young people currently not in education, employment or training must also have a suitable offer. We outline seven principles, capturing what vocational education and training should contain, where they should be located, and who should be entrusted with their delivery. We use these principles as a guide to provide an audit of recent vocational education and training. This reveals a need for more programmes with good progression opportunities, high-quality learning environments and access to dedicated professional staff. We describe two case studies which go some way to meeting our principles: the Derby Apprenticeship Pathway aimed at young people who have made a vocational commitment, and the Activity Agreement Pilot aimed at re-engaging young people currently not in education, employment or training. We argue that both types of provision will be necessary if raising the participation age is to be implemented successfully.

Contemporary higher education managers, in Africa, seem to have found themselves in a changed environment, with increased and increasing challenges, to operate and achieve success. Although, there is the existence of diversity in the label and typology as well as in the priorities and emphasis among the higher education systems in Africa, there is need to recognize the fact that the issues and challenges, irrespective of the country, have common elements, which will require similar applications for their successful management. The forces of globalization seem to be challenging African higher education systems to transcend insularity and expand their information horizon among themselves to revitalize and strengthen these systems. In making these claims and considering the role of a regional higher education management information network system (RHEMINS), in strengthening the management of the higher education systems in Africa, this paper will start by briefly discussing the concept of higher education. Some of the issues and challenges facing higher education management in Africa will be x-rayed. The paper will then discuss the need for a more responsive information enrichment strategy. This will be followed by the discussion on the nature of the Regional Higher Education Management Information Network System and its role as a collaborative approach for strengthening higher education management in the African region. It concludes by calling on African higher education managers to work out and adopt a regional approach in the acquisition of management information. [Paper presented at the Regional Conference of Higher Education Research and Policy Network (HERPNET) (2nd, Ibadan, Nigeria, August 13-16, 2007).]

The study assessed the adequacy of instructional resources available for business education programmes at the colleges of education in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria in relation to the standards stipulated by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE). The study adopted the ex-post facto research design and was guided by five research questions. The population of the study comprised all the six business education departments of the colleges of education in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria. The entire population was studied in terms of adequacy of instructional resources. The data for the study was collected through direct observation using the NCCE benchmarks as inventory and analyzed using ratio and percentage scores. The study found that lecturers and physical facilities available for business education programmes are adequate in some of the colleges and not adequate in others. Equipment and supplies in the typing laboratories, shorthand studios and model offices were found to be grossly inadequate in all the colleges studied. Based on these findings therefore, it was concluded that students of business education in these colleges of education are learning without the necessary and required instructional resources for effective development. To this end, it was recommended among others that the National Commission for Colleges of Education should regularly supervise the programmes of business education and ensure that their stipulated standards are maintained.

Australian Government participation targets recommended in the Review of Australian Higher Education (Bradley In Review of Australian higher education: Final report, Commonwealth of Australia 2008) presented a complex public communication challenge to higher education participation. This research discusses the content of communication messages about Australian universities propagated in the period following the implementation of new national student participation goals. It argues that despite the stated policy objectives and increasing public rhetoric about broadening access to university such messages continued to position universities as elite and exclusive, while vocational training colleges continued to be promoted as having less rigorous academic standards suited to those who aspire to develop trade employment skills. Australian universities are part of a wider communication system that includes other tertiary education organisations including the vocational education sector, State and Federal Governments and the news and information media. The communication of messages about the value of higher education and differences between institutions in this system contributes to the formation of public beliefs and attitudes. The paper argues that the persistence of communication practices and messages that promote the superiority of university and the low success rates of students from disadvantaged backgrounds contributes to the persistence of entrenched views about post-secondary education. The limited discursive framing of university education in Australia in those messages is likely to prevent universities from increasing the participation rates of students from non-traditional higher education backgrounds and thus undermine national educational and associated economic goals, while contributing to an increasing social divide where educational achievement is the fault line.

The economic growth of a nation depends greatly on the improvement in education. Human development to a great extent depends on the improvement in Education. Among various levels of education, higher education has a pervasive and influential impact on development. Higher education empowers the individual with necessary skills and competence for achieving important personal and social goals and thereby contributing to the social development. It is widely believed that the state of higher education in a country is an index of its future wellbeing. Education scenario in India is fast changing. In developing countries like ours, government is finding itself incapable to bear the responsibility of higher education as it is already facing acute dearth of resources. Universities and colleges are starved of funds as the support of Govt. is being reduced and grants are not being provided in time causing hardship to them. One of the easier options to overcome the financial crisis in the educational sector is to start self-financing courses. But this alternative is possible only for courses with high demand. Secondly, these courses further strengthen the numerous entry barriers to higher education existing already. Thirdly, the scope for self-financing educational institutions in Kerala is much more limited than for the country as a whole. Fourthly, these institutions cannot evolve as centers of excellence. But, however privatization of higher-level education especially in the field of professional and technical education like Medical, Engineering, Information Technology, Computer, Management, Teacher Education etc. has already commenced.

The Open and Distance Learning (ODL) education for science teachers is seen as a solution to the problems of equity and access to teacher education in Nigeria. It is used to provide cost-effective Science Teacher Education, and to train large numbers of teachers within a short period of time. The need for training science teachers through ODL systems is becoming more critical and necessary. The study explored the contribution of Science Teacher Education within the context of Open and Distance Learning in the following areas: time spent on electronics devices, skill development in the use of computer technologies and applications, Extent of use of IT in courses and course management system features. The study used a survey method. Stratified sampling technique was adopted. Two hundred and fifty (250) questionnaires were sent out and one hundred and seventy three (173) were returned. The result shows that that there is a significant positive correlation between science teachers education within the context of Open Distance Learning and time spent on electronics devices, skill development in the use of computer technologies and application, Extent of use of IT in courses and course management system features at R = 0.688, 0.625, 0.165, 0.607, 0.500, with the p value of < 0.05 level of significance. This result implies that increase on each of these variables will further enhance Science Teacher Education.

The world has become a global village. No county can live in isolation without seeking impact of global trends and a change in all field of life education is the most important tool in national development. So this age of knowledge has great impact on education. Teacher education is the brain of all educational disciplines as it delivers education to train the prospective teachers. It is also the mother of all professions. Like all other professions, globalization is also affecting teacher education. Therefore there is a global paradigm shift in teacher education. The main purpose of this study was to explore the paradigm shift in teacher education which has revolutionized teaching learning process at school level. The teacher education programs of five public universities of Pakistan where focused to fulfill the objectives of the study. The study was quantitative as well as qualitative in nature. Information regarding shift paradigm in teacher education were gathered by conducting self administered surveys, document analysis and interviews. Sample of the study comprised of prospective teachers, working teachers and executives (directors and heads) total 100 prospective teachers, 50 working teachers and 20 executives were selected by using random sampling techniques, collected data was analyzed by implementing simple descriptive statistical techniques such as percentages. The main paradigm changes in teacher education in perception of the selected respondents were: increase in duration of teacher education programmes, standard based curriculum, balance in theory and practice, shift from teacher to student centered delivery system, quality assurance and shift in assessment procedures.

Education means all round development, this all round development means intellectual, social and emotional development. It is only education that can mould the behavior of an individual. READ (Rural Education and Development) Foundation is not-for-profit organization established in 1994 to address the dire need for education and literacy in Pakistan. Pakistan is facing an educational crisis with more than 25 million children not being able to avail their constitutional right to a quality education. One in ten of the world's out-of-school children are Pakistani. Education is the only tool which can enable the country to develop and progress amongst the communities and nations. Realizing this problem, READ Foundation's founders initiate a school system to serve the marginalized communities and underprivileged families and to contribute for MDGs. The main aim of this study is to assess the actual role of READ Foundation of quality improvement in Pakistan. The purpose of this paper is to examine and compare the key roles of READ Foundation for providing quality education in Pakistan. For this purpose a significant review of on hand literature was passed out. On the basis of deeper and critical investigation into the literature, the study found that the READ Foundation truly contributed with the admirable system of accountability with equal opportunities to all. System having good quality assessment system, non political interference, and quality curriculum and teachers motivation for achieving quality oriented goals.